Ep. 12 - Maureen Ogle, author of Ambitious Brew

12/25/19 • 48 min

A note from Drink Beer, Think Beer host John Holl:

We’re releasing this episode as a special Christmas Day bonus show. A gift to you. My guest today is Maureen Ogle, the author of several books including In Meat We Trust: An Unexpected History of Carnivore America and Ambitious Brew: A History of American Beer. There is a Revised Edition that is now available and you should use those holiday gift cards and return credits to get yourself a copy.

In this conversation, recorded in Denver during the Great American Beer Festival, we cover a lot of ground, including her next project – another beer book – that might interest those of you who got a kick out of my previous show with Jace Marti.

There’s a lot to learn from Maureen’s research and while we all might be focused – especially headed into a new decade – on the future - the lessons of the past are important.

Since we’re both writers, there’s a lot of talk about that particular craft and I try to gain a little more insight on what Maureen learned as a historian diving into beer. That’s where we start.

Here’s our conversation.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

Hosted By: John Holl
Guest: Maureen Ogle, author of Ambitious Brew
Tags: beer, craft beer, history, meat, New Albion, Sierra Nevada, All About Beer, books, writing,

A note from Drink Beer, Think Beer host John Holl:

There’s a lot to learn from Maureen’s research and while we all might be focused – especially headed into a new decade – on the future - the lessons of the past are important.

Here’s our conversation.

Hosted By: John Holl
Guest: Maureen Ogle, author of Ambitious Brew
Tags: beer, craft beer, history, meat, New Albion, Sierra Nevada, All About Beer, books, writing,

Previous Episode

Ep. 11 - Jace Marti of Schell's Brewery

This week our guest on Drink Beer, Think Beer is Jace Marti, the assistant brewmaster at the August Schell Brewing Company in Minnesota.

Beer has always been the family business, but rather than follow the status quo, Jace is working to bring the brewery into new arenas, notably wild and wood aged beers through the Starkeller Brewery Noble Star collection.

Thanks to some long forgotten equipment – namely foudres – in the brewery’s New Ulm facility that were refurbished and moved to a separate location in town, the brewery that has long been known for bocks and adjunct lagers is now gaining acclaim for vibrant ales with fruit additions and great depth.

Bringing change to a brewery that has been around for 160 years isn’t easy – both for the company itself and for customer perception, but adaptation is key to survival and growth these days, something Jace knows well.

As the brewery prepares to transition leadership to a new generation of the family, Jace sat down with host John Holl in Denver just before the Great American Beer Festival to talk about what comes next.

While it may seem like an obvious question, Holl wanted an answer, so he started off asking this 6th generation brewer if his destiny was sealed even before he could walk.

Here’s their conversation.

Hosted By: John Holl
Guest: Jace Marti, August Schell Brewing Company
Sponsor: Cigar City Brewing
Tags: beer, craft beer, lager, wood aged, Minnesota, tradition, peacocks, fruited beer, generations,
Advertising: [email protected]

Next Episode

Ep. 13 - Bill Shufelt of Athletic Brewing Co.

Welcome to a new year and a new episode of Drink Beer, Think Beer. The first month has become known as Dry January by a certain segment of drinkers. The excess of the end-of-year holidays and new year resolutions that have people thinking healthier thoughts has played into this cultural movement where people decide to give up booze – or go dry for the first whole month of the year.

So, I thought it fitting to sit down with Bill Shufelt of Athletic Brewing Co. He founded the company after he gave up beer and drinking but still wanted the experience of knocking back a cold one.

His brewery is based in Stratford, Connecticut just a short distance from Two Roads Brewing. Athletic is part of a new wave of non-alcoholic breweries that have opened across north America in recent years, riding the trend of healthier drinking or drinking less.

This is something that younger drinkers, the Millennials are doing, along with Boomers. The word “occasion” is often used when talking about when people consume non-alcoholic drinks and it can be everything from office happy hours to back yard barbecues.

The non-alcoholic category is still small in the US. Like, almost non-existent small. But consider Europe where the NA category is about 10 percent of beer sales. So, there’s room to grow.

In this interview, recorded in New York City at the Arts and Craft Bar, Shufelt talks with host John Holl about some of the challenges to get his beer to market and into the hands of interested drinkers. He’s reluctant to talk about how the company actually makes the liquid and prefers to stick to marketing pitches.

But he is in a driver's seat on the road to the non-alcoholic beer revolution, and Holl started by asking him to set the scene of where things stand as we all start off a new decade.

Here’s their conversation.