Averie recently struck out on her own after her time at Jester King and founded Keeping Together, her Saison and farmhouse-inspired beer project in Chicago, Illinois. Operating out of Half Acre Beer Company, her business model for Keeping Together is an unconventional one, and on today’s episode we discuss how and why she chose to leave Texas to bring her brewing knowledge to the Midwest, our mutual love for wild ales, and the challenges of starting a new endeavor in the shadow of COVID-19.

On today’s show we speak to Jerry Franck… an academy award nominated film maker who found himself entranced by lambic and the unique cast of characters who brew and blend them. Over the last few years, Jerry and his small team have been gathering and editing footage for their upcoming documentary “Bottle Conditioned” that tells the story of lambic and its place in the world.

With his extensive background in beer, wine, malting, and microbiology, was the perfect candidate to not only maintain the quality of the brewery's classic beers, but also to incorporate a variety of traditional Lagers into their catalogue. Sure, they were a departure from the wild fermentations I fell in love with, but still no less impressive.

Arnaud, along with his wife Julie Vandermeersch, is the co-owner of Vive la Tarte, a bakery and cafe in San Francisco. I first met Arnaud when my wife worked at Vive la Tarte. We quickly connected over our love of beers from his homeland of Belgium. Throughout our friendship, Arnaud has struck me as someone who sees the industry, and his place in it, from a uniquely broad and incisive perspective, and I wanted to hear his thoughts about the future of hospitality in the Bay Area.

Nick Impellitteri of The Yeast Bay in Portland, Oregon runs a boutique microbiology lab that supplies the beer industry with a wide variety of yeasts and bacteria. Most of his production is housed at a much bigger facility, home to perhaps the biggest name in craft yeast: White Labs in San Diego, California.

Asa Stone is used to wearing a lot of hats. An educator and Advanced Cicerone from Albuquerque, New Mexico, she explores the spaces where psychology, sociology, and history overlap, all within the context of the beverage industry. From that unique place, she seeks ways in which beer can be used to shine a light on issues of education, social justice, and environmental impact.

Wendy Gayl and Felipe Bravo of the Fox Tale Fermentation Project in San Jose, California are entering the beer market on a very small scale. Taking inspiration from their combined background in food and brewing, they hope to find a local following for their beers, and to add local fruits, vegetables, herbs, and botanicals to their releases, all applied with a gentle hand.

On the first episode of the newly-launched AltBrau podcast, host Tim Decker talks to Mike Cruz of Tioga Sequoia Brewing. They talk all about Fresno, what it means to be an environmentally conscious brewery, and how Tioga Sequoia is persevering through wildfires and supporting the local community.

What does it mean to be an outlier? Who are the people in beer taking small steps and hoping to make big changes? On the AltBrau podcast, we talk with folks from various backgrounds who look at the food and beverage industry through a unique set of eyes. Listen every other week on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.