Better on Draft | Craft Beer Podcast
Every beer begins with a brewer, here is their story.
Recorded Live Every Other Friday at 8:30pm ET on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and Kick.
Join your hosts Dan Cook, Wendy Taylor, Rob Wilson, and Ken Konarzewski Jr. as they update you on news, events, and bring you interviews with some of the best brewers in the world.
Episodes
573 episodes
Better on Draft | Tasting Flight: 2025 GABF
Wendy and Rob talk about the Great American Beer Festival's medal winners from Michigan, Indiana, and a few other places. We'd love to hear about your GABF experiences as an attendee, brewer, vendor, volunteer, judge, or concerned citizen! Reac...
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39:27
Better on Draft 378 | Elm Street Brewing
Wendy and Rob are joined by Seth from Elm Street Brewing. Hear how Seth got into brewing at Elm Street and became the head brewer there, designing and brewing his own recipes on a commercial scale. Elm Street Brewing's main space is set up to a...
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1:16:12
Better on Draft 377 | Burn Em Brewing
Wendy and Rob talk to Steve Murray, one of the founders of Burn Em Brewing in Michigan City, IN. Burn Em is in a newer space with an interesting kitchen and lots of good beer on tap. You can find out more a...
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1:07:10
Better on Draft 376 | Phantom Canyon
Wendy and Rob talk to Brian Koch from Phantom Canyon Brewing in Colorado Springs, CO. Colorado's oldest brewpub sits right in the heart of the Springs' downtown and is worth a visit for provisioning your...
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1:00:46
Better on Draft 375 | Berkeley Alley Beer
Wendy and Rob talk to Liz and Chelsea of Berkeley Alley Beer and BodyByBeer podcast. Berkeley Alley Beer can be found at https://thealleybrews.com/ and in Denver, CO. It is a prou...
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1:06:18
Better on Draft 374 | Unmapped Brewing
Wendy and Rob talk to Derek from Unmapped Brewing outside Minneapolis, MN. You can learn more about Unmappd and plan a visit (maybe for one of their charity events, maybe for their to-be-determined winter parking lot event) by visit...
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1:06:29
Better on Draft 373 | Grand Rapids and Columbus Trips
Rob talks about his recent trip to Grand Rapids aka Beer City, USA. Wendy talks about her upcoming trip to Columbus, Ohio and her cruise from Boston.
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50:55
Michigan Beer Series #056 | Hold MI Beer
Wendy and Rob talk to Steve aka Hold MI Beer about his last year of being a beer writer, bartender, and traveler.Steve writes for Better on Draft: https://www.betterondraft.com/ and you can follow him and find additional writi...
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1:16:54
Better on Draft 372 | Eric Bean of Columbus Brewing Company
Wendy and Rob talk to Eric Bean from Columbus Brewing Company. If you find yourself in Ohio, especially in Columbus, check out some of their beers. Eric talks about how he got started in craft beer in the early 90s all the way up throug...
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1:11:00
Better on Draft 371 | Beer Fest Face-Off
It's summer and that's a great time for beer festivals! Rob and Wendy talk about two upcoming (or already-passed depending on when you hear this) beer festivals. Whether you attend these festivals or not you may learn some strategies to apply t...
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39:09
Better on Draft 370 | Nick from Books & Brews Brownsburg
Rob has often stated that Books & Brews Brownsburg is the best beer bar in Brownsburg. Wendy and Rob get to talk to Nick Valentin, the owner and proprietor of the best beer bar in Brownsburg!Books & Brews Brownsburg ca...
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1:00:24
Better on Draft 369 | Chris Overlay of Get Hoptimized
Rob and Wendy talk to Chris Overlay, founder of Get Hoptimized about what a marketing company can do for breweries. You can learn more about Get Hoptimized and listen to their podcast at https://www.gethoptimized.com/
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1:01:50
Better on Draft 368 | Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing
Rob and Ed talk to Adam Ross about his involvement in Twin Span Brewing in the Quad Cities area. Twin Span BrewingAdam's playing HuntAKille...
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1:05:52
Presidential Brewing | Michigan Beer Series #055
Your winners of the 2025 March Draftness competition decided to throw a big party at their venue on Saturday May 17th in Portage Michigan, and Ed, Ken, Wendy, and Bill all came down to check it out. Ed and Ken sat down with the owne...
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1:02:39
Better on Draft 367 | Adrienne Banka, Cerveceria Punta Sur
Adrienne Banka of Cerveceria Punta Sur joins us (from her distillery) to talk about opening the first brewery in Cozumel, Mexico. From educating the politicos to educating the local community, hear how she has grown a business that serves the l...
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58:18
Better on Draft 366 | Craft Brewers Conference 2025 Recap
Rob talks at great length about the things he saw and did at and around the Craft Brewers Conference. Sessions, the show floor, events, and other beery trips all show up. Hear his (not an expert) advice to small taprooms based on what he thinks...
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1:26:02
Better on Draft 365 | A News Show
Wendy and Rob discuss some recent news articles and generally catch up since the last news show.Article 1, a m...
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57:39
Better on Draft 364 | Roman From Tapster
Wendy and Rob talk to Roman from Tapster, a self-serve beer bar that is popping up across the country. Roman talks about how he came to start such a business and some of the decisions that had to be made in an attempt to make the space more fri...
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56:37
Hear.Say Brewing + Theater | Michigan Beer Series #054
Wendy and Rob talk to Benny and Tony from Hear.Say Brewing and Theater, a not-quite-a-year-old establishment in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Come audially explore this unique space. Head brewer Benny gives us a lot of insight into what he's looking for...
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1:22:47
Bonus Episode: Ken and Matt Bush Pick Draftness Brackets
Ken and Matt Bush discuss the March Draftness brackets now that we're at the round of 32 and heading into the Stout 16.Let us know your predictions!You can participate in March Draftness by voting for your favorite brewery in ea...
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32:57
Better on Draft 363 | Guggman Haus
Wendy and Rob talk to Courtney and Derek Guggenberger of Guggman Haus Brewing, a well-regarded and decorated brewery just outside downtown Indianapolis. Starting as a small brewery in 2019 and growing to a slightly larger brewery recently, hear...
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54:22
Better on Draft 362 | Naptown Trivia
Wendy and Rob talk to Anni of Naptown Trivia about what it's like to create and run a successful trivia business and how instrumental it can be for newer breweries as they grow their regular clientele. If you're unfamiliar with pub trivia maybe...
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1:03:43
Better on Draft 361 | How's 2025 Going?
Wendy and Rob catch up on recent doings, discuss drinking the alphabet, and the odd occurrence of having things thrown at you unexpectedly.Articles in the show: - Greg Hall and Virtue Cider: https://chicago.eater.com/2024/11/27...
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1:05:35
Better on Draft 360 | Mark Lasbury of Indiana On Tap
Rob and Wendy talk to Mark Lasbury of Indiana On Tap about the Tasting Society Marketplace, working with breweries, On Tap tickets and festivals, and beer around Indiana and Michigan and beyond!In 2025 Better on Draft will be recording ...
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1:02:07
