Hop Nation Usa - A Craft Beer Podcast

Tyler of Creekside Beer distribution joins Steve and Adam this week. They talk about how Creekside adapted its business model for CoVID times, began featuring more local Pittsburgh brewers, and used social media to their advantage. Then they learn more about Tyler and find common history at Penn State, as well as talk about where he sees his future in beer. Finally, it's a new edition of the Pairdown challenging Tyler to pair holiday scenarios with beers. Beers: Kasteel Rouge Belgian Ale 4 Points 4th Street + Simcoe NEIPA Couch Brewery Macho Man Hibiscus Ale Eleventh Hour Brewing Hour X NEIPA Grist House Continental Breakfast Abjuration Brewing CDS V1.4 Candied Sour Brew Gentlemen Mexican Coffee Stout Spoonwood Brewing Begbie BA Scotch Ale Couch Brewery Stay Puft Toasted Marshmallow Stout

Stouts on stouts on stouts with Adam, Kelsey, Katie and Steve. First it's a bit of the old True Crime as they talk about the recent story of Keith Ashley, brewery owner and alleged murderer and scam artist. And you thought Martin House Hot Cheeto beers were the wildest thing from Texas? Then it's the 2020 Buyers Guide for Beer Lovers. The Good, the bad, the ugly, the useless what you should and shouldn't buy the beer lovers in your life. Finally it's a stout centric round of new game Draught Kings (ha ha can't sue.) Betting and beers, what more can you ask? Beers: Hoppin' Frog Peanut Butter Hazelnut Caramel Chocolate Cake Stout Pipeworks Brewing Imperial Hyper Dog Stout Short Throw Brewing Resting My Greatness Stout

This week the Hops and Box Office Flops Podcast join Steve and Adam on a Zoom call. First they talk about a new entry into the world of at home brewing gadgets, The Pinter, and then it's on to collaborations between Oconee x Waffle House and Run the Jewels x Cyberpunk 2077 x Everybody. Then H&BOF hosts TW, Chumpzilla, and Capt. Cash give the origins of their podcast plus their favorite beer and bad movie pairings. Finally, Steve has devised another infamously hard trivia quiz...but does he actually have worthy contenders to answer his questions? Find out this episode! Beers: Stone w00tstout 2019 Holidaily Brewing Randy's Fat IPA Holidaily Brewing Favorite Blonde Grist House Mad House Volume 1 NEIPA Grist House Deep Electric Fruited Sour Hitchhiker Brewing Jelly Debate Stout Collective Arts Origin of Darkness Stout Sun King Brewery Grapefruit Jungle IPA Weihenstephaner Original Premium Evil Twin Molotov Cocktail Modelo Negro Miller High-Life Natural Light

It's the return of the state profile episode with Adam and Steve. This week it's Wisconsin. First they talk about the Guinness recall, the Brewbound Pitch Slam, Black Friday beer releases, and Small Brewery Sunday. Then it's a profile of the state of Wisconsin including a look at one of the oldest breweries The Joseph Huber Brewery turned shadow craft brewer Minhas, the history of hipster darling PBR, and the oldest craft brewers in the state. Finally, they play a new game called "Made In ___, Improved in PA" where they take beloved Wisconsin items like the butter burger and kringle and improve it by way of Pennsylvania. Beers: Untitled Art Zanzibar Chocolate Ice Cream Stout Octopi Double Maple Imperial Morning Stout Central Waters Brewing Company Call Me Old Fashioned Cocktail Ale

Ryan from Fueled by Hops joins Steve and Adam this week. They dive into the news of the week which includes the latest fad slime beer from Armadillo brewing. It begs the question, what the hell is going on in Texas? Also Panera gets some Boulevard, a better name for an old brewery, and the U.S. elects a senator who's drank bull balls. Then they talk about the virtual festival organized by Ryan Cheers Yinz! Fest which is meant to benefit breweries affected by shutdowns and restrictions, but will also include a lot of educational opportunities. Finally, they totally don't rip off PTI. Hop Nation USA invented Werd, and they play Werd with stories of Sweetwater Brewing being bought and Adam hoarding Pumking. Beers: Mortalis Brewing Hydra Passion Fruit + Sweet Cherry + Peach Yellow Bridge Brewing Higher Learning Cream Ale Winding Path Brewing Boreal Spruce IPA Union Brothers Brewing Sauced Peach Mango Passion Fruit Fruited Sour Prairie Ales Punch Fruited Sour Other Half Brewing Cream Get the Honey IPA Insu

