BYO Nano Brew Podcast

Brew Your Own

Details

The Nano segment of craft brewing is growing fast with the majority of new breweries opening up falling into this small-scale, hyper-local segment working on brewing systems five barrels or under. Each month on this podcast learn the business, marketing, and brewing strategies targeted for this smaller-scale sized brewery needs. From strategies to maximizing taproom sales to forecasting brewery budgets to brewing great beer in small spaces, you'll learn from craft beer experts and fellow Nano brewers the tips and strategies for success to improve - or launch - your small brewery. The BYO Nano Brew Podcast is brought to you by Brew Your Own, the leading homebrew magazine as well as organizers of the annual NanoCon event for this small-scale craft beer niche and the monthly BYO Nano Newsletter available by email.

Recent Episodes

SEP 15, 2026
Episode 81: Solving Brewery Problems
Beer is fun, but owning and working in a brewery comes with a lot of small business problems. Figuring out how to solve them does not need to be a solo endeavor. This month we’re talking with folks who offer insight on some common issues and how to best tackle them head on. Guests: Julie Rhodes is a 20-year veteran of the food and beverage industry, owning Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, a fractional consulting and educational services company, and a Co-Founder of Kick Fizz, a low-dose hemp-infused beverage brand. She specializes in beverage sales, digital marketing, distributor management, and business strategy, helping craft beverage brands work smarter, not harder. A sought-after speaker, business journalist, and instructor for multiple university programs, Julie was named the 2023 Brewers Association Mentor of the Year. She is also an active member of numerous trade associations and state-level guilds. Jonathan Golon is the co-founder, with his wife April, of Broken Loop Brewing in New York’s Capital Region. Jonathan has brewed for more than five years focusing on traditional: classic styles, careful process, and beers made for flavor and drinkability. They started Broken Loop Brewing to build a brewery that doesn't feel like another stop on your routine. The name, they way, is a reminder to step out of autopilot. Try something new. Slow down, even if just for a pint. There's a literal broken loop too: the traffic sensors at the intersection outside the brewery have been broken for years. If you've ever sat at that red light for no reason, you've felt it. They couldn't fix the loop, so they fixed the feeling. The BYO Nano Podcast Episode 81 is sponsored by: Five Star Chemicals Running a nano brewery means making every minute count, and your cleaning products should work just as hard as you do. Five Star Chemicals' Saniclean PAA Pro combines an acid rinse and no-rinse sanitizer into one powerful solution, helping remove beerstone, protect your equipment, and simplify your cleaning routine. Spend less time switching between products and more time brewing exceptional beer. Learn more about Saniclean PAA Pro at FiveStarChemicals.com and keep every batch tasting its best. NanoCon Online Registration has opened for NanoCon Online. On October 23rd craft brewing industry experts will present a full-day of live seminars covering Brewery Operations, Business Operations & Sales, and Start-Ups for the small-scale, taproom-oriented brewer. Get your questions answered live and have future access to NanoCon Online video recordings and course materials for all sessions. Register now at NanoCon.beer and save $25! BYO Nano+ Membership Get access to hundreds of hours of on-demand videos covering small craft brewery strategies with BYO’s Nano+ Membership. Learn from craft beer experts watching replays of past NanoCon seminars plus a complete library of in-depth workshops. You’ll also have full online access to all of BYO’s digital content and an annual digital magazine subscription. Check out byo.com/nano-plus-membership for more details. BYO Nano Brew Podcast Episode 81 Host: John Holl Guest: Julie Rhodes, Jonathan Golon Contact: [email protected] Music: Scott McCampbell Photo: by John Holl
53 MIN
AUG 15, 2026
Episode 80: 2026 Hops and Brewing with Flowables
