Barley & Me

Host Ben Rice grabs a pint on his patio with Melissa McCann, the executive director of the Women's International Beer Summit, part of the newly-minted Women's Craft Fermentation Alliance. Over a glass of Crowns & Hops's Black Is Beautiful pecan pie stout, we discuss the creation of this endeavor, the challenges and successes of starting it during COVID, winning Athletic Brewing's Trailblazer award, Melissa's path from casual drinker to executive director, and becoming a 501(c)3. Plus! Incredible stories coming to this year's event (April 23 & 24, again digitally - get your tickets at www.wcfa.beer), what's new for this year, and what's in the future for this wonderful interactive event.Again, get your tickets at www.wcfa.beer for just $40 (sale ends March 15 - $50 after that). First 300 ticket buyers also get an interactive bonus box loaded with sensory and other goodies to pair with talks throughout the summit. Plus, check out details on the Women's International Beer Summit digital happy hour April

Host Ben Rice travels to Federation Brewing in Oakland, CA, to talk with Hella Coastal's Mario Benjamin & Chaz Hubbard and comedian Karinda Dobbins. We discuss Hella Coastal's alternating proprietorship arrangement with Federation and how that differs from contract brewing, aiming to become the first Black-owned brewery in Oakland and why loudly and proudly stating that is important, as well as the importance of visual storytelling. Plus! Karinda's debut album Black and Blue (available now on Blonde Medicine), Louisiana gumbo do's and don't's, changing generational thought, and beating your children at Mario Kart. All this and more, on the latest episode of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about Hella Coastal @ www.hellacoastal.com or follow them across social media @hellacoasta (Venmo hella-coastal)Be sure to check out Karinda's new album Black & Blue wherever you get your albums, or find it on Blonde Medicine (vinyl available!). And of course, follow Karinda @karinadobbins (Venmo Karinda-Dobbins

Host Ben Rice sits down with Art Moye, the owner of Full Circle Brewing in Fresno, CA and Ta'Vi, comedian and co-host of the podcast It's Crazy You're In My Business, at SacYard Community Taphouse in Sacramento to discuss Full Circle's eight Black History Month collaborations with black brewers and tastemakers across the United States. (Hint: they're doing a full event, including the collaborators, at Full Circle on February 19, so stop in!) Plus! Comedy! Accounting! Surprise cider side projects! Spicy foods! And Ta'Vi tries a sour for the first time ever. It's quick, it's dirty, it's in the midst of a comedy show, and Art could not be more inviting as we challenge palates and change minds. Enjoy!Barley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Got guest/brewery ideas or questions? Email Ben at barleyandmepod@gmail.com or barleyandmepodcast@gmail.comAlso, during the ongoing COVID crisis, 100% of profits from sales of Barley & Me shirts via Zen-Threads.com will go to Another Round, Another

Host Ben Rice travels to Campus Brewing in West Sacramento to complete his 2021 recap/2022 preview episode with his Barley & Me Presents: Leonard Malting co-hosts Corky McDonnell (Dare Daniel Podcast) and Paulina Olivares (Pink Boots Society/Drake's). Alas, by the time you hear this, Campus will be no more, as the cards were stacked against it. And that's kinda the vibe here, as we all brought a beer that was at least one year old, starting strong with Corky's pick of Great Divide Barrel Aged Yeti, sliding back to reality with one of COVID's early victims, San Leandro's Cleophus Quealy's barrel aged farmhouse ale Dark Horse, then ruining the reality of love with Paulina's pick, a Pliny the Younger TIPA bottled on 2/14/2020. From the best of bestiality (jokes) to the secret joys of colonoscopies, this episode shines a light on the absurdity that has been our past two years, with a sarcastic and, sadly, dejected eye on 2022. Oh, and we have two secret additional beers you need to tune in to find out about,

Host Ben Rice recaps what is going on in his life, including a new child and too many comedy shows. But most importantly, he is seeking feedback about the ramifications of Brienne Allen's Instagram Story from 6 months ago that went viral and led to an increased awareness in the (mis)treatment of minorities, women, and LGBTQIA+ members of the craft beer/wine/spirits industry. Instead of featuring a roundtable of locals, Ben is calling for stories near and far, so if you have stories/feedback about before/during/after those revelations, please check out the link below. Your story may be shared on a future episode. In the meantime, be better, demand better, and have a safe and happy holiday season. Cheers!Submit your feedback/story: https://forms.gle/2QNebCn7NHHjsEbg6I do invite you to share this link with people who have experienced/witnessed, hell, even performed, these issues.Barley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepodGot questions/suggestions? Email me at barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or

