Our good friend Ashley Rotruck joined us for this episode, and we had a great time with a lot of laughs.

We've labeled Ashley "The Queen of Sours", due to her love of fruited sour beers, and it's well earned.

Ashley - AKA- @brewdettewv, has a huge following of her Instagram beer page, and it's how we got to know her.

In this episode, we start out by all 3 of us having a flight of 4 fruited sour beers - Steve and Scott have 4 different beers from Rar Brewing, from their 'Out of Order' series, that Ashley sent us. Ashley has a flight of 4 fruited beers from XUL and Southern Grist - all from Tennessee, that we sent her. We may have all been pre-diabetic after drinking those beers.

We ask Ashley about when and how she started her beer page, how and what she posts on her page, Instagram algorithms, real beer pages vs. phony ones, what she drank before craft beer, how are women perceived in craft beer and so much more.

Ashley is famously known for her love of pickle beers, and we take a deep dive into those.

We thank Ashley so much for joining us and spending so much time with us. She gave us so much great content and really knows her stuff. We value her friendship and her continued support of the craft beer industry. She's a great ambassador for craft beer and the craft beer community.

Cheers!

Steve and Scott

-The Brewery Underground Podcast

We continue with part 2 of our season premiere kickoff with Steve Ksycki | CEO HBA & Import Division President & Jerry Bishop- Regional Sales Manager for Ohio/Michigan/KY/TN from Hofbräuhaus of America.

Even though Oktoberfest season is later in the year, planning for the popular beer brand release is underway much earlier. It's an important tradition in making sure that everything they do is timed out perfectly.

Hofbräuhaus of America locations have an annual event called The sports of Hofbräu Masskrugstemmen: (Stein Holding competition:) These guys go into specific detail of training (yes, training!) for this event.

The legacy of Hofbräuhaus goes back centuries. Finding the right people to uphold and keep that legacy going is a very important aspect of the company.

While the Hofbräuhaus brand continues to be popular with beer drinkers all around the world. Here in the United States, changes have been made at their locations to meet the demands and expectations of consumers.

We are so excited to be kicking off our third season of The Brewery Underground Podcast, featuring Hofbräuhaus of America. This episode has been one we have been trying to nail down for a long time.

Our two guests: Steve Ksycki | CEO HBA & Import Division President & Jerry Bishop- Regional Sales Manager for Ohio/Michigan/KY/TN. These gentlemen have been part of Hofbräuhaus USA for many years.

The Hofbräuhaus brand, history, and legacy are known worldwide. Thanks to their marketing folks, you will hear and see that we came prepared for this one.

Hofbräuhaus of America has breweries across the United States. We talked about the long-storied history of those locations and the memories created throughout the years.

Changes in the beer market and the strategy of a popular Hofbräuhaus style have gained momentum. These guys describe it as "what's old is new again" as things come full circle.

Hofbräuhaus dates back centuries. Originating in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, where the original beer hall remains. Steve & Jerry shared their thoughts on visiting throughout the years. Scott also talked about his trip in 2025 when he went visited for the first time.

Prost!