The BrewDeck Podcast

Featuring: Terrapin Beer Co. and Canada Malting Co.

Ryes and shine! We're exploring the intricacies of Rye Malt for brewers and distillers on this episode. (4:12) First, we're joined by Brian “Spike” Buckowski, Founder and VP of Brewing Development at Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens, Georgia. Spike tells us about their very first beer - a Rye Pale Ale, and the history of how it was discontinued, then brought back as a fan favorite. We discuss finding the perfect rye malt percentage and other challenges of brewing with rye. (26:54) Then, our resident-distilling expert, Geoff Fischer, stops by to address what rye looks like in the distilling world. What is American Rye Whiskey and what are the differences of distilling with rye versus other types of grains? (42:50) Finally, we close it out with Mac Remington, Canada Malting Co.'s Production Supervisor. From a maltster's insights, Mac shares how malting rye contrasts from barley throughout the malting process as well as the best varieties for rye malt.

Featuring: Borderlands Brewing, Las Hermanas Project, and Hop Forward Society.

Our Women's History Month celebrations continue! In this episode, Heather and Cheyenne are speaking with revolutionary women in the industry. (2:04) First, we're joined by Ayla Kapahi and Savanna Saldate from Borderlands Brewing Company in Tucson, Arizona. Ayla and Savanna started the "Las Hermanas" project, a bi-national all-women collaboration brew. It features one brew day in Arizona and another in Mexico, plus educational workshops for attendees. What's next for Las Hermanas? Could a third country be in the future? (Asking for a Canadian friend!) Listen to learn more. (22:24) Then, Sharon Ruyter and Erin McQuitty stop by from the Hop Forward Society. Their goal is to diversify the Alberta craft beer industry by reducing the barriers that exist. The Hop Forward Society is focused on creating and building opportunities for underrepresented groups within the craft beer industry, and helping develop safe spaces for people to work, gather, and socialize. Sharon and Erin share some of the things they've done and the grants they offer. 

Featuring Mascot Brewery and the Brewing Change Collaborative.

In this episode, we're celebrating Black History Month with Aaron Prothro, founder of Mascot Brewery in Ontario, and the Brewing Change Collaborative in Minnesota. (1:10) As one of Canada's only black-owned breweries, Aaron tells us about the challenges he's faced in the craft beer industry and how he works to empower other black entrepreneurs. (25:24) Then, we're honored to be joined by Elle Rhodes, Shaunté Douglas, and Bri Smith from the Brewing Change Collaborative. The BCC is an organization that works to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion for people of color in the brewing and beverage industries through advocacy, outreach, and education.

Featuring: Abita Brewing and False Idol Brewing.

In honor of Dry January, we're talking about why it's more important than ever before to have non-alcoholic options on your menu. The team kicks it off with an overview of the non-alcoholic market, the growth of NA beers, and their predictions for the next hot NA beverage. (17:27) We're joined by Product Manager, Abi Conner, to "Ask Abi" which products she recommends for low- and no-alcohol beverages. (23:56) Then we shake things up with Mark Wilson from Abita Brewing. Mark tells us all about how they got into producing a craft soda line and hop waters. (50:29) After that, William Perry from False Idol Brewing stops by to tell us about their terpene sparkling botanical waters. What are terpenes and how is terpene water made? William shares how they got into making these and building a customer base for it.

Happy New Year! We're kicking off our fifth season of the BrewDeck Podcast with our annual "Best of" episode, where we count down your favorite episodes from the previous year. In this episode, Toby, Heather, Cheyenne, and Adam reflect on our ~crushie era~ after winning Best Beer Podcast at the Craft Beer Marketing Awards. The team also shares some sneak peeks of what you can expect this year and exciting things to look forward to.

Did your favorite episode make our Top 10 list? Listen to find out!

We're continuing our year-end updates on this year’s crop harvests, and what you can expect next year. Today, we're sitting down with some of our favorite folks; your CMG Territory Managers! Jon Mendrick, Tim Burke, Tony Little, and Matt Chalmers join us on the brew deck to talk about the 2023 barley harvest in both Canada and the US. What are some challenges of growing malting barley over other cereal crops? What are the benefits of having two harvests and what do maltsters do to ensure stable quality? What's important to look for on a COA and how do you read it? Then Abi Conner joins us for our last Ask Abi of the year to recap all the exciting new products we rolled out this year and tease what you can look forward to next year.

Thanks for joining us for an incredible 4th season and helping us win Best Beer Podcast at the Craft Beer Marketing Awards earlier this year! We'll be back in mid-January for Season 5!

Featuring: Yakima Chief Ranches.

As the year comes to a close, it’s important to stay informed on this year’s harvests – both hops and barley – and what you can expect next year. Today, we're joined by Joe Catron from Yakima Chief Ranches to dive into this year's hop harvest. How was the 2023 hop harvest and how does it compare to previous years? How are your favorite experimental hops looking? And when can you expect to see new crop hit the market? Take a listen!

Featuring: Cigar City Brewing, Martin House Brewing Company, and Pink Boots Hop Blend.

Are you ready for a barrel of fun? On this episode, (1:16) Sydney Masovero from Yakima Chief Hops pops by to tell us about the 7th Annual Pink Boots Hop Blend. Then, (4:57) Sean Sasscer from Cigar City kicks off our conversation about barrel-aged beers. From sensory to how they source barrels, to maintenance and storage, Sean shares advice for others wanting to get started. After Sean gives us the low-down on his barrel program, (42:40) John Laughman from Martin House takes it up a notch and walks us through all of their wild and experimental barrel-aged beers. From Spiced Beet Sours to Hot Dog Beers and even Mayonnaise Seltzers (yes, you read that right) – you're not going to want to miss what John has to say!

