BeoirFest: Let's Talk Beer

Sorghum is the traditional brewing grain in Africa. But sorghum beer is rarely found outside of the continent. Rwandan brewery Kweza joined together with Yakima Chief Hops to develop a hop mix that works exceptionally well with sorghum, giving craft brewers around the world the opportunity to experiment with the grain and with brewing sorghum beer. Kweza Craft Brewery founder Jessi Flynn and Luke Kulchstein from Yakima Chief Hops joined Canadian craft brewer Steve Beauchesne and Kweza brewer Tapiwa Charosa on our real ale craft beer, live beer webinar to discuss the project. Find out what brewing with sorghum entails - and their challenge to other brewers to brew with sorghum while supporting Kweza in their efforts to ensure Rwanda's first craft brewery - wholly owned by women - is a success. Learn More About Taking Part at www.yakimachief.com/commercial/hop-wire/kweza-project Contact Jessi at kwezabrewery.com

We last spoke to juggler and comedian David Aiken back in November as he worked towards getting his microbrewery Checkerhead Brewing, open on Vancouver Island.  It's time for part 2 of our Birth Of A Brewery Series as we check back and see how things are going and if he's still on target for an April opening  Checkerhead is a small local brewery that he hopes will be come part of every Vancouver Island road trip.

The Vancouver beer scene is well established and vibrant. One of the main breweries in the city is Parallel 49 who were founded 10 years ago. Founder and Head Brewer Graham With told me about the history of the brewery, what's ahead, and how he sees the beer scene in Vancouver. Contact Details parallel49brewing.com Facebook.com/parallel49brewing Instagram.com/parallel49brewing BeoirFest Contacts BeoirFest.com YouTube.com/beoirfest Instagram.com/beoirfest Facebook.com/beoirfestonline

Three brewers from Portugal, Sweden and Lithuania get together for a chat about beer and brewing in their countries. Brekeriet are the longest-established of the three brewers, having been founded in 2010 by 3 brewers. They are best known for their sour beers, so much so that they have to establish a new brand for their non-sour beers. Kuro Aparatura were established in Vilnius in 2018. They brew a range of beers designed to be different but drinkable. Ophiussa Brewing are the newest of our three guests, having been founded in Portugal in 2021. They mix a core range with regular specials from their microbrewery.

Paracaidista focus on styles that aren't too common in Mexico, styles such as Saisons, Brett, and more. This was a really interesting chat with the founder, Adrian Rodriguez-Montfort. QUICK NOTE: There were a few moments during this chat when Adrian's connection dropped out. It's not more than a few seconds so hopefully you'll stick with what is a very interesting look at the Mexican Beer scene with one of the pioneers of that scene. CONTACT DETAILS Website: paracaidista.mx Instagram: instagram.com/paracaidistamx/ Facebook: facebook.com/ParacaidistaMX

This is the 2nd part of our session with Christian Berger from Beer-Studies.com discussing the ways different cultures and traditions have solved the problem of converting starch to fermentable sugar as part of the brewing process. During this session Christian discusses the final 3 options of the 6 steps he has identified by which people saccharine starch. ---------------------------------- Looking for a brewery to visit? BreweryVisits.eu

Sea Change Brewing, based in Edmonton were one of the pioneers of the new wave of craft brewing that started in Alberta in 2016. In that year the law changed removing a minimum production limit that prevented smaller breweries from opening. Founded by punk musicians this is a brewery that likes to do things a bit different and have fun doing it. 🍺 https://www.seachangebeer.com 🍺 http://facebook.com/seachangebrewingco 🍺 http://twitter.com/seachangebeer 🍺 http://instagram.com/seachangebrewingco

When you think of beer it probably involves Malt, Hops, Yeast, and Water. But traditional brewing techniques around the world often involve only a few of these. Indeed, the most common brewing method in the world doesn't involve malt or yeast! Christian Berger has spent decades researching different brewing cultures and at Beer-Studies.com has created an incredible resource. He joins me to discuss 6 ways of extracting sugars from starch, only one of which is malting.  We talked for nearly 3 hours in a session full of information. This is the first part of that discussion, covering Christian's background and the first 3 of the 6 pathways to brewing. 💠 Check Out Beer-Studies.com for plenty more information about brewing traditions around the world.

