Everybody loves pumpkins beers, right?

RIGHT!?!?!

Actually, pumpkin beers aren't as universally loved as the big pumpkin media would have you believe. But that doesn't mean brewers should just brew bad beers and throw a pumpkin label on it.

Lashelle and Roche are joined by Blaine of Sinistral Brewing Company for a frank discussion of pumpkin beers, the good, the bad, and the very ugly. 

Click here for more info on Sinistral Brewing Company
Thanks to Ocelot Brewing Company for hosting this episode.

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

It's been awhile since we actually sampled beers on Head Retention so Lashelle, Roche, and Jon of Solace Brewing Company sidle up to the bar at Solace's Sterling location to sample summer beers that are new for 2024. The trio have a few times with winter beers but this is the first time they've had a summer beer tasting so to start, they discuss what makes a summer beer. Everyone has a different opinion but there are a few markers that are universal and that is,  what beer works best for a summer vibe. 

Then, they roll up their sleeves for the hard work, drinking summertime beers!

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

If you've ever been to a brewery you've seen the tanks and equipment involved in the brewing process. But you've probably never seen the set up to get the beer from the tanks to the can that can then be shipped to your favorite beer store.

Recently, Roche was able to take part in the canning process at Ocelot Brewing Company under the watchful eye of Lashelle. It's an extremely stressful but ultimately rewarding experience that Roche and Lashelle recap on this episode of Head Retention. 

Thanks to Ocelot Brewing for letting Roche work the line.

Thanks to Iron Heart Canning for putting up with Roche working the line.

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

Are beer labels more important than the beer itself?

Maybe?

For many, the beer label is the introduction to the beer or even the brewery. So nailing the label is vital.

Designer Jeffrey Everett of Rockets Are Red joins Roche and Lashelle to give insight on how much thought should go into making labels for beer, what the beer label design process entails, the difference between "art" and "branding," and so much more.

Jeff also shares stories from his career as a designer who has worked with everyone from punk rockers to Dr. Fauci! 


To see more of Jeff's work, click here.
Click here to follow Jeff on Instagram.
For more information on  the Beer Exhibit, click here

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

Title says it all. After a yearlong hiatus, Head Retention is back! But before we can move forward with our craft beer journeys, let's take an episode to look back at what Lashelle and Roche have been up to...in their lives as well as their craft beer journey. Then, they preview what's to come with the podcast and discuss the triumphant return of a beer style. 

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

It's an episode (literal) years in the making! Roche and Lashelle welcome Charlie and Chris (the originator of the Crispy Boi lifestyle!) from Fairwinds Brewery in Lorton, VA.

Fairwinds has been busy winning ALL the craft beer awards and join the show to discuss awards (national and regional)and what they mean to breweries. Also, is Kolsch the official beer of Virginia craft brewing? Charlie and Chris (and Lashelle) make the case. Finally, interesting conversation on the important role the taproom server has in educating the clientele...which leads into...

(24:00) ...the most controversial subject we've ever undertaken on Head Retention, flights in the taproom! Roche is shocked to learn that most taproom workers (bartenders, servers, AND brewers) are not fans of flights, for a number of a reasons that the gang is only too happy to explain. 

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

Welcome to 2023 and a new year of Head Retention! Roche and Lashelle kick off the year with a look at some beer trends to watch in 2023. Phil Runco spoke with over a dozen breweries to find out what the brewers are keeping an eye on this year. He joins the show to discuss the results including what styles are on the way up, what styles are on the way down, the enduring power of the IPA, and the inevitable contraction of the business. 

To read Phil's full article click here.

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

It's a Head Retention tradition! Lashelle, Roche, and Jon of Solace Brewing do their annual tasting of holiday specific beers from breweries across the country. 

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

This summer, Roche and Lashelle travelled to Lisbon, Portugal...though not together. On this episode of Head Retention, they compare notes on places in Lisbon where you can find traditional American craft beer, the best way to drink like a local, the importance of befriending your bartender, and, most importantly, getting over yourself and enjoying beer in whatever setting you find yourself. 

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

There is a lot of talk in the craft beer industry about using locally sourced ingredients. Waredaca Brewing does that in ways that a lot breweries do,  growing fruits, herbs, vegetables, etc to use in their beers. But they also realized their well water was especially suited for a particular style of beer, lagers. 

Keith Kohr, head brewer at Waredaca, invited Roche and Lashelle to the farm brewery's taproom to discuss the importance of brewing what the land gives you. 

The gang also samples some Waredaca beers and discuss terminology controversies, and Roche gets a lesson in goses. 

Special thanks to Musu the cat for making a surprise appearance on the podcast. 

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]

It was a controversial subject a few years ago but the stigma of "selling out" to a macro brewery has mostly subsided.

Head Retention spoke with Devils Backbone COO, Hayes Humphreys just after their acquisition by AB InBev in 2016 and he's back to give Roche and Lashelle an update on what life is like for a craft brewery that has been bought by one of the big boys.

Hayes discusses the (mostly) positives that have come from being part of the Anheuser-Busch umbrella including the better (and safer) working conditions for DB employees, the increase in charitable work  by Devils Backbone, and more. 

Make sure your craft beer loving friends are listening and subscribing to Head Retention wherever you get podcasts. Email us! [email protected]