Four Brewers: Craft Beer and Homebrew · John Holzer, Greg Nagel, Joe Senigaglia, Jason Harris

363: We're back, again...AGAIN!

May 17, 2024·1 hr 32 min·5 clips

Four Brewers are planning a collab beer with Green Cheek called 'Panning for Hops' using experimental hops.

This episode marks the return of the Four Brewers podcast with a new lineup: hosts Jon Holzer, Jason Harris, and Greg Nagel welcome Joe Senegalia, a beer-focused YouTuber known for Joe's Arcade, as a permanent member following Tim's amicable departure. The group announces a shift to a bi-weekly release schedule and a more structured format, including coordinated beer selections and Patreon-exclusive planning meetings. They discuss the 2024 World Beer Cup results, noting Southern California's dominance in West Coast IPA and hoppy lager categories, with medals for Green Cheek and Everywhere. The hosts analyze the Top 50 U.S. Breweries list, observing consolidation and the rise of non-alcoholic beer with Athletic Brewing at number 10. They express surprise at entries like Pittsburgh Brewing and Lost Coast, and disappointment at Monster Brewing's acquisition of the Canarchy craft portfolio. The conversation covers brewery conglomerates like Duvel Moortgat and Tilray, and regional successes like Georgetown Brewing. For the brewery highlight, they feature Green Cheek Beer Company, detailing its expansion by taking over locations like the former Bagby Brewing in Oceanside, where founder Jeff Bagby now brews. An interesting insight is Evan Price's revelation that Green Cheek makes its own dehydrated orange peel for its Belgian white ale, "Here We Are," using a challenging mash bill with over 40% unmalted wheat. The hosts note the difficulty of finding well-made West Coast IPAs outside the West Coast and the experimental niche homebrewing fills as the commercial market narrows. They find it notable that non-alcoholic breweries now rank among top sellers and that many top-50 "breweries" are actually holding companies for multiple brands. The tone is casual and conversational, filled with inside jokes and friendly banter among longtime collaborators. The style is a mix of industry news analysis, brewery storytelling, and beer tasting commentary. This episode will appeal to craft beer enthusiasts interested in industry trends, brewery ownership changes, and Southern California's beer scene. Listeners seeking a tightly edited, single-topic show or those unfamiliar with the hosts' dynamic might find it less engaging.

As heard by us

A relaxed brewing conversation turns a tricky recipe into the episode’s anchor.

Four Brewers works best when it stays close to the beer, and this one does that early. Joe Senegalia slots in after Tim’s amicable departure, and the talk keeps circling beer-world life, YouTube, and a recipe that sounds plain until the mash bill makes it complicated.

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Why you'd press play

You want a new seat at the beer table and a recipe that fights back.

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