Kelsey joins Adam and Steve for an extra spooky edition of the podcast. First the talk about the HORROR of 0% ABV beers, then run scared from the predictability of the Top 50 Beers in the country. Plus two new breweries openings in the Pittsburgh area Mondays and Allusion. Then it's on to the quick tips for Craft Beer Themed Halloween costumes, and Steve petitions turning 2020 on its head by reversing Christmas Creep. Also a lot of candy talk. Finally, two worlds collide when beer and videogames come together and they review the upcoming Dude, Where's My Beer? a point-and-click adventure game in the vein of Monkey Island. Beers: Hitchhiker Brewing Arm's Length Zombie Cocktail Ale Shubrew Shunami Peanut Butter Cup Stout Omnipollo Agamemnon

ASA is the acronym for Adam, Steve, Adam, as Adam from Bash Brew joins the podcast to talk about all things homebrewing. (It's also the first name of a very talented actress.) They talk about the changes in homebrewing during these trying times, using homebrew beer to donate to charity, and inspiration for naming beers and creating artwork. They also reminisce about homebrew events and get the full scoop of how Adam transformed his basement into a brewery. Finally, the put Bash Brew to the test and ask Adam to devise homebrew recipes on the spot for Alestorm, Your Mom's House, the Last Podcast on the Left, and Dethlehem. Don't be stingy with the listens, Mark. Beers: Bash Brew Save the Tea-Teas Blonde Ale Bash Brew Shatfaced Imperial Pumpkin Roll Stout Bash Brew Oh My God Look at That Face Apple Fritter Ale

Adam and Steve are in the studio, but with a twist. This week's theme is pretzel beers. First they talk about rauchbiers being declared to new official beer of the fall, forever. Then it's on to Michigan where a blight has befallen the hops, just another reason to thank 2020. On a positive note, Take Two Foods are transforming spent grains into milk, rather than letting them go to waste. Natural Light has a dumb promotion and they told it's dumb. Steve presents the history pretzels which is intertwined with beer history and gets into the vastness of Pennsylvania's love for salty baked goods. Finally, they celebrate the Hop Nation USA dodransbicentennial by beerify past guests into beers. Beers: O'Fallon Knotty Golden Ale Duclaw PastryArchy: Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Stout Rusty Rail Brewing Mobius Pretzel Imperial Salted Pretzel Ale

Dennis of First Sip Brew Box returns to the podcast with Steve and Adam. They talk about PBR making wild choices in 2020, North Caroliners making bad choices, breweries making packaging choices, and PGH City Paper readers making best choices. Then we catch up Dennis and his adventures with Free Will Brewing, Evil Genius Brewing and upcoming excursion into New Jersey and his video series The Daily Sip. Finally, it's a game of Nobody Asked You answering the questions nobody asked from Reddit, Beer Advocate, and around the world. Beers: Evil Genius Beer Company Baby Shark Hazy Pale Ale Hitchhiker Agrio Margarita Gose Four Points Cargo Van WC IPA Abjuration Brewing Terpenes Pale Ale V1.1 Cinderlands Black is Beautiful Stout Spoonwood Brewing Cinnamon Ghoul Pumpkin Ale Evil Genius Beer Company Stacy's Mom IPA Fegley's Brew Works Steelgaarden Blastberry Wit Couch Brewery Sofa Quemando Mexican Style Stout

Kelsey in studio with Adam and Steve for some gourd beers. That's right, it's a pumpkin beer episode. We only do one every now and then, so this is it. There's five Fridays this October. Gotta fill'em up somehow. First Oreo Speedwagon is back, Buffalo gets a Hofbrauhaus, Cheers Yinz Fest a beerfest benefiting breweries is coming to Pittsburgh digitally; then Yuengling has brought back their Hershey's porter collab and to more people than just Pennsylvanians, and Short's Brewing pairs with Skymint to introduce beer flavored THC gummies further blending and spiraling the world drugs and treats. Next they get into the history pumpkin beers and what the best pumpkin beers. Finally, it's the return of the Horror Movie & Beer Quiz. The most impossible stumping quiz. Can Adam score more than 2 points this year? Can he take the crown from Kelsey? Find out...If you dare! Beers: Ellicottville Brewing Pumpkinville Latte Nitro Lavery The Devil's Pumpkin Ale Souther Tier Brewing Warlock Pumpkin Stout

