Grit & Grain Podcast

<p>There are brewers who arrive with a résumé, and then there are brewers who arrive with a landscape. <a href="https://kulshanbrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kulshan Brewing</a> Head Brewer Wes Finger brings the latter — a stretch of Bellingham terrain shaping how he brews and how he thinks. In this episode of the Grit &amp; Grain Podcast, Wes traces his roots to the Nooksack River Valley and a life built around weather, water, and patience. That ethos shows up clearly in his love for Helles lager — a style that demands precision, restraint, and a willingness to let the process speak without shouting.</p> <p data-start="548" data-end="1106" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">Kulshan reflects that same grounded approach — community-first, quietly confident, and growing without losing its center, from its early days to the open, trail-connected energy of <a href="https://kulshanbrewing.com/trackside" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trackside</a>. The conversation also touches on today’s realities, including distribution shifts and the move from NW Beverages/Odom to Columbia, all handled with steady pragmatism. At its core, this is a conversation about beer as a reflection of place — honest, patient, and built to last.</p> <p><strong>Tap, tap, tap</strong></p> <p>Alright, Grit &amp; Grainers! Please email us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> with your comments, opinions, and favorite Bellingham bike trails. 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 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gritandgrainpodcast/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peaksandpints/">Instagram</a>.=</p> <p>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!</p> <p>The post <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com/episode-185-trails-tanks-and-the-long-game-wes-finger-of-kulshan-brewing/">Episode 185: Trails, Tanks, and the Long Game — Wes Finger of Kulshan Brewing</a> appeared first on <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com">Grit &amp; Grain Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>This week, we are joined by <a href="https://www.stoupbrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stoup Brewing</a> co-founder, board president of the <a href="https://www.washingtonbrewersguild.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Brewers Guild</a>, and all-around industry powerhouse, Robyn Schumacher!</p> <p>After spending her early career teaching high school biology for over a decade, Schumacher made the jump into the beer world and has been running at full speed ever since — being one of the earliest recipients of the <a href="https://www.cicerone.org/certifications/certified-cicerone?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=629848255&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwyr3OBhD0ARIsALlo-Ol1cMAFqKUKkPLaCeutdI_z1RXTc2TN9jz1tIMWTmboMGmG_zAVNKMaAkjJEALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cicerone Certification</a> in Washington, a regular in the famous <a href="https://drunkherstory.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drunk Herstory</a> lineup, and now using her platform and leadership in the Brewer’s Guild to establish a tighter knit Washington brewer community.</p> <p>Tune in to learn all about her Spokane roots, her early beer influences, and her vision for the future of the craft beer industry in Washington.</p> <p><strong>Tap, tap, tap</strong></p> <p>Alright, Grit &amp; Grainers! Please email us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> 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 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gritandgrainpodcast/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peaksandpints/">Instagram</a>.</p> <p>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!</p> <p>The post <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com/episode-184-the-unstoppable-grit-of-robyn-schumacher/">Episode 184: The Unstoppable Grit of Robyn Schumacher</a> appeared first on <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com">Grit &amp; Grain Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>The Grit and Grain team was lucky enough to be invited to the famous yearly celebration of <a href="https://doublemountainbrewery.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Double Mountain</a>’s legendary inception, so we packed up the cars and took a field trip to beautiful Hood River.</p> <p>Nestled in the Brewer’s Lounge couches, the entire Double Mountain team sat with us for a glorious hour of brewery history, shenanigans, and fond memories of the early days of Hood River craft beer.  From award-winning beer to award-winning cider, airplanes, early influences, and future plans, we get the full scoop on the brewery that has spent nearly two decades helping to shape Hood River’s incredibly tight craft beer scene.</p> <p>Do not miss this one!</p> <p><strong>Tap, tap, tap</strong></p> <p>Alright, Grit &amp; Grainers! Please email us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> with your comments, opinions, and favorite Double Mountain pizza.</p> <p>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 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gritandgrainpodcast/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peaksandpints/">Instagram</a>.</p> <p>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!</p> <p>The post <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com/episode-182-double-mountains-19th-anniversary-party/">Episode 183: Double Mountain’s 19th Anniversary Party</a> appeared first on <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com">Grit &amp; Grain Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Happy Orval Day Eve!</p> <p>Saturday, March 21st, marks this year’s international celebration of one of the most unique and highly regarded beers ever made, <a href="https://www.orval.be/en/page/447-untitled-page-447" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Orval</a>. A 1000-year-old Belgian ale brewed by Trappist Monks and bottle conditioned with Brettanomyces.</p> <p>We thought it was the perfect time to bring back Aaron Cohn, regional sales manager at <a href="https://merchantduvin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Merchant du Vin</a> and lover of all things monastically produced (including cheese!). We dive into the 1500-year history of Trappist beer, starting with the original Benedictine monks, the technology developed by the Order of Cistercians, and eventually the reform movement that would create Trappist monks, and lead to the rules that all 10 current Trappist breweries must follow to maintain the revered title.</p> <p>Tune in to hear some of the often-untold history of these beers, the new distinctions in the BJCP guidelines for Monastic beer, and find out why Matt has so much trouble pouring bottle-conditioned beer.</p> <p><strong>Tap, tap, tap</strong></p> <p>Alright, Grit &amp; Grainers! Please email us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> with your comments, opinions, and favorite Traps. 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 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gritandgrainpodcast/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peaksandpints/">Instagram</a>.</p> <p>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!</p> <p>The post <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com/episode-182-orval-day-and-trappist-history-with-aaron-cohn/">Episode 182: Orval Day and Trappist History with Aaron Cohn</a> appeared first on <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com">Grit &amp; Grain Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>We&#8217;re back for the second half of our <a href="https://www.tacomabeerweek.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tacoma Beer Week</a> double header.  Hopefully you tuned in last week for the stellar hour we spent with Ezra Johnson-Greenough of <a href="https://newschoolbeer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>New School Beer + Cider</em></a> &#8212; he&#8217;s back again for another episode and joined this week by an extra special guest.</p> <p>Founder, publisher, and CEO  of <em><a href="https://sipmagazine.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SIP Magazine</a></em>, Kristin Ackerman Bacon joins us this week alongside Ezra to talk all things beer and cider journalism, publishing, and collaboration. Just this week, Kristin and Ezra dropped the news that <em>The New School</em> and <em>SIP Magazine</em> will join forces in a what is sure to be a powerhouse of adult beverage media.</p> <p>Tune in to get the scoop on how this partnership came about and how these two titans plan to provide complementary coverage of the PNW beer, wine, and cider world.<strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Tap, tap, tap</strong></p> <p>Alright, Grit &amp; Grainers! Please email us at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> with your comments, opinions, and your favorite seasonal fluorescent mint dairy drink. 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 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gritandgrainpodcast/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peaksandpints/">Instagram</a>.</p> <p>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!</p> <p>The post <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com/episode-181-a-news-worthy-tacoma-beer-week-special-part-2/">Episode 181: A News Worthy Tacoma Beer Week Special, Part 2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://gritandgrainpodcast.com">Grit &amp; Grain Podcast</a>.</p>