The Karben4 Podcast: An Unhinged Brewery Tour

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Karben4 Podcast regulars are joined by Joey and Ryan from Karben4 to brainstorm goals for 2024 and what their best and worst days in the brewery have been.

They also discuss...wanking...? It's not as dirty as it sounds!

Joey is the Lead Cellar at Karben4 and Ryan is the Packaging Lead at Karben4.

Head to the Karben4 taproom and say hi.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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Saturday, January 20 the Karben4 team is celebrating 11 years! Join them in the taproom, nab a tour if you'd like, try some new beer releases including a vertical of Priest, Prophet and King and watch the Packers!

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

Head to the Karben4 taproom and say hi.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Karben4 Podcast regulars are joined by Joey and Ryan from Karben4 to talk about the packaging and cellaring side of the business.

Not confusing at all having two Ryans and two Joes on one episode!

Joey is the Lead Cellar at Karben4. We learn about his journey to starting at K4 three years ago, coming from a blood bank. After starting on the bottling line, he had a moment of panic that he made a big mistake! Joey's a drummer and guitar player too - his music just didn't pay the bills. Joe makes a bold statement that cellaring is more important than brewing - much to Joey's delight!

Ryan is the Packaging Lead at Karben4, working in computer software for 20+ years in the corporate world before switching careers and entering the beer world. Ryan was at Octopi before K4 and now is master of the job that may seem to be the most stressful much of the time - packaging the beer!

Head to the Karben4 taproom and say hi.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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The Karben4 guys are joined by Jeff Olson, founder of Awilden Distilling in Sun Prairie, WI. Jeff was the first production employee hired at K4 and has been there ever since.

Jeff has been in both the brewing world and distilling world, so we dive into his best and worst days as a brewer and also as a distiller!

Tune in to part 3 of 3 with Jeff Olson!

Head to the Karben4 taproom and Awildan tasting room to say hi.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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The Karben4 guys are joined by Jeff Olson, founder of Awilden Distilling in Sun Prairie, WI. Jeff was the first production employee hired at K4 and has been there ever since.

We hear about Jeff getting Awildan up and going and how he went from brewing beer to distilling spirits. You can almost feel the joy from Joe when discussing the stability of spirits shelf life.

There's a perception that distillers are slobs, but don't worry, Jeff works in brewing too. He's clean!

Jeff plays the bagpipes (but not jazz bagpipes) which probably is what makes his beers and whiskey taste so good.

Tune in to part 2 of 3 with Jeff Olson!

Head to the Karben4 taproom and Awildan tasting room to say hi.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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The Karben4 guys are joined by Jeff Olson, founder of Awilden Distilling in Sun Prairie, WI. Jeff was the first production employee hired at K4 and has been there ever since.

We get an intro to Jeff in this first episode with him and hear about his new tasting room and the whiskey he's making.

Head to the Karben4 taproom and Awildan tasting room to say hi.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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We wrap up this series ofThe Karben4 Podcast: An Unhinged Brewery Tour with Sam Green from Untitled Art / Octopi and Patrick Murphy from Five Cities (previously at Karben4) and chat about these guys' best and worst days at the brewery.

Head to the Karben4 and Untitled Art/Octopi taprooms to say hi and indulge in the brews they've got on tap. And when you're visiting, use Destination Madison's 'Madison on Tap' craft beverage trail app for perks and prizes!

Or if you're in Iowa, find Patrick at Five Cities.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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The moment you've all been waiting for! Part 2 of The Karben4 Podcast: An Unhinged Brewery Tour with Sam Green from Untitled Art / Octopi AND Patrick Murphy from Five Cities (previously at Karben4).

In this episode we talk non-alcoholic brewing processes, how Octopi got rolling and then went through three or four expansions, Isaac from Octopi is HUGE Star Wars fan, there are tanks imploding, pain in the ass canning lines, etc. etc. Contract brewing used to be such a dirty word and Octopi kind of rewrote that story.

Patrick's buddy recently called him a good brewer...he was jacked!!