Jason Cercone returns to the Hop Nation USA via Zoom with Steve and Adam. He's the host of the new podcast consulting podcast Pod Theory. This week they look at Michelob's Chief Exploration Officer, WWE Wines, Clayton Kershaw's charity beer, Coca-Cola and ALDI changing the seltzer game, and more. Then they get into podcast and marketing theory, including the importance of planning, what causes podcasts to fail, how to stand out, and how to grow your audience. Finally, they play a game of "Is it A Podcast, Is It A Beer, or Is It Both?" Beers: Four Points Cargovan IPA Shubrew Jumpman Pixelated IPA Levity End of Haze IPA Hitchhiker Hammer & Lime Cocktail Ale Riverside Brewing Puckish Berliner-Weisse Southern Tier Pumking Nitro Pumpkin Ale Helltown Hefeweizen Abjuration Strawberry Milkshake Ale Michelob Infusions Prickly Pear

Katie has returned from deployment, successfully quarantined and brought beers from the U.K. Now it's time for her to Voltron(or Megazord) with Kelsey to make Kasey and join Adam and Steve in the studio. First they talk about the big news of mediocre lager Yuengling teaming up with mediocre macro purveyor Molson Coors to purvey Yuengling to the west. Then it's discussion of "underrated" Old Thunder Brewing, and Greensburg Craft Beer Week. Then they're on to modern solutions for modern problems as Oktoberfest is canceled, but the crew has solutions for in home Oktoberfest. Finally, Katie and Kelsey provide their picks for the 2020 Fantasy Fridge. Beers: Purity Brewing Pure Ubu Amber Ale Moorhouse's Brewery Pendle Witches Brew Strong Ale Wild Weather Ales Full of Beans Export Maple & Walnut Coffee Stout 

Bill the mind behind the best Twitter resource for Pittsburgh can releases joins Steve and Adam over zoom. He talks about the fomo driving the origins of @canspgh, following Phish, exploring outside of Pittsburgh and more. He also participates in the yearly Fantasy Fridge Draft where everyone tries to draft the best Fridge with such categories this year as The Election Night Beer and the Aussie Rules Football beer. Beers: Dancing Gnome Painter Pigment NEIPA Rivertowne Oktoberfest Hitchhiker Brewing Bane of Existence Double IPA Aslin Brewing Master of Oranges IPA New Holland Dragon's Milk White barrel aged white stout Yellow Bridge Brewing YB Pils Strange Roots Mutant Temple IPA North Country Sour Series Watermelon Cucumber Lime Grist House Dark Nectar Honey Porter

Adam is back from vacation and is back in the studio with Steve. This week they're drinking beers beloved by social media and Untappd. First they talk about the East End survival package, how the Great American Beer Festival adapted for Covid, and Luke Bryan. It was slow news week. Then they talk about the 20 Most Influential beers according to First We Feast and Zythophile and update the list for 2020. Finally, it's a discussion about the 10 most influential beers/breweries of Pittsburgh. Come for the hype beers, stay for the sick Bane impression and Chicago song. Beers: Lawson's Finest Liquids Sip of Sunshine IPA Allagash White Witbier Toppling Goliath Brewing King Sue DNEIPA

This week Kelsey returns and takes over for cohost as Adam is in North Carolina. Steve is still here. Together they interview Aadam Soorma of Very Local PGH. He offers his insight of being a beat journalist for the city of Pittsburgh which includes everything from breweries to food trucks to coffee roasters. All of them local. He also offers his own personal experiences, stories of stumbling upon a brewery in Ohio and his bag of mixology tricks. Finally Steve rips off Adam who rips of PTI to play the game Word where they tackle subjects like Stone, Busch dog beer, Gardner Minshew and the return of beerfests. Beers: Cinderlands Test Piece Citra IPA Grist House Double Edged Sword DIPA Chandeleur Island Brewing Raspberry Ginger Sour Ale Hitchhiker Brewing Fruit Rush Blueberry Watermelon Lemonade Smoothie Sour Ale Grist House Udderly Bananas Porter Couch F1 Hazy IPA Grist House Seltza Drip Strawberry + Guava Seltzer Abjuration Brewing Vanilla Oak Belgian  

