There are brewers who arrive with a résumé, and then there are brewers who arrive with a landscape. Kulshan Brewing Head Brewer Wes Finger brings the latter — a stretch of Bellingham terrain shaping how he brews and how he thinks. In this episode of the Grit & Grain Podcast, Wes traces his roots to the Nooksack River Valley and a life built around weather, water, and patience. That ethos shows up clearly in his love for Helles lager — a style that demands precision, restraint, and a willingness to let the process speak without shouting.

Kulshan reflects that same grounded approach — community-first, quietly confident, and growing without losing its center, from its early days to the open, trail-connected energy of Trackside. The conversation also touches on today’s realities, including distribution shifts and the move from NW Beverages/Odom to Columbia, all handled with steady pragmatism. At its core, this is a conversation about beer as a reflection of place — honest, patient, and built to last.

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and favorite Traps. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.=

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 185: Trails, Tanks, and the Long Game — Wes Finger of Kulshan Brewing appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

This week, we are joined by Stoup Brewing co-founder, board president of the Washington Brewers Guild, and all-around industry powerhouse, Robyn Schumacher!

After spending her early career teaching high school biology for over a decade, Schumacher made the jump into the beer world and has been running at full speed ever since — being one of the earliest recipients of the Cicerone Certification in Washington, a regular in the famous Drunk Herstory lineup, and now using her platform and leadership in the Brewer’s Guild to establish a tighter knit Washington brewer community.

Tune in to learn all about her Spokane roots, her early beer influences, and her vision for the future of the craft beer industry in Washington.

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments and opinions. You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 184: The Unstoppable Grit of Robyn Schumacher appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.

The Grit and Grain team was lucky enough to be invited to the famous yearly celebration of Double Mountain’s legendary inception, so we packed up the cars and took a field trip to beautiful Hood River.

Nestled in the Brewer’s Lounge couches, the entire Double Mountain team sat with us for a glorious hour of brewery history, shenanigans, and fond memories of the early days of Hood River craft beer. From award-winning beer to award-winning cider, airplanes, early influences, and future plans, we get the full scoop on the brewery that has spent nearly two decades helping to shape Hood River’s incredibly tight craft beer scene.

Do not miss this one!

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Alright, Grit & Grainers! Please email us at cheers@gritandgrainpodcast.com with your comments, opinions, and favorite Double Mountain pizza.

You can subscribe to GGP on YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, and iHeartRadio, and please leave us a review. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If this podcast is not what you expected, please alter your expectations. No such thing as a bad time to visit Tacoma. No such thing as too much barleywine. Tune in next Friday for more sweet chatter. Cheers!

The post Episode 182: Double Mountain’s 19th Anniversary Party appeared first on Grit & Grain Podcast.