Barley & Me

Barley & Me host Ben Rice teams up with Sacramento chef Phil Webster to talk basketball and beer, in episode 2 of Barley & Me Presents: Hoops & Hops! Today, we build on the foundation of episode one by selecting the Sacramento Brewery Dream Team's version of Isiah Thomas, who was infamously left off the original Dream Team for a variety of alleged reasons. Then we tackle the new craft beer hotness: Milkshake IPA - what players past or present match this profile? We also do a deep dive on Dirk Nowitzki to determine his beer equivalent and discuss unathletic white guys drafted too high and their inevitable comparisons to Larry Bird. Plus! The NBA is coming back! Who do we see in the Finals and how can audiences enjoy fanless b-ball? Why John Salley, who has won championships with 3 different teams, is the best part of Bad Boys, and hey, Martin Lawrence in the 90s was unfuckwithable! SMASH beers! And a fileting of the Sacramento Kings for the ages. All this and more, on the latest episode of Barley &

Host Ben Rice travels to Claimstake Brewing in Rancho Cordova, CA, to talk to Marcus Baskerville, brewer at Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antonio, TX, about his history with beer, from hating it to tolerating it to home brewing to professional brewing to ownership, and the creation of the wonderful worldwide Black Is Beautiful Initiative and Black Is Beautiful Imperial stout. We talk first beers, first beer loves, family, and dedication to the craft. Joining us intermittently is a menagerie of area brewers, to assist in a Black Is Beautiful collaboration brew. We also have a very special guest drop-in that will go unnamed but that you should absolutely check out. Enjoy!Find out more about the Black Is Beautiful Initiative at www.blackisbeautiful.beerGet your merch at customink.com/fundraising/black-is-beautiful-initiativeGet your Black Is Beautiful glassware at www.17percentdrip.com/products/black-is-beautifulcollaboration-glass-tba?variant=31852813647990Follow Marcus Baskerville and Weathered Souls for new

Introducing Barley & Me's first-ever foray into movie reviews! Barley & Me host Ben Rice (codename: Leonard Malting) discusses the 2013 "romantic comedy" "Drinking Buddies" with co-hosts Paulina Olivares (Pink Boots Society Sacramento) and Corky McDonnell (co-host of the Dare Daniel Podcast) to break down this star-studded (Olivia Wilde! Jake Johnson! Anna Kendrick! Ron Livingston! Jason Sudeikis! catastrophe. We discuss running themes of intimacy gone awry, the intricacies of improvisation, and Chicago craft beer in 2013! We hope you enjoy this podcast more than we enjoyed the movie.If you have a beer-centric or heavily-beer-involved movie recommendation, let us know and maybe we’ll do this again!Find out more about PBS Sacramento at @pinkbootssacramento on InstagramCheck out Corky’s bad movie podcast on social media @daredanielpod, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.Barley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Be sure to follow us for more info on future Barley & Me Pr

Barley & Me host  Ben Rice is using this COVID-19 shutdown to give brewers time to re-focus their businesses to handle this new reality. So, he's reached out to some of his friends to experiment with beer-ish content! Hoops & Hops, with co-host Phil Webster (@culinarylando on IG), pairs the aggressive defense and death-defying dunks of 80s and 90s NBA basketball with aggressively-hopped IPAs. Today, we discuss Michael Jordan and ESPN's "The Last Dance" over an Urban Roots All Together IPA, a worldwide collaboration started by Other Half NYC to support service industry workers. We also discuss our adolescent NBA fandom, why power forwards are the porters of the NBA, compare Hall of Fame players to beers, and design our very own Sacramento County brewery Dream Team, including what position each brewery plays and why. It's a ton of fun and I hope you enjoy it, because Phil and Ben sure did. Hit us with your region's brewery Dream Team and let us know who you want to have compared to beers for future Hoop

Host Ben Rice gets his chance to talk to a few craft hop growers, Carla Wosoba (Wosoba Farms Hops) and Clinton Hirschfeld (Hirschfeld Hops), as well as comedian Amy Estes. We discuss side hustles (fun fact: hop farmers, comedians, and podcasters need primary sources of income when they're starting out), getting started in a secondary project, and how they found their true calling. Plus! How the hop growing business really functionings, including some surprising limitations and stressors; how to "eat" Grape Nuts; and a trip down high school memory lane! Oh, bonus fun fact! All the guests today have backgrounds in K-12 education and we discuss COVID-19's effects on our education system and where it's going next! All this and more, on episode 128 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about today’s guests by visiting their websites!Wosoba Farms Hops: @wosobafarmshops on FacebookHirschfeld Hops: @hirschfeldhops on FacebookAmy Estes: @amysgotjokes across social media or at www.amysgotjokes.comBarley & Me can

