I think it's safe to speak for both Joanne and I when I saw that we are so excited to release this episode (as well as slightly apologetic of the length.... but not really as we had THE BEST time) where we speak with Charlotte, the leading lady behind Phantom Brewing Co's marketing and events! She's our first female-identifying guest on the pod and I could not have been more proud for that to be Charlotte as I know from previous chats with her that our views all align nicely (and it seems so do those of Phantom Brewing Co!).
Phantom, based on Meadow Road in Reading, Berkshire, has always had "pub culture" and inclusivity at the heart of their business since the start - being a brewery that has had a tap room on day one vs deciding to add this feature at a later date. Phantom/"The Haunt" will be opening back up for outside drinking on April 16th (should we follow the government predicted timelines) and you can book your spot now here . I got a chance to visit the location in person to pick up some beers kindly provided to us by Phantom and also treated myself to a new glass and varsity-style jacket....I have no self control. If they get to do Oktoberfest this year, Joanne and I will definitely be there!
We chat about this drink-in culture, the importance of inclusivity, and the emphasis on how they link together to create an environment everybody can enjoy, which Phantom try to foster. Charlotte also leads us through 3 Phantom beers - Feeling This (a 5% Pale Ale), Upstairs Downstairs (a 4.1% session pils), and Spring (a 6% strawberry & lemon zest sour). If you're not already familiar, there is a weekly box available from Phantom called "Phantom and Friends" where they join forces with other independents to support each other and get the most quality offerings to you each week. You can buy this week's (as well as any of their beers currently on offer) here - the pizza and gin set last week paired with Feeling This was superb, to say the least!
We set the world to right (well beyond the end of our recording) but not before challenging Charlotte to our game of Name That Beer! Listen now to Episode 28 of A Woman's Brew to hear how she fares against those that came before her (I'm giving away no spoilers) - out now on all major podcast platforms and Youtube (links below for ease):
A Woman's Brew on Youtube (video)
A Woman's Brew on Spotify (audio only)
A Woman's Brew on Sounder (audio only)
Overall tree with all the links for our podcast can be found here.