#101: How to Brew Great Beer The Special Forces Way - Longtab Brewing Company Founder Dave Holland

The Jedburgh Podcast

The Original Special Forces Regiment needs a beer named The Originals. Then again, so does Det-A, Pineland, The Tribe, and of course the Jedburgh. Fran Racioppi travels to San Antonio to spend the day, and share a Jedburgh beer, with fellow Green Beret and Founder of Longtab Brewing Company Dave Holland.

Dave founded Longtab out of a love for beer after a colossal failure of a home brew and to honor the legacy and lineage of US Army Special Special Forces, the Green Berets. Named after the iconic Special Forces special skill badge, Longtab has quickly become a landing spot for current and former special operators, as well as those looking to step into a history lesson on what it takes to be America’s most elite soldier.

Fran and Dave cover what it takes to brew great beer in a classic German style, how Dave and his team weathered the COVID shutdowns just 66 days after their opening, how to complement great beer with great food and robust coffee, and why Longtab is committed to honoring the legendary Green Berets who gave their lives in defense of freedom.

Learn more about Longtab Brewing at longtabbrewing.com and on social media at @longtabbrewing.

Special thanks to the Green Beret Foundation for supporting the production of this episode. Support the Green Berets of all generations today at greenberetfoundation.org.

Read the full episode transcription here and learn more on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Highlights:

• 0:00 Welcome to Longtab Brewing
• 2:45 The meaning of the Army Special Forces longtab
• 4:49 Canning “The Originals” Hefeweizen
• 5:51 The stories behind the name of each beer
• 8:52 The brewing process started with a home brew kit
• 11:18 Building the Longtab team
• 13:25 Opening the doors 66 days before COVID lockdowns
• 16:43 What’s it mean to be a Green Beret
• 20:31 Complementing great beer with great food
• 22:23 Brewing good coffee next to the beer
• 24:12 Jedburgh Beer and the legacy of US Special Forces
• 27:36 Dave’s three foundations to success

Quotes:

• “The longtab is the longest special skills tab in the Army.” (3:15)
• “They started with the #10 to fool the Russians into thinking that there were nine more groups.” (5:34)
• “What we try to do is, at least 4-5 times per year, dedicate a beer to a fallen Green Beret.” (8:07)
• “Everything that we put in our beer is all manufactured and made right here in the United States.” (9:58)
• “The first beer was done on our kitchen stove. It was a colossal failure.” (10:54)
• “The food has become as big a component to this business as beer.” (22:12)
• “A lot of people that like good beer also like good coffee.” (22:36)

Dave’s three foundations to success

• Monday meetings to coordinate the week
• Make a list of to do’s every night
• Drink beer!

This episode is brought to you by Jersey Mike’s & Compass Workforce Solutions