Big Shed Brewing are pioneers of the Adelaide brewing scene, having officially started 10 years ago (brewing was a bit later).   Founder Craig Basford joins me for a chat about the brewery, the beer scene in Adelaide and the changes he's seen.   #letstalkbeer #beerpodcast #adelaide #australiabeer #beerchat

Candid Brewing was founded in Antigonish, Nova Scotia by Bryan Druhan, an experienced brewer with some of Canada's leading craft breweries.   They combine a taproom and brewery that focuses on easy-drinking beers.   CONTACT DETAILS  Website: candidbrewing.ca  Facebook: www.facebook.com/candidbrewing  Instagram: www.instagram.com/candidbrewing/    #letstalkbeer #beerpodcast #novascotia #craftbeer #antigonish

One For The Road exclusively brew non-alcoholic beer from Calgary, Canada.  The brewery was founded by Graham Matheos and he joins me to talk about the brewery itself as well as the current market for non-alcoholic beer and its future.     One For The Road Details   Website: www.onefortheroadbrewery.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/onefortheroadbrewery  Instagram: www.instagram.com/onefortheroadbrewing    #letstalkbeer #beerpodcast #nonalcoholic #craftbeer #calgary

Dave Henderson and his wife Shiree Phillips bought a brewery off Gumtree (well Dave did) and went immediately from home brewing to commercial. They're currently gypsy brewing and about to open their own facility in 2023.  They also have big plans. Dave is from Derry in Northern Ireland and he told me about his journey during a trip back home over the Christmas. Hop & Clover Contact Details ------------------------------- Website: hopandcloverbrewing.com.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/hopandclover Instagram: www.instagram.com/hopandcloverbrewing Want to tell us about your brewery. Do it at https://interview.beoirfest.com/breweryprofile

The Federation of Beer, based in Vulcan, Canada (yes, really!) are responsible for producing Star Trek themed beers.  Working with local breweries around the world and of course Paramount Pictures they produce unique one-off batches that are both drinkable and collectible. Join me and Vern for a chat about the whole "Enterprise" (no groaning back there!)   Federation Of Beer Links Website: https://www.federationofbeer.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoldlyBrewing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/federationofbeer/ -----------------  Looking for a brewery to visit?  BreweryVisits.eu

Located right in the heart of Alberta, Stronghold Brewing have built a taproom and brewery that straddles a rural/urban divide.  The distinct nature of their two local markets make for an interesting mix of beers and approach to brewing.    Co-owner Ayleigh Henderson told me their about their history and how Covid has made her aware of the fragility of 5-year plans. BREWERY LINKS Website: https://strongholdbrewing.ca Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/165634640869548 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strongholdbrewing ------------------- Want to tell listeners about your brewery?  Go to interview.beoirfest.com/breweryprofile

When Russia invaded Ukraine Pravda Brewery in Lviv switched from making beer to Molotov Cocktails. They also released their recipes for other brewers to use.  Under the Brew For Ukraine initiative brewers around the world brewed the beers and donated the profits to help the people of Ukraine. Yuri from Pravda Brewery as well as Vern from Federation of Beer kindly gave their time to tell me how the initiative was started, where it is now, and what the current situation is in Ukraine. Any brewers who would like to take part and do some good for Ukraine can still do so. More details are available at BrewForUkraine.beer WEBSITES TO LEARN MORE OR TAKE PART BrewforUkraine.beer Pravda.beer

Small Change brewing have been based in Massachusetts a couple of years before the pandemic started. They focus on beers outside the hazy IPA range, ones they want to drink themselves.   We discussed their history, future and influences.   If you want to be featured go to https://interview.beoirfest.com/breweryprofile    SMALL CHANGE CONTACT DETAILS Website: https://www.smallchangebrewing.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallchangebrewing/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smallchangebeer/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallchangebeer  Untappd: https://untappd.com/w/small-change-brewing-company/389363  

