Why This Beer?

Why This Beer? Join hosts Darren Binnema and Azlan Graves on "Why This Beer?" as they dive into the world of craft brewing.

Each episode features engaging interviews with fellow brewers, uncovering the unique ingredients and processes behind their favorite beers.

05/25/2026

Nancy can teach process. She can teach troubleshooting. She can teach how to keep yeast happy.

But passion? That’s harder.

In the episode she points to legends like Ian Hill — “the Particularist.” Of The kind of brewer who notices the tiny details, asks one more question, and isn’t quite ready to call it finished yet 🍺🔍

The skills can be taught.

The particularist mindset? You bring that yourself.

05/23/2026

Nancy’s recipe for better beer? 🍺

Clean brewery 🧼 and Happy yeast 🔬 🧫 🌡️

Simple advice, decades of experience behind it.

Take care of the yeast, trust the process, and let the fundamentals do the work.

05/22/2026

Never scared to offend!

Nancy isn’t using Budweiser as a criticism — she’s using it as a lesson.

Love it or not, you know exactly what you’re getting every time.

Clear identity. Consistency. Repetition.

A true Nancy moment: firm, thoughtful, and always pushing us to think deeper.

05/21/2026

Nancy teaches brewing a little like detective work 🔎🍺

Something changed in fermentation? Follow the clues. Flavour shifted? Find the evidence. Beer not landing where you expected? Time to investigate.

Because brewing isn’t just recipes and numbers — it’s problem solving.

After decades in the industry and years teaching
, one of Nancy’s biggest lessons is simple:

Be curious. Ask questions. Solve the mystery.

Nancy’s rule of brewing: everything is a compromise.But if there’s one thing Nancy never compromised on, it was the idea...
05/18/2026

Nancy’s rule of brewing: everything is a compromise.

But if there’s one thing Nancy never compromised on, it was the idea of continuing to improve.

After 40 years in brewing, she still carried the mindset of don’t settle. Keep learning. Keep refining. Keep asking if the beer — and the brewer — can be better.

Maybe that’s the real lesson here:

Brewing is full of compromises… settling isn’t one of them.

Episode 39 with Nancy More is out now.

04/29/2026

Some things in beer you plan for — others just fall into place.

For Dave (aka )and , it was the latter. A natural fit that came together through shared values, timing, and the right people crossing paths.

No big blueprint…yet — just showing up, connecting, and letting it build from there.

Sometimes the best breweries aren’t forced… they’re found.

“Find the best people…”In Episode 35, talks about building more than great lagers — he talks about building great teams...
02/12/2026

“Find the best people…”

In Episode 35, talks about building more than great lagers — he talks about building great teams.

Since stepping into the Head Brewer role Ben’s approach has been rooted in balance — in the glass and in life. From Berlin beginnings at .berlin to shaping one of Vancouver’s most consistent lager programs, his philosophy is simple: surround yourself with good people and let the process speak.

When you hear him talk about brewing, it’s not ego — it’s gratitude.

🎧 Balanced Lagers & a Balanced Life — Episode 35 is out now.





This week on Why This Beer?, we’re joined by Ben Owens ( )of — a brewer whose steady, thoughtful approach has helped sh...
02/06/2026

This week on Why This Beer?, we’re joined by Ben Owens ( )of — a brewer whose steady, thoughtful approach has helped shape one of Vancouver’s most respected lager programs.

Since stepping into the role of Head Brewer, Ben has overseen a clear uptick in 33 Acres’ lager lineup — beers that lean on precision, restraint, and drinkability, while still leaving room for subtle creativity. The lemongrass lager is a great example: clean, expressive, and perfectly suited for sunny Vancouver days.

Ben’s brewing journey began .berlin , and that early exposure to classic lager culture continues to inform his work today — not through imitation, but through intention and balance.

In Episode 35, we talk lagers, process, and what it means to build beers that feel effortless, yet are anything but.

🎧 Balanced Lagers, A Balanced Life — out now.


☀️ Beautiful weather in Vancouver calls for something crisp, clean, and refreshingly different — like a well-balanced la...
02/05/2026

☀️ Beautiful weather in Vancouver calls for something crisp, clean, and refreshingly different — like a well-balanced lager.

In Episode 35 of Why This Beer?, we sit down with of to talk about what makes lagers tick — from tradition and precision to subtle creativity.

Ben walks us through:
• What it takes to build balanced lagers
• Brewing for flavour and drinkability
• Why a lemongrass lager isn’t just unexpected — it works on purpose
• How process shapes flavour (especially for hop-driven beers in lighter styles)

If you’re reaching for something bright and sessionable this summer, this is the episode to press play on — Lager lovers and curious craft drinkers alike.

🎧 Balanced Lagers, A Balanced Life — out now.
Link in bio.



“We’re still in the golden age of hops.”That idea runs through this entire conversation with .sannerud .Even as the beer...
12/15/2025

“We’re still in the golden age of hops.”

That idea runs through this entire conversation with .sannerud .

Even as the beer landscape shifts, hop expression has never been broader — more regions, more varieties, more ways for brewers to translate place, season, and intention into flavour. From classic workhorse hops to newer selections shaped by thoughtful breeding, the range of tools available to brewers today is something worth appreciating.

This abundance isn’t about chasing trends — it’s about choice. About understanding hops as an agricultural crop, shaped by climate and care, and using them with purpose rather than novelty.

In Episode 33, we talk about what it means to be brewing right now — in a moment where the field is full, the options are wide, and the opportunity to make expressive, meaningful beer is still very much alive.

🎧 Episode 33 — Open Source Hops
Listen now. Link in bio.




























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