Four Brewers | Craft Beer And Homebrew Podcast

Season 3, Episode 27 – This week, beers from AleSmith Brewing Company and Bottle Logic Brewing. Happy Independence Day! This week, we’re keeping the blog post short and sweet. There are vegan hamburgers to be grilled and beers to be drank. This week, we’re drinking some pretty hefty beers from Founders, AleSmith, and Bottle Logic.  Before we get too deep into it, we’re gonna start with a trip inside the 4B Mailbag with some Founders Backwoods Bastard. Speaking of which, we’re asking for your beer haikus. Feeling creative? Send us yours at feedback@fourbrewers.com. Founders, AleSmith, and Bottle Logic Brewing Next up are three beers that really showcase what’s going on in the SoCal beer scene. AleSmith Brewing Company’s Private Stock Ale and Mexican Speedway Stout are first up. Private Stock Ale is an Old Ale that was made for aging. AleSmith even encourages you to do this. Why? Because, man, IS IT HOT! So much booze on this beer, it’s crazy! But, that’s by design. AleSmith knows what they’re doing and when th

Season 3, Episode 26 – This week, the Fat Tire & Friends “collabeeration riff pack” and Going In Blind with Nagel. As you may remember, a few weeks ago we sampled the Sierra Nevada collaboration Beer Camp 12-pack. We were marginally dissatisfied with most of the beers. It’s not that the beers outright sucked (there were a couple wins), but they just weren’t noteworthy. This week, we decided to try another collaboration mixer. New Belgium’s take on their collaboration “riff pack” differed from Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp in that every beer is a take (riff, if you will) on New Belgium’s classic Fat Tire Amber Ale. This should be interesting… New Belgium Collabeeration Riff Pack Fat Tire is a well known beer. Its classic label, depicting red “retro” bicycle, can be spotted from a mile away (well, maybe not a mile…10 feet?). It’s safe to assume that even the most experienced beer geek among us has tasted Fat Tire at least once. Fat Tire is ubiquitous, but it also tends to get overlooked by beer geeks in search

Season 3, Episode 25 – It’s L.A. Beer Week! Let’s drink some beer from Los Angeles breweries. L.A. Beer Week is upon us! This yearly celebration of Los Angeles beer, bars, breweries, homebrewers, restaurants, eateries, food trucks, and beer drinkers has evolved into one of the best celebrations of beer culture in southern California. From Long Beach to Pomona to Gorman, the expansive and densely populated county of Los Angeles has become a destination for beer geeks far and wide. Today, we celebrate L.A. beer by drinking eight beers from L.A. breweries. The Crowd at the 2016 LA Beer Week Kickoff – #LABW8 The 2016 #LABW8 Kickoff Festival was Saturday, June 18, and it was pretty amazing. Not only were Los Angeles breweries pouring, but breweries from Orange County, the Inland Empire, San Diego County, and even the Bay area and beyond were participating in the action. There were so many awesome breweries, and they brought their A-game. Fundamental Observation from Bottle Logic Brewing was “secretly” being poured

Season 3, Episode 24 – This week, Jason brewed a Heady Topper clone, and The McNew’s brought us beer from Texas. This week, we are joined by homies Jessica and Sean McNew who recently returned from a trip to Texas and brought back some brew for us to try. But first… Can you believe it? Jason finally got back to homebrewing and came out swinging with a Heady Topper clone! We kick off the show with this juicy wonder, and Jason sure did deliver. He paid particular attention to his yeast health and fermentation temperatures, and it really paid off—his beer was great! Lakewood Brewing Next up are three beers from Lakewood Brewing Co. out of Garland, Texas. The Temptressis a really unique Imperial Milk Stout that comes in at around 9% ABV. It’s a great beer, so great that Lakewood also brewed a couple variations of it, Sin Mint Temptress and Raspberry Temptress. Again, like The Temptress, these beers are both interesting and delicious. Jester King Brewery We end the show with two beers from one of our favorite Texa

Season 3, Episode 23 – This week, we follow suit with all of the other beer podcasts and try the six beers from the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 12 (six?) pack. This week, we’re going to beer camp! Not really, but we’re gonna imagine we are by drinking the six beers from this year’s Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Beer Camp collaboration variety pack.  Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2016 Our very own Greg Nagel went to Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp. For a while, it was an actual event that select homebrewers from all over the country participated in at Sierra Nevada’s brewery in Chico, California. Each team would concoct a recipe and brew it as a pilot batch. Following that and some recipe tweaks, the final recipes would then be brewed at scale by Sierra Nevada for the variety pack.  This year, the Beer Camp variety pack is comprised of 12 beers, two bottles from six different regional brewery collaborations. The breweries involved are well known within their local markets, as well as with hardcore beer geeks. Expectations are

