Beer Busters

This episode was recorded on site at the Brews and Bands for Bart Beer Festival at Tattered Flag Brewery and Stillworks in Middletown, PA. This event was organized to raise money for the family of Bartley Kaminski, a huge figure in the beer world who sadly lost his battle with cancer recently. We invited a long list of friends to sit down and chat, catch up, and raise a glass to an amazing human being. Enjoy, and we hope you'll raise a glass too.

This episode we are joined by Betsy Lay, Owner and Head Brewer, and her wife, Alison Wisneski, Director of Marketing for Lady Justice Brewing Company in Aurora, Colorado. Lady Justice is a not for profit (though not legally a non-profit, something we discuss) and community supported brewery whose mission is to brew great beer to make the world a better place. The Latina-founded, queer and woman-owned operation dedicates time, space, and money to nonprofits and community partners that support and empower women and girls in the state of Colorado. In Happy Fun Time this episode, we played There’s Weird in My Beer. Also, Dan was unable to join us this episode due to illness, don’t worry – it wasn’t COVID and he’s back to 100% now. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.  

Shortly after the recording of this episode, Bartly Kaminski lost his battle with cancer. Our thoughts and love are with his family, his many, many friends, and the countless lives he touched. The Brews and Bands for Bart Festival will go on as planned, to honor his memory and celebrate the joy that Bart brought into the world.

We’re joined this episode by our longtime friend and frequent podcast guest, Ethan Buckman from Stickman Brews. We chat about what’s new with Stickman, Ethan’s new venture, False Bottom Spirits, and a number of other things of varying degrees of randomness. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of the rarely-seen Brewery or Forgery, in which Dan, Steph, and Ethan compete to see who can spot the fake brewery names among the real. Also, we drank some Stickman beers. On a more serious note, this episode we announce the details of the upcoming Brews and Bands for Bart block party fundraiser at Tattered Flag Brewery to benefit Bart Kaminski, founder of Hop Hedz, who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He has been responding very well to treatment and maintained his trademark high spirits, but the medical bills are adding up. If you don’t know Bart or Hop Hedz, you have definitely seen his work if you’ve spent any time drinking beer in Pennsylvania or beer from our state. Bart has been a huge presen

This episode is an audio recording from our virtual event, A Love Letter to Lagers, held on June 8th, 2021, as part of Philly Beer Week. Our guests for this happy hour panel were Jack Hendler, Co-Owner and Brewer at Jack’s Abby in Framingham, Massachusetts, and Ashleigh Carter, Co-Owner and Brewer at Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, Colorado, breweries known for producing amazing, award-winning lagers. We talk all things lager, from the technical, to the historical, and why it’s just so good. Plus, we dive into the history and culture of the two breweries our guests represent, and some of their favorite lagers, while sipping on a few of them. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

Just in time for Philly Beer Week 2021, we catch up with Executive Director of Philly Loves Beer (the organization behind beer week), Christina Dowd. At the start of the show, we address the ongoing wave of reports of sexism and harassment in the beer industry. The outpouring of stories was sparked by an Instagram post by Brienne Allan, production manager at Notch Brewing in Salem, Massachusetts – and has sadly reached into all corners of the industry, including Philly Loves Beer. Lightening the mood after a difficult, bust necessary discussion, we go on to talk about this year’s Philly Beer Week and how it will be different this time around. As COVID restrictions begin to ease, this year’s celebrations will be a combination of in-person and virtual events – including our free Love Letter to Lagers Virtual Happy Hour, more info here. Dan was absent from the beginning of the episode but was able to join us just in time for the Happy Fun Time Game, this time a mash-up called, Is There Weird in My Beer? We sipp

This episode is a Beer Busters first, dedicated entirely to non-alcoholic beer. Joining us is the Co-Founder and CEO of Hairless Dog Brewing, Jeff Hollander. The Minneapolis based production brewery produces exclusively alcohol-free beer. And it’s for real. Most “NA” beers are brewed traditionally – alcohol and all – and then have the booze removed, leaving a product that can legally be up to 0.5% ABV. Hairless Dog, however, has developed a process in which alcohol is never introduced at all, it is truly 0% ABV. While this concept may be a bit foreign to us, the demand for non-alcoholic, yet flavorful beers is on the rise. We chat about the many situations this product would be super welcome, whether you’re cutting out the booze entirely, want to cut back, or just to slip in on those occasions where you have a drink in your hand all night and your not really counting those sips. Try as we might, though, Jeff would not divulge the process – who can blame him? Also, we played There’s Weird in My Beer in Happy