Host Ben Rice chats with Canadian musician/producer/craft beer enthusiast Jordon Zadorozny of pop-rock band/solo project Blinker the Star, to discuss Canadian craft beer, as well as the parallels and dichotomies of the craft beer scene and the music scene from the early 90s to today. We go down Ben Rice's rabbit hole of fandom, as a means to end regarding a discussion of creativity, growth, expansion, and the effects of the internet on beer and music. We talk Failure and failures, big budgets and limited releases. Plus! Jordon's/Blinker the Star's latest release, and his/its upcoming next record. It's incredible to hear how beer has evolved through the eyes of a musician who also watched the rise and fall of the music industry. Thank you to Jordon for lending me his time. Enjoy!Find out more about Blinker the Star, download tracks, or order an album at www.bandcamp.com/BlinkerTheStarBarley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepodAlso, during this crisis, 100% of profits from sales of Barley &

Host Ben Rice remote-calls Teri Fahrendorf, the founder of the Pink Boots Society, to talk about the creation of this wonderful program, its expansion, and why she had to fire herself. Joining us are Alyssa Steger, the President of the Sacramento Pink Boots Society chapter and head brewer at Fort Rock Brewing, and Heidi Wilder, Fort Rock's director of fun-tivities. We discuss scholarship programs, how the Pink Boots has changed over the years and why, the current Pink Boots collaboration releases, and the weight of being an inspiration for future generations (and how PBS has helped to lift that). Plus! Secrets Revealed! What it's really like to be a woman in beer! The answer, may surprise you. All this and so much more, on the latest episode of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about the Pink Boots Society and how to support them at www.pinkbootssociety.orgFollow Fort Rock Brewing for all their delicious beers and ways to buy it @fortrockbrewingBarley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmep

Host Ben Rice practices shelter in place and social distancing by interviewing Mike Mraz of Mraz Brewing remotely. We chow down on chicken wings with various hot sauces while discussing Mraz's upcoming/postponed 7th anniversary, the coronavirus's effect on Mraz's business, as well as the craft beer industry and small businesses in general, as well as how to stay fit during this shutdown. Plus! Ben reveals how he's raising funds for service workers, teachers, students, and performing arts theaters affected by the shutdown and Mike announces an exciting upcoming collaboration with Red Bus Brewing. All this and more, on episode 124 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about Mraz Brewing, their current beer availability, and more, at www.mrazbrewingcompany.comFollow Barley & Me across social media @barleyandmepodThank you to Granites Famous Cheesesteaks & Wings, on Foothill Blvd, in Roseville, CA, for providing Ben’s hot wings. Order online at www.graniteswings.com or follow them on Instagram @granites

Host Ben Rice practices social distancing by ringing up Sacramento Beer Frontier's Aaron O'Callaghan to discuss the Coronavirus/COVID-19 and its potential effects on the beer industry and the world. With no medical background and no skin in the beer game, Ben & Aaron can talk freely about this topic. But for proper perspective, Ben created an anonymous industry survey, which gathered responses from brewers, owners, sales reps, taproom managers, hop growers, maltsters, and media relations members in the industry. We try to keep the Barley & Me charm and improvisational interview style as well, so this may be a long episode but hopefully it's an easy listen. All this and a shocking amount more, on episode 123 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Find out more about our guests today by following them on Instagram:Sacramento Beer Frontier: @sacbeerfrontierAlso, during this crisis, 100% of profits from sales of Barley & Me shirts via Zen-Threads.com will go to Another Round, Another Rally, a charity that supports

Host Ben Rice travels to Chico, CA, to talk to the town's second-ever brewery, Secret Trail Brewing, and owner/brewer Charlie Barrett, as well as Chico's indie-pop darlings Surrogate (represented by guitarist Michael Lee and keyboardist Daniel Martin). We talk consumption, creativity, and a change to the digital/internet era, as well as pesky ABC regulations, marketing tactics, and how to retain your individuality in a market that has certain expectations. Plus! Expansion! Singles on tape! Knowing you might fail but at least you tried! And the challenges of live performance, especially in Sacramento, CA. But it's not all doom and gloom! We also talk about Surrogate's upcoming appearance at The Maltese's 10th anniversary show (May 30th) and Secret Trail's SpringFest on May 9! Enjoy!Find out more about our guests today by following them on Instagram:Secret Trail Brewing: @secrettrailbrewingcoSurrogate: @_surrogateAnd of course, you can follow Barley & Me across social media @barleyandmepodThis episode is br

