Category: Podcasts

It’s finally time to release the long-awaited Firkin Fest Episode! Powered by Shepherd Express, the Tap Takeover Podcast was extremely busy gathering interviews from the cavalcade of characters on hand at the 2017 celebration. We check in with some friends of the podcast, as well as some new brewers who we were very excited to talk with. On deck in this episode: Lakefront, Left Hand, Broken Bat, Third Space, Raised Grain, Explorium, 3 Sheeps, City Lights, Good City, Karben4, Vintage, Beer Barons, Barley’s Angels, Girls Pint Out, Brewfest Partners, Fermentorium, Door County, Mahoney’s Basement, Public Craft Brewing, Mobcraft, and The Gleason’s. And a special congratulations to Ryan and Meghan, the newlywed couple who made Firkin Fest their very first stop after the wedding, and made the TTP their very first interview as a married couple! Plus a super-sized Beer News, and teasers for upcoming TTP Episodes! And stay tuned for a full line of videos from the event. Cheers!

The Tap Takeover Podcast is back with the much-anticipated second part of our interview with Randy Sprecher, owner of Sprecher Brewing in Milwaukee. What an honor it was to sit down with a brewer who, let’s face it, has forgotten more about brewing beer than most of us will ever learn. In this episode, we will learn more about the cellar-aging process with a live tasting of some of the delectable treats that the folks at Sprecher Brewing have squirreled away in storage, we’ll discuss the weight of molecules and how temperature affects flavor, and a brief history of the traditional Firkin. Plus pop-up bars, beer gardens, and Beer News! Cheers!

More big changes for the Tap Takeover Podcast in Episode 17! We’ve got a new partnership with Shepard Express to announce, new music contributions from The Gleasons and Mama Digdown’s Brass Band, and a brand new interview with one of the pioneers of craft beer – Randy Sprecher! Owner of Sprecher Brewing in Milwaukee, Randy has been in the beer game for more than 30 years and has acquired a wealth of knowledge. Ever wonder where those ester flavors in your Belgian beers come from? What is the secret to good, traditional root beer? What were the challenges to starting a craft brewery in the decades when macro beer was king? We’ve got all of these answers and more! Plus an extra special edition of Beer News, including interviews from Wisconsin IPA Fest held this past week at Third Space Brewing, and the TTP’s picks for the must-attend Tap Takeover parties being held in Madison this week Friday on the eve of Great Taste of the Midwest. Cheers!

We’ve got some big changes coming your way on the Tap Takeover Podcast! We are trying out some new theme music this week and would love your feedback (TapTakeoverPodcast@gmail.com), and we’ve got a big announcement coming soon! And to help celebrate, we’ve got a great interview with Matt McCulloch – owner and brewmaster at District 14 (D14). We delve into Matt’s eclectic brewing style and his search for the next great beer that he’s never had, we gear up for a number of amazing events for Milwaukee Craft Brewery week with Matt’s expert guidance, and we touch on the challenges for independent brewing at D14 with the hotly-contested, newly proposed legislation facing the industry. Plus a heaping helping of Beer News! Grab a beer and meet us in Bay View for this action-packed episode!

Come join the Tap Takeover Podcast for a special Bonus Episode this week, as we lead you through a live festival experience! Wisconsin Beer Lovers Fest is put on by the Wisconsin Brewers Guild each year, and provided the perfect opportunity for the TTP Boys to check in on some familiar faces to the podcast – Eagle Park, Tyrenena, Central Waters, Stillmank and Badger State – as well as meet some amazing brewers from all over the State of Wisconsin – Ale Asylum, Second Salem, Deadbird, O’so, Third Space, State of Craft Beer (book), Pearl Street, Karben4 and Vintage. Plus stay tuned til the end because we’ve got lots of breaking news, including a big wedding announcement for Henry Schwartz from Mobcraft, and a huge announcement about this year’s Black Friday Beer from Russ Klisch at Lakefront Brewing! Cheers to the Summer Festival Season!

We at the Tap Takeover Podcast hope everyone had a great 4th of July! And to help celebrate, we’ve got a fun and informative interview with Girls Pint Out, a national community for women who love craft beer. We sat down at the Sugar Maple Bar in Milwaukee with Maggie Skinner, President of the Milwaukee Chapter, and her friend Kelly Oiler, a Girls Pint Out member who transferred all the way from Texas. We get a hearty endorsement for New Glarus Brewing and other female-led breweries, advice on finding a career in the beer industry, and a live tasting of the Girl Grey IPA – a collaboration between Girls Pint Out and Mobcraft Brewing. Plus Beer and Festival News! Cheers!

Episode 13 of the Tap Takeover Podcast concludes our epic Green Bay beer weekend! And Noble Roots was such a great group of guys to end with. Only open a few months so far we sat down with Jordan, Alex, and Marvin to taste their flagship beers and discuss their plans for the future. We also cover the great beer cellaring debate, what it’s like working with family in the brewing business, plus we have some epic Beer News! Cheers!

This week, the Tap Takeover Podcast continues our Green Bay road trip with a visit to Stillmank Brewing! We meet with Owner/Brewer Brad Stillmank to cover his beginnings as a homebrewer, to his experience learning at Ska Brewing in Colorado, and finally his decision to settle into Northern Wisconsin and start his own brewery. We’ve got a live tasting of Stillmank’s tastiest brews, a brief history of canning beers, as well as Brad’s take on beer cellaring. Plus Beer News! Grab a cold one, and come join us for the journey. Cheers!

Come join the Tap Takeover Podcast for a special Bonus Episode this week, as we finally put a bow on our 2017 Milwaukee Beer Week experience! Starting at Stein & Dine, we’ve got interviews with breweries both familiar and new to the podcast, conversations with some of the fans who came out to see us at these great events, and we dive straight into some controversial topics. All this and Beer News in Episode 11! Cheers!

Get ready to hit the road with the Tap Takeover Podcast as we travel up to Green Bay, Wisconsin to sit down with the innovators at Badger State Brewing. Nestled in the shadow of Lambeau Field, Sam and Brian serve up a mighty tasting of some of their flagship beers, as well as a flight of their wildest, most imaginative concoctions. What kind of beer does Mike McCarthy drink at Badger State? What does the local brewing scene in Green Bay look like? What’s new in this week’s Beer News? Come grab a cold one and find out! Cheers!