A few years back I was messing around on iTunes, this was when podcasts were getting more and more popular, and I found something that made me realize that the good beer revolution was everywhere. There it was, a podcast dedicated entirely to craft beer put on by two guys in Pittsburgh.
After listening to Jeff Bearer and Greg Weiss talk about beers that I had drank, and those I hadn’t, and describe them in a way that always made me instantly thirsty, I became hooked. I started uploading their shows on to my iPod and listening to them in my car whenever I was driving any long distances. I soon found myself sitting down and having a beer and listening to them just talk about something that I loved, craft beer!
If you haven’t had a chance to check out their podcast you definitely need to get on it and listen to some of their shows. They do a great job and really put a lot of work into each one.
I was interested to see what Jeff and Greg are like, what they drink and what all goes into a podcast about beer. They were both nice enough to respond, quickly, to my questions.
Cheers Jeff and Greg! Keep up the great work! Also, congrats on the new baby Jeff!
After listening to Jeff Bearer and Greg Weiss talk about beers that I had drank, and those I hadn’t, and describe them in a way that always made me instantly thirsty, I became hooked. I started uploading their shows on to my iPod and listening to them in my car whenever I was driving any long distances. I soon found myself sitting down and having a beer and listening to them just talk about something that I loved, craft beer!
If you haven’t had a chance to check out their podcast you definitely need to get on it and listen to some of their shows. They do a great job and really put a lot of work into each one.
I was interested to see what Jeff and Greg are like, what they drink and what all goes into a podcast about beer. They were both nice enough to respond, quickly, to my questions.
Cheers Jeff and Greg! Keep up the great work! Also, congrats on the new baby Jeff!
Names: Jeff Bearer and Greg Weiss
Podcast: Craft Beer Radio
(RHP) Where do you live and what are some of your favorite local places to get a beer? Also, what's you're favorite local beer?
(JB) I come from the town with the great football team, I cheer for the Pittsburgh Steelers!
Favorite Places for beer are:
Neighborhood Bar: Mad Mex in Cranberry.
Brewpub: North Country Brewing.
Pittsburgh Bar: hrm, either Fatheads, or the Sharp Edge.
(GW) Definitely the Sharp Edge, one of the absolute best beer bars in the country, chock full of Belgians and crafts beers. There's also D's for over 1000 beers, or maybe Fatheads or Smokin’ Joes. Plenty of good places to go for good beers as long as you know where to look. My favorite local beer? If I were just out on the town and wanted a good beer I'd go for Big Hop IPA from East End Brewing, but if you asked me what the BEST local beer is, I'd very likely say Penn Weizen by Penn Brewing, which is one of the best hefeweizens in the country.
Brewpub: North Country Brewing.
Pittsburgh Bar: hrm, either Fatheads, or the Sharp Edge.
(GW) Definitely the Sharp Edge, one of the absolute best beer bars in the country, chock full of Belgians and crafts beers. There's also D's for over 1000 beers, or maybe Fatheads or Smokin’ Joes. Plenty of good places to go for good beers as long as you know where to look. My favorite local beer? If I were just out on the town and wanted a good beer I'd go for Big Hop IPA from East End Brewing, but if you asked me what the BEST local beer is, I'd very likely say Penn Weizen by Penn Brewing, which is one of the best hefeweizens in the country.
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(RHP) What made you decide to start an internet radio show devoted to your love of craft beer?
(RHP) What made you decide to start an internet radio show devoted to your love of craft beer?
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(JB) I found podcasting and was left unsatisfied and sometimes angered by what the existing beer shows provided. I didn't know for sure if I could do better or not, but I thought it would be fun to give it a try. It seemed to work out pretty well, at least that's what I'm told :)
(GW) That's all Jeff's doing. I just was excited to be a part of it. And have been excited to learn all about craft beers along the way.
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(RHP) What is the hardest thing about drinking and talking about beer on a radio show? How have you worked to improve the show since you first aired that premier episode? What sort of set up do you use to produce a show?
(JB) The hardest thing, is to make sure you are providing accurate information to the listener. That was one of the things that I hated about some other beer podcasts, they were just WRONG. And it drove me up the wall. I work hard at making sure that I know what I'm talking about. And I'm always worried about messing up the details.
We are better in general because of all the practice. Greg and I are better at carrying on a conversation, we are better at describing beer, we are better at entertaining. I need to concentrate on clearer annunciation that is the one specific that I work to improve.
(GW) How do you describe a taste? It's a delicate balance of sorts - describing something that is ultimately subjective and not easily definable by understandable or regular descriptors. It's taken us a lot of time, and a lot of episodes, to come up with a suitable "language" that expresses how we interpret the tastes of beer. And it's always evolving. Every show, ideally, gives us something new to think about. Not all shows fit the bill but I think you can tell the ones that do. When we're excited and can't stop talking, it's a good indication that we're learning. That's our trick - we love to learn, and we want to bring the listener along for that ride.
(JB) The Gear is 3 MXL condenser microphones mounted on swing arm stands. They connect to an Alesis MultiMix8 Sound board. Attached to the sound board is an Alesis 3630 compressor that helps keep us from talking too loud on the recording. The mixer is connected to a Windows PC via USB where I use Adobe Audition to record the audio.
(RHP) Are there a lot of other beer related podcasts? What makes you guys unique?