Season 3, Episode 22 – New Zealand’s Garage Project recently became available in our local California bottle shops, so this week we’re seeing what the hype is all about…and the hype is real! Before we start the show this week, it should be noted that Matt wasn’t able to make it to Session 35 of Four Brewers due to personal affairs, and thus will not be on this episode or the next one. See you at Session 36, Matt! The first time we heard about Garage Project was at the Firestone Walker Invitation Beer Festival. A hyped brewery that came all the way from New Zealand, making insta-whalez that seemingly nobody in the States could get their hands on. Time has passed and the brewery has grown, and we’re happy to say that Garage Project is finally distributed in the United States. While awesome, there’s a price to pay for these imported brews. Garage Project doesn’t skimp on quality, so expect to fork out a little more cash than you normally would for an American craft brewery of the same caliber.  Garage Project Be

Season 3, Episode 21 – This week on the show, 4B listener and super-fan, Mike Kirshner, is at it once again and sent us some really tasty brew from Woodstock, Georgia. Before we start the show this week, it should be noted that Matt wasn’t able to make it to Session 35 of Four Brewers due to personal affairs, and thus will not be on this episode or the next two. See you at Session 36, Matt! We begin by reading our (long overdue) thank you list of Four Brewers’ supporters and podcast reviewers on iTunes. We haven’t read thank-yous since November of 2015, so if you’ve left a review or supported the show since then, you’ll hear your name on this episode! Reformation Brewery Beers Today, we’re drinking beers from Woodstock, Georgia’s Reformation Brewery. Trends in the craft beer scene over the last decade or so have been what could mildly be described as “experimental” by many, many breweries. On one hand, that’s what craft beer is—innovation and experimentation. On the other hand, things can get out of control w

Season 3, Episode 20 – Sour IPA. It’s a thing apparently. But is it a good thing? We’re gonna find out this week on the show. Sour IPA. I don’t know about this. I mean, IPA isn’t supposed to be sour. Sure, there are massively over-hopped sour beers out there that are deliciously awesome, but what exactly is a sour IPA? Is it a standard IPA recipe fermented with brettanomyces, or bacteria? It’s not that simple, right? WHAT’S HAPPENING?! Not all of the beers on the show this week are sour IPAs. But, we’re gonna easy into this. A little bit of foreplay, if you will… Monkish Brewing Co. – Soul Foudre First up is a beer from a brewery that is always a safe bet in terms of quality and execution, Monkish Brewing Company’s Soul Foudre. While this beer has no place in a sour IPA show, it’s our way of telling our palates, “hey…this is what a good beer tastes like.” Not that we think the sour IPA will be bad, but it’s called SOUR IPA. Anyway, Soul Foudre is great. Monkish will have some fruit variants of Soul Foudre up

Season 3, Episode 19 – This week we’re drinking some brews form New York and New Jersey and a new Grapefruit IPA from our friends at Refuge Brewery in Temecula, California. Natalie DeNicholas and John Ryti are also back with us. Four Brewers has the best listeners. It’s true. Just putting that out there. I say that because four of the five beers we’re drinking on the show this week were graciously provided by Four Brewers listener Robert Perry. Getting east coast beers is tough for us, but fans like Robert have been stepping up lately and sending us some killer stuff.  Carton, Newburgh, and Plan Bee Beers The first two beers are from New Jersey’s Carton Brewing Company. Unbeknown to us, Carton is actually a great get for us here on the west coast, and the two IPAs we got from Robery were fresh AF. That’s how you do it folks: ship ’em fast and fresh! Plan Bee and Newburgh Wax-Stamped Bottle Caps Next up are two beers, both from two breweries that we had no idea even existed, Plan Bee Farm Brewery and Newburgh

Season 3, Episode 18 – This week: ALL HOMEBREW. Natalie DeNicholas and John Ryti are also joining us! It’s been a slow year for the 4B gang in regards to homebrewing, but today we’re going to make up for the last five months in one episode! Today we’re drinking five homebrews from four brewers (get it?). Maltose Falcons – Saison du Mai First up is John’s triumphant return to brewing, Oat Boner. This beer was inspired by his wildly popular oatmeal IPA, Oats n’ Hoes, but is stripped down and simplified. There are three ingredients in this brew: 2-row malt, oats, and mosaic hops (a LOT of Mosaic hops…). While the beer is a hit with everyone at the table, John thinks it could use a few tweaks. Next up is a beer from one of our special guests, Natalie DeNicholas. We got a lot of positive feedback when she was on the show previously, and now she’s back! This time she brought a super-crushable lager made with Thai rice. It’s really good! Also, shout out to Sanctum Brewing Co. (that’s where Natalie works) and the leg

