Beers with Nigel

Act 43: Yo, pass the hops!

We actually found someone, like Nigel, who has 50-11 (that’s a shit ton) things going. Act 43 brings beer influencer, assistant brewer, podcaster, beertender and brewery bus tour guide (just to name a few), James Higgs aka Pass the Hops to the show. We talk the Rocherster, MN beer scene, how he became big time on the Insta and how he wants to help the craft beer evolve.

Drinking beers: Finback Brewing; New Image Brewing — Blood Orange Witbier; & Vision Quest Brewing — There's a cake in my boot. Mystery Beers: BKS Brewing — Clouds; & Hailstorm Brewing — Nilla Fluffer Nanner Nutter.

Act 42: First comes name; then comes beer

Nigel and Nick are back on the road, and for Act 42 they're in "mid-town" Lenexa Kansas talking with Pat Davis of Lost Evenings Brewing. Lost evenings is yet another brewery opening its doors during the heart of the pandemic. But that's Ok. COVIDworld was hard on everyone, but craft beer makes everything better and Pat's serving up his solid brews in a perfect neighborhood taproom. Apologies to Junior, Nick forgot to take notes on beers consumed.

Act 41: Woodie's back and it's time to celebrate!

Woodie Bonds is back on the show for Act 41. Woodie’s a part of the biggest KC beer news in a long time. Vine Street Brewing, opening in 2022, will be the first black-owned brewery in Missouri. Yes, the first! Woodie along with Kemit Coleman join us to talk about their vision for the brewery and their plan to bring new faces into the craft brew scene. We had a first on the podcast as we chugged a beer. Even Nick chugged a tiny glass!

Drinkers: Jam Jam — Stone Cloud Brewing; Eye’s on the Street — Kemet Coleman/Crane Brewing Collab; and Kaleidoscope Sky — BKS Artisan Ales. Mystery Beers: Alternative Tracks — Mikerphone Brewing; Mr. Beefcakes — Lively Beerworks; and Perfect Drift — 4 Noses Brewing Chuggers: Perfect Drift — 4 Noses Brewing; Morning Latte — Toppling Goliath Brewing; and Hell or High Watermelon — 21st Amendment Brewing.

Act 40: Blame it on the rain… no, the wind… wait, it was the wife’s fault

It’s Act 40 of Beers with Nigel and we realized we’ve talked about Windshift Brewing and drank lots of Windshift beer over the last 39 episodes, so we thought it was high time to have them on the pod. Head Brewer Tony DiPlacito joins us and talks about his journey in brewing and opening a brewery. It’s actually all his wife Lynn’s fault. Nick flipped the script and brought his own mystery beers, so that means we had 6 to drink. You can guess how that went! Drinker: Alma Mader Brewing — Soft Commodity. Mystery Beers: Sudwerk Brewing — Best Friends; Wasatch Brewing — Nitro Polygamy; Servaes Brewing — Like Butterflies Cotton Candy; Weldworks Brewing — Never Rust; Cosmic Eye Brewing — Facial Recognition Blindness.

Act 39: Equal parts chemistry, engineering and Star Wars fandom

At first glance, the now 1-year-old Pathlight Brewing's logo catches your eye for its simplistic and clean design. But take a second to talk with head brewer Tanner Vaughn and you'll soon find, that like their beer, there's really a lot going on. And by a lot, we're talking some serious and beautiful nerd-dom here — mathematics, science and Star Wars. Tanner joins Nigel and Nick for the second stop on their KC brewery tour to talk about his love of European brews, the brewery's first anniversary and the fact Pathlight is now the unofficial taproom for local Formula 1 fans.

Act 38: Craft beer for the soul

“Craft beer for the soul." — That’s how Act 38 guest Smittox Brewing bills themselves. They may not have a physical location yet, but that hasn’t stopped them from making a name for themselves. They’re promoting the Smittox brand by pouring their beer at pop-ups and brewing collabs with other breweries in the Dallas area. We talk to the Smittox crew about their entry into craft beer, their plans for their brewery space and much more. Listen in!

Drinkers on the show: Windshift Brewing — Chaeson; Smittox Brewing — German Pilsner; Smittox Brewing + Vector Brewing — Black is Beautiful Collab; Smittox Brewing + Martin House Brewing — Short Order Porter. Nick’s mystery beers: The Iowa Project — All Joy; Mack Brewing — (No label - maybe a wheat beer?); Mack Brewing — IPA.

Act 37: On the road again...

No mystery beers this week (sorry, Junior). Nigel and Nick hit the road for the first time, this year and cross the state line to visit Courtney Servaes at Servaes Brewing. Even fan-boy Nick was shocked to learn his queen of the fruited sours doesn't actually like the sours. But like all of us, our best work comes when we're trying to please our beloved soulmates. It was a full, rich travel day for the boys, who started the afternoon at Pathlight Brewing before visiting with Courtney and then finishing the evening at the soft opening event for Broken Hatchet Brewing.

Act 36: Proper beer deserves proper drip

If you’re drinking good beer you gotta have the proper glassware, right? That’s where craft beer brand 17% Drip comes in. Who is 17% Drip? Well, 17% Drip is focused on the best Drip Gear for the craft beer trendsetters & influencers who are putting in the work to bridge the gap between the Urban Lifestyle & Vibe and the Hipsters. You’ll be dripping after this cool episode.

Drinkers: Celestial Beerworks + Urban South Brewing Collab; Urban South + Definitive Brewing Collab; Weathered Souls + 17% Drip + Beer Zombies Collab; and Yuengling Lager.

Mystery beers: Boulevard Brewing — Tiki Slam; Windshift Brewing — Mojito Hard Cider; & Fat Orange Cat — Dazed & Confused.

Act 35: Gettin' hoppy wit it

Do you know where the hops come from in your beers? If you’ve had beer from BKS Artisan Ales, Windshift Brewing, Hopping Gnome Brewing and many other breweries, you actually do. Act 35 features Ryan Triggs, of Kansas Hop Company, in Ottawa, Kansas. Ryan tells us how the hop farm started, we learn about the hop harvesting process and how the region's breweries are excited about having fresh and local hops readily available for their beers. Kansas Hop Co also has a major announcement in this episode!

Drinkers: BKS Artisan Ales — Double Double; Windshift Brewing — Grapefruit Solar Tsunami; and Alma Mader Brewing — Subarctic//Citra Nelson. Mystery Beers: Windshift Brewing — Autumn Punch Cider; Martin City Brewing — Peanut Butter Porter; and Off Color Brewing — Beer for Ball Games.

Act 34: Have beer, will travel — It's just more fun with Mack

"Mack has more fun." That’s the mantra for Mack Brewing’s Dave “Philly” Mack, owner of one of the first black-owned breweries in Philadelphia, PA. In Act 34, we talk about how he got into beer, how he moved around the country with his home brews in tow and how Mack Brewing became a brand in West Philly. Shout to Transparent Brewing for our drinker, Totes Ya' Oats oatmeal stout. Mystery beers from Cosmic Eye Brewing, Kros Strain Brewing and Servaes Brewing.