Featuring: Candy + beer pairing, Concession Road Brewing, and Pink Boots Hop Blend.

Happy Halloween! It's our favorite holiday on The BrewDeck Podcast, hope you're ready to trick or treat yo'self with this episode! 

(1:08) First, Cat Wiest from Yakima Chief Hops pops by to tell us all about the new Pink Boots Hop Blend, available for pre-order now!

(5:35) Then, our resident-certified cicerone, Heather, shares a Halloween candy and beer pairing menu and things get heated. Are you team Twizzlers or Red Vines? The team debates some candy choices and discovers the difference between U.S. and Canadian treats.

(26:21) Last, but not least, we're joined by Jeffrey Bunton from Concession Road Brewing in Ontario. Jeffrey had previously sworn he would never brew a pumpkin beer, but what changed? Whether you're pro-pumpkin beers, or against, you're not going to want to miss what he had to say.

Featuring: Five Star Chemicals.

In this episode, we're freshening up on brewhouse cleaning and sanitation, with Emily Lovato from Five Star Chemicals! What's the difference between cleaning vs. maintenance, and what happens if you don't sanitize properly? Emily recommends the top products brewers and distillers should always have on hand and what they're used for. Plus, she answers all of our questions about beer stone and how to resolve it with the right chemicals!

Featuring: Pink Boots Scholarship Winners, Utah Brewers Cooperative, Stone Brewing, and Cabin Brewing Company. 

It's back-to-school season and The BrewDeck Podcast is here to say that you're never too old to learn things! In this episode, we're going behind the scenes of our two Malting Courses earlier this summer (Great Western Malting in Salt Lake City, and Canada Malting Co. in Calgary). Toby and Heather bring their mics to class and sit down with attendees to see what they've learned and how they plan to apply this new knowledge when they get home to their breweries. 

Featuring: Great Western Malting and Bairds Malt.

What exactly is Low GN malt and why is it important for distillers? We rounded up some long-time friends from across the US and the UK to discuss the need for a Low GN malt. We're joined by Great Western Malting's Director of Quality and Technical Services, Scott Garden; Bairds Malt's Commercial Sales Manager, Graham Manson; and Country Malt Group's resident distilling expert and Territory Manager, Geoff Fischer. This packed house breaks down barley varieties and the effectiveness of Low GN malts, as well as the supply chain of North American malts compared to the UK.

Featuring: Shacklands Brewing Co. /

We're celebrating our anniversary month with a sequel of sorts to your favourite episode, S.2 E.23 - "Dude, Let's Start a Brewery!"  We call it our 'Expansion Pack' but you can call on it for leveling up your brewery expansion plans. Kalev Nisbet from Shacklands Brewing Co. logs on to walkthrough Shacklands' upgrade map, what XP milestones indicate you're ready for an expansion, and what to consider while planning an expansion. He shares their biggest challenges, lessons learned, and cheat codes – no in-app purchase required. 

Featuring: Tailgunner Brewing Co., Horse Thief Hollow Brewing Company, and Ask Abi /

Do you have the Skills to Brew the Pils? Golden lager leaders, Blake Enemark from Tailgunner Brewing (1:23) and Jake Nelson from Horse Thief Hollow (38:34), are here to share their evolutions of brewing pilsners. They walk us through brewing with North American Pilsner malts versus European Pilsner Malts, and how their base malts of choice influences flavour profile, colour, and the brewing process. From double-decocted to multi-award winning pilsners, this episode will captivate your attention and taste buds! (59:58) Plus, Abi Conner, our Product Manager, stops by to answer your burning "Ask Abi" questions.

Women's History Month continues on The BrewDeck Podcast! In this episode, we're honored to sit down with legends in the industry; Teri Fahrendorf (Founder of the Pink Boots Society) and Tiah Edmunson-Morton (Historian of the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives, at OSU Libraries). Tiah walks us through how women contributed to the evolution of beer and how we can learn from history to help shape the future of the craft brewing industry. Then Teri reflects on founding the Pink Boots Society and how it's changed the industry since. You're not going to want to miss this one!

Hey Pink Boots members – We have two scholarship opportunities available for our 2023 Malting Courses! Apply on the Pink Boots website by March 31.

We're back and better than ever!! We're kicking off Season 4 by taking a walk down memory lane to rank and recap our most popular episodes from last year. Did your favorite episode make the list? Are there any episodes you should go back and listen to? We invite you to grab your favorite craft beer or spirit, and join us for some inspiration!

Happy American Thanksgiving Week! Hope you're hungry because we're pairing all your favorite holiday dishes with beer recommendations in this episode. We're joined by Certified Cicerone Bill Bonar, from Rain Dog Bar in Calgary, and some friends from the Country Malt team for our first Friendsgiving! Together, we dive into food flavor profiles and how to pair them with complimentary beer styles, plus some specific brews we're stocking in our fridge for this week's feast. Additionally, if you thought American Thanksgiving food and Canadian Thanksgiving food were the same - think again! We thought so too until we uncovered some different dishes that you're not going to want to miss. 

Summer is officially here! What better way to enjoy the sunshine than sipping on your favorite beer of the season? Today, Grant Lawrence and Heather Jerred are joined by more folks from our Country Malt Group Sales Team; Cheyenne Weishaar, Adam Wilson, Brian Quinn, and Patrick Sylvester, as they debate their ultimate summertime beer. Gose, Belgian Wit, Dark Lager, and Shandy/Radler... Whose team are you on?

Save the date for Tuesday, July 5: Canada Malting Co.'s Euro-Pils will finally be available to order; and Yakima Chief Hops' 2022 Veterans Blend pre-sale begins. Contact your sales rep to learn more!