Fermentation, the Key to Most of the Things You Love (w/ Nile Zacherle, Eli Brown, & Jonathan Ellsworth)

Fermentation, the Key to Most of the Things You Love (w/ Nile Zacherle, Eli Brown, & Jonathan Ellsworth)

Author: BLISTER July 2, 2025 Duration: 1:13:15

Many of us love (and love talking about) coffee, wine, or beer, but few of us go around professing our love of fermentation. But after this conversation, you’ll see why maybe we should.

Because fermentation isn’t merely a chemical process, it’s the key to many of those things we love. And for Nile Zacherle, the founder of Mad Fritz, it’s the common thread to everything he makes: barrel-aged beer, Napa Valley wine, and meticulously roasted coffee. And today, Nile is back on CRAFTED to talk about it all with Eli Brown & Jonathan Ellsworth.

We Want to Hear from You!

Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you’d like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.

RELATED LINKS:

Blister Craft Collective

Become a BLISTER+ Member

Mad Fritz

Mad Fritz Coffee

David Arthur Vineyards

Winemakers Review

TOPICS & TIMES:

What’s in Nile’s Glass? (2:32)

Nile’s Winemaking Background (5:04)

Why Study Fermentation? (11:20)

What is Fermentation? (16:49)

How Theory Impacts Reality (31:34)

Reevaluation of All Values (36:50)

Aging (46:41)

Aging Coffee (56:38)

SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Blister Cinematic

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


There's a particular kind of conversation that happens when someone has dedicated their life to making something tangible, driven by obsession over details most of us overlook. CRAFTED, from BLISTER, is built on those conversations. Each episode moves beyond a simple product review to explore the entire ecosystem of creation, whether the subject is a meticulously roasted coffee, a complex whiskey, a precision timepiece, or a bold new wine. You'll hear directly from the individuals who define these fields-brewers, distillers, founders, and artisans who started their ventures not because it was easy, but because they couldn't imagine doing anything else. This podcast digs into the raw materials, the failed experiments, the business risks taken on a principle, and the quiet triumphs that happen long before a product reaches a shelf. It’s about the philosophy embedded in the process as much as the technical skill. Tuning in feels less like listening to an interview and more like pulling up a stool in a workshop or a tasting room, offering an intimate look at the patience, setbacks, and unwavering standards that transform a simple idea into a crafted object. The stories are specific, but the themes of creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit are universal, connecting anyone who appreciates the depth behind a well-made thing.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

CRAFTED
Podcast Episodes
A Unified Theory of Cocktails with Dr. Kevin Peterson, Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:48
The neighborhood bar is one of the last places untouched by AI, big tech, and all their algorithms. But what if that’s actually holding each us back from finding our “perfect” drink?In Part 1 and 2 of this series, we exp…
Wildflour: The Most Beloved Bakery in the Ski World [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:07
Located at the base of Palisades Tahoe, Wildflour Baking Company is probably the most beloved bakery in skiing, and it definitely has the most accomplished customer base in the ski world. So Jonathan sat down with Wildfl…
A Unified Theory of Cocktails with Dr. Kevin Peterson (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:27
What if everything you thought you knew about taste was wrong? Although we like to think flavor lives on the tongue, the truth is far more interesting; more than 80 percent of what we taste is actually smell. That revela…
Bitters, Ghost Towns, & Botanical Sodas w/ Shae Whitney of Dram [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:33
How do you grow a national beverage brand without investors, trend-chasing, or artificial ingredients? Dram began as an all natural cocktail bitters producer, and (unintentionally) went on to become the leader in the ‘fu…
A Unified Theory of Cocktails with Dr. Kevin Peterson (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:22
For years, the “Mr. Potato Head” theory of drinks was accepted by bartenders to create new cocktails and memorize recipes. But until the release of Cocktail Theory, by Dr. Kevin Petersen, no one had taken the time to pro…
In Pursuit of the Perfect Coffee Grinder: Zerno founder, Vel Genov [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:01
ACASTZerno is one of the hottest brands in the world of specialty coffee, and for good reasons. So Jonathan recently met up with Zerno’s founder, Vel Genov, at their brand-new manufacturing center in Chicago, and today,…