Host Ben Rice travels (digitally) to Walla Walla, Washington, simply for an excuse to say Walla Walla, Washington over and over again. While there, he also manages to interview Troy Robinson of Quirk Brewing and Phil Neumann of Mainstem Malt about locally-sourced, salmon-safe ingredients in Quirk-y craft beers (and more streamlined ones as well, stream/salmon pun intentional), as well as the challenges of being deemed "organic", and getting local farmers to buy in on craft beer. Plus! Mainstem's fundraising campaign through WeFunder (ends November 18th! Buy in for as little as $100!), malt-chewing ASMR, spineless beers, and Ben's attempt to solve the out-of-state distribution law issues using this one clever trick! All this and so much more, on episode 157 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about the beers and activities at Quirk Brewing by going to www.quirkbrewing.com or following them across social media @quirkbrewingVisit www.mainstemmalt.com to learn more about the craft malt movement or www.wefunde

Host Ben Rice travels to Rancho Cordova, CA, to talk to owners Jim Noss & Matt Risse about opening a brewery during a global pandemic, celebrating an anniversary and even expanding during said pandemic, and fighting for space in the craft beer market as things start to return to normal. We also discuss the need for more alcohol in professional sports, their upcoming collabs with Slugfest Games and Thick Vatos, perfect pop punk albums, and their new comedy nights starring Joey "Joseph" Stults! Plus! Jim's tie to a controversial World Series moment! Wart Hog Road Trips! And a bold new trivia championship belt! All this and more, on episode 156 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about the beers and events at LogOff Brewing, and their LogOff tips, @logoffbrewingBarley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or barleyandmepod@gmail.comAnd be sure to learn more about the Black Is Beautiful Initiat

Host Ben Rice travels to the Oak Park area of Sacramento to talk to Oak Park Brewing/People's Beer Co. brewers Rodg Little and Geoff Scott about the first annual People's Harvest Time Jubilee, taking place at 30 black-owned breweries across the world, with the kickoff at OPB on Saturday, October 2. Plus! Brew Your Story, an event inside the event, and the beers they're brewing for this, including a collaboration with past guest D Neal of Beer Talk Now. We also tell our own stories, about finding beer, getting into the craft beer industry, and even finding love. Which of course leads to a very important question: what kind of beer education do you give your children and how? Plus! Coffee education! Accidental IPA! And catchphrase creation! All this and more, on episode 155 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about People's Beer Co. at www.peoplesbeerco.comCheck out the People's Harvest Time Jubilee kickoff at Oak Park Brewing in Sacramento on Saturday, October 2. Get tickets at the venue or on eventbrite.c

Host Ben Rice travels to Urban Roots Brewing in Sacramento, CA, to speak with beer journalist and author Tara Nurin about her new book (out now on Chicago Review Press - use promo code BarleyAndMe25 to receive 25% off) A Woman's Place Is In the Brewhouse: A Forgotten History of Alewives, Brewsters, Witches and CEOs, as well as co-host of KRSO's Brew HaHa drive time radio show, Herlinda Heras, and the founder of the Women's International Beer Summit, Melissa McCann. We talk Tara's exhaustive research and travel for this book, the shockingly overlooked and underreported number of women involved in the founding of the modern American craft beer movement, Brienne Allan's hard push for equality in the craft brew space, and some interesting beer history. Plus! Herlinda's tremendous resume outside of beer, Melissa downplays her involvement AGAIN, and Tara tracks down the unfindable. All this and more, on episode 154 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Go to www.chicagoreviewpress.com/ to purchase A Woman's Place Is In the Bre

Host Ben Rice travels to Folsom, CA, to sit down with Red Bus Brewing owner/brewer/minibus enthusiast Erik Schmidt and comedian/activist/Moving Van Show host/co-creator Shahera Hyatt to discuss the intricacies of beer and wine, Oktoberfest, and the 5th anniversary of Shahera's roaming outdoor Moving Van Show. Plus! Running a home brew supply shop and a brewery at the same time, the art of macro lager vs the excitement of craft beer, a letter from a beloved smoothie company, and Erik's favorite local haunts. All this and more, on episode 153 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about Red Bus Brewing @redbusbrewFollow Shahera Hyatt @shaherazhad and find the Moving Van Show monthly @movingvanshowBarley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or barleyandmepod@gmail.comAnd be sure to learn more about the Black Is Beautiful Initiative, as featured in Episode 129 with Marcus Baskerville of Weathered Sou