How does an ex-juggler get into brewing? What happens between idea and opening the brewery? David Aiken is planning to open Checkerhead Brewing on Vancouver Island, Canada in early 2023. During our chat he explained how he went from Juggler to homebrewer and what his plans are for the brewery. We covered the similarities of brewing and juggling, the philosophy of growing too fast, revenue models and lots more. This was a truly fascinating and fun chat and one I think you'll really enjoy. This is the first of hopefully multiple episodes as we talk to David an track his progress over the next few months. Discover what challenges he faces, what is unique to Vancouver and what is universal. CHECKERHEAD CONTACT DETAILS Website: https://checkerheadbrewing.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/checkerheadbrewing/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/checkerheadbrewing/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbuS32r4REKfl4kflgga6jQ Untappd: https://untappd.com/CheckerheadBrewing -------------- Looking for a brewery to visit? BreweryVisits.eu

Cerveceria Desobediente is a small local brewery based near Mexico City. Owner Fernando told me about the history of the brewery, the challenges he overcame and his philosophy of success, as well as giving an insight into the Mexican beer scene. Brewery Links Website: https://cerveceria-desobediente.business.site YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsMN5_0o-QPAbLMp5O5lH5Q Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CervezaDesobediente/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desobediente_cerveceria/ Untappd: https://untappd.com/CerveceriaCholula ------------------ Want to tell me about your brewery? Do it now at https://interview.beoirfest.com/breweryprofile Looking for a brewery to visit? BreweryVisits.eu

Microbrewery from Cyprus have started a multi-year journey to recreate a fig-based Bronze Age beer for sale to the modern beer drinker. They have just completed stage 1, with the results about to go on sale in selected locations across Cyprus. They joined me for a chat about the origins of the project, the archaeology behind it, and what the next steps are. *** NOTE *** I had some mic problems for the first 2-3 minutes. They cleared up! Octo Microbrewery Website: https://octo.beer

Gateway Brewing was one of the original craft breweries in India. It's faced a lot of challenges over the last years, not least the pandemic but also the bureaucracy and regulations around brewing in India.   Founder Navin Mittal gave me a look into the history and ethos of the brewery as well as what the future holds. Gateway Brewing Links: Website: https://www.gatewaybrewery.com Taproom: https://gatewaytaprooms.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GatewayBrewery Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GatewayBrewery/ Want to tell us about your brewery?  Do so at interview.beoirfest.com/breweryprofile

How do yeast labs differentiate themselves? Why do brewers buy yeast? How do labs commercialise complex farmhouse yeasts? Omega Yeast is one of the leading providers of yeast to home-brew and commercial brewer alike. They provide the gamut from widely-available standard strains to unique strains such as the famous Lithuanian Farmhouse Yeast "Jovaru." All produced to order so they are fresh and active when they reach the brewer. Lance Shaner is the co-founder and owner of Omega and he joined me to chat about the history of Omega, the role of yeast labs, and how unique yeasts such as Jovaru are managed on a commercial basis. Omega Yeast Media Website: https://omegayeast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OmegaYeast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omegayeast/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OmegaYeast Top Crop: https://topcrop.co

In the first of a new series of episodes featuring short brewery profiles we chat to Robert Buethe, the founder of Numu Brewery in Costa Rica.  Brewery Website: https://www.numubrewing.com Taproom Website:  https://www.taproombistrocr.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/numu.brewing Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/numu.brewing/ If you're a brewery we'd love to hear your story. Just head over to https://interview.beoirfest.com/breweryprofile

This weeks chat has 3 innovative and exciting brewers from Hungary, Denmark, and Netherlands. Dealbreaker is our first ever Hungarian Brewery. A ghost brewery founded by 2 leaders of the Budapest beer scene who are also responsible for Budapest Beer Week. Spybrew describe themselves as a secret microbrewery based in Hvidovre, Denmark. They've been brewing since 2014 and this is our opportunity to make them just that little less secret. Crooked Spider from The Netherlands are joining us for the second time. Based in Wassenaar they are also a microbrewery founded in 2014, though they upgraded the facilities in 2021. This is a really interesting mix of brewers with lots of different experiences and we had a good chat about everything from their stories, to the attraction of beer festivals, and how where a beer is brewed makes a big difference.

Join us for a chat with two fascinating brewers. Fat Walrus was founded by a Lithuanian in New Zealand before moving back to Dublin. They are an award-winning small-batch brewery with big ambitions. Birra Dimont is based at the foot of Italy's Friulian mountains. Their unfiltered and unpasteurised beers are inspired by the legendary local sprites. This was a very enjoyable and informative chat where we covered a range of topics from how the brewers got started, through branding, beer styles and brewing as art or science. We even had a comparison tasting of a beer fermented from the same wort with two different yeasts.