We got sidetracked A LOT. Talked a lot of nonsense.

Have you seen the movie Primer? That's what this episode is.

Or if you're in Iowa, find Patrick at Five Cities.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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Grab a beer and prepare to laugh your ass off with this episode of The Karben4 Podcast: An Unhinged Brewery Tour. Ryan and Joe from Karben4 are joined by Sam Green with Untitled Art / Octopi AND Patrick Murphy - who is now at Five Cities Brewing in Iowa - is back at the mic!

Yes, there are a lot 'F bombs' - we apologize for Patrick.

Or if you're in Iowa, find Patrick at Five Cities.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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Ryan and Joe from Karben4 Brewing are joined by Kyle from Craft Beverage Warehouse - the masterminds behind digital can printing.

Kyle is an accountant, but we promise he isn't boring to listen to! Kyle tells us all about the process of printing can art. It's fascinating!

We also learn a lot about recyling cans and how so many of us are doing it wrong!

Head to the Karben4 taproom to say hi and indulge in the brews they've got on tap. And when you're visiting, use Destination Madison's 'Madison on Tap' craft beverage trail app for perks and prizes!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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Ryan and Joe from Karben4 Brewing are joined by Kyle from Craft Beverage Warehouse - the masterminds behind digital can printing.

Kyle is an accountant, but we promise he isn't boring to listen to! Kyle tells us all about the process of printing can art. It's fascinating!

We also learn a lot about recyling cans and how so many of us are doing it wrong!

Head to the Karben4 taproom to say hi and indulge in the brews they've got on tap. And when you're visiting, use Destination Madison's 'Madison on Tap' craft beverage trail app for perks and prizes!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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Ryan, Zak and Joe from Karben4 Brewing are joined by Kyle and Tom from Young Blood Beer Company.

Head to the taprooms of Karben4, and Young Blood Beer Company to say hi and indulge in the brews they've got on tap. And when you're visiting, use Destination Madison's 'Madison on Tap' craft beverage trail app for perks and prizes!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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Ryan, Zak and Joe from Karben4 Brewing are joined by Kyle and Tom from Young Blood Beer Company.

On today's episode, we get the Tom's backstory and how he came to opening up Plain Spoke Cocktail Company and then co-founding Young Blood Beer Company. Young Blood recently opened a second location in Madison in the Northstreet Collective so we get the insight into how that space differs from the downtown Madison location, not only in look and feel but how the beer sales are different. If you haven't checked out the new location, please do! It's very much a neighborhood gathering spot vibe.

Tom grew up in the greater Milwaukee area and eventually moved to New Mexico and attended law school. He has a law degree, but has never actively practiced law - so perhaps don't go to him for legal advice. Tom found his way back to Madison and fell in love with cocktail bartending. He helped setup the cocktail menu at Merchant in Madison.

We bring you the history of Ryan Koga's hairstyles and Kyle's candy preferences (he's also got a fear of being somewhere and needing floss). Ryan taught Tom to plumb, so you can imagine the innuendos in this conversation.

Kyle loves saisons and feels it's the most forgiving beer style from a creative freedom perspectice. But you'll never find Kyle making a peanut butter saison!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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Ryan, Zak and Joe from Karben4 Brewing are joined by Kyle and Tom from Young Blood Beer Company.

On today's episode, we get the story of Kyle - Head Brewer for Young Blood. We're very lucky that he's stuck around so long...he wasn't paid for the first couple months after the brewery opened! No worries...it was a mistake and corrected!

Kyle started in homebrewing with his dad and when he when he showed up for his first real brewery job interview, resume in hand along with a 6-pack of his homebrew and wearing dockers, dress shoes and a shirt and tie, the Brewmaster at Water Street questioned whether he was there for the brewer interview.

Ryan and Kyle have in common the fact that they both brewed in Montana. There's quite the tangent from Ryan on how you get a liqour license in Wisconsin versus Montana. Apparently Montana is awful! Wisconsin is easy in comparison. So all ya'll complaining about Wisconsin's process and just stop.

