E312: Prison Pals Brewing brings Argentinian craft beer to America

Send us Fan MailPrison Pals Brewing makes a break for it in MiamiIn 2018 Argentinian businessman and race car driver Juan Pipkin was dreaming of starting a business in America.  He'd grown tired of the challenges in his home country and feeling like a prisoner in his own land.  After some consideration he decided craft beer was the goal.  Pipkin admits he had zero background in beer before the idea for Prison Pals Brewing started, but he saw a great opportunity and he knew how to put a powerhouse team together.Pipkin reached out to Diego Setti and Bruno Laperchuck to join him on the adventure and the duo joined as Brewmaster and Head Brewer/Lab Manager to open their brewery in Miami.  Originally, the plan was to operate much like breweries in Argentina - skipping the taproom and brewing beer to send out to bars and restaurants in distribution.  Prison Pals started under that model but quickly realized a taproom was the key to success for American craft beer.  Now they have two, with more on the way.Setti brings an impressive list of credentials to the team.  He's a BJCP Beer Judge and has served as the Latin America Regional Representative and Associate Director since 2019, a Certified Cicerone, Doemens Akademie Biersommelier, and started Zeta Atelier de Cervezas (a beer education institute) and Mental Brewing Co., a gypsy brewery only brewing historical beer styles.  Deep breath... And, he's participated in major competitions such was the World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival, and Brussels Beer Challenge.  Whew.Don't fight the Smoothie hypeGiven his choice, Setti would stick to brewing classic beer styles and exploring his love of lagers.  When he was first asked him to brew a Smoothie beer he responded with an emphatic, "No."  Prison Pals now has a line of Smoothie beers with plenty of hazy IPAs and heavily fruited sours in the lineup.  You gotta give the people what they want, Diego.We also learn a bit about the craft beer scene in Argentina.  The most popular style is Honey Beer, typically a Blonde Ale with honey, it's the beer that pays the bills for most breweries.  Argentinian brewers struggle to get imported ingredients and have to rely on limited availability of malts and yeast.  Of course, as it goes with craft brewers, this brings in a lot of creativity to get the styles they want.  Setti tells us the quality is still top notch and they are starting to see some growth in domestically available ingredients.Due to time, we had to cut some info on what's next for the brewery.  Pipkin tells us they'll open more taprooms offering their beers and some tasty eats, brew more beer, and expand distribution.  Things are just getting started for Prison Pals.The Beer ListResident Culture Radical Empathy PilsnerWhistlePig Piggy Back canned cocktail Blackberry Lemon Fizz (Damn tasty, highly recommended.)Monday Night Blind Pirate blood orange IPAGreat Notion Pink Sabbath Black IPAFollow, Subscribe, Share!If you enjoyed this episode please share it with a friend. Make sure to follow us on the socials and we'd love your support on Patreon!The Podcast Park | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyThanks for listening to Beer Guys Radio!  Your hosts are Tim Dennis and Brian Hewitt with producer Nate "Mo' Mic Nate" Ellingson and occasional appearances from Becky Smalls.Subscribe to Beer Guys Radio on your favorite app: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher  | RSSFollow Beer Guys Radio: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube If you enjoy the show we'd appreciate your support on Patreon.  Patrons get cool perks like early, commercial-free episodes, swag, access to our exclusive Discord server, and more!