Category: Behind the Booze – Interviews

The Boozy Blondes love their boozy friends! These episodes are interviews of brewery owners, brewers, sales and marketing professionals, booze lovers and boozy entrepreneurs!

Behind the Booze - Interviews, Season 2

Episode 031 | Behind the Booze – Disco Witch Brewing Interview with Shelly Denis

The Boozy Blondes

Back in 2021 before the Boozy Blondes released their first podcast episode, they met Shelly and Jeff Denis during a St. Augustine Pub Pedal (listen to Episode 003 – Pub Pedal: St. Augustine Craft Breweries: Bog, Dog Rose, Ancient City and Old Coast Ales; the girls met Shelly during the “research” part of creating this episode). Shelly mentioned she and Jeff were opening a brewery in Yulee, Florida, in 2022. This was going to be the place where funky beer and funky beats collide – two things the girls are seriously passionate about – music and craft beer. The blondes (including Shelly, she’s blonde too!) exchanged information, and finally, about 7 months after it opened, Chrissy and Molly finally reunited with Shelly at Disco Witch Brewing.

There is so much going on at Disco Witch Brewing, it’s difficult to determine where to start. So, let’s start with the DOE. The girls split a flight (side note, the flight “paddles” are shaped as vinyl records! Totally appropriate given the obvious music theme at the brewery) that included Night Fever Porter (4.45% porter), Strawberry Fields Forever (6% wheat ale finished with strawberries and hibiscus blossoms), Strange Magic (Oktoberfest Marzen complete with a cinnamon and sugar rim), Earth Wind & Pretzels (6.7% blonde ale) and Breakfast in America (5% blonde ale finished with maple, bacon and brown sugar). Shelly was enjoying a pint of You Sexy Thing (4.7% milk stout brewed with marshmallow and chocolate). Does anyone else just love these names???

Guys. These beers are incredible – and Shelly releases new flavors and concoctions all the time – a few each month! She has no former experience in the craft beer world – she started this all herself, brewing on her pool deck when she moved to Florida in early 2020…and by early 2020, we mean six days before the Covid lockdown. So during the pandemic, she gave away about 2500 bottles of her home brew. And with raving reviews, she thought, I’m going to open a brewery.

Disco Witch Brewing is a 3650 sq. ft space just west of the intercostal in Yulee, Florida. Now at the time of this episode’s release, Disco Witch has officially opened its Broom Closet – an additional 1400 sp. ft of space with its own bar and 8 taps. We should mention the original space has 16 taps – all Disco Witch beer. They also serve seltzers and wine, NA beer, kombucha and CBD seltzers – something for everyone. So all together Disco Witch Brewing offers 2 bars, 5 restrooms and 24 taps.

Besides great beer, at Disco Witch you can find great events! Listen to this episode to learn about some the amazing events you can find – from karaoke to lip sync nights and drag bingo to comedy shows. There are Name That Tune nights and every Sunday, you can reserve your spot for Champagne and Charcuterie. Did we mention you can host private events in the Broom Closet? You can even rename one of Disco Witch beers for the night to correspond with your event theme! Be sure to follow Disco Witch on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with all the fun!

There is also the exclusive Beer Coven membership. Good luck getting in! This Coven takes traditional mug club memberships to the next level, and the girls are super jealous of all its members. Listen to this episode or ask about membership when you visit Disco Witch Brewing for more details.

Shelly is one of three female craft brewers in the area and a member of the Pink Boots Society. She is extremely passionate about giving back, and you can hear about the great causes she supports in this episode.

Shelly is truly an inspiration, and the girls are blown away by her ambition, generosity, humility and strength. Cheers!

Behind the Booze - Interviews, Season 2

Episode 029 | Behind the Booze – Interview with FloridaHopMama!

The Boozy Blondes

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Boozy Blondes Molly Berry, @FloridaHopMama Ashley and Boozy Blondes Christina Benjamin cheersing beers at Celery City Craft Beer Garden in Sanford, Florida.