Host Ben Rice travels to PRINCETON!, California, to sit down with Farmers Brewing's Bill Weller. We talk about the humble beginnings of Farmers Brewing and how random happenstance changed their initial trajectory tremendously. Plus! Rice in beer? What happens when a craft brewery makes that their grain of focus and what does it take to make medium grain japonica rice amplify the profile of a craft beer? Trial, error, more trials, and importing equipment from Spain! All with the goal of reclaiming American light lagers from large multinational conglomerates while giving the people what they want! From their Core Fore, to seasonal brews, to how life as a farmer influenced Bill's plans and techniques, there's a lot to learn, on episode 121 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!You can follow Barley & Me across social media @barleyandmepod. You can email questions/comments/concerns to barleyandmepod@gmail.com or barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com. New website! www.barleyandmepod.com! And, of course, you can buy Barley & Me

Host Ben Rice travels to Sacramento, CA's Tower Brewing to talk to TV/radio/podcast producer Cindy Baker, plus Tower Brewing crew Mike Ungerbuhler (head brewer), Micah Ochej (brewer), and Calvin Crawford (taproom manager) about creativity, commitment to passions, and how your backgrounds help you build to your present and future. Plus! Buying Rubicon IP(A), rum varieties, why it feels worse when someone is disappointed in you instead of mad at you, the rise and fall of Brut IPA, and an odd first/fourth anniversary. All this and more, on episode 120 of Barley & Me. EnjoyYou can follow Barley & Me across social media @barleyandmepod. You can email questions/comments/concerns to barleyandmepod@gmail.com or barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com. New website! www.barleyandmepod.com! And, of course, you can buy Barley & Me t-shirts at www.zen-threads.com.Find out more about our guests today by following them on Instagram:Tower Brewing: @towerbrewingcoCindy Baker: @sindeeviciousThis episode is brought to you by:-

Host Ben Rice travels to the Art of Beer Invitational 2020 to conduct a handful of mini-interviews!In segment one, Ben sits down with Cynthia Lee and Trish Showen of DarkHeart Brewing (Sacramento) plus beer volunteer and secret Barley & Me MVP Scott Mills to talk the art and influence of Art of Beer, designing a pirate-themed brewery, releasing the Kraken, and the sunken costs and buried treasures of the beer business.In segment two, Ben is joined by Laine Ruona of Almanac Brewing (Alameda) and Chris Smith of South Lake Brewing (South Lake Tahoe) to talk family ties, our strange and winding paths through the beer industry, and the difficulty of establishing a new brewing identity and crafting beers for beer fans and tourists alike. Plus upcoming Almanac collabs and South Lake’s TAMBA fundraisers.And in our final segment, Ben has an earnest conversation with brewer Jared Long, Jack Alexander of Burning Barrel Brewing (Rancho Cordova), and Tom Jones of the California Aerospace Museum (and creator of the Hop

Host Ben Rice travels to West Sacramento, CA, to chat with Jackrabbit Brewing's head brewer Rob Moreno and Sacramento-based improvisor Justine Lopez. We kick off 2020 with conversations about secondary businesses to drive success, Sacramento's growing arts and comedy communities, what 2020 holds for craft beer (and Jackrabbit in particular), plus brand management and business planning, marriage and child-raising pros and cons, and how dogs can tell if you're a good person or not. Also! How improv is like sports, Ben's bad decision making, and the drawbacks of capitalism. All this and more, on episode 118 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!You can follow Barley & Me across social media @barleyandmepod. You can email questions/comments/concerns to barleyandmepod@gmail.com or barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com. New website! www.barleyandmepod.com! And, of course, you can buy Barley & Me t-shirts at www.zen-threads.com.Find out more about Jackrabbit’s goals and progress, plus can releases on Instagram @jackrabbitbrewing

Host Ben Rice travels to New Helvetia Brewing in Sacramento, CA, to sit down with friends of the pod and truly terrific comedians Stephen Furey, Emma Haney, and Becky Lynn, to talk about their accomplishments in 2019, their hopes and aspirations for 2020, and drink some beers we've never had before. We also all realize that to make a living in the arts, you have to be a corporate shill, so we rave about our favorite things (please send us money) and rant about Ben's dictatorial hosting style. In this episode, we tackle beers from Little Beast, Sierra Nevada, North Coast, and Ruhstaller, bookended by known quantities from Asahi and New Helvetia. Thank you to New Helvetia for giving us a place to record and crafting some tasty stuff. Cheers to you all in the year 2020, and thank you for listening. Enjoy!You can follow Barley & Me across social media @barleyandmepod. You can email questions/comments/concerns to barleyandmepod@gmail.com or barleyandmepodcast@gmail.com. New website! www.barleyandmepod.com! And

