Kyle Vetter: Slow Beer at 1840 Brewing

Welcome to the Manny Gumina Podcast where I typically showcase stories teaching the decisions to employ for finding your inner compass early in your career. My guest on this recording is Ryan Westley. He has been on the podcast before, and I give him another introduction during our conversation. This episode was taped May 30 in the middle of the day so anything that’s happened since then is not taken into consideration.

There are so many negative things happening in the world right now. When everyone thought 2020 couldn’t get much worse with untimely deaths and a pandemic, a black man named George Floyd was horrifically murdered on video for the whole world to watch. The conversation and fight for justice against racism in America has never stopped since the inception of the country. But this event brought the problem to the forefront once again. 

Our discussion doesn’t center on this topic, but I feel it’s necessary at the start of this show to voice my displeasure in the George Floyd incident and incidents like this across America. America has been at times and needs to be a beacon of hope and leadership for other countries across the world going forward. We have work to do, and I think it starts with the simple act of listening. As a sports fan, and an NBA fan in particular, I plan to listen to the black people I look up to in basketball. Former NBA star, Stephen Jackson, had words to say recently and I didn’t necessarily understand his message, but I’m trying. 

Anyways, I hope you’re staying as positive as you can. Our conversation covers living in Germany especially during the health crisis, China and its rising world influence, and social media’s effect on our daily lives. Enjoy.

Show Notes:

Zach Lowe interviews Coach Dwayne Casey
History 101: The Rise of China on Netflix

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It’s been a minute, my friends. My life, and the world quite frankly, has been in a bit of transition over the last 5 months or so. I’m now working as a brewer at Octopi near Madison, WI after completing a brewing course at Siebel Institute in Chicago. Learning the ropes as a shift brewer took some concerted effort, and I decided it was best to take a break from the podcast to not run myself too thin. Now, I feel comfortable in the role and ready to get back to the projects outside of work. 

Of course, as I started to feel that way, the world went into lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. I hope everyone is staying healthy and being smart. If you don’t have time to research the details of how to prevent this disease, listen to the experts. It’s not perfect, but I prefer the CDC as well as a hard look at the data from places like Johns Hopkins. For the most part, business leaders and politicians are not epidemiologists so take anything they have to say with a grain of salt. 

One thing I’m bullish on, which you may hear some of in this podcast, is life will not return to “normal” in the next two years. Without a vaccine for a virus that could kill your grandparent or friend with underlying conditions, people and businesses will be cautious. Places for group gatherings may become more like TSA checkpoints at airports. Max capacities in confined spaces will decrease, temperature or even rapid COVID-19 testing will be required for entrance, and anyone in food/beverage service will be required to wear masks and gloves. People won’t stop going to music festivals or restaurants, it will just be different. People didn’t stop traveling after 9/11.

I’ve found it to be quite eerie and yet, mnemonic that the whole world is connected to nature in such a high leverage way. Humans try to control everything. This is a reminder to only worry about the things we can control. Take a deep breath. Be grateful you are here.

Without further ado, my smart and curious friend from Switzerland, Phil Hauri, is coming on to discuss the importance of travel, language, and some fun things with sports and beer. 

My guest on the podcast this week is Kevin Wright, co-founder and brewmaster at Third Space Brewing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Based on my perspective from this conversation, Kevin is unfazed. He tells stories in a logical, straightforward fashion. Kevin knows who he is. He’s done what he wanted with one blimp of not getting into medical school being a blessing in disguise.

Kevin makes the right decisions at the right times. Go study brewing at UC-Davis at the cusp of craft brewing taking off as an industry? Done. Move back to Wisconsin when a baby is on the way? Right. Start a brewery before Milwaukee has a saturation of craft breweries? Got that one. Start canning your beer when Miller Park is looking to overhaul its beer program? Check.

That’s not a dig. That’s smart. Understand the business climate you’re in and take advantage of it regardless of industry.

Follow Third Space on social media which I’ve linked to in the show notes and definitely go visit the Third Space taproom. The beers are wonderful and they frequently throw fun events.

Subscribe to the podcast feed wherever you listen to never miss an episode.

Enjoy the holiday season, my friends. Cheers!