Malt is one of the key ingredients in both beer and spirits.    What grains are used and where they are grown can have a huge impact on the flavour of the final product. And today we have two experts to discuss these factors.   Angelita Hynes is the Terroir Expert at Waterford Distillery. Waterford have pioneered single-farm (and even single-field) whiskeys and have built up a huge knowledge on the effect of terroir on the grain and malt. They are now investigating heritage grains and their impact on the whiskey.   Maurice Deasy is the owner of Canvas, a small-batch Farmhouse Brewery in Tipperary, Ireland. At Canvas he brews with the grains he grows himself and has also started growing heritage grains and investigating their flavours in the beer.   Both Angelita and Maurice have a wealth of knowledge, and maybe more importantly, a real passion for the beers, whiskeys and ingredients. We covered a lot of ground in the chat including  the proof that terroir is a factor in malts, what actually constitutes terroir, what are heritage grains, the work that's required to regenerate a heritage grain, how truly local beers impact tourism, the market for specialised beverages and a lot more.      ------------------ Looking for a brewer to visit? BreweryVisits.eu

The idea of an Estate Beer is not new. But creating a city-wide one from scratch just might be. That's what Tom Kiely, chair of the Slow Beer chapter of San Diego Slow Food and former MD of Thorn Brewing is attempting to do. Tom joined me to chat about the project. We covered the philosophy behind it, and the challenges involved. We covered what an Estate Beer actually is, beer tourism, American Brewer respect for Belgian Brewers, San Diego Weisse's, replacing hops with fruit, introducing grain to Avocado farms and a lot more...

South Africa has a large level of youth unemployment. Beer Is Art is a project to help generate employment through entrepreneurship in the beer industry, not only in brewing itself but also in the related elements such as marketing, podcasting, tourism, logistics and more. Obakeng Malope is the founder of the project. She's a beer cicerone and film maker who has also trained in brewing Chatty Girija is the host of Cheers Chatty, Indias's largest beer podcast. Ankur Napa is a 12 year veteran of the Indian brewing scene. They form the core team behind the project and we'll discuss the project, what they each bring to it, and the odd diversion into the wider beer chat.

This week we have another chat with 3 excellent brewers 🇲🇦🇷🇴Maktoob are a brand new Romanian brewery influenced by North African traditions. 🇨🇿Thrills are a Czech brewery who brew modern beers outside of the traditional Czech Pilsners. 🇮🇪Pikeman from Ireland are named after the farmers who rose against English domination of Ireland in the 1798 revolution. These are three small and very new brewers from different ends of Europe, each of whom have a clear knowledge of the history and brewing of their respective countries. They have carefully chosen branding that reflects their place in that history and culture and it made for a very interesting chat.

Barrels have taken an important place in brewing. Whether it's barrel-ageing stouts or fermenting wild ales, they are used to add different flavours to dark beers and to keep yeast for wild ones. But how exactly do brewers use the barrels? Where do they get them? What's the lifecycle of a barrel? To discuss this we have an expert panel... ASC Barrels are a cooperage, sourcing and providing barrels to brewers. They also organise the Barrel Summit in Deauville, France every 2 years. Zmajska Pivovara were pioneers of craft brewing in Croatia and have a strong barrel-aged program. Brasseria Della Fonte are a small family brewery located on a farm in the Tuscan countryside. They started their barrel program in 2092 with 35 barrels Wild Beer Co. from Somerset in England brew exciting, complex, wild beer. They have 600 barrels and plenty of experience. It's an interesting mix of experience from both sides of the barrel and we had a fantastic chat covering the whole gamut of sourcing, blending, selecting and more --------------- Looking for a brewery to visit? Check out BreweryVisits.eu

This week we have 3 exciting brewers from Denmark, Finland, and Portugal to chat about their experiences in beer and brewing. AleFarm are the first brewery to join us from Denmark. They're a family run brewery making clean, barrel-aged, and mixed fermentation beers. Cerveja Lince are based in Lisbon where they combine a brewery and taproom. They donate a percentage of their revenues to help preserve the Lynx (hence their name). CoolHead was founded in 2016 determined to put to put Finland in the craft beer world map. They recently moved into a a unique 1500 m2 glass building that used to serve as a greenhouse in the heart of Helsinki. It's another interesting mix of brewers and unique markets and a fascinating chat that covered local scenes, raw ales, salted liquorice sours, low-alcohol and lots more.