The Boozy Blondes are on location at Celery City Craft Beer Garden in Sanford, Florida, with @FloridaHopMama (Ashley)! Chrissy found Ashley’s account on Instagram and immediately shared it with Molly. Ashley’s caliber of photography, fabulous style, hilarious reels and her impeccable taste in beers and bars drew the girls in, and Ashley quickly became one of their Boozy idols. 

There are a few DOEs today – the blondes are drinking the Irish Coffee Cold Brew-Hoo (Irish whisky, espresso vodka and Yoo-hoo) along with a flight and Ashley is sipping Dream Lock, a hazy IPA.

Ashley shares how she got into the craft beer scene and developed her brand around her love of sharing all the amazing beers she finds. She worked for a local distributor as a promoter and started drinking Kona Big Wave which was her gateway to the craft beer world. She loved the taste and wondered what other beers were out there. She started blogging and created her @FloridaHopMama Instagram account about five years ago. Her business has expanded to freelance social media, photography and content for local businesses.

She tells the girls all about Beer Spa in Orlando – a hopeful Boozy destination for 2023. (Spoiler alert, there is another interview releasing in Season 2 with more Boozy idols – the guys from Pour Another Round podcast – who also partake in a beer spa – Piva Beer Spa in Chicago, IL – and the FOMO is getting real for the blondes!)

Born and raised in central Florida, @FloridaHopMama has so much love for the state, especially the craft beer scene that has grown immensely just in the past five years. “We have good stuff!” she says. “Please come visit!” Make sure to follow her on Instagram to keep up with central Florida events too!

Her future plans include a podcast with @maltymaiden, so look for The Real Beer Moms Podcast coming to everywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts sometime soon! Her advice to anyone thinking about starting a blog or podcast or Instagram account or ANYTHING you’re passionate about is to just go for it! Regardless your passion, we all start somewhere and you have no idea where it can take you. Just do it!

Behind the Booze - Interviews, Season 1

Episode 022 | Behind the Booze – Hyperion Brewing Interview with Aprill Lundgren

The Boozy Blondes

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Eavesdrop on the Boozy Blondes in Hyperion Brewing’s adorable beer garden as they dish with Hyperion’s Director of Marketing, Aprill Lundgren! Hyperion is a family-owned nano-brewery in the Springfield neighborhood of Jacksonville serving fantastic-tasting beers with bold flavors! Hyperion was the first stop on the girls’ Jax Ale Trail Volume 2 tour (episode 021).

The DOE is Water My Lawn, a 4% sour with lip-puckering watermelon flavor. (While the Boozy Blondes enjoyed this beer, Aprill sipped on Porchfest Gold, an easy-drinking 5% golden ale.)

Hyperion Brewing opened its doors in 2017. Aprill’s home-brewing friend wanted to take things to the next level. After looking for investors, they pitched the idea to Aprill’s parents, with the intention of her parents cluing them in to the holes in their presentation. To their surprise, Aprill’s parents loved the pitch so much, they wanted to invest and be a part of the operation!

Hyperion got its name through the inspiration of a special beer. Aprill once drank a beer called Kronos which made quite the impact on her. Kronos is part of the Titan Series in the Hyperion Universe which is how the name came to be. From here the team adopted a celestial vibe in the brewery and beer names, such as Selene Citrine (5.4% blonde ale with blood orange) and Phoebe’s PB (6.5% porter with a rich peanut butter flavor).  

There are 15 rotating taps at Hyperion and in addition to Water my Lawn, the girls split a flight with Neopolitan Dreams (5.4% porter), Phoebe’s PB and Selene Citrine. They really, really enjoy the beers here. Hyperion invested in a reverse osmosis water filtration system, which strips the Jacksonville water they use of hard elements and controls the exact water profile of each beer they brew. The girls believe this 100% makes a difference in quality and taste and attributes to why Hyperion’s beers really stand out and are so delicious!

The brewery also includes a taproom, Chef’s Corner kitchen (hello, Sunday brunch!) and beer garden perfect for hosting events such as showers, fundraisers and even weddings! Hyperion offers fun events like trivia, drag bingo, storytelling, yoga and has a run club (note, there are few things the Boozy Blondes would willingly run for – 1. a good sale or 2. if they are being chased and running for their lives or 3. for beer #willrunforbeer). Follow Hyperion on Facebook and Instagram to keep up weekly events.

