This week on The Session we welcome Oakland newcomer, Tenma Beer Project. Co-owner and head brewery Brennan Perry joins us to discuss his new project and how he's already been able to accumulate some serious awards and accolades in such a short time. Learn about Brennan's stellar brewing history as well as how he got a tiny brewery up and running in no time at all. We also discuss his favorite beers, lagers, and some serious hop talk too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

This week on The Session we are joined by Spent Grain Brewing from Atascadero, CA. Founder and brewer Chris Chambers has been in the game for well over 20 years and his latest project is the pinnacle of his passion for craft beer. Spent Grain is the only "speakeasy" craft brewery that we know of, and it's a format that works perfectly for Chris and his nano brewery project. Learn about how this veteran owned brewery works and maintains profitability with a one barrel system and no front door....

In this episode of The Session we are joined by a very unique California brewery that specializes in Belgian beer. And the kicker is that they are also Belgian! Learn about how two families, one hailing from Belgium and the other from Sonoma County, CA, came together to form CUVER. The story is fascinating and the beer is delicious. Cheers! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Session, we branch further out into the pro brewer world to discuss finances. Our friend Lou Catalano from MUN CPAs join us to discuss brewery accounting and taxes. While it may not seam like the topic everyone wants to hear about, Lou is a fantastic CPA that has helped The Brewing Network and The Hop Grenade through the toughest of times. And he's a homebrewer himself! Tune in and find out some tips and tricks you might not have heard and hone in on your brewery or...

On this episode of The Session we are joined by True North Ale Company from Ipswich, Massachusetts. Head Brewer Seth Barnum and Director of Taproom & Events, Tim Griggs log in to tell us all about their wonderful Northeast brews. Learn about some new lagering techniques they're experimenting with as well as some unique IPA's, like one brewed with spruce tips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Session, we change things up a little and bring in the wonderful people from Early Alert Canines. Executive Director Carol Edwards and Puppy-Rasier Suzie Scher, along with puppy-in-training, Sheldon, join us in the studio to talk about their wonderful program. Sheldon is training to be an early alert Medical Detection Dog, specializing in diabetes. Suzie also consults restaurants, breweries and bars on how to improve accessibility to all people in their spaces through...

Vinnie Cilurzo and Jessica Young join The Session to discuss the nuances of hop creep and what you can do about it in your brewery. Jessica is a grad student studying hop creep while working for Russian River and contributes a ton of science to Vinnie's real world applications on the subject. We are also joined by our good friend Nate Smith to help on the homebrew side of things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Marilave returns to The Session after a long hiatus and the fall of his beloved brewery, Flat Tail. Turns out there is a lot more to the story than we thought and Dave is here to spill the beans. This is a story of lies, embezzlement and treachery, and Dave doesn't leave out a gritty detail. Tune in and take head the warnings and learn about persevereance as Dave finally found some sense of closure and opened his newest project, New Spring Brewing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

In this episode of The Session we are joined by Rodg Little and Geoff Scott from Sacramento's Oak Park Brewing. Rodg and Geoff have a great story, bringing their special brand of community oriented beer to the Oak Park neighborhood and beyond. The team at Oak Park has worked tirelessly to build out their brand within the community, while also advocating for and supporting the black brewing community. Listen in as they describe the special events and collaborations they have cultivated to...

All the way from Edmonton, Canada, Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company joins us on The Session to discuss mixed fermentation and more. Founder Greg Zeschuk fills us in on his journey as a video game engineer turned brewer and how mixed fermentation beers captured his passion. Now Blind Enthusiasm has one of the largest barrel programs in all of Canada and produces world class, Belgian inspired beer for all to enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shaun O'Sullivan from the 21st Amendment Brewery is back on The Session to discuss the latest at 21A and the state of the industry. Shaun and his business partner Nico Freccia have grown 21A from its beginnings as a neighborhood brewpub in San Francisco to a regional brewery with national distribution. Along the way Shaun has seen many changes in the industry and gives his insight here into where things are headed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Session, Justin is joined by Dick Cantwell, Denham DSilva of Deep Liquid, and Teresa Psuty from Crooked Lane to talk about how AI can converge with craft beer and help brewers connect with consumers. Rather than let our data be used against us just as a marketing tool, Deep Liquid seeks to democratize data, and AI, and let consumers and brewers consult on beer recipes, flavor profiles and more. As a start, we gathered together five of our favorite breweries and asked...

