Soundscape Brewing Co. founder Ashley Harrell joins Herlinda Heras and Harry Duke in the studio on Brew Ha Ha today.

Get tickets for the Freshtival 2022 on eventbrite dot com.

The Freshtival is this Saturday, June 25. It is a production of Hen House Brewing and an updated list of breweries is on the Hen House Freshtival web page. There are breweries from as far away as Portland and San Diego and every beer will be no more than 7 days old.

Ashley got to beer from other avenues. She studied music in college and as an art song and opera singer, her dream was to sing on Broadway. She worked behind a bar while living in New York City and pursuing a career in musical theater. Having developed an interest in craft beer, she then worked a brewery and started home brewing. Now she is looking for commercial space in Benicia. As an artist and performer, she likes the idea of infusing storytelling into beer.

To begin with, a Belgian Whit beer is the first tasting. This Soundscape Brewing product is in competition at NHC the National Homebrew Competition, in Pennsylvania right now. Ashley associates music with the flavors of beer. This beer is called “Lay All Your Love On Me” after an Abba song. The Belgian Whit is a style that Hoegaarden Brewery in Belgium is famous for. It has coriander and orange peel. Ashley likes to use as many local ingredients as possible. She used orange peel from her front yard and coriander from the back yard.

She has licensed the name Soundscape Brewing and is in the process of establishing the location and operations. In the meantime, while still a home brewer,  her product is so good it’s “ridiculous” according to Herlinda Heras.

Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.