Another amazing and unique aspect of Hyperion (there are so many!) is the Helios Brewer’s Experience. If you want to get your hands dirty and be a brewer for a day, take advantage of this opportunity! As head brewer you partner with Hyperion’s Brew Master to bring your boozy vision to life. Choose what type of beer to brew and what flavor profiles you want it to have. It’s hands-on learning from scooping grains, weighing out hops and doing quality control checks (yes, it’s a full day of work!). Your beer will be featured in the tap room too! (Above it is mentioned Hyperion hosts weddings – what is more special than serving your guests your own craft beer?!)

The Boozy Blondes loved their time with Aprill, and they absolutely love Hyperion Brewing. They definitely want to book a day as boozy brewers with the Helios Brewer’s Experience and have already started daydreaming about the perfect boozy blonde beer!

Behind the Booze - Interviews, Season 1

Episode 019 | Behind the Booze, Rip Ty’d Brewing Interview with Christine Albury

The Boozy Blondes

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Grab a tropical drink and soak up those vacay vibes as the Boozy Blondes share their interview with Christine Albury, owner of Rip Ty’d Brewing in Nassau, Bahamas! During a port day in Nassau on a recent weekend cruise, the girls set out to find this adorable brewery they had noticed online before their trip. A bit off the beaten path, it’s a quick 15 minute walk east on Bay Street and south one block on Armstrong Street. Basically, when you get off the ship, take a left on Bay Street away from the Straw Market and Senior Frogs.

(Quick disclaimer – the girls’ shirts were hand-selected by the Boozy Bros in the first tourist shop they found on Bay Street. Each person chose a touristy tee for someone else to wear.)

The DOE is the Tipsy Mermaid. So cute! It’s Rip Ty’d’s watermelon pilsner, vodka, cranberry juice, club soda and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Rip Ty’d Brewing opened about 3 years ago. Christine’s late husband Tyrone had brewed beer about 25 years ago, and one day she and her business partner decided to learn how to brew the old recipe (currently on tap at Rip Ty’d, called Fools Gold, a 4% EPA). After mastering the recipe, they began to test the product in the market and had a very positive response. Soon later, Rip Ty’d Brewing was born.

The Rip Ty’d building is home to the brewery, tap room and beer garden. The tap room is designed with Nassau’s rich history and culture in mind. The centerpiece is the bar. It is an old sloop that had coincidentally been caught up in rip tide. The taps are hand-carved mermaids and mermaid tails. Old family postcards of Nassau’s landscape and original trades like straw work and sponging have been transformed to art pieces, allowing guests a look at how the island has changed over the years. When inside Rip Ty’d, you truly feel a heartbeat; you feel part of the Rip Ty’d family, and you feel part of the rich Nassau culture.

Rip Ty’d offers four to seven beers on tap depending on the season and also offers craft cocktails, serving whisky, vodka and tequila. (The girls each took delicious margaritas to go for their walking drinks back to the ship!) During their visit, four beers were on tap, so the girls tried them all! Fools Gold, Loose Goat Porter (7%), Island Hopper IPA (6.5%) and Farmer’s Daughter Pilsner (6%).

The beer garden is home to fun events and food truck nights! Be sure to follow Rip Ty’d on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the happenings – there could be a fun event during your visit to Nassau!

Listen to Christine’s interview to hear about what it takes to run a successful brewery, challenges to brewing on an island and her expansion plans for Rip Ty’d. Make sure to visit Rip Ty’d Brewing next time you’re in the Bahamas and share your pictures with the Boozy Blondes! It’s truly an authentic place to visit in Nassau with a Bahamian made product. There are very few places like Rip Ty’d, so be sure to wander over and enjoy the craft beer and craft cocktails tucked away on a nostalgic street in Nassau.

(For more Rip Ty’d fun, listen to Episode 043 | Booze Cruise Vol. 2 when the girls go back to the Bahamas and visit Christine!)