Kyle's journey took him to Siebel to study brewing and then on to actually brewing at Great Northern in Montana. There was one point Kyle needed a 'bum drum' or something...I don't know...a Zak recommendation.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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Ryan, Zak and Joe are joined once again by Clint from Working Draft Beer Company and Kirby from Wisconsin Brewing Company / Lake Louie.

What's coming up with these three breweries? What are they focusing on right now?

Hear about Kirby's playground at the ballpark in Oconomowoc, and Working Draft's hopes for a more expansive patio space.

Get the stories right here on when these brewers all knew they wanted to be a brewer. What's been their worst day in brewing, and their best day?

We wish Meena from K4 well as she has moved on from the taproom - a major loss for the team. Wishing her all the best!

Head to the taprooms of Karben4, Working Draft and Wisconsin Brewing Company/Lake Louie to say hi and indulge in the brews they've got on tap. And when you're visiting, use Destination Madison's 'Madison on Tap' craft beverage trail app for perks and prizes!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING WITH CRAFT BEER RIGHT NOW?!?!

We've got the right individuals around the table to talk about what's going on in the brewing industry. Ryan, Zak and Joe are joined by Clint from Working Draft Beer Company and Kirby from Wisconsin Brewing Company / Lake Louie.

How are guests drinking beer in the taprooms - sampling versus sticking to what they like and drinking that.

The world had a pandemic and now things feel all messed up. Seltzers and RTDs have become prevalent and there's a demand for them. Brewers continue to adapt to these demands, but what is here to stay?

Our favorite thing about craft beer is that it brings people together. It spurs conversation and helps make memories. We have a beer to celebrate our successes, and sometimes, yes, we drink beer to take our minds off something that's hurting us or challenging us.

Head to the taprooms of Karben4, Working Draft and Wisconsin Brewing Company/Lake Louie to say hi to the guys and indulge in the brews they've got on tap. And when you're visiting, use Destination Madison's 'Madison on Tap' craft beverage trail app for perks and prizes!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin. Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Bringing together the brilliant minds of Madison's brewing industry and beyond, Ryan Koga, Zak Koga and Joe Walts from Karben4 are joined in this episode by the legend - Kirby Nelson - of Wisconsin Brewing Company and Lake Louie and the best damn brewer of lagers - Clint Lohman - from Working Draft Beer Company.

In this episode, we get more of Clint's origin story and how he came to Working Draft Beer Company.

The guys pull back the curtain on how tastes have changed and how guests visiting the taprooms select the beer they're going to drink. You have a choice, and people are way more educated on their beer choices than they once were.

There's a disconnect between beer ratings like on Untapped versus what sales actually look like.

Brewers have had to adjust over the years with the rise of seltzers and RTDs and balancing new trends with sticking to what feeds their soul - brewing damn good beer.

Head to the taprooms at Karben4, Working Draft and Wisconsin Brewing Company/Lake Louie to say hi to the guys and indulge in the brews they've got on tap. And when you're visiting, use Destination Madison's 'Madison on Tap' craft beverage trail app for perks and prizes!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Bringing together the brilliant minds of Madison's brewing industry and beyond, Ryan Koga, Zach Koga and Joe Walts from Karben4 are joined in this episode by the legend - Kirby Nelson - of Wisconsin Brewing Company and Lake Louie and the best damn brewer of lagers - Clint Lohman - from Working Draft Beer Company.

In this episode, we get into the nitty gritty of Kirby and Clint's brewing industry origin stories and how they came to be where they are now.

We'll have the whole gang back next week for more!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Join Ryan, Zak and Joe, along with special guest, Chris Murphy - affectionately called "Murph" - back for Part 2. Chris is a man of many talents. In addition to his sculpting projects, many of his creations can be seen at the Madison Children's Museum.

Chris has thoughts on the best bands you've never heard of AND the best movie you've never heard of. What are his go-to beers you ask? Find out in this episode!

Chris runs Paleoelectronics and his artwork can be found at myowndevices.org.