Host Ben Rice travels (digitally) to New Braunfels, Texas, and Sacramento, CA to interview Kelly Meyer of New Braunfels Brewing and music journalist Aaron Carnes. We talk about their approaches to their new books (Kelly is the author of "How NOT To Start a Damn Brewery," which just released an updated version, while Aaron recently released his first book "In Defense of Ska"). We also talk about their podcasts, which share the name of their books, respectively. Plus! Ska history! The challenges of entering the craft beer industry in 2021! Comfort levels! And who's really buying books right now? Plus! Beer swears, national distribution, and the desperate search for more beer/book/podcast customers. All this and more, on episode 153 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Follow New Braunfels Brewing @nbbrewFollow Kelly's book/podcast "How NOT To Start A Damn Brewery" wherever you get your podcasts or on IG @hownottostartadamnbreweryBUY THAT BOOK at https://www.amazon.com/How-NOT-start-Brewery-Business-ebook/dp/B0848VRW18Chec

Host Ben Rice travels to Denver, CO, to sit down with David Lin, co-founder of Comrade Brewing, and Jake Weber, co-owner of Denver's Seafood Landing. We talk about Comrade's creation, being named the 2019 Small Brewer of the Year at GABF, and stumbling into new opportunities. Plus! Growlers and crowlers galore! Food service and safety! Meeting and adapting to the demands of COVID! And tales of intrigue on the high seas and desert plains! All this and more, on the latest episode of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Learn more about the beers and events at Comrade Brewing by following them on Instagram @comradebrewingIn search for some of the best seafood in Denver? Check out guest Jake Weber's Seafood Landing at 3457 West 32nd Avenue or visit them online at www.seafoodlanding.business.siteBarley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or barleyandmepod@gmail.comEpisode 135 guest Tara Nurin's new book "A Woman's

Host Ben Rice meets up with podcaster KinkySudz of Sudz Under the Sun and the Black Nerd Friday podcasts (plus two upcoming projects) at Sacramento's Oak Park Brewing to discuss their freshly-brewed limoncello beer collab, which is set to release on August 6. Oak Park's Rodg Little was set to join until an impromptu meeting pulled him away. So KinkySudz and Ben discuss the realities of science and brewing in a capitalistic society, as well as racism, sexism, and homophobia in the world (and beer industry). We also tackle the current craft beer ABV Wars, how alcohol consumption changes as you age, and the magic and terror of trying a style you love (or hate) at a brewery you've never been to. Plus! Ben mansplains South Dakota, first video game loves, and how, no matter what we do, Terminators are coming. So clean your appliances and give this episode a spin. Enjoy!Follow KinkySudz and check out her IG Live/podcast appearances on IG @kinkysudzFind out more about this collab, events, and Oak Park Brewing itself

Host Ben Rice travels to Denver, CO, to talk to owner/brewer Ashleigh Carter of esteemed Bierstadt Lagerhaus. Besides "why lager" and "a WOMAN in BEER?!?," we also discuss soccer coaching, astrophysics, common core vs regular mathematics, finding a good partner, seasonal releases, collaborations, and the bad-ass Bierstadt-branded glassware. Plus! Pretty much the entire recipe for their beloved slow pour pils, a profound correlation between carnitas and lagers, buying a canning line at pandemic pricing, and what a brewday really looks like (spoiler alert: brew weekend is more accurate). All this and more, on episode 148 of Barley & Me. Cheers!Get all that lager-y goodness by checking out @bierstadtlager on IG or GOING TO THE BREWERY. It's a must for any Denver visit.Barley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or barleyandmepod@gmail.comAnd be sure to learn more about the Black Is Beautiful Init

Host Ben Rice travels to Littleton, CO, to chat with owner/operator Jason Bell of Living the Dream Brewing about the challenges of COVID-19, plus the joys of living the dream. From his humble homebrewer beginnings to the challenges of being a commercial head brewer, to realizing his energies were better spent focused on operations, plus all the positives and pitfalls of starting your own brewery. And Ben? Well, he gets to taste everything from a flagship cream ale to a bourbon-barrel-aged barleywine, so he's doing just fine. Plus a little Kings talk, beer and food pairings, brewery dogs, fundraising/charity collaborations, and the age-old question of can v bottle. All this and more, on episode 147 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about Living the Dream at www.livingthedreambrewing.comBarley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or barleyandmepod@gmail.comAnd be sure to learn more about the B