Behind the Booze - Interviews, Season 1

Episode 014 | Behind the Booze – Coppertail Brewing Interview with Rich Glatt and Zeus Cordeiro

The Boozy Blondes

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Take a trip with the Boozy Blondes to the historic side of Tampa, Ybor City, as they tour Coppertail Brewing Company with Richard Glatt and Zeus Cordero. Coppertail has been serving its delicious beer since 2014. Its name came from owner’s daughter who made up a story about a giant fish monster that lives in Tampa Bay. They thought that was the perfect name and even created a backstory for the Coppertail.

Oddly enough the DOE is not from Coppertail. The girls drank their crowlers before recording this episode, so they cracked cans of one of their favorite winter beers, Last Snow by Funky Buddha. Last Snow is a 6.4% coconut and coffee porter; Molly claims this beer tastes just like a blended up Samoa Girl Scouts cookie.

The Wolfpack traveled to Tampa for Rainer’s birthday weekend. First stop Coppertail, followed by Busch Gardens Bier Fest, rounding out the weekend with a visit to Keel & Curley Farms. (The Boozy Blondes have episodes covering all of these adventures – Busch Gardens Bier Fest releases May 19, 2022.)

Coppertail Brewing Company is the #1 independent craft brewing company in the state of Florida. Fun fact – the building was a former Hellman’s Mayonnaise factory! It is two stories with 20 beers on tap, wine, delicious food and event space. The brewing operation and offices are on site along with a testing lab and canning operation. Another fun fact – Coppertail is the first brewery in the US to use volumetric filling on its canning line. This ensures all cans are filled EXACTLY the same.

The girls each got their own flights including Rum Honey Grapefruit Florida Weiss (4% Florida Weiss), Sunken Grove Sour (4.3% fruited gose), Day Swim (6.1% coffee porter), The Return of the Carolina Scorpion (12% Imperial Double Stout), Rum Passion Fruit Lime Sour (4% Florida Weiss) and Mexican Guava Frank (3.5% Florida Weiss).

After the flights Rich and Zeus toured the girls through the entire facility. It’s huge. Listen to the interview and tour with Rich and Zeus and learn about the brewing process and the story why  Coppertail Brewing is so successful. Have you tried home Brewing? Rich and Phil swap home brew fail stories at about 33 minutes in. Maybe you can relate, but hopefully not!

Coppertail believes it is extremely important to give back to the community that supports it. You can find causes it supports on its website and even suggest your own! You can give back too – to a friend. Coppertail has a “beer it forward” program so you can buy someone a beer for his or her next visit! Make sure you are following us on Instagram and re-share our Coppertail episode post for a chance to win a Coppertail beer from the blondes (if you’re going to be visiting Coppertail in the future, of course).*

As always use social media to keep up with current Coppertail happenings – Facebook and Instagram.

*US only. Instagram and Coppertail are in no way affiliated with or responsible for this giveaway.

Behind the Booze - Interviews, Season 1

Episode 012 | Behind the Booze – The Fermentorium Interview with Maggie Skinner

The Boozy Blondes

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The Boozy Blondes leave their sunshine state and head north to the land of beer and cheese – Wisconsin! Since cheese and beer are two of the girls’ most favorite things, it’s no wonder they felt such a great connection to The Fermentorium, a craft brewery and tasting room with two locations; one in Cedarburg, Wisconsin and one in Wauwautosa, Wisconsin.

The blondes chat with Maggie Skinner, Director of Sales & Marketing for The Fermentorium, over a few glasses of the DOE – Crispy and the Bois, a light 4.8% American Lager from Tank 8 (more about Tank 8 later).

The Fermentorium opened its doors in 2016 in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. An old warehouse was converted to a 20-barrel brew house with 7 fermenters and a canning line. This location also hosts event space and a taproom – with a mug club – that the girls desperately want to join!

Three years later, the Barrel House opened in Wauwautosa. This is strictly a taproom with its own mug club and kitchen serving Wisco classics, including some Boozy Blondes faves (mac & cheese bites, tot-chos, giant pretzels and hot dogs – and pizza from Cranky Al’s)!

