Grit & Grain Podcast

Matthew, Bethany, and Ron
  • 4.9 (41)
  • Food
  • Updated Weekly

Craft beer sales and brand manager — Matt McLaren, professional brewer and line cleaner — Bethany Carlsen, and bottle shop owner and operator — Ron Swarner explore and celebrate the craft beer industry, community, and history in Tacoma, Washington, and surrounding Pacific Northwest region.

  1. 2d ago

    Episode 195: Turning the Off-Flavor Industry on Its Head

    We know many of our listeners have tried their hand off-flavor tasting.  Whether you’re studying for certification exams or just leveling up your brewing game, off-flavor identification is a must. But many of the options for isolated flavor compounds are prohibitively expensive for many of us.  So, what if there was a better way? This week, Matt sits the crew down for his own off-flavor experiment, testing a possible new method for training your palate to identify unwanted compounds in beer, using a secret ingredient that is much cheaper and more accessible than costly training kits. Tune in to find out if the G&G team can identify the off-flavors, how effective this new method is, and stay to the end to find out the secret ingredient! Tap, tap, tap Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and buttery favorites. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers! The post Episode 195: Turning the Off-Flavor Industry on Its Head appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

    1h 6m

  2. Jun 19

    Episode 194: Washington Brewers Fest 2026

    This week, we’re on location at Washington Brewers Fest. Held each year smack dab in the middle of Seattle Center, with dozens of Washington breweries and cideries, local food, and all the funk music you can handle.  We scoured the festival floor, found a few familiar faces, and made some new friends. The folks at Capitol Hill’s Outer Planet Brewing joined us for a few minutes to talk about ownership changes, unique recipes, and their brewer’s long history in the Washington beer scene.  Our best buddy Barry from Lucky Envelope hopped on to talk about their festival beers, including the amazing Karakuchi lager, currently taking Seattle by storm.  And finally, we were joined by Rob from Friends and Neighbors Brewing, who fills us in on all things Kingston and getting his start in Washington’s incredibly welcoming beer world. If you missed the festival this year, tune in for the highlights. And be sure to catch us on our next festival field trip to Grainmaker in Spokane in August. Tap, tap, tap Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and favorite flavor from the 2026 Washington Brewers Fest. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers! The post Episode 194: Washington Brewers Fest 2026 appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

    51 min

  3. Jun 12

    Episode 193: Checking In with Logan Brewing

    A little over a year ago, we had the fantastic folks behind Burien’s own Logan Brewing on the podcast to celebrate our amazing collab with them and Lander Coffee for Tacoma Beer Week 2025.  Since then, they’ve opened a new space, acquired some new toys, and made the leap into beer distribution (with someone we know!). Michael and Chris are back this week to fill us in on all the changes they’ve gone through in the past year. The beer business is a little crazy these days, and seeing our friends grow through it all is so exciting. Tune in to find out what makes their new brewery space so amazing, details on the tremendous beers Michael has been able to brew in their new space, and get some extra details on what a small brewery should consider before moving over to distribution. Tap, tap, tap Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and favorite Logan blonde ale. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers! The post Episode 193: Checking In with Logan Brewing appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

    57 min

  4. Jun 5

    Episode 192: Firestone Invitational Recap with Melissa Urquhart

    The 2026 Firestone Invitational Beerfest was amazing.  Matt, Ron, and Phaedra had all planned to meet up for the festival, but Ron had to rain check this one as he had a staff emergency and hung back to cover the bar, because he is an absolute saint of a business owner.   BUT! with our long-time industry friend Melissa having gone for the first time this year, we wanted to hang out for a beer and recap the shenanigans. Tune in to discover which California beers Matt smuggled back for tastings, why the Yoho Brewing team from Japan loves American, and which Seattle brewery made the most amazing splash for their first invite to the festival. Tap, tap, tap Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and favorite Firestone Walker 2026 Invitational moments. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers! The post Episode 192: Firestone Invitational Recap with Melissa Urquhart appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

    1 hr

  5. May 29

    Episode 191: What’s so Japanese About Rice Lagers?