In our final show stop of the 2023 BN On The Road Summer Brewery Tour, Justin and The Beard® stop in to Modern Times in San Diego to speak with new owner, Garrett Marrero. We know Garrett as the founder of Maui Brewing Company, of course, but his latest bold move in the craft beer scene was to purchase the struggling Modern Times. Now under the Craft Ohana umbrella, Garrett lets us know the reasons behind the purchase, how it all went down, and what's next for his growing empire. Learn more...

The Session "On The Road" continues with Jeff Bagby at Bagby Beer Company in Oceanside, CA. Jeff has been a fixture in the Southern California craft beer scene for years and has racked up medal upon medal for his brews. He's continued that output at Bagby Beer Co. and never disappoints when it comes to producing world class, classic styles. Justin and Beardy learn about some unique techniques and ingredients too, including a popcorn beer. Spoiler alert...it was great! Tune in and learn to...

The third stop on the 2023 Brewing Network Summer Brewery Tour is Radiant Beer Company in Anaheim, CA. We are joined by co-founders Jonas Namura and Andrew Bell and learn about their young, but already multi-award winning beer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Brewing Network Summer Brewery Tour continues with a stop at 14 Cannons Brewery + Showroom in Westlake Village, CA. Justin and The Beard® spend time with Co-Founder and Brewmaster Nic Bertolin to learn about this unique brewery. In doing so, the lager tour continues with some stellar hoppy lagers from Nic's brewery, as well as an award winning Baltic Porter. We learn about how the brewery also operates as a showcase for a construction company that specializes in opening breweries, and for...

Justin & Beardy take The Session on the road with a first stop at There Does Not Exist & Liquid Gravity. As part of The Brewing Network's Summer Brewery Tour, we stop in San Luis Obispo, CA. to visit our old friend Brendan Gough from Liquid Gravity. We also invited Max Montgomery from There Does Not Exist to join the show. We dive into the incredible branding of TDNE, as well as their stellar lagers. Tune in and learn how Max does it all and get to hear the great Beardy back on the...

On this episode of The Session, Justin hits the road and heads up to South Lake Tahoe, CA. to visit South Lake Brewing Company. Chris and Nicole Smith followed their dream to open a brewery in their beautiful home town and, with more than a fair share of adversity, have become one of the best craft breweries around. Tune in and learn about how this year's 'Snowmaggeddon" affected the town and their brewery, as well as how last year's fires nearly shut them down entirely. We also learn about...

Jean-Claude Tetreault from Trillium Brewing Company joins Justin on The Session this week. Originally hailing from Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood, Trillum has grown into a powerhouse of a brewery, with the mindset of homebrewer, a farmer, and a hospitality fanatic. J.C. tells about their expansion over that last 10 years, teaches us techniques for world class New England style IPA's and talks about his passion for farm brewery agriculture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Adair Paterno from Sante Adairius Rustic Ales joins us in the studio to talk about their unique brewery and brews. We discuss the upcoming California Craft Beer Summit, as well as her time on the board of the California Craft Brewers Association. We also dive into their incredible mixed fermentation beers and learn about their expansion to three locations throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brewmaster and Co-Owner Julian Shrago from Beachwood Brewing joins The Session this week. We discuss the upcoming California Craft Beer Summit, at which he is a speaker. We also talk about current supply chain issues facing the brewing industry and how Beachwood has grown over the last several years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The Session we welcome several of the best West Coast brewers from the Bay Area and beyond into the studio! Tune in and hear from Riip Beer, Faction Brewing, Ghost Town Brewing, Wondrous Brewing and Pizza Port as they discuss our favorite style of craft beer. We also discuss the future of AI's role in making beer and how robots could actually bring consumers closer to brewers through collaboration and information sharing. To facilitate that, a new project from Deep Liquid is...

Jon Berkland of Narrative Fermentations out of San Jose, CA. joins us on The Session to discuss starting up his brewery during the pandemic. Jon brews amazing lagers and ales, including some controversial slushy beers, and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homebrew heroes Nathan Smith and Vito Delucchi join us on The Session this week to discuss homebrewing the perfect Pale Ale! Nate spent a lot of quarantine time during the pandemic trying to find the perfect Pale Ale recipe. Along the way he ran into a few hiccups, including the elusive hop creep. Using tips he's learned from the past, as well as a stable of pro brewer friends, Nate found some techniques to help along with his journey. Listen in while Nate and Vito share their knowledge on...