Mike and Bret discuss some of the predictions they made about the future of the brewing industry back when the world went on lockdown because of the Coronavirus pandemic. What did they get right? What did they get wrong, and what does 2021 look like for the industry? And what do they have cooking for Brew Skies in 2021?

We're taking some time off and in this episode, Mike explains why. We'll be back better than ever so stay tuned.

In the first of a multi-part series, Mike and Bret talk about what they know and don't know about how the modern craft beer industry began in the United States.

Slate.com recently published an article titled, "Break Up Budweiser. And Molson Coors too. The Industry needs Trustbusting." On this episode Mike and Bret discuss how multinational beverage conglomerates came to dominate the American beer market, whether they should be broken up, and what the beer industry would look like if that happened.

The craft beer scene in Canada is still relatively young. "I'd say they're about where the States were in the early 2000's," is how Mike Wayne describes it. And he would know. After stints at Sam Adams and the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company in Cincinnati, Mike is now the brewmaster at Boomstick Brewing in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. In addition to the Canadian craft beer scene, this episode delves into how including the word "bitter" in a beer's name or description affects sales and how the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were originally created as an instrument of colonial control over the indigenous population.

In 1884 Cincinnati was the scene of the largest massacre of civilians by the National Guard in US History. This week Mike tells the bizarre story of grisly murders, corruption, incompetence, and sensational headlines that led up to it. Then he and Bret talk about the uncomfortable similarities to current events. 

Portland, OR is a city know for its unique, innovative, and funky local culture. It's also very well known for its craft beer scene. Cascade Brewing was one of the first on that scene and has been in the vanguard ever since. But what came first? Did craft brewing gain a foothold in Portland because of the culture or did that culture emerge because of craft brewing? In this episode Mike and Bret talk to Kevin Martin, Director of Brewery Operations at Cascade about this and many other topics.    

"Stop making me piss in a trough." Mike and Bret talk with Jason Parnes of Higher Gravity in Cincinnati, OH about what they hope will and won't change in the post-pandemic world.

Starting a craft brewery and brew pub dedicated to authentic Belgian style beers in rural Indiana doesn't sound like a great idea. But that's what Nathan did and it's working. In this episode Mike and Bret talk to Nathan to get the whole story behind Taxman Brewing. 

When the guest canceled at the last minute, Mike and Bret decided to have a conversation with the producers of this podcast about the origins of Brew Skies. But the conversation quickly went off the rails and they soon regretted that decision.