Ep. 3 - Ari Weinzweig, Co-founder of Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor.

I met Carl a year ago at the China Craft Beer Conference.  Carl’s passionate and direct approach to life, business and brewing stood out and fueled my curiosity. I was really grateful that we were invited to be part of the 2017 Beijing Invitational Craft Beer Festival.  Besides the festival, Carl hooked us up with historical tours of Beijing and welcomed me to three unique Great Leap Breweries.  This conversation happened with in view of the Great Wall of China, on a patio up in the hills, while the first kettle-soured brew of his Great Leap Fermentation project quietly came to a boil.

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Guest Bio: Carl Setzer: Founder and Brewmaster - Great Leap Brewing

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Carl first came to China in 2004 and has been fascinated by this country ever since. While pursuing a Master’s Degree in Public International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, Carl studied Chinese language and culture. From 2007 to 2010, he worked for various IT companies across Taiwan, Pennsylvania, and Beijing. However, after a few years of working 17-hour days in the IT world, Carl decided he wanted to do something creative, challenging, and rewarding. Following a trip to Europe with his wife, Liu Fang, Carl was inspired by European beer culture and decided to try brewing beer that represented Chinese culinary tradition. After months of playing around with different recipes, he found a few that made him proud, and invited some friends over to try the beer. Once they recognized the potential of craft beer in Beijing, Carl and Liu Fang founded Great Leap Brewing in October of 2010. Carl remains Brewmaster and CEO of Great Leap Brewing, which has grown from four taps and one location to sixty taps across three locations. Carl is also a founding member of the Craft Beer Association of China and sits on their board of directors as well as on the technical committee. Carl also sits on the Technical Scientific Committee of the Berlin Institute for Fermentation and Biotechnology (VLB).

In episode Thirty Five, my guest is Dave Kwiatkowski from the Sugar House in Detroit, Michigan.  Dave and I sat own over glasses of whiskey in Corktown and talked about his adventure in classic cocktails, small business and community building.  Dave’s a natural and encouraging champion for Detroit, Drinks and drinks IN Detroit.  

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Guest Bio

In episode thirty four, my guests are New Holland teammates, Jon Boer and Ryan Cioffi. THey’re heading up the beer and spirits making at our new brewpub and distillery, The Knickerbocker in Grand Rapids. We’ll hear how they came into a life in beverage and what to look forward to drinking on Bridge street and beyond.  

The Details

The Drinks: Blue Haven Fitzgerald and Debits and Credits Centennial Pale Ale

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Jon Boer - New Holland Brewing: Head Pub Brewer:  Jon is a Holland native, married to his beautiful wife Katie for two years. He's an avid tinkerer and hobbyist and brewed at New Holland for 5 years. 

Ryan Cioffi - New Holland Artisan Spirits: Pub Distiller: Ryan grew up in West Michigan, in the city of Hudsonville, to be exact. He loves Old Fashioneds and has worked at New Holland for 4 years. He enjoys disc golf and things involving his dog.

I’m pretty sure I met Fred in 1993 during my first Great Taste of the Midwest, which would be a formative experience.  It was a few years into the beer business, but roughly two before I’d join the ranks of Midwest breweries.  He has been a magnanimous brewery wrangler that cares deeply about connecting people to experience.  He and his team have kept their festival special throughout decades of change.  I think I speak for everyone in the Midwest brewing community when I say that we all look at “the Great Taste” as the grand daddy of the Midwest beer fest, and the one we try not to miss.  I’ve only missed two in my 23 years running, if it gives you any idea.  Fred has also applied his passion to the distilling world, and I caught up with him on the patio just before Distill America at the Edgewater Hotel in Madison, WI.

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Guest Bio: 

Fred Swanson has been a High School Special Education teacher for more than thirty years.  He’s also served the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild, hosts of the “Great Taste of the Midwest” in one capacity or another, including  member, President, Board of Directors, and brewery wrangler since 1990.  He is a founding organizer of Distill America, which celebrates and showcases American distilleries. Fred is also a tireless advocate for strength of communities through his involvement with agencies supporting adults in their homes, providing case management to adults with disabilities, and state organizations advocating for the rights of individuals with disabilities in Wisconsin.

Some of you may know a little or a lot about the world of beer wholesalers, or maybe nothing at all.  I’ve been calling on Rave Associates, a beer and wine wholesaler in Ann Arbor since 1995, when the current owner, Jim Warbritton.  was a sales rep, and we’d cruise around to accounts together, selling all the beer we could get our hands on.  Jimmy and his executive VP, Rick Lack - the self-proclaimed “King’s of Michigan Beer” joined me to trade some stories, just before we headed into their trade show in Novi, Michigan to meet and greet the retailers of Southeast Michigan.