Join the founders of three exciting microbreweries who are all focused on their very unique local beer markets Fjord & Fjell are our 1st Swiss guests. Founded by a Norwegian they are in a very unique beer market, brewing for their own local area. Diaz Brewing launched 1 year into the pandemic in the heart of Beglium's competitive and conservative beer market. Octo Microbrewery have been busy introducing craft brewing to the wine-focused Cyprus market, including their unique Cyprus Grape Ale. It's an interesting mix of brewers and unique markets and a fascinating chat. ------------- Want to tour a brewery? Check out BreweryVisits.eu

African influence on commercial craft brewing has been small. But that is starting to change, right now among brewers of African heritage but possibly soon among the wider craft world. This episode, organised by The Chicago Brewseum brings together a panel to discuss the influence of African brewing and culture and its potential amongst American brewers. How are traditional beers reflected in modern American beers? How are traditional ingredients used or reflected? How will traditional African beers reach beyond a niche market? The Panelists: Kofi Meroe is the founder of Washington DC brewery Sankofa. Sankofa is a word from the Ashanti/Akan people in Ghana and translates to “Go back and get” and Kofi brings this attitude to the beers they brew, getting inspiration from his own Ghanian heritage. Jamhal Johnson is the founder of Moors, a new Chicago brewery directly and deliberately inspired by African brewing traditions. Leo & Denise Sawadago are the founders of Montclair Brewery in New Jersey influenced by African heritage and traditions Liz Garibay is the founder and Executive Director of The Chicago Brewseum. The Brewseum is a registered cultural non-profit focused on exploring the cultural side of beer and brewing. They host regular talks, tours and an annual Beer Culture Summit. Toni Boyce is the co-founder of BlaQ & Soul a space centering Black LGBTQ+ folks through food and beverage, community activism, and lived experience-based education.

Commercial brewing in Africa has been dominated by large multinationals for a variety of reasons. While homebrewing has existed and been popular it is only in the last few years that a commercial scene has started to grow. In this session I was joined by the founders of 3 of the leading African craft breweries for a chat about their experiences and what they think the future holds for craft brewing in Africa How did they get their breweries started? What is the potential for craft brewing? What are the obstacles? What will be the unique African characteristics and what will it take from the global brewing? The Guests... Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela is the founder of Tolokazi Beer, South Africa's first black female owned brewery. She is the Chairperson for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, Africa Section and Distilling and the Beer Association of South Africa. She is on the Board of Directors for both the Craft Brewers Association of South Africa and African Manufacturers Association; and was Chairperson of the Board for the Beer Association of South Africa. She has always tried to incorporate traditional elements to her beers and has unrivalled knowledge of traditional brewing. Jessi Flynn is the Managing Director of Kweza, Rwanda's first craft brewery. Kweza has recently completed a very successful crowd-funding campaign and is building a brewery focused on bringing traditional brewing techniques and ingredients to the modern craft market. Kevin Conroy is the co-founder of Bature Brewery. Originally from Scotland he has spent years advising companies in Africa and Asia before founding Bature.

The first of 3 episodes produced in association with The Chicago Brewseum, we have something very special as we look at traditional brewing in Africa including its cultural position, the techniques and ingredients used, how it's changed and lots more. The traditional beers and the way they are brewed are very different from the modern scientific brewing and  we have three exceptional panellists, each very knowledgeable about traditional brewing but also pioneers in the craft brewing scene across Africa. Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela is the founder of Tolokazi Beer, South Africa's first black female owned brewery. She is the Chairperson for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, Africa Section and Distilling and the Beer Association of South Africa. She is on the Board of Directors for both the Craft Brewers Association of South Africa and African Manufacturers Association; and was Chairperson of the Board for the Beer Association of South Africa. She has always tried to incorporate traditional elements to her beers and has unrivalled knowledge of traditional brewing. Jessi Flynn is the Managing Director of Kweza, Rwanda's first craft brewery. Kweza has recently completed a very successful crowd-funding campaign and is building a brewery focused on bringing traditional brewing techniques and ingredients to the modern craft market. Bayo Ijasan is the head brewer at Bature Brewery in Nigeria He has always been interested in brewing both traditional and modern beers and studied Brewing and Distilling in Scotland. This is the first in a 3-part series that will also cover the position and potential of craft brewing in Africa, as well as a look at African influences on American craft brewing.

