RD

Rodger Davis

Things Rodger Says on Podcasts

“The disrespect for that hop was intense because the growers didn't grow it for the aroma. They grew it for the goop.” — Rodger Davis, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast “Barley is a major, major component of beer. And we don't give it the respect that it needs because we don't care where our barley comes from.” — Rodger Davis, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast “It's frustrating in today's world that, if you don't put Mosaic or Citra on the label, you can't sell the beer. I mean, we do beers that don't have any of those, and people are like, I don't want that.” — Rodger Davis, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Where to Find Them

Rodger Davis has been a guest on Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast .

Recently: “512: Rodger Davis of Faction Thinks All Hops Are Good, But Some Hops Are Better” on Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast (November 2026).

What They Said

“The disrespect for that hop was intense because the growers didn't grow it for the aroma. They grew it for the goop.” — Rodger Davis, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

On the Columbus hop, once dismissed: growers valued it only for its high-alpha resin, not its aroma. It has since become a popular hop.

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast · 2026-11-06 Permalink → Listen →
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast Around 22:24 into the episode
Rodger Davis

Columbus. Let's get the CTZ out of this and call it Columbus. It's dank. It's dank. This is back in 2004.

Jamie Bogner

Yeah.

Rodger Davis

The disrespect for that hop was intense because the growers didn't grow it for the aroma. They growed it for the goop.

Jamie Bogner

So when you're

Rodger Davis

growing for goop, it's just like, I don't give a fuck. I don't give a fuck. You know, it's like... It's

Jamie Bogner

all about the alpha.

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
“Barley is a major, major component of beer. And we don't give it the respect that it needs because we don't care where our barley comes from.” — Rodger Davis, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Explaining why his brewery switched base malts after a poor barley crop pushed finishing gravities up, he argues brewers obsess over hops and ignore barley.

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast · 2026-11-06 Permalink → Listen →
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast Around 30:53 into the episode
Rodger Davis

Our beers have totally changed.

Jamie Bogner

Yeah.

Rodger Davis

2D is really nice in the fact that it literally dries our beers out a little bit more. And just it's clean through the mash ton, louder ton, if you will. We only have a mash and louder ton, but it's very clear coming through. Very unfrustrating from the 2022 crop that was like insane. Barley is a fucking major, major component, major component of beer. And we don't give it the respect that it needs because we don't care where our barley comes from.

Jamie Bogner

So you have this terrible crop in 2022, 2023 where, you know, efficiencies.

Rodger Davis

Barley or barley.

Jamie Bogner

And, you know, and that was well documented. We wrote plenty of stories about that. You know, the quality of the barley was low and due to just crazy heat waves everywhere and whatnot.

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
“It's frustrating in today's world that, if you don't put Mosaic or Citra on the label, you can't sell the beer. I mean, we do beers that don't have any of those, and people are like, I don't want that.” — Rodger Davis, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Talking about lesser-known hops, the brewer complains that drinkers now buy beer by hop name rather than by how it tastes.

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast · 2026-11-06 Permalink → Listen →
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast Around 25:06 into the episode
Rodger Davis

that sounds like a really good idea. All right. All right. But no, I mean, Columbus typically overpowers anything. So you have to, yeah. What do you plays well with dank? I'd go with Citra. Maybe some Idaho 7.

Jamie Bogner

Yeah.

Rodger Davis

It's frustrating in today's world that you can't, if you don't put Mosaic or Citra on the label, you can't sell the beer. I mean, we do beers that don't have any of those, and people are like, I don't want that. I don't want that. Do you not see that across your travels?

Jamie Bogner

I don't know that I see it in that same kind of way. But then again, you know, this is the San Francisco Bay Area is kind of, you know, its own place with its own amongst a certain kind of beer consuming crowd that has a certain level of knowledge. Like, you know, it is what it is. You got a wealth…

Rodger Davis

with you, I think this is like one of the best scenes I've ever seen of the Bay Area beer scene than I've seen in a long ass time. Yeah. Because you can actually walk from Wondrous to Tenma and back and get on a short trip to go to fucking see Ghost Town and Bricks, Bricks Factory. I mean, it's…

Jamie Bogner

got a Santa Adarius tap room here in Oakland. Santa

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.

Collections They Appear In

Food & Beverage