Joining us this episode are Tom Baker, longtime owner of Earth Bread + Brewery, and now founder of Bar Hygge  in Philadelphia, along with Duffy Lonergan, brewer for Bar Hygge’s on-site Brewery Techne. We talk about Tom’s long and storied history in the world of beer, Duffy’s (less long and storied) background and what brought him to Brewery Techne, and a whole lot of other various and occasionally random things. And, this episode’s Happy Fun Time Game is Libation or Fabrication: Pandemic Edition (Again). All of this while partaking of the following beverages produced by Brewery Techne. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

This episode we share some brews with our longtime friend, Dain Shirey, from St. Boniface Craft Brewing in Ephrata, PA. This year the brewery celebrated its 10th anniversary, so we took a trip down memory lane and discussed the history of St. Boniface as well as our long association with the brewery (including the birth of “no squids were harmed”). Starting with the founding of the business in 2011, all the way up to opening a full-service restaurant amid the pandemic last year. We also talk about current and future plans, including the fate of Bonifest. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosts a round of There’s Weird in My Beer Booze. All while we sip on some fine Boniface beers. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

Joining us this episode is Laura Lacy, Co-Owner (along with her husband Todd) of Attic Brewing in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Open just over a year, Attic proudly serves a wide array of beer styles, offering limited delivery service within the city. We talk about opening a brewery just before the pandemic hit, how Laura and Todd ended up in Philadelphia and why they wanted to open a brewery, how they are giving back to the community, and much more. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosts a round of Libation or Fabrication, and all the while we sip on a trio of stellar Attic Brews. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

This episode features audio from our recent live virtual happy hour segment as part of the 2021 Philadelphia Grain and Malt Symposium. We were joined by our friend Nate Kresge, Founder of Harrisburg-based media production company, GK Visual in a panel discussion along with a lineup of people from the brewing industry including, Dan Hershberg from Workhorse Brewing, Dain Shirey from St. Boniface Brewing, and Tom Baker from Earth Bread + Brewery. Our discussion centers on the creative solutions the industry has employed in the face of a challenging year, and what the industry looks like moving forward. It all starts with a demonstration on DIY pizza dough making, and tips for making your own homemade pie, from pizza legend and James Beard Award winning chef, Jeff Michaud, owner of Osteria Philadelphia. The event is produced by Deer Creek Malthouse in partnership with USciences, and sponsored by DirectLync. This episode also includes a segment with Moo-Duck Brewery and Pour Man’s Brewing that was meant to be in

Moo-Duck Brewery in Elizabethtown and Pour Man’s Brewing in Ephrata are longtime friends of the podcast and longtime friends of each other, regularly collaborating and brewing at each others’ facilities. Mike Brubaker from Moo-Duck and Ryan Foltz, Sam Son, and Mike King from Pour Man’s join us this episode to chat about their collaborations, new developments at each brewery, continuing to navigate the post-COVID world, and more. In Happy Fun Time, we play a round of Bad Beer Reviews – a game about the most colorful commentaries on BeerAdvocate.com. All of this, and much more shenanigans, while we enjoy a solid lineup of brews from both breweries.   Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

Welcome to a slapdash, socially distant installment of our annual Valentine’s Day-ish tradition of a beer and food pairing session with Greg Orth, founder of Craft Tastings, LLC. Since we were unable to proceed in our normal fashion – gathered around the pool table in the Beer Busters basement with whiskey, popcorn, surprises, bacon, grilled cheese, or lots of chocolate – this time around we tried a free-for-all quarantine pairing. With various beers from our beer fridges and snacks from our pantries, we mixed and matched through the most DIY and off-the-rails Craft Tastings episode to date. In the midst of the madness, we played a round of There’s Weird in My Beer in Happy Fun Time, and talked a lot about snack foods. As Greg likes to say, if you’re drinking beer and eating snacks, you can’t go wrong. We also caught up with our friend Mark Brault from Deer Creek Malthouse to chat about our involvement the upcoming Philadelphia Grain and Malt Symposium.   Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not

For the first time since the before times, we catch up with our good friends from Mad Chef in Lancaster, PA. Joining us this episode are Co-Owners Francisco “The Real Slim Cheffy” Ramirez, Greg “Just Greg” Kendig, and Brewer Pim “Dutch” Harmsen. We talk new beers and old favorites, the effects of COVID on the business, and a very exciting update on the future at Mad Chef. There is also a not unsurprising amount of tomfoolery, as Francisco, the Mad Chef himself, exudes irresistible joy everywhere he goes. In Happy Fun Time, we played a round of no frills Libation or Fabrication. All this while sipping on Mad Chef brews, and a few others sprinkled in for good measure.   Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

