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Blue Dot #240: Pale Ale for a Blue Dot: A visit with Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Cheers to Sierra Nevada pints.
Cheers to Sierra Nevada pints at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

Host Dave gets to visit with three people from one of his favorite businesses on the planet: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

Retired UC Davis Professor Charlie Bamforth, aka "The Pope of Foam," is now the Senior Quality Advisor for Sierra Nevada and joins Dave for a Beer 101, including some very specific instructions on how to create the perfect foam atop your favorite brew.

Sierra Nevada Taproom & Restaurant located in Chico, Calif.
Sierra Nevada Taproom & Restaurant located in Chico, Calif.

Mandi McKay explains the many ways that Sierra Nevada walks the walk when it comes to being socially responsible and environmentally sustainable in all its endeavors.

Finally, the man who started the craft beer revolution in Chico, California, Founder Ken Grossman, joins Dave to talk about how he's gone from brewing beer at home to operating two of the finest craft breweries on the planet in Chico and Mills River, North Carolina. You don't have to like beer to enjoy this episode, but it sure wouldn't hurt!

Ken Grossman -- Founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.
Ken Grossman -- Founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

Dave Schlom is the longtime host and creator of Blue Dot. From surfing to Voyager in interstellar space, rock guitar to orcas in our imperiled oceans, the topics on Blue Dot are as varied as the host’s interests and connections -- which are pretty limitless! An internationally respected space history journalist, Dave is also deeply fascinated by all aspects of the grand workings of nature’s awesome machinery on scales ranging from galactic to subatomic. And topics take in all aspects of the arts and sciences.
Matt Fidler is a producer and sound designer with over 15 years’ experience producing nationally distributed public radio programs. He has worked for shows such as Freakonomics Radio, Selected Shorts, Studio 360, The New Yorker Radio Hour and The Takeaway. In 2017, Matt launched the language podcast Very Bad Words, hitting the #28 spot in the iTunes podcast charts.