DBTB Episode 125: Jeff Bagby of Bagby Beer Co.

Brewers tend to get excited when Jeff Bagby is around. As one of the most awarded brewers in the country and a staunch voice for classic styles and well balanced beers, he extolls pleasures of creating lagers and ales that lend to a good time.

After a career that saw him on the brew decks of noted breweries like Stone and Pizza Port, where he was the director of brewing operations, he and his wife opened up Bagby Beer Co. in 2014 in a 8,500 square foot location that is not only home to the brewery but a restaurant, with plenty of areas suited for both meals and long evenings tucked into pints.

In an interview years ago said that when the brewery opened it didn’t even have an IPA on tap, focusing instead on lagers and other ales. Hoppy beers have come into the mix, but he’s still focused on session beers, drinkability, and keeping traditions alive.

As he explains on this episode the pandemic has been brutal to the business. There’s no sugar coating it. From government restrictions and unfulfilled promises, to customer interactions, staffing shortages, rising costs of labor and goods, and the day-to-day worry that comes from owning a small business, he’s been knocked around. A lot.

Bagby walks us through it all and doesn’t hold back.

This episode is sponsored by:

NZ Hops, the co-operative of Master Hop Growers are a passionate collective of farms dedicated to innovation and sustainability. Leading the charge in sustainable farm practices, some NZ Hops farms have over five generations of knowledge that inform their composting program, used by growers to promote healthy regenerative growth of hops year upon year. This creates high quality soil, a critical component of healthy growing conditions. At NZ Hops, they feel that sustainability is not only being a steward for the land, but for our future. We’re in it together.

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About Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

Drink Beer, Think Beer is a weekly podcast gets to the bottom of every pint with brewers, growers, and industry leaders on all aspects of the brewing industry. From ingredients and process, to philosophy and the art in each beer, the podcast is hosted by long-time journalist John Holl and is available on all the major podcast platforms.

Beer Edge releases new episodes of Drink Beer, Think Beer with John Holl every Wednesday.

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