Mid-August means attention is starting to shift to the hop fields of North America where soon enough harvest will begin. It’s a good time to take stock, catch up with the industry, and to get excited about advancements in the space and this year’s crop. On this episode we first chat with Michelle Palacios of the Oregon Hop Commission about this year's crop. Then, it's a conversation with Joel Franklin of Florida's Wood Foot Brewery on how he is using flowables and advanced hop products in his small batch beers. The BYO Nano Podcast Episode 80 is sponsored by: NanoCon Online Registration has opened for NanoCon Online. On October 23rd craft brewing industry experts will present a full-day of live seminars covering Brewery Operations, Business Operations & Sales, and Start-Ups for the small-scale, taproom-oriented brewer. Get your questions answered live and have future access to NanoCon Online video recordings and course materials for all sessions. Register now at NanoCon.beer and save $25! BYO Nano+ Membership Get access to hundreds of hours of on-demand videos covering small craft brewery strategies with BYO’s Nano+ Membership. Learn from craft beer experts watching replays of past NanoCon seminars plus a complete library of in-depth workshops. You’ll also have full online access to all of BYO’s digital content and an annual digital magazine subscription. Check out byo.com/nano-plus-membership for more details. BYO Nano Brew Podcast Episode 80 Host: John Holl Guest: Michelle Palacios and Joel Franklin Contact: [email protected] Music: Scott McCampbell Photo: John Holl
46 MIN
JUL 15, 2026
Episode 79: Diversifying Beyond Beer
From coffee to kombucha, wine, and spirits, there are a lot of different ways brewers are offering beverages beyond beer. There are some natural connections between some of the categories, but also a lot to learn. Often it comes with experience, passion, and a good push. This month, we're glad to be talking with Rich Michaels, who is the co-founder of Second Act Spirits in New York. As the name suggests, this is a new chapter for him and his wife Stacey. You’ll hear about his background in brewing in a moment and how he found his way into distilling and the work that goes into changing gears. There are a lot of important nuggets in this conversation that you’ll pick up along the way. If you’re thinking about adding a new fermentation program to your business or looking to make a switch, Rich is here with some guidance. The BYO Nano Podcast Episode 79 is sponsored by: Five Star Chemicals Running a nano brewery means making every minute count, and your cleaning products should work just as hard as you do. Five Star Chemicals' Saniclean PAA Pro combines an acid rinse and no-rinse sanitizer into one powerful solution, helping remove beerstone, protect your equipment, and simplify your cleaning routine. Spend less time switching between products and more time brewing exceptional beer. Learn more about Saniclean PAA Pro at FiveStarChemicals.com and keep every batch tasting its best. NanoCon Online Registration has opened for NanoCon Online. On October 23rd craft brewing industry experts will present a full-day of live seminars covering Brewery Operations, Business Operations & Sales, and Start-Ups for the small-scale, taproom-oriented brewer. Get your questions answered live and have future access to NanoCon Online video recordings and course materials for all sessions. Register now at NanoCon.beer and save $25! BYO Nano+ Membership Get access to hundreds of hours of on-demand videos covering small craft brewery strategies with BYO’s Nano+ Membership. Learn from craft beer experts watching replays of past NanoCon seminars plus a complete library of in-depth workshops. You’ll also have full online access to all of BYO’s digital content and an annual digital magazine subscription. Check out byo.com/nano-plus-membership for more details. BYO Nano Brew Podcast Episode 79 Host: John Holl Guest: Rich Michaels Contact: [email protected] Music: Scott McCampbell Photo: Second Act Spirits
49 MIN
JUN 15, 2026
Episode 78: Making the Most of Malt
Spending some time with beer’s raw ingredients is important. Finding out what is new, exciting, or how other brewers are utilizing them to create world class beer helps make the whole industry stronger and pints taste better. This month, we’re taking a look at malt and speaking with two industry professionals who are intimately involved in the processing and promotion of grain. Andrea Stanley is the co-owner of Valley Malt, a craft malthouse in Western Massachusetts supplying craft brewers, distillers, and bakers with locally grown malts and grain. In 2009 Andrea read an article about local farms and bakeries in the fertile CT River Valley reviving the lost art of growing and processing local grains. As an avid supporter of local food, Andrea saw an opportunity