Drinking Socially - The Official Untappd Podcast

Season 5, Episode 8 - In this week's episode of Drinking Socially, hosts Harrison Hickok and Kyle Roderick chat with Sierra Nevada's Innovation Supervisor, Isaiah Mangold, and Product Manager, Terence Sullivan. 'Tis the season for drinking Celebration - Sierra Nevada's Fresh Hop IPA - so kick back, crack one open and learn all about the history of this widely-beloved ale.

In this week's special episode of Drinking Socially, hosts Harrison Hickok and Kyle Roderick chat with Firestone Walker Co-Founder David Walker about how this iconic twenty-six year old brewery continues to innovate, their growing focus on sustainability, and the constant pursuit of the perfect beer.

Our guest on this week’s episode is Sam Tierney, Manager of The Propagator - Firestone Walker’s R&D Brewhouse. He joins Drinking Socially hosts Harrison Hickok and Kyle Roderick to talk about innovation, collaboration, and some current projects he’s working on.

Summer calls for beers that sustain us through these long sun-filled hours. Light, sessionable ones that we can comfortably enjoy two, three, or even four of throughout the day without sacrificing flavor. Sierra Nevada’s new summer seasonal, a session hazy IPA called Summer Break, does exactly that. Bursting with juiciness, but only hitting 4.6% ABV, the beer made such a splash when it first hit shelves last summer that it’s back in 2022. With Summer Break, Sierra Nevada is yelling C-A-N-N-O-N-B-A-L-L at the top of their lungs.

Meet the Monsters of IPA! In 2019, Rogue released its first hazy IPA called Batsquatch, a fabled creature found in the deep woods near Mount St. Helens. Following this juicy, cloudy, fruit-forward IPA, Rogue launched a second monster in 2021. Colossal Claude, a massive sea monster last seen off the coast of his favorite brewery, has been terrifying sailors and feasting on salmon for years. Now he's turned to hops. This imperial IPA has a colossal dose of Cascade, Chinook, Citra, and Strata. Now, there is a new monster on the scene, the Gumberoo. This West Coast IPA is fashioned after the mythical half bear, half hog last sighted by campers in the Pacific Northwest woods. The piney and protective Gumberoo has a subtle hop aroma and flavors upfront giving way to a light tropical fruit body.  

We think it's pretty safe to say that over the years the love for IPAs has grown exponentially. First it was English-style IPAs, then West Coasts, then came session IPAs, and of course the haze craze. You could almost say that we’ve been hypnotized by the magic powers of IPAs. @firestonewalker has created the perfect name for this phenomenon: Hopnosis. And it's not only a new word - but more importantly it's a new IPA! In this week’s episode of Drinking Socially hosts Harrison Hickok and Kyle Roderick say hello to Firestone Walker Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. The six time winner of ""Brew of the Year"" at the Great American Beer Festival and wizard behind Firestone Walker's amazing beers will blow your minds as he chats about West Coast IPAs, new school hops, and Hopnosis.

A word from Harrison about the next few episodes of Drinking Socially. Follow us on social media to stay in the loop.

Check-in one Sierra Nevada Powder Day now through February 21, 2022 to earn this badge! Catch the latest episode on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Check-in to 5 different beers with the style of Spiced / Herbed. Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale or Chilli / Chile Beer to earn this badge! We're sipping on Mt. Shasta Brewing Co. and Debellation Brewing this episode. 

 You can earn this badge by checking-in one beer that Jon and Harrison review on Drinking Socially in Season 4. Level up with every additional unique check-in that they review. We're enjoying New Holland Brewing Company and Schlenkerla this episode, as well as a few other surprise beers to end this season in a big way. And shout out to Anchor Brewing and The Bruery for bringing us the best beers we had this week. Catch the latest episode on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.