Ep. 18 - Megan Parisi of Samuel Adams

02/05/20 • 51 min

There's an awful lot of fun that can happen with brewing on a small batch system. And when you have the resources of one of the country’s biggest brewing companies behind you, the possibilities are limitless.

That’s the situation this week’s guest enjoys. Megan Parisi has been with the Boston Beer Company for several years now, specifically working at the company’s Samuel Adams Boston brewery in Jamaica Plain. While heading up the small brewery there, she was able to experiment and do research and development on all manners of styles including some that wound up getting a full commercial release, including the brewery’s New England IPA.

When it came time for Boston Beer to open its new brewery and taproom in Faneuil Hall, Parisi was the obvious brewer for the job. She has had experiencing opening up breweries from the ground up, including Bluejacket in Washington, D.C., Wormtown Brewing in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Sam Adams new, smaller, Cincinnati facility.

In this interview, Parisi and host John Holl talk about recipe development, brewing in front of the public, the value of beer education, and the relationship between beer and art.

The interview was recorded at the new brewery and taproom, just hours before it officially opened to the public. And since it’s not only a fully functional brewery but also a really wonderful showpiece, Holl started off by asking Parisi about the specific specs of the brewery.

Enjoy the Conversation.

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Hosted By: John Holl
Guests: Megan Parisi of Samuel Adams
Sponsor: Craft Beer Cellar
Tags: beer, craft beer, Boston, Massachusetts, lager, IPA, wit, traditional brewing, art, hops, malt, Sam Adams.
Advertising: Ryan Newhouse, [email protected]

In this interview, Parisi and host John Holl talk about recipe development, brewing in front of the public, the value of beer education, and the relationship between beer and art.

Enjoy the Conversation.

Hosted By: John Holl
Guests: Megan Parisi of Samuel Adams
Sponsor: Craft Beer Cellar
Tags: beer, craft beer, Boston, Massachusetts, lager, IPA, wit, traditional brewing, art, hops, malt, Sam Adams.
Advertising: Ryan Newhouse, [email protected]

Previous Episode

Ep. 17 - Brandon Jones of Embrace the Funk

This week the show is back in Nashville with our guest Brandon Jones of Embrace the Funk.

Jones is one of the more thoughtful brewers in the country. Maybe this is because he spent years working in newsrooms as a journalist. He has an ability to look at all angles of something, in this case beer, along with a clear and easy way of sharing information. That's just two of the reasons he is so respected as a wild and sour beer maker in the United States and beyond.

In this interview, recorded at the Yazoo Brewing Company on New Year's Day, he gets into what it means to be a sour beer, the education that goes into helping customers better understand and appreciate the style, and even changing the perception of what it can be.

Jones also talks about the upcoming Funk Fest, a gathering that he created that brings together some of the best brewers in the country for an intimate afternoon to try some of the best spontaneous and, well, funky beers available.

He even invited Beer Edge to work on the educational content that will be presented that day. So mark your calendars for Saturday, May 2nd in Nashville for Funk Fest. Tickets will go fast, so claim yours today.

As the conversation started, host John Holl wanted to try and understand the world of sour beers a little more, so he posed the question to Jones, a proper newsman, on how words and descriptions can steer us towards a deeper appreciation.

Here’s the conversation.

Next Episode

Ep. 19 - Chase Saraiva of Arizona Wilderness

John Holl recently headed to Phoenix to check in on the beer scene. It was the 20th anniversary of the Arizona Strong Beer Festival and the 10th anniversary of Arizona Beer Week. The beer scene has really grown in the last several years but seems to be largely self contained with most brewers staying within the borders. Of course there are a few exceptions to that, including the now Anheuser-Busch InBev owned Four Peaks Brewing Co.

For the beer lovers, the beer traders, and those who like to stay on top of the buzz, perhaps there is no better known brewery in the state than Arizona Wilderness.

It started off small when it was founded in 2013 but soon found its business plan and popularity supercharged when it won big in the annual Rate Beer awards. From there, its popularity and foot print grew.

Holl sat down with Chase Saraiva, the head brewer, who joined the brewery a few years ago after deciding against a career in dentistry. He started off in Pittsburgh, came to the southwest and landed a job with San Tan, another local brewery, and then joined up with Arizona Wilderness.

Right now the brewery has its original brewpub, an offsite barrel and foudre facility called the woodnote cellar, and a downtown Phoenix taproom. The brewery celebrates all things wild and nature focused and many of the beers reflect that but there’s also a great deal of clean beer in house. That’s something Saraiva is passionate about.

But Holl started out by talking about those early days, the increased notoriety and the pressure that comes with customer expectations, and the way that he and the team manage it all.

Enjoy the conversation.

Hosted By: John Holl
Guest: Chase Saraiva of Arizona Wilderness
Tags: beer, craft beer, Arizona, Phoenix, lager, wild, fruit, coolship, citrus, brewpub
Advertising: Ryan Newhouse, [email protected]