to connect this emerging local grain growing with craft brewing. She reached out to a local vegetable grower in her hometown of Hadley and convinced him to plant 25 acres of barley as a crop rotation. Initially her goal was to prove that malt barley could be successfully cultivated in Massachusetts and malted into an ingredient that local breweries would want to use. In October 2010, Andrea shoveled the first 1-Ton batch of locally grown malt and has since worked with her husband, malting team, and the local farming community to build a supply chain in the Northeast that continues to grow, despite many challenges to overcome. In 2022 Valley Malt underwent a major expansion, adding 1 million pounds of grain cleaning and storage and the capacity to malt 1.5 millions pounds annually. Valley Malt now supports over 700 acres of grains annually in NY, VT, NH, MA, ME and CT with the plan to keep growing in the coming years by installing additional germination bins. On the larger-scale commercial side of malt, Zach Kelly the territory sales manager in Northern California for the Country Malt Group. After a career in the brewhouse - where he worked for companies like Russian River and Hen House, he now helps brewers make smart decisions when it comes to finding the right grain bill for their next brew. Passionate about lagers and west coast IPA, Zach shares insight on what’s exciting, reliable and available. The BYO Nano Podcast Episode 78 is sponsored by: NanoCon Online Registration has opened for NanoCon Online. On October 23rd craft brewing industry experts will present a full-day of live seminars covering Brewery Operations, Business Operations & Sales, and Start-Ups for the small-scale, taproom-oriented brewer. Get your questions answered live and have future access to NanoCon Online video recordings and course materials for all sessions. Register now at NanoCon.beer and save $25! BYO Nano+ Membership Get access to hundreds of hours of on-demand videos covering small craft brewery strategies with BYO’s Nano+ Membership. Learn from craft beer experts watching replays of past NanoCon seminars plus a complete library of in-depth workshops. You’ll also have full online access to all of BYO’s digital content and an annual digital magazine subscription. Check out byo.com/nanoplus for more details. BYO Nano Brew Podcast Episode 78 Host: John Holl Guests: Andrea Stanley, Zach Kelly Contact: [email protected] Music: Scott McCampbell Photo: Andrea Stanley
54 MIN
MAY 15, 2026
Episode 77: The State of Small Brewing in 2026
The brewing world is grappling with a lot of challenges, but there are still some bright spots and things to look forward to. This month host John Holl talks with two brewers who are building community, making thoughtful beers, and working to better the industry each and every day. Jeremy Lees of Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough NJ and Justin Steinberg of Sacred Vice in Philadelphia are thoughtful owners who are focused on finding new ways to bring people into their taprooms and to offerer experiences of great quality. Visiting their breweries guarantees not only great pints, but a chance to learn something new about the industry and to see how thoughtful works in progress benefit us all. So as beer navigates 2026 and experiences what it is doing to the beer industry, Holl connects with them both to find out what’s happening within their walls and how we can learn from them. The BYO Nano Podcast Episode 77 is sponsored by: NanoCon Online Registration has opened for NanoCon Online. On October 23rd craft brewing industry experts will present a full-day of live seminars covering Brewery Operations, Business Operations & Sales, and Start-Ups for the small-scale, taproom-oriented brewer. Get your questions answered live and have future access to NanoCon Online video recordings and course materials for all sessions. Register now at NanoCon.beer and save $25! BYO Nano+ Membership Get access to hundreds of hours of on-demand videos covering small craft brewery strategies with BYO’s Nano+ Membership. Learn from craft beer experts watching replays of past NanoCon seminars plus a complete library of in-depth workshops. You’ll also have full online access to all of BYO’s digital content and an annual digital magazine subscription. Check out byo.com/nanoplus for more details. BYO Nano Brew Podcast Episode 77 Host: John Holl Guests: Justin Steinberg, Jeremy Lees Contact: [email protected] Music: Scott McCampbell Photo: Sacred Vice Brewing's cream ale. Photo by John Holl
51 MIN