508: Steve Luke is Surfing the Next Wave in Cloudburst’s Evolution

Earlier this year, Cloudburst founder Steve Luke announced that longtime friends at Bale Breaker would be buying the brewery while he and his wife relocated to New Zealand for her career. For many in the industry, it felt like an ideal outcome, with the beloved Seattle brand finding a home with the talented team at the Yakima-based brewery. But the move hasn’t taken Luke out of the game—he’ll be involved for at least a few years, and hasn’t let up on the tongue-in-cheek humor around craft beer history that has led to creative and award-winning takes on things like imperial hoppy red ale or hoppy amber ale.

Through the episode, Luke looks back as well as forward, and touches on:

dealing with burnout as a brewer and business operator

continuing to meet expectations the brewery has set for themselves

selling throwback beers by adding “West Coast” to the name

brewing hoppy red and amber beers as a homage to craft beer’s roots

first wort hopping, hot side hops in hazy IPA, and avoiding muddled hop character

lagering hoppy beer for better hop expression

where hazy IPA went awry

kiwi brewing from a North American brewer perspective

And more.

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