Season 3, Episode 17 – Today, the 2016 California IPA Showdown. It’s been a while since our last showdown, and we’ve wrestled with how we are going to handle IPA for a long time now. Initially, we thought about trying to get the best of the best IPA from around the country and compare them all blind. The challenge there is it’s nearly impossible to get beer from all over the place, at an acceptable level of freshness, in one place at one time. Plus, as fun as it is to read about a magical elixir from a brewery thousands of miles away that drinks of pure unobtainium, what about something a bit easier to come by?  Enter the CA Shelf IPA Showdown!  2016 IPA Showdown Beers These beers are all from California. They’re all IPAs and all widely and readily available. Hell, they’re probably sitting in your local grocer dying a slow painful death. So we set out to determine the king of the hill.  The Method While we knew which beers were in the pool, we had our good friend Dr Zack administer the tasting for us totally

Season 3, Episode 16 – We’re back on the east side with some of New England’s best IPA. I’ve got to say that this is one hell of a show, this week. Listener Chris R. heard a recent episode of the 4B where we weren’t really all that impressed with some of the New England-ish (Pennsylvania, to be exact) beers we had on the show. So what did Chris do? He mailed the fuck out of it and sent us some true New England IPA freshies the day after the show was released. This week, we’ve got beers from Tree House Brewing Company, Foolproof Brewing Company, and Grey Sail Brewing of RI. Shit yeah! New England Strikes Back You might notice that our beloved co-host, Greg Nagel, isn’t with us this week. That’s because he tweaked his back and had some kind of viral thingy going on. Huge. Bummer. Instead, we brought the foremost expert (AFAWK) on whale farming, Dr. Zack, which works out well because he happens to know quite a bit about some of the breweries on the show this week.  Big thanks to Mr. Chris R. for the beers. While

Season 3, Episode 15 – Greg was inspired by a recent trip to Total Wine & More to try beers made by Japanese breweries, and he brought them over to share. This week, we travel to the other side of the globe (actually, Greg just went to the local Total Wine) and try some Japanese beers that are easy to find (presumably) all over the country. Japanese Beers The coolest part of import beer is the ability to travel the world’s flavors with a quick trip to the big-box beer store. Since delicious ramen, sushi or okonomiyaki cannot be shipped with relative tentacle porn manga freshness, beer is the next best thing. Two Japanese craft breweries make their way out west, Kiuchi Brewery, brewers of the Hitachino Nest branded beers and YO-HO Brewing, and their takes on world beer styles are interesting, if found fresh. The issue with import beer is this: oxidation rears its ugly head on the first sip. Faded hops if not gone all together, the lustre gone, and any magic the brewers intended to put in the package died i

The 4B Flight, Episode 6 – Today on the sixth and final day of The 4B Flight, Second Fiddle from Fiddlehead Brewing Company. We are back with the final episode of this week’s mini-episode-extravaganza that we call The 4B Flight. In case you missed what’s going on here, we’re releasing a new mini-episode of Four Brewers everyday for a week. Why? Because we like you. Fiddlehead Brewing Company – Second Fiddle The final beer of the the flight is a great double IPA from a brewery new to us, Vermont’s Fiddlehead Brewing Company. The brewery describes this beer as “big and juicy” (of course!) and we concur that it is, in fact, juicy. That wraps up The 4B Flight! Thanks for listening, and look forward to another flight in a few months. Cheers! BREW THE SHIT OUT OF IT. Beers from this week’s episode:Fiddlehead Brewing Company – Second Fiddle Direct audio: MP3 Subscribe:iTunes: Audio / VideoRSS: Audio / VideoStitcherYouTube (Videos) Support the show:PatreonPayPal 4B Social Media:FacebookTwitterInstagramtumblrFlickrSna

The 4B Flight, Episode 5 – Today on The 4B Flight, ultra-fresh Hop Tanker from El Segundo Brewing Company. We are back with the fifth of six episodes for this week’s mini-episode-extravaganza that we call The 4B Flight. In case you missed what’s going on here, we’re releasing a new mini-episode of Four Brewers everyday for a week. Why? Because we like you. Hop Tanker DIPA If you listen to the show regularly, you know that all four of us are big fans of El Segundo Brewing Co. Today’s beer was bottled less than 48 hours before we opened it, in true “Day One Dankness” form. Hop Tanker is ESBC’s double IPA made with Nelson and Citra hops. It’s clean, hoppy AF, and all around delicious.  Tune in tomorrow for the next beer in The 4B Flight!  BREW THE SHIT OUT OF IT. Beers from this week’s episode:El Segundo Brewing Company – Hop Tanker (2016) Direct audio: MP3 Subscribe:iTunes: Audio / VideoRSS: Audio / VideoStitcherYouTube (Videos) Support the show:PatreonPayPal 4B Social Media:FacebookTwitterInstagramtumblrFlickr