Host Ben Rice travels to Ft. Collins, Colorado, to talk to brewer/owner Charlie Hoxmeier of Gilded Goat Brewing and the associate director of the Colorado State University Fermentation Sciences program, Jeff Calloway. We talk coffee beers, COVID canning, the Colorado craft beer community, and more science than you can shake a stick at! Plus! Yeast culture! Sustainability! Malt testing! And watersheds! And so, so much more. Enjoy!Follow Gilded Goat on IG @gildedgoatbrewcoLearn more about the Colorado State University Fermentation Science Program on IG @csu_fermentationBarley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or barleyandmepod@gmail.comAnd be sure to learn more about the Black Is Beautiful Initiative, as featured in Episode 129 with Marcus Baskerville of Weathered Souls Brewing, at www.blackisbeautiful.beerGet your merch or make donations at www.customink.com/fundraising/black-is-beautiful-initia

Host Ben Rice travels to Alameda, CA, to conduct Barley & Me's long-postponed 125th episode, a video episode with Almanac Beer Co's brewmaster Phillip Emerson and Admiral Maltings's co-founder Ron Silberstein. We talk maltster and brewer's pasts, presents, and futures, in three segments, recorded at The Rake at Admiral Maltings, the Almanac brewhouse, and Almanac's taproom. Running themes include education, that beer is agriculture, sustainability is key, ingredients matter, and inclusivity is the most important frontier in the future of craft. Plus! Sours! Lagers! COVID! and the importance of making beer, for a cause, with purpose. Enjoy! And check out the video episode on YouTube!Check out the malt offerings at Admiral Maltings at www.admiralmaltings.comSee what's going on at Almanac Beer Co @almanacbeerBarley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or barleyandmepod@gmail.comAnd be sure to lea

Host Ben Rice travels to Fort Collins, CO, to continue Maltster May(hem) with Chris Schooley and Steve Clark of Troubadour Maltings and Carol & Tim Cochran of Horse & Dragon Brewing. We talk craft malt's humbling beginnings, coffee paparazzi, and hemorrhaging money in pursuit of your passion! Plus! Malt extraction processes and efficiencies, what "consistency" means in beer now, disgusting old roasts, the challenges of brewery ownership, and a surprising fact about the next generation of Fort Collins. All this and more, on episode 145 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about Horse & Dragon Brewing on IG @horseanddragonbrewFollow Troubadour Maltings across social media @troubadourmaltingsBarley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or barleyandmepod@gmail.comAnd be sure to learn more about the Black Is Beautiful Initiative, as featured in Episode 129 with Marcus Baskerville of Weath

Host Ben Rice kicks off Maltster May(hem) with Fort Collins's Root Shoot Malting founders Todd & Emily Olander and Natalie Yoder, co-owner of the brand-new Fort Collins brewery Stodgy Brewing. We talk opening a brewery in COVID and how canning could have been catastrophic for her, moving the family farming business whole-hog into the craft malt world, and the odd challenges of making truly local beer. Plus! Maltsters educating brewers, the strange mismatch of market research versus sales reality, fair pricing, and we also get into whether Barleywine is Life or Lie. All this and more, on episode 144 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Visit www.stodgybrewing.com for more info about their local, limited offerings and availability.Check out Root Shoot Malting at www.rootshootmalting.com or find em on TikTok!Barley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com or barleyandmepod@gmail.comAnd be sure to learn more abo

Host Ben Rice travels to Fort Collins, CO, to talk to Purpose Brewing & Cellars's owners/brewers Peter & Frezi Bouckaert about their distinguished history in beer and world travel. We delve into beer history, personal history, and their star-making roles in the 2020 beer documentary Beer: A Love Story. They are instantly captivating, lovely, knowledgeable, and adventurous as individuals, as a couple, and as brewers. Sit back and listen to them regale you with tales of success and failure, experimentation and hard-won wins. Oh, and the beers are phenomenal - 5 new recipes released each week, likely never to be seen again. Enjoy this episode as much as I did. Cheers!Get the skinny on Purpose and their weekly releases at www.purposebrewing.com and follow their IG for beautiful beer footage @purposebrewingFind out more about Beer: A Love Story on IG @beermovie2020Barley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod.Also, during this crisis, 100% of profits from sales of Barley & Me shirts