The Drinks: Moxie - Sour Ale by New Holland Brewing

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Ginger and I met years ago over beer and chocolate.  She was in Michigan to present at the MBG and MBAA Winter Conference and took an extra day or so to hang on the farm. Ginger is a tireless advocate for equity in marketing, and has made a name for herself by establishing her own consulting businesses, Women Enjoying Beer. and The Fifty Percent.    We talk shop including beer, gender, service and training.   Here’s Ginger from the secret lair at Red Horse Ranch.  

The Drinks: New Holland's Mischievous II Sour Ale & Pilgrim's Dole Wheatwine 2014

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Guest Bio: Ginger Johnson

TED talker, book author, beer enthusiast and marketer. Ginger's a dynamic speaker and founder of a few companies, one of which is Women Enjoying Beer. WEB = the only company on the planet studying women & their relationship with beer (yes. really). She's also involved in The Fifty Percent a project with Meagen Anderson, using data to improve our world. Helping beer businesses earn more customers and maximize their marketing dollars is what it’s all about. Learn more about her at womenenjoyingbeer.com andgingerjohnson.com + on Twitter @gingerjohnson   She's appreciative of people who buy the book, since she's working on making her fine husband a kept man. 

Talking beer, music, collaboration and creativity with a talented panel of musicians and beer enthusiasts, featuring Kyle Hollingsworth of the String Cheese incident and Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Grammy winning Peter Madcat Ruth of Madcat Midnight Blues Journey and The Change, Mike Shimmin from Joshua Davis Trio and others, and Nicholas Barron from The Strapping Owls. We talk shop, taste beers and even play a little music.

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Live music performed and improvised by our esteemed panel. 

Kyle Hollingsworth - String Cheese Incident and KHB: Keyboards, Vocals

Fred Bueltmann - New Holland Brewing and Strapping Owls: Sousaphone

Peter Madcat Ruth - Madcat Midnight Blues Journey:  Harmonica

Nicholas Barron - Nicholas Barron Band & Strapping Owls - Guitar & Vocals

Michael Shimmin- Joshua Davis Trio - Cajon

The Drinks: 

New Holland Brewing beers:

The Poet - Oatmeal Stout

Black Tulip Tripel - Belgian-style Tripel

Hoptronix - Double IPA

Dragon's Milk Reserve w Lemon and Raspberry

Drinking pints at the market with Richard is a quintessential British experience.  We got to talk about his history, the UK beer market and all sorts of other stuff.  Next time, we’ll need to get his business partner Mike to join us, as the two of them together is even better.  Here we are from The Rake at Borough Market in August of 2016.

The Drinks:

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Guest Bio:

Richard Dinwoodie has been in the beer industry for almost thirty years.  He has been a champion for a diverse marketplace, fighting to provide more beer choices available to consumers, from around the world.  With his business partner, Mike Hill, he operates UTO Beer, off sale, and The Rake at Borough Market and Tap East brewpub at Stratford International, and is an Internationally recognized beer judge.

Chris and I go waaaay back to when I first started going to the Great American Beer Festival, aka the GABF.  I believe my first GABF was 1995, when Chris was just getting the project now known as The Falling Rock going, so we’ve covered some ground, not only in Denver, but Madison, Chicago, Philly - Chris gets around and is a huge part of our craft beer family. He’s a warm soul with a kind heart and I respect him a great deal.  We had a great time hanging out at Big Beers in Breckenridge

The Details

The Drinks:  Barrel Knickerbocker Old Fashioned, Zeppelin Bend Reserve Whiskey

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Guest Bio:

Chris is co-founder and proprietor of Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, Colorado.  His beer career spans more than thirty years, and includes experience at wholesale, brewery and retail.  He’s also served as beer judge and on the Board of Directors for the Brewers Association. Find out more and give him a visit at fallingrocktaphouse.com or @FallingRockTap 

I got to know Mark a little bit at the  Brewers Association’s beer dinner at The Salon with Chef Nicholas Balfe and Adam Dulye.  We got to chatting and decided in short order that more beers and conversation were in order.  We met at what we thought would be a quiet beer garden in his neighborhood, but as the London Craft Beer Festival let out a few blocks away, a post-fest party gathered around us, sharing our picnic table, beers and lively conversation well after the Mics were off.  

The Details

The Drinks: Cloudwater DIPA v6 & v7, Five Points Pale Ale

The Music: “Wealthy Street” on intro and outro, © and courtesy of Drew Nelson

Guest Bio:

Mark Dredge is a beer, food and travel writer based in London, England. He's currently writing his fifth book and trying to complete his beer bucket list. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @MarkDredge