Yeast is arguably the most important and least controllable part of brewing. While commercially available isolated strains attempt to give some control to the brewer there is a whole alternative that works with less controlled cultures. Making cider faces the same decisions and challenges but with less tradition of working in this area. To discuss all this we have an exciting panel: Amund Polden Arnesen is the founder of Eik & Tid, a Norwegian brewer of raw unboiled ales and a brewery that re-pitch their house culture. Jan Lemmens is the founder of De Kromme Haring in Amsterdam, a brewery that brews both "modern" and traditional style. He's also the organiser of Carnivale Brettanomyces, the pre-eminent festival focused on wild fermentation. Liam McDonnell is the owner of Legacy Irish Cider, a maker of traditional cider who experiment with different yeasts. This is a panel with unmatched experience in using yeast in different situations.

This week I had joining me three excellent and relatively new breweries. Art Is An Ale is the first French brewery to join the roundtables. Based in the Loire valley they operate a brewery and pub that started in 2019. They have a tourist and local market and are trying to divide production of beers betwen these two and what they want to brew themselves. Freddo Fox started in Barcelona in 2021. They rapidly set out to differentiate themselves with their beers and their style. They have never brewed a beer twice but are now looking at selecting a core range. Crafty Bear is a Dublin based brewery that started just prior to the pandemic. They've slowly built a core range and are now planning on adding to that with regular and seasonal specials. We chatted about the different markets, the finances and planning in a brewery, the experience of starting a brewery around a pandemic, introducing craft beer to non-beer cultures and much more.

This week we're joined by 3 brewers with very different experiences for an epic chat that went way over schedule. Simian Ales is a microbrewery based in Munich who brew a mix of modern and traditional beer styles Lupum Wild Beer is Portugals first farmhouse brewery, located on the farm of the Lopes family near Porto De Lütte from Salzhausen just outside Hamburg are a brewery that focus on small batch-brewing.  In 2 1/2 hours we chatted epretty much every topic you can think of from recycling to Oktoberfest, Brazilian beer styles to wood. For the first hour there were three of us and then came Antonio from Lupum, and we got a 2nd wind! I won't say more, just enjoy.

This week we have two great brewers who have built very strong reputations in a short time. Basqueland was founded in 2016 to brew beers as good as the Basque cuisine. They've gone from strength to strength and have developed a very strong reputation for both their core range and their more experimental beers. Hopfully was founded in Ireland in 2017 and have developed their own strong reputation for their small-batch releases. Both brewers are very interested in the pairing of beer and food and it influences the beers they make. We had a great chat about all of this, about barrel-aging, beers they would never brew and more. 

To mark International Gruit Day on February 1 we hosted a very special chat with three experts in both the history and brewing of this traditional low-hop beer style. Dr. Markus Fohr is the organiser of International Gruit Day, head of Lahnsteiner Brauerei, German Champion of Beer Sommeliers, and specialist in Gruit Beer. Stoycho Pampov is the founder of Rhombus Brewery in Bulgaria, a brewery that love to experiment and take interest in traditional brewing methods Simonas Gutautas from Dundulis Brewery in Lithuania is an archaeologist who became a brewer. With Dundulis he spends a lot of time researching and brewing traditional beers, including Gruits. We'll be chatted about the history of Gruits, their place in modern brewing, and why these brewers are so fascinated with them and answered plenty of questions about the actual brewing of gruits and how homebrewers can start experimenting.

Another chat with 3 brewers from Spain, Netherlands, and Croatia... Varionica were pioneers in the Croatian Craft Beer scene and have gone from strength to strength. El Camino/CantaBrew from Cantabria in Northern Spain brew the El Camino brand of beers. Crooked Spider from the Netherlands was founded in 2014 and moved into a new brewery in Wassenaar in January 2021. ---------- Looking for a brewery to visit? Check out BreweryVisits.eu

