Heavy Hops Ep. 034: Methode Accidental (Matthias Neidhart & David Frost/B. United Int.)
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Joining us today are Matthias Neidhart and David Frost of B. United International – an importer of specialty beer, cider, sake and meads – based in Connecticut. Brewers and producers they represent such as Hitachino/Kiuchi, De Dolle, Schlenkerla, Reissdorf, Domaine DuPont, and Loverbeer have had an enduring impact on the evolution of beer in America over the last twenty five
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 033: Finding Your Way Through Beer Culture (Breandán Kearney/Belgian Smaak)
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I first encountered Breandán Kearney‘s work during my time at Local Option beer bar in Chicago. I carried on a tradition of showcasing artisanal brewers from around the world, giving them a draft platform in one of the best beer cities. Importers such as Shelton Brothers (RIP), B-United and 12% Imports allowed me incredible access to producers who – informed
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 032: Sofa Hero (Chris Quinn/The Beer Temple)
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Chris Quinn, owner of Chicago’s Beer Temple tap room and bottle shop, is back for a conversation covering how winter reopening compares to summer, category transcendence and classification of hard seltzers, and making manufacturing sexy again. We discuss Drizly’s acquisition by Uber and the risk of allowing big tech to turn us all into Sofa Heroes. Not sure who Chris
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 031: Climbing Trees During Blizzards (Matt Sampson/Hacienda Beer & Door County Brewing)
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The first time Sam, Bryn and I visited Door County, Wisconsin was in January 2019. At Half Acre’s Far And Away Festival the previous autumn I was introduced to Hacienda Beer Co, only to discover I’d in fact known most of them from their time studying at Siebel Institute and mine serving them on their many visits to Local Option.
Continue ReadingUmeå Hardcore Part II: Keep It Real (Marc Strömberg)
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Marc Strömberg is an illustrator and musician who grew up with the Umeå hardcore scene, one generation after Johannes. Marc recalls an era in which genre torchbearers from around the world such as Earth Crisis, Biohazard, The Locust, and Ignite trekked thousands of miles outside of a conventional tour routing to play in Umeå. The attraction Marc and others in
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 030: Don’t Show Us The Bottles You Have…Show Us The Ones You Have Open (Eric Rosentreter)
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Our conversation begins with the void in our industry left by the closure of bars, taprooms and restaurants, which we refer to as the On Premise. There are moments of stewardship, willingness to explore new brands and flavor profiles, and trust building that occur in the on-premise space. The same can’t be said when you’re cruising through a grocery store
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 029: Analog Life (Grant McKee/Bucket O’ Blood Records)
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Grant McKee is the owner of Bucket O’ Blood Records, a store specializing in records, books and graphic novels in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood. From a young age Grant was an avid reader and an aficionado of all things heavy and horror. We discuss how he turned his passion into a business – adding selling online to his arsenal – and
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 028: Red Creek Rising (Johannes Persson/Cult of Luna)
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Our conversation with Johannes Persson continues, with the topic shifting to his main musical project, Cult of Luna. We pick up on the DIY ethos so crucial to his professional development in our discussion about Red Creek Recordings, Johannes’ new record label venture, a project only 2020 would have made time for (Johannes points out the next Cult of Luna
Continue ReadingUmeå Hardcore Part I: Birch and Ashes (Johannes Persson/Cult of Luna)
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In September 1994, 16 year old Johannes Persson, a vegan, straight edge, member of the hardcore music scene found himself at the center of a socio-political movement at its inflection point. Umeå – located 8 hours drive north from Sweden’s capital Stockholm – had recently seen a number of arsons and direct actions aimed at drawing awareness to animal rights
Continue ReadingHeavy Hops Ep. 027: A Dive Into Lux (Grant Netzorg/In The Company of Serpents)
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Grant Netzorg, frontman of the Denver based doom trio In The Company of Serpents joins us for our first conversation of 2021. The bands recent release, Lux, landed on multiple 2020 year end lists, including our own. We dive into the album touching on production and how the album differentiates from past releases. Grant opens up about the lyrical content,
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