This week we welcomed the OG, the Godfather of NTX brewing, the Local Legend, Owner & Founder Fritz Rahr of Rahr & Sons Brewing Company, right down the road here in Fort Worth, Texas. It was a great night for our Supplier Spotlight and certainly a great night at the Cellar. The place was packed with local brewers, OG Craft Beer nerds, and locals at large that just wanted to hear Fritz' story. This was a great episode and Fritz had so many stories that we really didn't get in any of the questions we normally ask during a normal episode of the podcast. It was a blast to get to hear from the pioneer of the NTX Craft Beer scene what the journey has been like so far and what he sees as the future of the Craft Beer industry.

As a fun side note, our host, Shawn Howell was the daytime beertender at the old Flying Saucer location on 4th Street in downtown Fort Worth many moons ago when Fritz rolled in with some of his homebrew and pledged that he'd be opening a brewery in Fort Worth. It's been quite a ride for both Shawn and Fritz over the years, and tonight was a special one to be able to share the stories of a Craft Beer community that has grown so much over the years.

We hope you enjoy the episode and we'll see you in the taproom for the live taping of the next episode. Cheers!

Thanks for giving this episode a listen. Cheers!

Enjoy the episode!

Recorded live on August 1, 2024
Music: "Brewed Up" by J/O/E - www.instagram.com/brewedupjoe

Always recorded live at Southside Cellar.
125 S Main St, Fort Worth, Texas 76104
www.southsidebeercellar.com
www.instagram.com/southsidecellar

Hosted by Shawn Howell
Recorded and Produced by Shaun Fernandez & Jaime Salazar

This week we welcomed Caine Lackey and David Ersland from Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was a pleasure to sit with the NTX team and chat the current state of Craft Beer in Texas from one of the nation's top breweries with wide distro. The guys were fantastic in laying out their approach to the modern Craft Beer landscape, particularly from the perspective of a National Brewery working in the great state of Texas and dealing with the strong local bias. We had a blast chatting the history of the brewery as well and some of the unique features such as the original Barrel Aging "cave." Even in a challenging Craft Beer landscape, it's always great to hear a modern business model from one of the absolute best breweries in the nation. Thanks to the guys for everything this year and for hanging out with us in the taproom for the Spotlight.

We hope you enjoy the episode and we'll see you in the taproom for the live taping of the next episode. Cheers!

Thanks for giving this episode a listen. Cheers!

Enjoy the episode!

Recorded live on July 18, 2024
Music: "Brewed Up" by J/O/E - www.instagram.com/brewedupjoe

Always recorded live at Southside Cellar.
125 S Main St, Fort Worth, Texas 76104
www.southsidebeercellar.com
www.instagram.com/southsidecellar

Hosted by Shawn Howell
Recorded and Produced by Shaun Fernandez & Jaime Salazar

This week we welcomed State Manager JT Bartlett of Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, California. As JT is now a FTW resident we've been lucky enough to get to know him well and when we get to sit and chat Firestone Walker in a public forum, it's a huge treat for everyone. As one of the sharpest young minds in Craft Beer, JT brings a different perspective than we normally hear on the Spotlight from one of the absolute best breweries in the US that deals with national distribution challenges. We got to hear JT peel back the curtain on their highly vaunted Barrel program, their portfolio of beloved brews, and their forward-thinking vision for the brand and layout for its execution. JT had a special visual presentation (in the first 2min) that Firestone Walker produced as their vision for the future and it was a treat for all of our patrons in house. It was a pleasure as always to sit with JT and chat beer, but also get a comprehensive business minded approach to the modern Craft Beer game.

Thanks for giving this episode a listen. Cheers!

Enjoy the episode!


Recorded live on June 27, 2024.
Music: "Brewed Up" by J/O/E - www.instagram.com/brewedupjoe

Always recorded live at Southside Cellar.
125 S Main St, Fort Worth, Texas 76104
www.southsidebeercellar.com
www.instagram.com/southsidecellar

Hosted by Shawn Howell
Recorded and Produced by Shaun Fernandez & Jaime Salazar