<p>Gwen Conley has her dream job: She tastes beer for a living at The Lost Abbey, a brewery in Southern California. On this episode, Gwen talks about the 18-month training process she went through to refine her palate, and her ideas about what you should be drinking.&nbsp;</p>

VinePair brings you stories from the world of wine, beer, and spirits.

It's not a mixology how-to, and it's definitely not a bunch of snobs fawning over wine.  This podcast is about the people, places, and traditions behind your favorite drinks.    

In the first season, VinePair travels to northern California, upstate New York, Ireland, Brooklyn, and beyond.  We take a hard look at bourbon and why so many people disagree about what makes it good.  We question the use of cork in bottling wine—and then we'll question the questioner.  We explain how prohibition in the US changed the Irish whiskey industry, talk with the "sensory goddess" of beer, and ask a "black sheep" what it's like to succeed in wine.

For drinkers and non-drinkers alike, this show will take you to unexpected places. Presented by VinePair.com, the leading lifestyle site about wine, beer, and spirits.