Show Notes:

UC Davis Master Brewers' Program

Third Space Website
Third Space Instagram
Third Space Facebook

Find Manny:

Email:  mannygumina@gmail.com
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My guest on the podcast this week is Max Fergus. As you’ll hear, he’s the CEO and a co-founder of LÜM, an app for artists and music tastemakers to discover new music and support one another. Max wants the University of Wisconsin – Madison to become an incubator for entrepreneurship fueling Madison to become the next hub for startups. He and his team have big plans, and it started with a decision to develop LÜM in Madison instead of heading to New York to begin an investment banking career after undergrad. Max has made bold moves so far in his budding career, and you can too if you’re willing to do your research and work hard.

He makes an announcement for LÜM on the podcast you won’t hear until Monday in a press release so tune in for a sneak peek. Links to download LÜM and resources Max talks about in the podcast are in the show notes. Please enjoy!

Show Notes:

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

Download LÜM: https://lum.fm/
LÜM Instagram
LÜM Facebook
LÜM LinkedIn

Find Manny:

Email:  mannygumina@gmail.com
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LinkedIn
Blog

My guest today is Bobby Fleshman, owner of McFleshman’s Brewing Company in Appleton, WI. I drove up to Appleton during an overcast, wintry Wednesday afternoon. Bobby showed me around the McFleshman brew house explaining some of the methods they employ for producing traditional English cask ales and German lager. 

A unique aspect of Bobby’s business is his relationship with Appleton Beer Factory. The breweries are next door to each other. They bring the term “collaboration” to the next level utilizing each other’s facilities at will for brewing equipment or sharing ideas. The brewing industry is known for collaboration, but I’ve never seen a relationship stretched to this extent in my brief career thus far.

By the time I left, we’d shared a couple beers:  an Irish dry stout served on nitro and an English IPA served on cask. It’s a beautiful taproom restored to look and feel like a UK pub. A unique take on a brewery taproom in today’s normal taproom environment of whitewashed walls, clean lines, and uncomfortable metal stools. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. You should stop. Appleton is an underrated town in an underrated part of the state of Wisconsin.

Thank you to Bobby and Layla for the hospitality during my visit. Enjoy this conversation. Cheers!

Find McFleshman's Brewing:

Website
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Facebook

Find Manny:

Email:  mannygumina@gmail.com
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The Milwaukee Bucks are on a 13 game win streak. In this quick hitter episode, I break down some of the numbers behind the streak, Giannis' next leap, and thoughts on the journey ahead towards a championship.

Please subscribe to the podcast to never miss episodes like this. Also, share with someone you think would like this. It means a lot!

Find Manny:

Email:  mannygumina@gmail.com
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After a two week hiatus studying brewing at Siebel Institute in Chicago, The Manny Gumina Podcast is back. This week I have Olivia Menzia on to talk about art, freelance design, ice cream, decision making, building relationships, and much more. As you’ll hear, Olivia did a double degree in art and advertising through a Milwaukee Institute of Art and Marquette University joint venture graduating in May this year. She’s working as a freelance designer for numerous Milwaukee startups in addition to founding a vegan ice cream company called Liv a Little. Olivia was recently named to the Wisconsin Inno’s 25 under 25 for 2019.

Find Olivia and Liv a Little Ice Cream:

Email: olivia.menzia@gmail.com
Liv a Little Instagram
LinkedIn

Wisconsin Inno 25 Under 25
Rifle Paper Co. Planner
Canva.com


Find Manny:

Email:  mannygumina@gmail.com
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This is a solo mission describing five lessons I've learned in my first two years in the work force after graduating from college, and a reading of Kevin Kelly's "1,000 True Fans" blog post.

Show Links:

1,000 True Fans
Upwork
Shopify
Tim Ferriss Podcast Episode with Tobias Lubtke

Find Manny:

Email:  mannygumina@gmail.com
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With the decade coming to a close at the end of this year, I've been pondering the best music made during this period. Vinny Bialk joins me to reveal our top music albums, live shows, and artists of the 2010s. The first part is a one-by-one revealing of our top albums. The second part is doing the same for our top concerts and artists. Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts on this topic!

Find Manny:

Email:  mannygumina@gmail.com
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LinkedIn
Blog

With the decade coming to a close at the end of this year, I've been pondering the best music made during this period. Vinny Bialk joins me to reveal our top music albums, live shows, and artists of the 2010s. The first part is a one-by-one revealing of our top albums. The second part is doing the same for our top concerts and artists. Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts on this topic!

Find Manny:

Email:  mannygumina@gmail.com
Instagram
LinkedIn
Blog