This episode we are joined by Kaitlin McCall, Co-Owner of McCall Collective Brewing, and her brother-in-law and Brewer, Matt McCall. Allentown’s first fully female owned brewery, McCall Collective opened in August of 2020. We discuss what lead the McCall’s (along with Co-Owner, and Kaitlin’s husband, Chris) to open a brewery, Matt’s brewing history, the pressures and changes necessitated by open among the COVID pandemic, and more. Dan does some news (remember that?), reporting on the winners of the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s craft beer competition – among them are two McCall beers. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of Bad Beer Reviews (check out our gameshow videos on YouTube), while sipping on various brews.   Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

Joining us for our first podcast in the New Year, is Todd Reinhardt, Brewer at Brü Daddy’s Brewing Company.  We chat about the history of Brü Daddy’s, some medal-winning beer, their new entry into canning, and more. Todd also talks about his brewing history, from working his way into Two Rivers Brewing, then onto Free Will, before landing at Brü Daddy’s. In Happy Fun Time Games, we play a round of There’s Weird in My Beer, a game all about beers with bizarre ingredients. (Which is also available in video form on our YouTube Channel.) All this while Steph sips on an array of Brü Daddy’s brews, and Dan and Wayne polish off some more beers from recently featured brewery, Shy Bear Brewing.   Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

It’s the most wonderful time of the worst year ever! What better way to celebrate the holiday season and the merciful end of 2020 than to drink and chat with some old friends. Joining us, in succession, for our Christmas episode this year are: Kevin Keller, who we first met through Hop Hedz Gear and has gone on to work for Evil Genius and found Prototype Brewing and Meadery. Next up is Mark Graves, currently at Cape May Brewing, we’ve followed Mark from Manayunk Brewing, to Flying Fish, and beyond. And, last but not least, our good friend and long time patron, James Lamberg – one of the nicest and most generous friends of Beer Busters. We sip of seasonal brews, chat about all kinds of things, make merry, and – oh yeah, we played Libation or Fabrication with Mark, and there will be another video version of that coming soon to our YouTube channel. Wishing all of our listeners, friends, and family a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and hope for a brighter New Year. Cheers!   Do you love Beer Busters? Of

One of our favorite pandemic activities is getting goofy with our good friend Ethan Buckman, Co-Owner and Brewer at Stickman Brews. In this episode we chat about Stickman’s new experimental series, selling beer to go, supporting small businesses, and (mostly) random conversations that straddle the line between poignant and absurd. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of Bad Beer Reviews, the game all about the crazy things people write on BeerAdvocate.com. Also, we tried something new…look for the video version of the episode’s Happy Fun Time Game on our YouTube channel (yes, we do have a YouTube channel – we almost forgot too.) All this and more, while we partake of a generous array of Stickman Brews. (We also mentioned Dan's recent standup performance, which you can watch here if you're into that sort of thing. Dan starts at 51:42 but you should watch the other comics too!) Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider sup

The last on-location podcast episode we recorded before the Coronavirus pandemic shutdown was at Stolen Sun Brewing in Exton, PA. Several months and wildly off-the-mark predictions later, Stolen Sun founder, Jonathan Zangwill returns to the podcast under very different, socially distanced circumstances. We discuss the expansion of the brewery, recent projects, dealing with COVID and more. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of There’s Weird in My Beer, all about brews featured in this year’s Extreme Beer Fest (Cyberspace) hosted by Beer Advocate. All of this and so much more, as we sample a healthy array of Stolen Sun brews. Oh yeah, and we also talk about that time Dan ate yeast. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.

Joining us this episode is Mike LaRosa, Director of Brewing Operations at New Trail Brewing in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Opened in April of 2018, New Trail has become one of the most talked about breweries in the state in its relatively short lifespan. Part of that success can be attributed to our guest, LaRosa’s long and impressive resume in the beer industry. We chat about this and what led him to New Trail, as well as distribution updates, collaborations, and – of course – how the brewery has navigated the challenges of COVID. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosts a round of origial-flavor, no-nonsense, Libation or Fabrication. All this and more, while we sip on a selection of New Trail brews, that showcase the breweries chops beyond their hugely popular lineup of IPAs. Do you love Beer Busters? Of course you do! Why not leave us a rating and review on your podcast platform of choice and consider supporting us on Patreon.