Craftlab: The Podcast

ekos
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

Grab a pint and get ready for a good story. Craftlab is a podcast about sharing stories, experiences, and lessons learned from makers of craft beer, cider, wine, and anything else you can pour in a glass. It’s like swinging by your neighborhood watering hole and striking up a conversation with the owner — except, you know, a podcast. At Ekos, we build software that helps craft beverage makers run their businesses. It’s work that allows us to meet people all over the world, and we’re sharing their incredible stories. Hosted by Josh McKinney, CEO of Ekos. For more stories, visit www.goekos.com/craftlab.

  1. Challenging the Stigma of Boxed Wine | Jake Whitman, Really Good Boxed Wine

    04/05/2023

    Challenging the Stigma of Boxed Wine | Jake Whitman, Really Good Boxed Wine

    About Really Good Boxed Wine: When Jake Whitman left his last job as head of product marketing at SoFi, he wanted to get back to his entrepreneurial roots. This question prompted his next move: why isn’t there any really good boxed wine? Not long after, Jake became the founder and CEO of Cincinnati-based Really Good Boxed Wine, which cuts out the middleman to deliver high-quality wine in an environmentally friendly way. Boxed wine might be synonymous with a low quality wine that’s easy on the wallet, but Really Good Boxed Wine seeks to challenge that idea and allow its customers to imbibe sustainably and at their own pace — the box stays good for up to six weeks!

    24 min
  2. How the World's First Solar-Powered Brewery Reinvented Their Brand | Kevin McGee, Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

    03/29/2023

    How the World's First Solar-Powered Brewery Reinvented Their Brand | Kevin McGee, Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

    About Anderson Valley Brewing Co.: When Anderson Valley Brewing Co. was founded in 1987, it was one of 20 craft breweries in the United States and operated out of a 10-barrel brewhouse in Boonville, California. Today, the brewery boasts a 26-acre property with a 100-barrel brewhouse, tasting room, beer garden, and the first 18-hole disc golf course built at a brewery. In addition to pioneering the craft beer industry, Anderson Valley is also the first solar-powered brewery in the world. The brewery leads initiatives in power, water, nitrogen generation, waste handling, and packaging to incorporate sustainability in every aspect of its business.

    30 min
  3. Why This Brewery Doesn't Have TVs | Dustin Baker, Roadmap Brewing

    07/13/2022

    Why This Brewery Doesn't Have TVs | Dustin Baker, Roadmap Brewing

    About Roadmap Brewing Co.: Roadmap Brewing Co. goes all the way back to the day Dustin and Hannah got married: her uncle gave them a homebrewing kit. From then on, homebrewing became a passion for Dustin and Hannah, and when Dustin grew frustrated with teaching, opening a brewery seemed like the obvious choice. With the support of his parents, Dustin and Hannah made their brewery a reality. Now, Roadmap produces hundreds of barrels of beer each year for the people of San Antonio, Texas, where the brewery sits just a few blocks from The Alamo and welcomes children, pets, and everyone in between. Dustin’s Audiobook Recommendation: Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

    24 min
  4. Developing Community in the Taproom | Mike Frohlich, Laughing Sun Brewing

    07/06/2022

    Developing Community in the Taproom | Mike Frohlich, Laughing Sun Brewing

    About Laughing Sun Brewing: Founded by Mike Frohlich in 2012, Laughing Sun Brewing Co. was built on the concept of creating not only a great local brewery, but also a place where the local community feels welcome and involved. The brewery’s walls feature the work of local artists, and its stage is open to local musicians, poets, writers, and thinkers with original compositions and ideas. The brewery has also been named “Best Brewery” and voted “Best BBQ” by its community. About the North Dakota Brewers Guild: The North Dakota Craft Brewers Guild was founded in 2013 to promote craft brewing and to protect the interests of the craft brewing community in North Dakota. Objectives include promoting the highest standards of professional brewing in North Dakota, increasing public awareness and appreciation for the variety and quality of North Dakota craft beer, advocating for state and federal laws that promote Guild Members’ ideals and foster brewery profitability, and providing a forum for discussion, support, and initiatives for the common good of North Dakota’s brewing industry. Mike’s Book Recommendation: Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles by Ray Daniels

    30 min
  5. Bringing Your Beer Back to Local Territory | Tim Barnes, Black Tooth Brewing

    06/29/2022

    Bringing Your Beer Back to Local Territory | Tim Barnes, Black Tooth Brewing

    About Black Tooth Brewing: Sheridan, Wyoming’s most highly awarded brewery sits in the heart of the Wild West, at the base of the majestic Big Horn Mountains. Their inspiration for the name for the company came from Black Tooth Mountain, standing tall at 13,014 ft. elevation. Black Tooth Brewery creates noteworthy, quality craft beer and has been doing so for the last 11 years. Tim’s Book Recommendations: Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out: Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch, and How Craft Beer Became Big Business by Josh Noel Quench Your Own Thirst: Business Lessons Learned Over a Beer or Two by Jim Koch Tim’s Audiobook Recommendations: In the hundreds of empty miles “nothing but wind and truckers” between his locations, Tim also spends a lot of time listening to audiobooks, and specifically recommended these reads in that format. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl

