Updated on April 12, 2022
With everyone and their grandma making a podcast these days, it can be tough to find the good ones. Craft beer podcasts are particularly tricky. Most work off the premise of a few dudes hanging out, drinking beer, and recording their conversations. Some of which often run off course with self-indulgent chatter and side stories.
The following is a list of craft beer podcasts that transcend this tipsy chit-chat. By engaging with players from across the industry (think homebrewers, professional brewmasters, scientists, and plain old enthusiasts), these nine podcasts spark dialogues that go beyond the glass, delving deeper into industry trends and issues.
Hop Culture’s 9 Favorite Craft Beer Podcasts of 2022
Brews Less Traveled
This is America’s only drink-along podcast. Host Brian Hatheway leads guided beer tastings with brewers and industry experts on his travels to taprooms across America. This podcast accompanies its namesake Brews Less Traveled Beer Club. This monthly subscription delivers craft beer boxes to subscribers with beers sourced from lesser-known beer cities. For instance, Birmingham, AL or Omaha, NE.
Good Beer Hunting
Half blog, half storytelling platform, goodbeerhunting.com is the brainchild of Pennsylvania native Michael Kiser. The Good Beer Hunting Podcast is the audio section of this project. Each episode features interviews with a variety of figures in beer (from self-proclaimed beer nerds to fermentation scientists).
No matter the subject, all are conducted in the name of spreading the good word about craft beer. For example, a recent episode featured Zahra Tabatabai, co-founder of Back Home Beer, an Iranian-inspired and women-owned brewery in Brooklyn, NY.
Tabatabai, the daughter of Iranian immigrants whose grandfather homebrewed in Iran in the 1950s and ‘60s, started Back Home Beer to share the rich history of brewing in Iran. From the beginning, Tabatabai started homebrewing her grandfather’s old recipes. Subsequently, she used a lot of ingredients from his garden in Shiraz, Iran: sumac, salt, barberries, and dried limes. For her unique story and skill to implement her heritage into her beers, Hop Culture named Back Home Beer one of its “11 Best Breweries to Watch in 2022.”
Check out all the fantastic interviews on Good Beer Hunting’s podcast.
A Woman’s Brew – The Podcast
Two beer-loving women—Joanne and Tori—spend time each week talking about beer styles, their favorite breweries, beer tasting tips, and beer traditions. This is a quirky, fun podcast featuring two badass, serious women. A Cicerone Certified Beer Server, Joanna is also building her own beer school called Love Beer Learning that creates a community for women interested in learning more about craft beer.
Better on Draft
Hosted by Dan, Nick, Ken, Rob, and Wendy two times a week, Better on Draft delves into conversations with major players in the beer industry and on trending topics. Each week the crew records one interview and one craft beer news segment. For instance, an interview with Michael Williams of Great Lakes Brewing. Or a discussion on Stone’s latest trademark victory over Keystone. The podcast is a chance to hear the stories, history, and fun facts of some of your favorite breweries while also keeping up-to-date on all the latest news.
Steal This Beer
Hosted by Augie Carton, founder of New Jersey-based Carton Brewing, and John Holl, former senior editor at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, Steal This Beer tackles trending topics in the craft beer industry. Along the way Augie and John invite their in-the-know friends to come on board each episode, asking them to bring two of their favorite beers along for the ride. Augie and John blind taste each beer and discuss. Creeping up on its 400th episode, Steal This Beer has plenty of material to keep you occupied for all of 2022 and beyond. Plus, you can look out for a new episode every Monday!
Brews with Broads
Aiming to “celebrate and elevate the stories of Women and Non-Binary people in the world of craft beer,” Brews With Broads cracks a cold one with a different craft beer professional each episode. Host Hannah Kiem explores the journey and stories of these badass women and non-binary folks.
For example, past guests have included Breeze Galindo, Other Half brewer, founder of Other Half’s Women’s Forum, and one of Hop Culture’s “10 People to Watch in Craft Beer in 2022.” And LeAnn Darland, co-founder of women- and veteran-owned TALEA Beer Co., one of Hop Culture’s 77 top women-led breweries in the country.
Beer Busters
Brothers Dan and Wayne Baker and their cousin Steph Heffner record this traveling podcast at breweries across the country. Part of an online magazine of the same name, the program features interviews with brewers, homebrew tips, and industry news and updates. The family dynamic makes for some playful but informative banter.
BeerSmith Home Brewing Podcast
Hosted by Brad Smith, this interview-based podcast addresses issues for both novice and expert homebrewers. For instance, topics like the genetic makeup of yeast, recipes, and interviews with shop owners, brewers, and scientists. Geared towards homebrewers, the dialogue is actually informative and interesting for all sorts of drinkers.
Strange Brews
Despite being discontinued in 2015, this podcast’s archives are definitely worth checking out. Produced by WBEZ Chicago (makers of This American Life and Serial), this podcast began with beer news, tastings, and interviews. Over time, the hosts Andrew Gill and Alison Cuddy evolved the show into beer-based long-form journalism. As a result, this podcast stands out as one of our favorites because it cuts through the chatter and gets to the heart of stories and issues in the industry.