Enjoy this episode, and we'll see you in the K4 taproom for some BOGO beers!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Join Ryan, Zak and Joe, along with special guest, Chris Murphy - affectionately called "Murph". Chris is a Master Electrician, artist, sculptor and world traveler and the stories he has about working with breweries all around the world is fascinating!

Chris and Ryan met in 2013 when Chris left his business card at the K4 taproom. Fast-forward to K4 having a temperature control issue and Chris got a call. 10 years later and the K4 guys still love working with Chris, saying he not only has an extraordinary electrician, he revels in things looking beautiful too (his artist side perhaps!).

This week was the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, TN, so we covered CBCs past and the memorable time that it is - Boston, San Fran, to name a couple past host destinations.

Have you ever heard of the 'Fire Festival' in the Shetland Islands? You have now!

Chris runs Paleoelectronics and his artwork can be found at myowndevices.org.

Enjoy this episode, and we'll see you in the K4 taproom!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Join Ryan, Zak and Joe to dive into what the beer industry might look like in the coming years. What trends are going to fade away and what is here to stay?

And just what makes Ale Asylum's Oktillion so tasty??

Hopalicious sales are keeping steady and Ambergeddon is next on the release schedule for Ale Asylum beers brewed by Karben4.

Joe goes on one of his famous tangents, this time about session beers.

And fun fact. Zak grew up with David Andrew Wallach from the band Chester French who collaborated with Pharell Williams, Kanye West and more, signed under Star Trak Entertainment and made an appearance in the movie La La Land.

We may bounce around a bit in this episode but we think you'll enjoy it!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

You've heard co-founder Zak Koga's voice pop into a few episodes, but on this week's episode we get into Zak's story and how he came into the brewing industry with starting up K4.

Zak was a civil engineer pre-Karben4, managing a multi-million dollar project in Milwaukee. He was also looking at food truck and ice ball endeavors. Quarter-life crisis anyone??

Zak played college baseball for the Iowa Hawkeyes before moving to Madison.

Check out this origin story of Karben4 Brewing through the eyes of co-founder, Zak Koga.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Quality over quantity has been a part of Ryan and Zak's mission at Karben4 since the beginning, and that still rings true.

Dean Coffey, co-founder of the former Ale Asylum in Madison, joins us again to talk the importance of quality beer being most important to a craft brewery.

And if you think Ale Asylum's beer changed when the moved out of the current K4 facility into their new facility, tune in for Joe's rant on how it got better!

Grab a Fantasy Factory, a Hopalicious, or another K4 favorite of yours and join us on this episode of The Karben4 Podcast: An Unhinged Brewery Tour!

And if you're the one listener that read The Silmarillion, let us know!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Ale Asylum's Hopalicious is back and being brewed at Karben4! Dean Coffey, co-founder of the former Ale Asylum in Madison, joins us again to dive deeper into Hopalicious and how this top selling beer has remained the same or changed over time.

Joe is ecstatic to have Hopalicious back and be a part of ensuring it lives on...and, oh boy, Cascadian Light Ale comes up again!

Ryan and Zak discuss taking care of their draft beer accounts, and being the curators of Hopalicious and Ale Asylum's beer brands - they're not here to reinvent these beers or "fix them" - it's already great!

Grab a Hopalicious and join us on this episode of The Karben4 Podcast: An Unhinged Brewery Tour!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers to the return of Hopalicious!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Hopalicious is back baby! The guys at Karben4 are working with Dean Coffey and Otto Dilba, co-founders of the former Ale Asylum in Madison, WI, to make this Ale Asylum staple (and others to come!). Check out PART 2 of this hilarious conversation!

K4 has acquired these brands, and the current Karben4 location in Madison was Ale Asylum's original space - so these brands are truly home!

Dean joins us for this episode - and so does Karben4 co-founder, Zach Koga - and along with Joe and Ryan we discover the first beers brewed by Ale Asylum and hear the full lineage of their original packaging line which came from Lagunitas.

The struggle is real as Ryan talks about the need for a magician welder from Cottage Grove and Dean recalls the move to the new Ale Asylum location where everything seemed to go wrong initially.

