How to Run a Live Beer Podcast: Beer Tasting with Livestreaming Cicerone Doug Piper | Speedify LIVE

On the 189th episode of Speedify LIVE we welcome back a Speedify favorite, Doug Piper, live streamer, content creator, beer expert and certified cicerone to talk all things live streaming, podcasting and using Speedify to make it all happen!

We chat about how Doug got into beer, the many places he got to visit as a beer judge, talk about his amazing studio setup and all the software he uses.

Here are our 5 takeaways from our chat with Doug Piper:

1. Doug does private beer tastings, and the Speedify Team had a virtual company party during the lockdown! He says that being able to drink the same beer even over a Zoom call makes it more fun, because when sharing the same beer you get to have a dialogue about what everyone’s tasting. 
2. While Doug still does live streams once a month, he also records interviews and reuses video content for podcasts too! For interviews he uses Riverside, a software similar to Zoom, except Riverside simultaneously uploads from everyone’s cameras to the cloud, removing all the video and audio issues that occurred during the call itself. While his main platform is Crowdcast for its Q&A features and how well it ties into Patreon, allowing people to provide per-event or monthly support. 
3. Doug’s studio setup is quite elaborate with multiple camera angles! He has a camera in the back recording what he’s seeing, the cinema camera filming the beer and glassware, a side camera to provide a closer look at his setup and his main front camera. 
4. We learn that Crowdcast is a great tool for Q&A streams! Doug tells us that the Q&A feature allows people who sign up for events to send in questions beforehand, so when their question comes on, they receive an email with a link to join the event at the exact time of their question, with the same link being available even after the event!
5. For those wanting to get into beer tasting or judging Doug says it’s easy to start and anyone can do it! He recommends the BJCP.org for resources, with a three-pack certification option for beer, mead and cider; and a list of available local competitions you can start with. While the American Homebrewers Association can also be a great starting point.