True Crime Brewery

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the concept at first—*true crime* and *breweries*? But *True Crime Brewery* pulls it off with surprising depth. The cases here aren’t just lurid tales; they’re meticulously framed within the cutthroat economics of the beer industry. Take the episode on the 1890s Schlitz Brewery poisoning scandal: the narration walks you through the corporate cover-ups with the precision of a forensic accountant, then drops a one-liner about ‘the original craft beer disaster’ that had me laughing despite the grim subject. That balance—respect for the victims, skepticism toward the powerful, and a dash of gallows humor—is the show’s signature. The production isn’t flawless, though. The unknown narrator’s delivery occasionally veers into *too* casual, with some awkward pauses that disrupt the flow (a tighter edit would’ve helped). And while the historical deep cuts are fascinating, a few episodes meander into tangential industry trivia that tests your patience. Still, when it lands—like the chilling tale of a brewery heir’s unsolved 1920s disappearance—it’s as gripping as any top-tier true crime. Best enjoyed with a cold one (or a stiff drink), this is for listeners who want their crime stories served with context, not just carnage.