Adam and Steve are in studio sharing the bounty of Logyard Brewing. First they talk about Budweiser desperate for attention from the driest state in the union, but get distracted and talk about Demolition Man. Then Steve lobbies for a job as the CMO for Bud Light Seltzer which leads to a sick Back to the Future reference. Also pickle beer is back. Then they're off to the most remote breweries in both Pennsylvania and the U.S. A lot of hyper local small community references follow. Finally, it's a 2020 update of how stupid beer is and what stupid things have made their way into beer... and what hasn't. Beers: Logyard Brewing Pine Man IPA Logyard Brewing Misery Whip NEIPA Logyard Brewing Shandy le Bleu Blueberry Shandy

Matt and Chadd from Breweries in PA join Steve and Adam to talk about the state of beer in Pennsylvania (booooooo) They get into adapting a website primarily based on reporting from breweries for the current Covid situation. How to still run brewery supporting events, like a scavenger hunt, and what the future of their events might look like. Then they talk about favorite Black is Beautiful beers, what breweries in PA need more love, where they would do their website if they couldn't focus on Pennsylvania, and more. Finally, it's a rousing game of is it a Minor League Baseball Team or a Beer? This game is hard. What is a Sod Poodle anyway? Beers: 11th Hour Brewing Embrace the Martian Experimental IPA 11th Hour Brewing Nocturnal Rainbow Coffee Milk Stout Four Seasons Brewing Norwegian Lights IPA Grist House Parrot Party Dessert Sour Hitchhiker Brewing Point of Confusion White Stout Lavery Brewing Pineberry Crush Sour Spoonwood Consuming Fire Smoked Porter St. Boniface Craft Brewing Theory and Reality

Adam and Steve are in the studio drinking beers from breweries that touch Allegheny County. Local-ish. They have news about Shiner, Aldi, and Hitchhiker. Then they do a round up of all the new breweries aposedta open up in Pittsburgh within the next year, and boy is it a lot. It's a lot without even getting into non-local, non-independent, and spaces that aren't just extensions of already existing breweries. Saturation? What saturation? Finally, Steve dives into the world of seltzer reviews on Untappd and comes up with some of the dumbest and funniest reviews, while also complaining about why people are bad at reviewing and Untappd should be shut down. Beers: North Country Brewing Strawberry Colada Sour Series Four Points Overbranded Mosaic DIPA Petrucci Brothers Tears of Joy Barrel Aged Belgian Quad

Day Bracey of the Drinking Partners Pod and one of the Founders of Fresh Fest Beer Fest joins Steve and Adam to talk everything Digi Fest coming up Aug 8th. They get into all the wonderful collaborations coming for the festival, the uniqueness of being able to distribute a beer fest cross country, what it takes to build an app, lessons the world of stand up gave Day to apply elsewhere and how Pittsburgh provides opportunities to creators looking to succeed. There's also a lot of talk of food and the best beer and sandwich pairings.   Beers: Troegs Nimble Giant IPA Grist House Bee-utiful Blonde 11th Hour Brewing Embrace the Martian IPA Sweetwater Brewing Trainwreck Westbound and Down Hazy IPA Grist House Crisp Kolsch Shubrew Shunami S'mores Stout

Adam and Steve continue the new normal of one episode in the studio (one off.) This week is the return of the Mysterious Beer Fridge of Mystery. They talk about the revised PA food laws, learn what a Raines sandwich is, are confused by the Ohio voting awareness campaign "collaboration," and get fed up with Florida.  Then they talk about the greatest unsolved mysteries in beer. They're mostly truck heists, but it's wild. Finally, it's another round of Nobody Asked You where they answer beer questions from the internet nobody asked them... and one about the Seattle Kraken. There's also Alex Jones impressions. I know it doesn't seem like they have a place on a beer podcast, but it makes sense. You'll see.   Beers: Southern Tier Vanilla Whipp Milkshake IPA Strange Roots Pineapple Upside Down Cake Ale Saucy Brewworks Modern Crimes Coconut Porter