Season 2, Episode 13 - This week, we’re drinking some pretty rad sours while John gets serious about bottle dates.
Welcome to the fourth show, that is, the fourth show of session 14 of Four Brewers. In case you’re unfamiliar with how we record shows, we get together every three weeks and record three shows in a four hour session, which we broadcast live on Google Hangouts and our YouTube channel. The shows are then edited in post-production and released weekly.
Due to scheduling conflicts, we had to record four episodes during our last session (that’s a lot of beer…). This leads us to this week’s episode. The discussions get a little heated and a bit off the rails, and our deepest inner beer geeks come out to play. Now that you know what you’re in for, let’s dive in!
Here Gose Nothin’
We start off with a beer thats new to all of us that was provided by Temecula’s [self-proclaimed] Beer Ambassador, Mr. John Ryti, Destihl Brewery’sHere Gose Nothin’. The best way to describe this beer is clean, refreshing, and cleansing. It has notes of tangerine and clementines, and packs a big and salty sour punch. We all enjoy the beer, but all agree that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the awesome sours that Destihl became known for a few years ago and is still currently making.
Figaro from Cascade Brewing
Cascade Brewing is up next with Figaro, a “northwest-style” ale made with white figs and lemon peel and aged in Chardonnay barrels. It has a rough, but balanced sourness, and is quite savory, to say the least. This is the first time we’ve all heard of white figs, and we find out that there are actually many different varieties of figs out there. TIL.
The Dissident
Next up is a tasting of three different vintages of The Dissident from Deschutes Brewery; 2008, 2012, and 2014. This beer is a sour brown ale that is made with cherries, and is meant to age in the bottle…by design. What this means is that Deschutes specifically designed this beer to age and sour in the bottle, much like beers that are bottle conditioned with brettanomyces. In fact, it even has an “enjoy after” date printed in the back of the bottle. It’s this “enjoy after” concept that sparks a debate on the show. Should a brewery release a beer that isn’t ready for consumption when it’s fresh? Is the brewery catering specifically to beer geeks who plan to cellar this beer? Is the brewery right to put the burden of aging a beer to its prime on the consumer? These are all brought up during the debate, and makes for an interesting and lively discussion. As far as The Dissident goes, it’s a great beer that changes a lot, mostly for the good, over a few years of cellaring. Deschutes knows sours, and it shows with this beer.
There's a particular kind of conversation that happens among friends after a few great beers, where technical knowledge and genuine enthusiasm collide with unfiltered humor. That's the space Four Brewers: Craft Beer and Homebrew occupies every week. Hosted by John Holzer, Greg Nagel, Joe Senigaglia, and Jason Harris, this podcast feels less like a formal broadcast and more like pulling up a stool in their garage brewery. The discussion flows naturally from deeply informed tasting notes on the latest craft releases to the practical, sometimes messy, realities of homebrewing. You'll hear them dissect beer styles, interview industry folks, and troubleshoot their own brewing experiments, all with a layer of camaraderie and comedy that comes from years of shared obsession. It’s a show for anyone who appreciates the artistry in a well-crafted pint but doesn’t take the conversation too seriously. Tune in for authentic, geeky beer talk that celebrates the community and the constant learning process behind every glass and every batch. Whether you're a seasoned homebrewer or just curious about what makes your favorite IPA tick, the Four Brewers crew makes the world of beer feel welcoming, interesting, and consistently entertaining.
Author: John Holzer, Greg Nagel, Joe Senigaglia, Jason Harris
Language: English
Episodes: 397
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