Jamie Bogner

What happens when an experienced brewmaster trades his 100-barrel production plant for a five-barrel kit built into an old farm? Smart but simple efficiency measures, lagers that lean into the farm’s terroir, and a focus on gentle processes that optimize flavor by reducing stress on ingredients, wort, and fermenting beer.

Totally unpretentious, yet challenging to execute with precision... We asked five brewers for their favorite lagers brewed with body-lightening corn or rice.

Brewing in Czechia is steeped in tradition, but there are corners exploring modern craft styles in a very Czech way. In this episode, the brewers of Zichovec in Louny, Czechia, talk through their approach to classic styles with modern flair as well as modern styles with a local touch.

These are the conversations that piqued your interest, with highlights from the most-downloaded podcast episodes of the past year.

The accomplished brewer and president of the National Black Brewers Association shares his curated six-pack—and it’s the lineup of a geek who’d queue for special releases, get together with buddies to share hard-to-get bottles, and seek out beers of exquisite quality and flavor.

The low-ABV 100%-oak-smoked-wheat-malt beer came back from the dead last decade, and the original Grodzisk brewery was similarly revived to keep focus on the style. In this episode, head brewer Marcin Ostajewski shares history as well as contemporary techniques for making the beer dubbed “Polish Champagne.”

From our Love Handles files on the world’s great beer bars: The Silver Stamp in Las Vegas pours an incredible selection of beers in a comfy, divey atmosphere.

Have those countertop, push-button homebrew machines gotten any better over the years? Let’s find out.

The expert, brewer, and publican who helped to elevate Poland’s true national beer style—porter—dives into the style and its modern evolution from a local perspective, also telling the story behind the special day he conceived nearly a decade ago.

Drawn to the challenges of complex fermentations, this microbiology major and VLB-trained brewer continues to apply the lesson’s he’s learned about yeast selection, hop load, acidification, Brett acclimation, and more—lessons that could be valuable to any brewer working with mixed cultures.