That didn't stop the Ale Asylum guys though from being widely successful with their Hopalicious brand and others in their portfolio as they grew significanly for many years before their unfortunate closure.

We may have hit a new threshhold here on the amount of beer drank - the Hopalicious was just tasting so damn good!

If you're a J.R.R. Tolkien fan, you'll get a taste of a chat about The Silmarillion. Harry Potter also gets an honorable mention!

Tune in...you won't be disappointed. And hopefully - like us - you'll be laughing your ass off!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers to beer bringing people together!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Hopalicious is back baby! The guys at Karben4 are working with Dean Coffey and Otto Dilba, co-founders of the former Ale Asylum in Madison, WI, to make this Ale Asylum staple (and others to come!).

K4 has acquired these brands, and the current Karben4 location in Madison was Ale Asylum's original space - so these brands are truly home!

Dean joins us for this episode and we get his brewing industry origin stories from out in Colorado to the Angelic Brewing Company in Madison, and he shares some insider knowledge on the beginning days of Ale Asylum.

Dean and Joe share stories of their days working together at both the original Ale Asylum and moving into the new building.

We were just having so much fun in this episode that we had to split it into two parts! Tune in next Thursday for part 2! We didnt drink too much Hopalicious while recording this...

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery talk about the hop selection process out in Yakima Valley (the food is reason to go to hop selection on its own!).

Breweries pick times throughout the year to go select hops based on what variety they're looking for. There's a lot of touching, feeling, smelling which can provide sensory overload - or seasonal allergies.

The guys are really excited about their citra and galena hops this year, which should make Fantasy Factory even more tasty!

The gang is drinking a Cascadian Dark Ale during this episode - which is a mouthful and not a name they use regularly to talk about the beer.

What happens when a man wanders into the taproom with a bunch of hops he grew - the K4 guys check them out and use them in their beer!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery talking about how the brewing industry is a collaborative one. When one of them needs equipment or ingredients, they help each other out. Joe recently had to borrow a one-barrel tank from Working Draft Beer Company in Madison, WI.

Brewing is a live a process. Brewers make wort and yeast makes a beer. There are so many things that can go wrong or right and brewers have to be flexible and adjust based on many environmental challenges. Sometimes that leads to brewers discovering better or more effective ways of doing things.

Karben4 is rolling on their new-to-them canning line! The Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire, WI has the same canning line and helped train the K4 team!

A new batch of Disaster Artist is brewing! Karben4 is submitting this beer to the World Beer Cup competition at the Craft Brewers Conference in May. Here's to hoping it's award-winning!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery have an exciting 10th episode! We catch up with Patrick Murphy who left K4 to go to Five Cities Brewing in Iowa and receive another visit from Chris Riphenburg, brewmaster at Topsy Turvy Brewery in Lake Geneva, WI. Chris was the OG head brewer at the former Ale Asylum (RIP).

Taprooms are a place for community, catching up with old friends and making new ones. They're the crossroads for unexpected conversations and meeting people you never thought you would. Ryan talks about meeting Eric Bischoff and his wife and the owner of Magic Hat Brewing.

Ryan provides some SPOILERS on The Martian novel by Andy Weir and adapted screenplay The Martian starring Matt Damon.

The last book Joe read was Goldmine, and since Joe's undergrad was in aerospace engineering, Ryan asks for his take on the balloons and spy vehicles currently being shot down over U.S. airspace. Fact - the balloon over Lake Huron was shot down by a fighter pilot out of Truax Air Force Base in Madison, WI.

Joe and Patrick Murphy talk about going to Chicken Licks and to watch Cocaine Bear.

Oh, and Chris broke the winshield wiper on Karben4's van and only replaced the one...

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery are joined by Chris Riphenburg, brewmaster at Topsy Turvy Brewery in Lake Geneva, WI. Chris was the OG head brewer at the former Ale Asylum (RIP).

Joe and Chris worked together at Ale Asylum and reminisce about the original location which is where Karben4 is now, as well as the transition to the new location.