(JB) There are a pile of them, if you look on the bottom right of our website you will find links to many of them. What makes us unique? I dunno, I suppose we do. I think our emphasis on the details and our experience with describing flavor might give us an edge over some podcasts, but there are others that do a very good job.
(GW) We just try to be ourselves and let the chips fall where they may. So far, we've been successful at that, knock on wood. It's a privilege to be able to do this, to drink beer and have other people listen and care about what we think.
(GW) That's all Jeff's doing. I just was excited to be a part of it. And have been excited to learn all about craft beers along the way.
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(RHP) What is the hardest thing about drinking and talking about beer on a radio show? How have you worked to improve the show since you first aired that premier episode? What sort of set up do you use to produce a show?
(JB) The hardest thing, is to make sure you are providing accurate information to the listener. That was one of the things that I hated about some other beer podcasts, they were just WRONG. And it drove me up the wall. I work hard at making sure that I know what I'm talking about. And I'm always worried about messing up the details.
We are better in general because of all the practice. Greg and I are better at carrying on a conversation, we are better at describing beer, we are better at entertaining. I need to concentrate on clearer annunciation that is the one specific that I work to improve.
(GW) How do you describe a taste? It's a delicate balance of sorts - describing something that is ultimately subjective and not easily definable by understandable or regular descriptors. It's taken us a lot of time, and a lot of episodes, to come up with a suitable "language" that expresses how we interpret the tastes of beer. And it's always evolving. Every show, ideally, gives us something new to think about. Not all shows fit the bill but I think you can tell the ones that do. When we're excited and can't stop talking, it's a good indication that we're learning. That's our trick - we love to learn, and we want to bring the listener along for that ride.
(JB) The Gear is 3 MXL condenser microphones mounted on swing arm stands. They connect to an Alesis MultiMix8 Sound board. Attached to the sound board is an Alesis 3630 compressor that helps keep us from talking too loud on the recording. The mixer is connected to a Windows PC via USB where I use Adobe Audition to record the audio.
(RHP) Are there a lot of other beer related podcasts? What makes you guys unique?
(JB) There are a pile of them, if you look on the bottom right of our website you will find links to many of them. What makes us unique? I dunno, I suppose we do. I think our emphasis on the details and our experience with describing flavor might give us an edge over some podcasts, but there are others that do a very good job.
(GW) We just try to be ourselves and let the chips fall where they may. So far, we've been successful at that, knock on wood. It's a privilege to be able to do this, to drink beer and have other people listen and care about what we think.
(RHP) How has the brewing community embraced the show? Have you made contacts with brewers around the country?
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(JB) Brewers have all been welcoming to us. One thing that was probably most shocking was when I was in San Francisco. I went up to Russian River to check it out before my flight back. When we stopped in, they didn't have any of the "’ation" sour beers available. My server, called Vinnie, who was working a local beer fest, let us buy a bottle out of his private reserve, which was pretty nice. But then Vinnie stopped in after the fest just to give me a tour of the brewery and picked up all the beer. I was still a newb and didn't think of myself as beer media and his hospitality was shocking.
jkl
The biggest problem with using the "beer media" badge with a podcast is that anyone can do it. And many who do use it to get free stuff, don't do the work to cover it. It was very difficult to get a press pass for the GABF last year because they couldn't let every blogger and podcaster in. I worked my ass off covering the fest and hopefully the Brewers Association noticed.
(GW) Fortunately brewers have been very good to our show. From offering up samples, interviews, and even products like t-shirts and hats for giveaways for our listeners, brewers are embracing the "advertising" that our show provides. Which is still grounded in honesty - if we like a beer or dislike a beer, we say so, no matter who made it.
(GW) Fortunately brewers have been very good to our show. From offering up samples, interviews, and even products like t-shirts and hats for giveaways for our listeners, brewers are embracing the "advertising" that our show provides. Which is still grounded in honesty - if we like a beer or dislike a beer, we say so, no matter who made it.
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(RHP) If you could visit one brewery that you've never been to, which would it be and why?
(RHP) If you could visit one brewery that you've never been to, which would it be and why?
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(JB) That's easy, Cantillon, I'm in awe of the small lambic brewery in Brussels. I just want to shake the brewers hand and buy him a beer. US Brewery.....I'm thinking Ommegang would be a cool place to check out, and since it's only 8 hours away I'll probably be there sometime in the next year or two.
hjk
(GW) I've got two answers. In the US it'd be Lost Abbey/Port Brewing because I admire Tomme Arthur and what he's doing. Some of his beers have been the most magnificent examples of their styles I've ever had. In the world, well, I'd love to go to Westvleteren. There's something remarkable about brewing the "perfect" beer - and by perfect I don't necessarily mean the best, but the beer that absolutely no one wouldn't like.
(RHP) What comes to mind when you think of Maine (beer or otherwise)?
(JB) Allagash, Cadillac Mountain Stout, that place across the bridge from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I love New England and would love to get to check out some of Maine the next time I get up that way.
kjl
kjl
(GW) Lobsters. Lobsters, cold weather, proximity to Canada, and frankly, white people. Also Vermont, for some reason, sneaks in there, even though it's a whole other state, separated from Maine by New Hampshire. We Pennsylvania rubes are dumb like that.
hjk
Thanks again Greg and Jeff!
Be sure to check out Craft Beer Radio when you have some free time. Greg and Jeff have archived all of their shows and they are mostly divided by style. They provide a wealth of information and are really enjoyable to listen to. Learn how to subscribe to Craft Beer Radio by going HERE!
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