This week we welcomed brewers from Ireland, Spain, and Belgium for a chat about the beer scene in their countries, their experiences and more. St. Mels was founded in Ireland in 2014 and rapidly gained a reputation for quality beers in both the core and specials range. OSO from Madrid are a gypsy brewery founded in 2018 by experienced brewers. They also run a small bar with a mix of their own and guest beers. Valduc is a Belgian cooperative brewery founded in 2017 to combine the tradition of Belgian beers with a modern outlook. This was a wide ranging chat that covered the history behind each brewery, the beer scene in the different countries, the place of Untappd, collaborations and much more. ------ Looking to visit a brewery? Check out BreweryVisits.eu

For a chat about Raw Ales and Farmhouse Brewing we brought together Butchers Tears from The Netherlands, DOK Brewing from Belgium, and Lars Marius Garshol from Norway.  Lars has spent 10 years researching and investigating traditional farmhouse techniques and is the author of the definitive book on the subject. He's also the man who brought kviek to the worlds attention.  DOK are a brewery in Ghent who have a special interest in the traditional brewing areas and mix these with the more commercial beers.  Butchers Tears from Amsterdam focus on traditional beers, primarily of English and German traditions, but also lately on Scandinavian lines. These are three experts on brewing, who have also given a lot of thought to the culture and history of these traditions.  Eik & Tid from Norway and Otterbank from Ireland were also due to take part but unfortunately a family emergency meant Amund could not take part, and Declan had technical issues. I hope to get them both back at a later date and maybe we can pursue some of those threads I mentioned! If you'd rather view the video of this session it's available on BeoirFest.com, where you can also register to take part in any future sessions. ----------- Looking for a brewery to visit? Check out BreweryVisits.eu

This week we had a chat with Margaret from A.M.O in Portugal and Cathal from Rascals in Ireland. Both began as homebrewers and now run breweries that have very strong taprooms. Originally from Canada, where she started her interest in home brewing, Margaret moved to Portugal about 10 years ago and her continuing interest in brewing led her to start commercial brewing in 2016. A.M.O brew a wide range of beer styles, driven in large part by the feedback from the regulars in the taproom. From Dublin, Cathal spent some years in New Zealand where he encountered a vibrant craft scene. On returning to Ireland he started Rascals with his wife in 2014. They combine the brewery with a taproom that specialises in high-quality pizza. We had a good chat that covered specifics of brewing some beer styles, the place of community in brewing, getting feedback from regulars, and the scenes in each country. You can see the video of this chat at BeoirFest.com where you can also register free to take part in any of the future sessions. ----- Looking for a brewery to tour? Check out BreweryVisits.eu

This week we had Janis and Robert from Kürish in Latvia joining Miro from Croatia's Nova Runda for a chat that covered beer styles, a discussion of Gypsy Brewing versus owning your own equipment, a walkthrough of how Kürish started their brewing (with pictures of the set-up), the obligatory cans v bottles chat, the effect of COVID on craft brewing, crowdsourcing and much more. Nova Runda began as homebrewers turned gypsy brewers in Croatia in 2013. They were the first craft brewery in the country and they have grown by initially focusing on their local market, building a following, and crowd-sourcing. They moved into their own brewery in 2019 and have since started exporting. Kürish in Latvia started also as homebrewers, selling to fellow students. In 2019 they bought a small brewery set-up and increased their volume. This started selling out quickly and they have since moved to gypsy brewing. As usual you can watch the video at BeoirFest.com where you can also register to be part of the chat with future roundtables. ------- Looking for a brewery to tour or visit? Check out BreweryVisits.eu

Join us for a chat about all things beer and brewing with guest brewers from Ireland, Spain, and Norway/Greece/Czech Republic! During this chat with some very experienced brewers we discussed the beer scene in the different countries, how it's changed, the influence of Untappd, the place for traditional techniques such as decoction, the difficulty in shipping beer at the right temperature and lots more. Join us at BeoirFest.com to be part of future sessions This Weeks Guests Third Barrel in Ireland Brew & Roll from Spain Axiom from Czech Republic and Solo from Crete, represented by Kjetil Jikuin from Norway! ============ Looking for a brewery open to visitors? Check out BreweryVisits.eu

This week we focus on the wonderful topic of stout with Mean Sardine from Portugal and Maltgarden from Poland. We chatted about different stout types, the differences between the markets and of course tried a few for ourselves. Great chat that you'll enjoy. This Weeks Guests: Mean Sardine Maltgarden -------------------------- Looking for a brewery to visit in Europe? Finding it hard to know which among them actually allow visitors?  Check out BreweryVisits.eu