Chris calls Joe a 'savant' as he nerds out on water profiles and his fancy shmancy spreadsheet.

Ryan learns the true origins of some of the brewing equipment in the Karben4 brewhouse.

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery talk about the best ways to buy your beer. How is the beer you're buying different stored in a cooler or stored on warm shelves?

What happens if you buy your beer cold, store it warm, and put it in the fridge to get it cold again?

What is the ideal shelf life for our beer?

Bottles vs. cans.

We got Joe started...

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery talk about where they're headed now that they've hit year 10. While getting 'back to basics' with some of their most popular beers making a return, contract brewing is also a big part of K4's story and strategy.

How does the consumer feel about contract brewing? Do they care?

How does Karben4 keep their artistic voice while contract brewing?

Joe goes on a couple tangents to teach Ryan and Jonathan a thing or two about 'hop creep' and 'dextrins in beer' - Joe likes his beer dry afterall!

Send questions or topic ideas (or just tell us how much you love the pod) to: info@karben4.com.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on all the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery dive into K4's internal business strategies.

How does K4’s business strategy connect and relate to the wider industry strategy as it exists right now?

How does contract brewing play into strategy?

What are K4’s measurements of success?

K4 has food again, along with exclusive taproom offerings (hint hint Secret Tap!). So give us a visit in Madison near the airport.

Keep Karben4 Brewery's 10th Anniversary on your radar for January 21, 2023.
Find the event details here for Karben4's 10th Anniversary Party!

Follow Karben4 Brewing on the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery ask listeners and consumers to support local. Support the businesses that you want to stick around and survive, because COVID made that difficult for a lot of people.

Seek out quality as well as the novelty experiences, and support what you like - whether that's Karben4 or not - but we take quality very seriously, and hope that you notice!

K4 has food again, along with exclusive taproom offerings (hint hint Secret Tap!). So give us a visit in Madison near the airport.

And if you haven't had Disaster Artist yet, stop by and pick up some cans! The cans are steller and the beer inside is just as much of a work of art.

Keep Karben4 Brewery's 10th Anniversary on your radar for January 2023.
Find the event details here for Karben4's 10th Anniversary Party!

Follow Karben4 Brewing on the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery celebrate 10 years of Karben4 and recap what got them to where they are today.

(And Patrick has some news to share...)

December 28, 2022 marked the 10-year Anniversary of Karben4's soft open, while January 19, 2023 marks 10 years since Karben4's grand opening!

Keep Karben4 Brewery's 10th Anniversary on your radar for January 2023.
Find the event details here for Karben4's 10th Anniversary Party!

Follow Karben4 Brewing on the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery talk about what's new and coming up at K4.

Don't even get Joe started on warm shelves or Oktoberfest beers coming out too soon!

Keep Karben4 Brewery's 10th Anniversary on your radar for January 2023.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

The guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more at Karben4 Brewery talk current brewing trends, and how they're addressing those trends with their beer. There's a balance between bending to the beer drinking trends and saying "screw it, we're going to do our own thing."

Is it a porter or a stout or a porter stout? We may never know.

Join Karben4 for their "Threat Level Midnight" Party on December 2, and look forward to their 10th Anniversary in January 2023.

Follow Karben4 Brewing on the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

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Passion. Hard work. Gun toting cats atop flame nostriled unicorns. This is Karben4 Brewing in Madison, Wisconsin.

Get to know the guys behind the popular beer - Fantasy Factory - and more!

Where did these beer geeks come from? What are they brewing up at Karben4 Brewing right now? Learn how Karben4 is planning to celebrate their 10th anniversary! And more!

Follow Karben4 Brewing on the socials:

Facebook: facebook.com/Karben4
Instagram: instagram.com/karben4brewing/
Twitter: twitter.com/Karben4

Cheers!

The Karben4 Podcast: An Unhinged Brewery Tour: Recent Episodes

Ryan Koga, Karben4 Brewing, Patrick Murphy, Joe Walts, Jonathan Eckelberg