    20 min
  6. An Honest & Vulnerable Take on Owning a Business | Jenn Root Martell, South City Ciderworks

    04/20/2022

    An Honest & Vulnerable Take on Owning a Business | Jenn Root Martell, South City Ciderworks

    About South City Ciderworks We founded South City Ciderworks in 2015 as an independent urban cider company to make great cider and a difference. Using only fresh-pressed, West Coast apples our ciders are crafted to be well balanced and easy drinking. We support nonprofits focused on helping the community, animals, and the environment. We're here to Make Cider Make A Difference. For more information, visit the South City Ciderworks website here. Jenn’s Podcast: “Courage and Other C Words” Welcome to the new start-up cider podcast! Hi! I’m Jenn. And along with my husband Alex I run a small hard cider company just south of San Francisco. I want to take you through my journey of starting South City Ciderworks and delve deep into the details of creating a product, building a market, and educating consumers about cider. But it’s not just my story of being a woman in this male-dominated industry that I want to tell. You’ll hear from other ladies in the biz as well!I know there are a lot of women out there, grinding it out everyday. So if any of my stories and experiences can entertain, educate, inspire, or empower you as you go through your daily tasks, then I have accomplished my goal! Join me on this wild ride whether you're looking to start a business, work in the alcohol industry, or are just interested in what goes on behind that glass you just ordered at the bar. Slainte! Jenn’s book recommendations The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand by Bonnie Harvey Beer School: Bottling Success at Brooklyn Brewery by Steve Hindy and Tom Potter Brewery Up a Business: Adventures in Beer from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery by Sam Calagione

    49 min
  7. Optimism, Embracing the Chaos & Having Fun | Kristin Cagney, Summit Seltzer

    04/13/2022

    Optimism, Embracing the Chaos & Having Fun | Kristin Cagney, Summit Seltzer

    About Summit Seltzer Charlotte’s first seltzery — and the first seltzery on the East Coast, too. We house ferment our hard and non-alcoholic seltzers, and use purees to flavor and condition them, creating a craft beverage–not the seltzer in a can that you're accustomed to. We’re like a brewery, but for seltzer. For more information, visit the Summit Seltzer website here. Kristin’s Music Recommendations KygoLouis the Child Evan GiiaFamily favorite: ABBA

    44 min
  8. Sonic Hard Seltzer & Opening a Brewery Hotel | Daniel Mercer, COOP Ale Works

    04/06/2022

    Sonic Hard Seltzer & Opening a Brewery Hotel | Daniel Mercer, COOP Ale Works

    About COOP Ale Works: Our story began in 2009 when three guys with a passion for good beer decided Oklahoma needed a craft brewery that delivers brewing excellence to our great state. What started as brewing a unique porter (Gran Sport) and then our flagship IPA (F5), got us here — cranking out 20,000 cans of beer a day that are distributed across six states — Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Arkansas. We aren’t your run-of-the-mill brewery, though. We’re all about the flavor and quality. We provide full-bodied beer meant to entice and challenge your palate with high-quality ingredients and consistent taste. We want every beer drinker to find at least one beer in our lineup that suits them. We’ve come a long way since the beginning, but some things haven’t changed. We think of COOP as Oklahoma City’s own craft brewery, which is why we remain locally-owned and wholly-dedicated to our hometown and our state. From local nonprofit events to our new 23rd Street Armory project, we’re always looking for ways to revitalize and support our community, employees, vendors, distributors and, well, beer lovers everywhere. If you ever see us out and about, stop by, raise a glass and cheers with us! We love good times with good people over good beer. That’s why we do what we do. To learn more, visit COOP Ale Works online here. Daniel’s book recommendation: Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

    39 min
See All (14)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Grab a pint and get ready for a good story. Craftlab is a podcast about sharing stories, experiences, and lessons learned from makers of craft beer, cider, wine, and anything else you can pour in a glass. It’s like swinging by your neighborhood watering hole and striking up a conversation with the owner — except, you know, a podcast. At Ekos, we build software that helps craft beverage makers run their businesses. It’s work that allows us to meet people all over the world, and we’re sharing their incredible stories. Hosted by Josh McKinney, CEO of Ekos. For more stories, visit www.goekos.com/craftlab.

Information

  • Creator
    ekos
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2023
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2021
  • Show Website
    Craftlab: The Podcast