Episode 85 - Cerveza Showdown

We're discussing Nick and Jen's recent trip to Europe and all the cool things they experienced, while Joe reminisces on his trip to Europe a couple of years ago. Since this is a beer podcast, it's no surprise that we spend most of the time discussing the beer culture in Amsterdam, Belgium, and Germany - namely, the emphasis that bars and pubs place on using the correct glassware. What glasses do they use and how does the beer culture (specifically glassware for beer) differ from that of the US? You'll have to tune in to hear the answers!

With the recent news of Anderson Valley Brewing Company up for sale, Joe and Nick learned about the brewery using solar panels to source half of their energy, and this opened the door for more research! We discuss the organization (USGBC) that certifies businesses who demonstrate environmentally friendly and sustainable practices and how those businesses can achieve a LEED certification - our focus is on craft breweries but there are plenty of other businesses (many in North Carolina) who have achieved LEED Certified status. From solar panels and wind turbines to efficiency in equipment and infrastructure to reduce energy waste, there are solutions and opportunities for breweries to reduce their energy consumption and also reduce their energy costs by using alternative sources.

Joe and Nick are back and eager to drink as many Oktoberfest brews as possible this fall! What better way to do that than to line up five commercial examples of the style and do a blind ranking? Last year, we did a North Carolina lineup and this year went with options that can be procured from all over the US so that hopefully you can find them in your local grocery store or bottle shop and taste along. We also had the pleasure of trying a homebrew from our friend and listener, Matt, who created a Märzen homebrew this year.

With Oktoberfest and all things pumpkin just around the corner, what better time than now for us to discuss...fresh hops? While we're getting into the Oktoberfest and pumpkin beer season, it's also the time of year when many hops are harvested and breweries start releasing their fresh hop beers. What are "fresh hops" and why should we as consumers care? Is it all for show or is there some merit to it? And why are these hops so wet? All this and more unfolds in this episode!

We are saying goodbye to CO2 (at least for this episode) and drinking only nitro beers on this episode! On the podcast, we try a few different beers from Left Hand Brewing Co., who is well known for canning and bottling many different nitrogenated beers. We discuss some of the history of nitrogen being introduced to beer as an alternative to carbon dioxide, the technology behind nitrogenated beer, and why nitro doesn't work for everything.

We're back after taking a couple weeks off to catch up on life, and we thought that it would be fun to showcase some of the delicious cervezas that North Carolina has to offer! No, we're not just boning up on our Spanish - Joe and Nick have a lineup of Mexican lagers, all brewed in North Carolina, to compare with a Corona. Featured are brews from The Mason Jar Lager Company, Heist Brewery, Casita Brewing Company, and DSSOLVR. At the end, they each provide their ranking of the four options, before taking a stab at LC's Pick of the Week. Cheers!

Joe, Nick, and Lauren (LC's back!) follow up on the last episode related to grocery store beers, giving some of their favorite craft beers that can widely be found in the grocery store. They also run through some of the top rated options according to global Untappd ratings, to hopefully give you some inspiration for your next supermarket trip. While bottle shops and breweries may be able to deliver great niche selections, your grocery store can hold its own with some tasty offerings from larger craft breweries. What beers/breweries did we leave out of the list? Let us know your favorites!

Joe and Nick have been loving the addition of the new Lowes Foods store in town, and the famous Beer Den that lies within. The Lowes Foods Beer Den is a small taproom within the store, where you can get a pint to sit and sip or take around the store as you shop. They also have a vast to-go section for both local and national craft beers, including Beer Den branded brews! This spurned today's topic of "which grocery store chain is best for finding a good craft beer selection?" We review two of the Beer Den beers (contract brews with Foothills Brewing), "Juno" and "Robin Hood", while going through a blog post from TastingTable.com. Let us know if there is a store that should've been on the list!

Joe and Nick both pulled an aged bottle of beer from their respective collection for this episode, which is all about how to properly cellar/age your beer. The guys both learned what they should've done differently with their own cellaring process, and discuss the consensus recommendations for maturing a beer. To round things out, LC's Pick of the Week tries to stump the guys.

Joe and Nick are talking about the "magic" of yeast - what it is, what it does, how different yeast strains are used for different styles of beer, and more! As we now know, yeast is responsible for converting sugars to alcohol during the process of fermentation, but what might not be concerned as often is the role yeast plays in other facets of brewing and the final product. Flavor, aroma, mouthfeel, and other aspects are influenced by the strain of yeast used, and science has really come a long way in a relatively short amount of time since yeast was discovered. After getting nerdy about yeast, the guys finish with LC's Pick of the Week (sans LC). Cheers!