Episode 95: Columbia Kettle Works (or May the Schwarzbier With You)

With Rod Smith, Chad Rieker and Bill Collister at Columbia Kettle Works

In this episode we set out for Columbia, PA to sit down with owners Rod Smith and Bill Collister and brewer Chad Rieker at Columbia Kettle Works. We talked about the history of CKW and upcoming plans for expansion, Chad’s long family history of brewing and how he got to brew an over one hundred yeard old family recipe, and much more. Dan got us up to speed with news including an update on the ever expanding number of craft breweries in the US. We played Band or Beer in Happy Fun Time and Steph taught us about the techniques of dry hopping in Know Your Beers. Plus, we sampled Chad’s family-recipe Schwartzbier, an Iron Brewer competition winning DIPA concocted by friend of the show Chris Harvey and a heavenly bourbon barrel aged stout.

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The Lineup…

• Schwartzbier
  German-Style Dark Lager, Rieker Family Recipe
• Mango Double IPA
  8.4% ABV DIPA, Lancaster Iron Brewer Homebrew Competition Winner by Chris Harvey
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout
  9.5% ABV Russian Imperial Stout Aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels
  

Bill Collister, Chad Rieker, Columbia, Columbia Kettle Works, on location, Pennsylvania, Rod Smith