Good Beer Hunting Good Beer Hunting

There’s something special about when talent, vision, and respect are all wrapped up in a relationship. These attributes can provide people deeper meaning and drive which make dreams more attainable. Accomplishing a goal can be daunting on your own, but when you have partners who push you to be better—and complement each other in meaningful ways—that’s when whole new opportunities can come to life.
These ideas are at the core of this conversation with three co-founders of Kansas City’s Vine Street Brewing. The business earned national attention last year as Missouri’s first-ever black-owned brewery and from day one has backed it up with beloved beer and offering a space that quickly became a new and exciting part of the city’s downtown life. Located in the historic Jazz District of Kansas City, you’ll find all kinds of community connections stemming from the brewery, from beer collaborations, to music and film events, and more.
Joining me to talk about what this means are Kemet Coleman, Elliott Ivory, and Woodie Bonds Jr. Each has taken different paths to this moment, but their shared connection—whether it be brewing backgrounds with Woodie and Elliott or Kemet’s ability to bring people together—has allowed Vine Street to not just grow in its first year, but become a celebrated part of the Kansas City beer scene. What you’ll hear from them offers a lot of tangible examples of what it looks like when talent, vision, and respect turn into something you can see, feel, and taste. And as the trio prepares for their second year in business, these things also offer them plenty to reflect on and use as motivation for Vine Street’s future.
 

Listeners of The Gist know we’re all about the stats. But today, we’re dishing out numbers with narrative, from Anchor Brewing's out-of-nowhere yogurt angel to speculation about a potential Boston Beer Company sale and wine’s latest numbers and what they really mean. I’m Beth Demmon with Kate Bernot, and this is The Gist. 

So much has changed in craft beer since I became a fan more than a decade ago. One of the most intriguing things I’ve noticed as someone who loves being in taprooms is how many new breweries are moving away from the industrial look that was once ubiquitous in craft beer. For me, the shift represents a second wave, a move towards standing out instead of running with the pack. 
In this episode, we talk to Nicole Oesch, co-owner of Kismetic Beer Company, a brewery that looks more like a swanky cocktail bar than a taproom, to learn what made her want to differentiate her brewery from everyone else. Where did she get the idea for building a space with jewel-tone shades of purple and turquoise, leather wrapped booths, and geometric artwork decking the walls?

You’ll hear Nicole talk about how she focuses on comfort and beauty and how it makes it unique in a crowded market, offering customers something that other breweries in the area might not. She shares the importance of going beyond making great beer and how she used her own personal preferences to build an authentic brand that connects with local beer drinkers and engages with people outside of beer’s usual scope. Nicole also talks about how one of those personal preferences—drinking low ABV beers—led Kismetic to brew with tea, which helps them reduce sugar, and as a result alcohol, without impacting the final taste of their product. 
 

“The thicker, the better” sounds like something I would say about my thighs, but not necessarily about beer. But that’s exactly how Woven Water Brewing Company describes their infamous “fusion” concoctions, which are smoothie-style sours with flavors like peanut butter and jelly, banana split, and peach orange pop ice cream. That’s not all they brew, but this type of eye-catching beverage is what has put the Tampa brewery on the map and what owners Jay and Ciara Jones say keep them in business.
In this episode, I chat with both owners, who launched the brewery with Nicole and Eric Childs in August 2020, and have since assumed complete ownership. You’ll hear them describe their “adapt or die” mentality, and why despite Jay’s initial reluctance to brew what some might call “hype” beers or hard seltzers, they quickly realized it’s what people want to drink, so why not give it to them? It’s a refreshingly pragmatic approach to business, and they’re having fun with it, even hosting a tap takeover of the gloopiest, gloppiest beers from around the country in a celebration they call Gloop City, which is now in its third year. 
But all silliness aside, this conversation is a look at a brewery that was poised to launch at the start of the pandemic, and what they had to do and change in order to open in what they believe is the best craft beer scene in the country. They share what worked, what didn’t, what they would do differently if they had to do it all over again, and what they hope to accomplish in the future. Jay and Ciara say they’re investing in a few key areas: their people, their community, and in their ability to grow and change. That sounds like a solid plan to me. So, let’s hear about it, right now.
 

It’s almost summertime, and the living’s easy, especially if you’re a beer brand heading into the biggest sales season of the year. In this episode of The Gist, Sightlines reporter Kate Bernot shares her insights into a few ways taprooms and breweries are attracting people back on-premise, plus a sneak peek at some upcoming Sightlines reporting about events, sales, packaging, and much more. We also discuss Bud Light’s boycott comeback and what the numbers show, plus Gallo’s expansion from wine to beer and RTDs in a quest for total beverage presence. I’m Beth Demmon, and you’re listening to The Gist. 

If you're a beer fan, it's likely you know about the core ingredients in every recipe: hops, malt, water, yeast. Even if you're not an enthusiast, you may have at least heard about a hop varietal every now and then. But it's that last item—the yeast—that is getting renewed and extraordinary scientific interest as companies forge into a new frontier of fermentation.
In this episode, we're joined by the three founding members of Berkeley Yeast, all scientists who came together with the goal of pushing the microorganisms to new levels in order to create new flavors in beer. Whether it's recreating the taste of hops or adding nuances of fruit—the kind of yeast this company is making has the ability to not just alter our beer, but our perception of what's possible in the brewing process.
One brewer from San Francisco's Cellarmaker Brewing once said that Berkeley Yeast is "messing around at a level that’s just so far beyond what anyone else is doing," while another from Monterey's Alvarado Street Brewery said once that “It’s mind-boggling how these flavors could be created with no fruit.”
Joining me to talk about it all are Rachel Li, Charles Denby, and Nick Harris, who launched their startup from origins at UC Berkeley and in recent years have rapidly become a trusted source for brewers around the country looking to push the boundaries of what their fermentations can do. We'll hear about how and why they started the company, the kinds of yeast they're creating, and most importantly, why now is the moment this is all happening and changing the minds of brewers. Because your taste buds are next.