Host Ben Rice travels to San Diego, CA, to conduct mini-interviews during Karl Strauss’s Collabapalooza 2019! This is the second episode in that series of mini’s. In segment one, Ben sits down with Craig Nelson of Resident Brewing and Nyle Molina of Abnormal Brewing, to discuss their strange shared history, lager collaborations, POGs, tribal tattoos, the brewpub model, and the similarities (and surprising differences) between the San Diego and Florida craft beer markets. In segment two, Lost Abbey’s Chase Michaels and Nick Tretow go in-depth on the sour/wild ale process, as well as the fairy new offshoot brewery model (Lost Abbey is itself an offshoot of Port Brewing, as is The Hop Concept), and why anyone would ever want to live in the Midwest. And finally, in segment three, Ben chats with Larry Monasakanian of Fall Brewing and Justin Stambaugh of Stave & Nail, to learn about the exciting world of small-scale craft brewing, mass-produced craft Mexican lagers, Fall’s involvement with Who Cares, and the di

Host Ben Rice travels to San Diego, CA, to attend Karl Strauss's Collabapalooza 2019, voted the best beer fest in West Coaster Magazine. This episode contains 2 mini-interviews and episode 116 will feature 3 more, recorded at Collabapalooza! In segment one, Ben talks to Doug Constantiner of Societe Brewing and Jeff Wiederkehr of Burning Beard Brewing. We talk friendship, collaboration, education, and tin foil hats, plus the inevitability of the band Tool. In segment 2, Ben sits down with Joe Kurowski of White Labs, Paul Heaverly of Melvin Brewing, and Anthony Beach of Latchkey Brewing. We talk about the White Labs/Latchkey collab Pigtail IPA and the surprising story of its name (what a twist!), plus the underappreciation of yeast's effects on beer taste, camaraderie in the beer industry, and a prescient conversation about the Ballast Point buyout. And Anthony asks probably the most important question in craft beer, "In reality, what's the liquids?" All this and more, on episode 115 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!F

Host Ben Rice travels to Auburn, CA's Crooked Lane Brewing to sit down with brewmaster Teresa Psuty, plus Queen of Beer Competition coordinators Melissa McCann, Rebecca Steele-Wilkie, and Vickie Olson, to discuss the upcoming 26th annual Queen of Beer homebrewing competition, as well as Crooked Lane's humble beginnings to their current status as California's Craft Brewery of the Year. The Queen of Beer crew lays out their history, including their early adoption of the HAZE craze, plus their ever-expanding supporters and sponsors, new prizes/awards (including for first-time submitters and the champion earning a brew day with Drake's Brewing!), and their collection of world-class beer judges to help female brewers get the feedback they need to become professionals. They have even expanded their entry date to December 6, 2019, so, if you're a female-identifying homebrewer in the US, you can enter for just $10 at www.queenofbeer.beer. The competition is December 12 at Fort Rock Brewing. Get all this info and more

Host Ben Rice travels to Sacramento, CA, to sit down with Porchlight Brewing's brewer John Prather, plus the Vice Chair of the Sacramento Arts Commission, Maya Wallace. We discuss everyone's history with Sacramento, plus their observations on the city's growth economically, socially, artistically, and beer-centrically, and how all of those intertwine. Plus! The housing crisis! The hidden morality of beer regulations! Bill Buckner and the 1986 Red Sox! And how the internet has changed our ability to measure popularity. We also break down Belgian vs German brewing methods, fix the broken beer festival model, and solve palate fatigue. All this and more, on episode 113 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!Follow Porchlight Brewing @porchlightbrewingcoFind out more about all of Maya Wallace's projects and interests by following her on Instagram @sactomayaFollow Barley & Me across social media @barleyandmepod and check out the brand-new still-in-progress website www.barleyandmepod.comYou can buy Barley & Me t-shirts a

Host Ben Rice travels to San Diego, CA, to Karl Strauss Brewing's Pacific Beach location to sit down with Karl Strauss Brewing's brewmaster of research & development Paul Segura and Thorn Brewing's head brewer Doug Pominville Jr. and tasting room manager Jay Jones. We talk Collabapalooza 2019, their collab Countess Sparkula (a breakfast pastry stout made with Count Chocula and edible sparkles), the history and progression of San Diego craft beer, and the invention of Collabapalooza! Plus! Ben forgets recent craft beer regulations and history, the excitement of Kveik yeasts (plural? Plural!), the learning curve in transitioning from home brewing to professional brewing, craft lager growth, proper show design for safe shower beer enjoyment, and we break the code of silence on how collaboration beers are made. All this and more, on episode 112 of Barley & Me. Enjoy!I would like to give a big thank you to Emily Hutto, Chea Franz, and the entire Rad Craft Beer crew for making this episode possible. Find ou