The 4B Flight, Episode 4 – Today on The 4B Flight, John’s opening his 2010 Bourbon County Brand Stout, RARE. We are back with the fourth of six episodes for this week’s mini-episode-extravaganza that we call The 4B Flight. In case you missed what’s going on here, we’re releasing a new mini-episode of Four Brewers everyday for a week. Why? Because we like you. 2010 Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout If you’re familiar with the very much frowned upon “craft beer black market”, then you know how much moolah this bottle can fetch. It’s a ridiculous amount. This is a beer Johnhas held on to for the last six years, and rather than succumb to greed and unethical activity, he decided to open his ultra-whale, a 2010 Bourbon County Brand Stout Rare. Things got a little weird on this episode. Feathers were ruffled (just a little bit, though) on both sides of the 4B studio table, but in the end, we all agree that it’s a great beer, but certainly NOT worth selling a kidney for. Tune in tomorrow for the next beer in The 4B Fl

The 4B Flight, Episode 3 – Today on The 4B Flight, a collaboration beer from Prairie Ales and Trve Brewing. We are back with the third of six episodes for this week’s mini-episode-extravaganza that we call The 4B Flight. In case you missed what’s going on here, we’re releasing a new mini-episode of Four Brewers everyday for a week. Why? Because we like you. Prairie and Trve Collaboration Beer Today’s beer is a special treat from Prairie Artisan Ales, made with their brothers and sisters in beer and metal (?), Trve Brewing out of Colorado. Coming in at 6.66% ABV (of course), this sour is a red ale made with black salt, peaches, brettanomyces and all kinds of other fun stuff. It’s quite interesting, and we all have differing opinions of the beer, and interesting beer makes for a hopefully interesting show. Tune in tomorrow for the next beer in The 4B Flight!  BREW THE SHIT OUT OF IT. Beers from this week’s episode:Prairie Artisan Ales, in collaboration with Trve Brewing Company – Prairie & Friends Trve Edit

The 4B Flight, Episode 2 – Today on The 4B Flight, we go full Gooseberry with this sour from Mammoth Brewing Company. We are back with the second of six episodes for this week’s mini-episode-extravaganza that we call The 4B Flight. In case you missed what’s going on here, we’re releasing a new mini-episode of Four Brewers everyday for a week. Why? Because we like you. Mammoth Brewing Company – Gooseberry Sour Today’s beer is a favorite of Matt’s and is certainly right up his alley, Mammoth Brewing Company’s Gooseberry Sour. Matt has a cherished relationship with Gooseberries, going all the way back to his days at The Bruery where he was a brewer. Spoiler alert: Gooseberries and sour beer go together quite well… Mammoth Brewing Company is best known for its annual Bluesapalooza beer festival that’s held in Mammoth Lakes, CA. This year, the fest is August 4-7. Tune in tomorrow for the next beer in The 4B Flight!  BREW THE SHIT OUT OF IT. Beers from this week’s episode:Mammoth Brewing Company – Gooseberry Sour D

The 4B Flight, Episode 1 – Today we begin The 4B Flight, a solid week of new Four Brewers episodes! We’re kicking it off with Monkish Brewing Co.’s collaboration IPA with Other Half Brewing, First Things First. Over the last couple of years, we heard from fans of the show that they wished we could release an episode everyday. While that’s flattering and awesome that these super-fans want to hear us on a daily basis, it’s simply impossible for us to release a full episode everyday. But, we had a really cool idea. (It’s an experiment, too.) We want to give the fans exactly what they want, but on our terms. So, we are going to release one full-length regular episode on Monday, and 6 mini-episodes everyday for one week. Pretty cool, right? Well, we’re excited about it! First Things First The first beer in The 4B Flight is a special one from our friends at Monkish Brewing Co.. Known for their spectacular Belgian-style beers, Monkish vowed early on to never make IPA (well, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic). But, times

Season 3, Episode 14 – This week, we drink our craft “gateway” beers. Craft beer is awesome, isn’t it? Today, we’re drinking and talking about the beers that converted us from fizzy yellow lager drinkers to the beer geeks we are today. Our Gateway Beers Most of us have been there: you decide that you want to try something different, or a friend offers you their favorite craft beer to try, or maybe you didn’t even know what you were ordering from that pushy bartender with an bad attitude and…BAM!  “What’s this? This is great!” It’s a magical moment. You’ll soon find out that your taste buds will never be the same, and you’re now part of the mystical and wondrous world of craft beer…or…you just really liked that IPA you just had and want another pint. We all have our own stories. We all love beer. Keep on drinkin’! BREW THE SHIT OUT OF IT. Beers from this week’s episode:Anchor Brewing Company – Anchor Steam BeerJohn Smiths – Newcastle Brown AleLost Coast Brewery – Great WhiteLost Coast Brewery – SharkinatorSton