So the DOE, Crispy and the Bois, was the first Tank 8 beer. Tank 8 started kind of as a joke and rolled into its own brand part of The Fermentorium. The team had a smaller tank for splitting beers and brewing smaller batches. The barrel was literally labeled Tank 8 and creative/weird beers were brewed for fun. And under the Tank 8 portfolio is the best beer the girls ever tasted – VAPE LIFE. After her first sip, Chrissy said, “this is the best beer I ever had.” This is weird because it’s an IPA – and you know the girls tend to stay away from those. But it tastes EXACTLY like cotton candy – which the girls just love.

Maggie is also the president of the national chapter of Girls Pint Out. There are over 100 chapters across the US for girls who want to learn about beer and make new friends (guys are welcome too, of course). Look for a chapter near you on its website. And make sure to say hi to Maggie when you visit either of The Fermentorium locations and tell her the Boozy Blondes sent you!

Cheers!

Behind the Booze - Interviews, Season 1

Episode 004 | Behind the Booze – Forgotten Tonic Interview with John Moore

The Boozy Blondes

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Wander off the beaten path and join the Boozy Blondes as they interview John Moore, the owner of Forgotten Tonic in St. Augustine, Florida.

Forgotten Tonic in St. Augustine, Florida

The DOE is a Chai Espresso Martini featured on Half Baked Harvest (vodka, kaluha, espresso, coconut milk, chai-honey syrup). The girls chose this drink in honor of all the tasty craft cocktails the team at Forgotten Tonic serves up.

Forgotten Tonic is a great locals bar and hidden gem for tourists on historic Aviles (pronounced Av-ah-lees) Street. John was in the process of rebranding this location when the pandemic hit, so when restrictions were lifted in June 2020, Forgotten Tonic celebrated its re-opening and has been a favorite for the blondes.

Chrissy meets John for donuts (and Boozy coffee) to learn more about John and his bar. Surprisingly, he wasn’t always in the food industry. He went to college for Electrical Engineering and when he started working after graduation, he soon realized he did not have a passion for it.

He went to work at PF Chang’s and loved it! He started as a busboy, moved to bartender, then national trainer and he opened new locations, and then went into management. After PF Chang’s John went to work with a former coworker who opened his own bbq restaurant in Jacksonville. Here he learned all about whisky and helped open more restaurants around Jacksonville. Soon after, he decided he wanted to open his own bar and restaurant and found the location on Aviles Street.

Before Forgotten Tonic was the trendy bar and restaurant featuring “modern twists on comfort food, an extensive wine list and craft cocktails,” it was a bicycle shop, sailboat sail material shop, art gallery, a few other restaurants and one of the first public schools in the country!

Miracle Christmas-themed Pop Up Bar Party

John talks about the reality of owning a bar. What the guests see is 1% of reality. In the interview, hear some of the other 99% of what happens and things John wished he knew before opening.

Forgotten Tonic was chosen as a Miracle Christmas-themed pop up bar again (2020 first year). This is a huge honor as only about 100 bars around the world are chosen (105-110 in 2020). Forgotten Tonic was referred by Annie of Death or Glory in Delray Beach. The Miracle bar is like National Lampoons house threw up inside Forgotten Tonic – so many fun decorations, themed drinks and glassware. All Miracle Pop Up bars donate a percentage of retail purchases to a specific charity, this year the James Beard Foundation, Open For Good Campaign. Forgotten Tonic donates 10% of Miracle retail sales to this cause.

Boozy Blondes with Their “Nice” Shots

The Wolfpack went before Christmas and got two SanTaRex drinks (blanco tequila, mezcal, melon liqueur, almond orgeat, lime, tiki bitters), Yippee Ki Yay Motherf****r (Barbados rum, rhum agricole, overproof rum, ube & coconut orgeat, acid-adjusted pineapple juice) and Elfin’ Around (prosecco, gin, mulled wine reduction, grapefruit shrub, aromatic bitters, orange bitters). Plus Nice shots. 🎅

You still have time to check it out this year! The Miracle bar is open November 20, 2021 – January 31, 2022. Please share your pictures with us if you go! Keep up with Forgotten Tonic through its Facebook and Instagram accounts. Reservations are accepted and recommended by booking through its website or calling directly.