In this weeks episode we get three home brewers who tuned commercial together for a chat. It turned into a discussion of markets, how to get started, beer style, and details on brewing specific beers. All in a fun hour. This Weeks Guests Maltgarden from Poland Pühaste from Estonia Skinny Bones from Germany -------------------------- Looking for a brewery to visit in Europe? Finding it hard to know which among them actually allow visitors?  Check out BreweryVisits.eu

This week we had a chat about brewing with a local focus with Huskie Craft Beer from Malta, Higgins Ale Works from Munich, and Kappse Brewers from Rotterdam. These are brewers at different stages of their journey but each is focused very much on their local city and this informs the beers they brew. It was another interesting chat you'll enjoy. This Weeks Guests: Higgins Ale Works Kaapse Brewers Huskie Craft Beer -------------------------- Looking for a brewery to visit in Europe? Finding it hard to know which among them actually allow visitors?  Check out BreweryVisits.eu 

This week we had a chat about brewing generally with Hopalaa from Latvia, Blacks from Ireland, and Bura from Croatia.

This week we focused on Barrel-aged beers with Finland's Mallaskoski, Belgiums Brussels Beer Project, and Estonia's Pohjala.

Joining our chat this week were Ireland's Land and Labour along with Nevel Wild Ales, and Butchers Tears from The Netherlands. Our chat took place just days after Nevel Wild Ales were crowned as having the best beer in The Netherlands.

Join Bereta from Romania, Arpus from Latvia, and Hopfully from Ireland for a chat full of craic and laughs. These are three great brewers with huge reputations, but most importantly they're full of chat. As usual you can also catch the videos on the website if you prefer. And if you want to join us live simply register free at Beoirfest.com

This session we tried to focus on how to capture a sense of place in beer. Taking part were Hof Ten Dormaal from Belgium and Ballykilcavan from Ireland. As usual you can also catch the videos on the website if you prefer. And if you want to join us live simply register free at Beoirfest.com

This is the 2nd of two very special sessions focusing on traditional Lithuanian Farmhouse Brewing.

This is the 1st of two very special sessions focusing on traditional Lithuanian Farmhouse Brewing.

This week sees the first venture out of Ireland with the participation of Francois from Peak Beer in Belgium. Joining Francois were Dave from Dundalk/Brewmaster and Jonny from Trouble in Dublin, making a welcome return. We covered different beers styles, the place of non-alcoholic beers, the old bottle versus can debate and much more. Enjoy listening, and if you want to join in live for future sessions you can do so free at BeoirFest.com

Our guests this week ranged from the north of Ireland to the south in a very relaxed and fun conversation. We had Bullhouse Brewing from Belfast, Lineman from Dublin, and Killarney from the very south. We also had audience interaction and just some great craic. Enjoy listening, and if you want to join in live for future sessions you can do so free at BeoirFest.com

As a change this week we turned our attention to Cider, with 3 of Irelands leading Cider Makers. A fun, wide-ranging chat ensued that included technical aspects like the definition of cider and the importance of yeast but also wandered wide and far. Enjoy listening, and if you want to join in live for future sessions you can do so free at BeoirFest.com

Join 3 Dublin brewers this week for a chat about attracting the general public to craft beer as well as the more commercial side of craft brewing. Enjoy listening, and if you want to join in live for future sessions you can do so free at BeoirFest.com

Join 3 of Irelands leading brewers for a chat about Hops and their place in modern brewing (with a diversion to also include mangoes and a rant about Untappd). This week we had Blacks of Kinsale, Wicklow Brewing Company, and Hopfully with a visit from former Galway Bay headbrewer Will Avery. Enjoy listening, and if you want to join in live for future sessions you can do so free at BeoirFest.com

Join the brewers from Black Donkey, Canvas, and The White Hag for a discussion about yeast, sours, the place for local beer, and a rant against Prosecco! Moss from Canvas even stopped mid-plough to join us. Enjoy listening, and if you want to join in live (and free) just visit BeoirFest.com

True Or False? Yanaroddy is brewed with coconuts that wash up on the Donegal coast. Just one of the many questions answered in this chat about stout and porter with 3 of Irelands longest established breweries; Trouble, Dungarvan, and Kinnegar.