    The World Beer Cup added a “Rice Lager” category for the first time in 2026, and two Northwest breweries promptly earned medals in it — which is pretty amazing. Much like Mexican lager, rice lager, or Japanese rice lager, as some folks call it, seems to remain relatively ill-defined outside of the newly instituted guidelines.  This week, we sat down with a flight of five iterations of this wonderful but potentially misunderstood style to see how our favorite breweries are approaching this beer. Tune in to find out what makes different versions unique from one another, what some Japanese breweries are doing to help develop their own lager distinctions, and get some bonus spicy takes from our best buddy, Barry! Tap, tap, tap Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and favorite rice lager. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers! The post Episode 191: What’s so Japanese About Rice Lagers? appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

    1 hr

  6. May 22

    Episode 190: Shouldering the Weight of Limitless Talent with Grains of Wrath

    Way back when our episodes were still in the double digits, the stellar brewing talent Mike Hunsaker sat down to tell us about his journey setting up shop in Washington and winning every award in the book brewing at Grains of Wrath. We’ve been long overdue in getting the rest of the Grains of Wrath team behind the mic and thankfully they were in town and made it a point to swing by and hang for a beer!  Owner and operator Brendan Greenan, Production Manager Owen Lamb, and Sales Manager Kira Harris joined us this week to talk about everything they’ve been doing to push the brewery to the next level. Tune in to find out how the GoW team is maintaining demand in a tough market, how a few new key team members will help level up their brewery, and why Mike is mysteriously absent for this episode! Tap, tap, tap Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments and opinions. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers! The post Episode 190: Shouldering the Weight of Limitless Talent with Grains of Wrath appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

    57 min

  7. May 15

    Episode 189: Real Ale with Michael Messenie from Dutchess Ales 

    Happy Seattle Beer Week! A bunch of amazing brewers and beer folks have converged on Seattle this week to celebrate all things beer.  We took advantage and dragged Michael Messenie down for a quick pod to talk all things cask, English brewing traditions, and recipe tweaking. Michael started Dutchess Ales to bring the balanced, refined English beer he loved to New York, where he lived. It quickly grew into a much bigger project, and now he hops all over the country spreading the gospel of real ale. Tune in to hear about his approach to complex grain bills, secretly hand-delivering firkins to NYC’s only beer engine bars, and some of his favorite English pubs, should you ever visit. Tap, tap, tap Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and favorite cask ale. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers! The post Episode 189: Real Ale with Michael Messenie from Dutchess Ales  appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

    56 min

  8. May 8

    Episode 188: May the 4th Be With You: A New Vice 

    Happy Cinco de Mayo / May the 4th week! Owners and operators of Vice Beer, Michael and Bria Perozzo are in the house! We are flush with Star Wars-themed beers, and we just couldn’t wait to bring the Tournament of Beer Best PNW Breweries champion onto the pod.  Round after round of single-digit victories led Vice to the top spot of Peaks & Pints‘ 10th iteration of their famous bracket event.  Fresh off the podium, Vice leaned straight into their yearly Star Wars-themed beer releases with seven new beers. Tune in for the tourney recap, all the info you need to pick out the best Star Wars beer for you, and we even get some extra special news about the new brewer joining the Vice team. Tap, tap, tap Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and Jar Jar Binksberry recipe suggestions. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram. If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers! The post Episode 188: May the 4th Be With You: A New Vice  appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

    1h 1m
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4.9
out of 5
41 Ratings

About

Craft beer sales and brand manager — Matt McLaren, professional brewer and line cleaner — Bethany Carlsen, and bottle shop owner and operator — Ron Swarner explore and celebrate the craft beer industry, community, and history in Tacoma, Washington, and surrounding Pacific Northwest region.

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew, Bethany, and Ron
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Grit & Grain Podcast

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