1 Beer 1 Song

Wheee, I wonder what horrible, idiotic mistake this episode will contain. Please alert us of all current and future mistakes in the form of iTunes reviews, but only if they also come in the form of 5-star ratings. This is the second of two episodes with our buddy Garrett who has a radio voice that reminds me of melted chocolate ice cream. What does that even mean? The beer this week is Extremely Angry Beast from Clown Shoes Beer in Ipswitch, MA, a brewery we first discussed way back on episode 7, and who I maintain has the best beer names on the market. The song this week is from Torche, who I love. Go to their site and play their video game. It is great. They released a new album called Restarter on 2/24. We listened to "Blasted." A show note: There was some digital audio weirdness at 3:43 - 3:50, which can only mean I need a new computer. Sweet.

Raise your hand if you ever thought you would see a day when Russ spent his own money on a growler of sour beer to review on this podcast PUT YOUR HAND DOWN NO ONE LIKES YOU. Well, here we are, navigating 32 ounces of St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition from Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V., me doing it largely without the ability to smell or taste because who needs those senses when reviewing beer in audio format? Discussing a Gueuze is timely because of the buzz recently created by that hot-take-as-clickbait on Thrillist. As part of our continued outsourcing strategy, Garrett is back for a couple episodes, and Garrett suggested we listen to Wipe That Shit-eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face from Smith Street Band. So we listened to it. YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO US LISTEN TO IT.

This week we packed up the gear and headed to Orpheus Brewing where brewmaster Jason Pellet filled us with beer and provided some insightful stories behind one of Atlanta's most interesting young breweries. Russ and Jason walk through the Greek mythology of Orpheus (read more at Wikipedia if you like). Orpheus was a musician, Jason has a Master's degree in music, and Orpheus Brewing is rife with references to the mythology and music in general. Lest you be suspicious, you can tell we're in a brewery (or other large facility) because you can hear the HVAC kicking on and off throughout the episode (first time around 0:56). In addition to providing some delicious beers, Jason also contributed 1B1S "first" by submitting a Classical piece as the song, specifically the first movement of Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra. We listened to the first half or so and then kept things moving because we are RADIO PROFESSIONALS and we're trying to get GOOD TAPE or something. The version we listened to is a 1955 recording by The Chicago Symphony Orchestra directed by Fritz Reiner, which is widely considered to be the best rendition of Bartók's best work. I said I would include a link to the full movement on the site, and, technically, that is posted below, but I couldn't find a free streaming version of the Reiner performance, so the recording below is from 2004 by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Karel Ancerl.

In the interest of your long-term mental health, you've surely blocked it from your memory, so I'll just remind you: At the end of episode 101, we pledged to contract the services of a Rap Correspondent. Well, Austin is back this week to try to straighten us out. Admittedly, he has his work cut out for him. We drink Cannon Dragger IPA from Burnt Hickory. Around the 2:25 mark, I indicate this is the first time we've talked about the same brewery two episodes in a row. You, um, actually only have to go back to episodes 99 and 100 to hear Creature Comforts twice in a row. We are good at this. Austin tees up R.A.P. Music from Killer Mike, which is a bit of a softball, but provides for, um, enlightening discussion? I liked the song and am looking forward to hearing more of the raps from Austin on future episodes. If you would like to send Russ feedback directly, you can email him at 1beer1song at gmail.

Okay, let's get [sort of] serious for a second. This is an important and timely episode for fans of craft beer in Georgia. In addition to our standard audio tickle fight, we are joined by the one and only Austin L. Ray to talk about the current state of beer legislation in our fair, um, state. *There are several links in this post, so if you're reading this in iTunes, head on over to the website for supplemental #content.* Austin is a writer by trade and recently penned a long, thoroughly-reported cover story for Creative Loafing wherein he explains How Georgia's restrictive beer laws are some of the worst in the nation and how they are materially affecting Georgia's economy, and Why an impending piece of legislation proposed by the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild is the best opportunity since 2004 to make meaningful changes to the craft beer landscape in Georgia. Oh and we also drink a newly-bottled beer from Burnt Hickory up in Kennesaw, GA, and Russ supplies a song from The Whigs, who originally hail from Athens, GA, officially making this episode GEORGIA AS HAIL. Speaking of Georgia, one way to keep up with interesting Georgia craft beer news is to subscribe to Austin's very excellent Georgia Brewsletter. Couple of show notes: 10:09 - I momentarily forgot Ted Hull's name. Inexcusable. 10:59 - I said Sweetwater was one of the big breweries to open a facility in North Carolina. OBVIOUSLY, I meant Sierra Nevada. Obviously. 30:26 - I semi-confidently recall the piece of legislation that raised the maximum ABV% in beer from 6% to 14% in 2004 as HB 345. It is actually HB 645.

This is a really shitty episode. As in, in order to properly convey chunks of the primary narrative, we have to use the word 'shit' almost as punctuation. If that bothers you, you should listen anyway because get over yourself. Don't worry, it only takes us NINE MINUTES to actually get to the beer, but Russ weaves a pretty great, albeit shitty thread to kick things off. The beer is a big, fat, Russian Imperial Stout from relatively-new-to-Georgia brewery Straight to Ale out of Huntsville, Alabama. This particular variation was aged in Cabernet barrels. We drink it. And talk about it. Lest there be any confusion, the beer is decidedly not shitty. Russ suggested the song this week. "Bang Your Drum" by Dead Man Fall. It has it's own special context, so you'll have to listen to hear all that. The video we watched is embedded below. If you're reading this on iTunes or some other podcatcher, you have to come to the website to see it.

We couldn't let Sean travel all the way from New York SOLELY to be on this podcast and then just let him get away after recording only one episode. So this is the second of two episodes with Sean. As was mentioned (I think) in Episode 103, Sean is an artist by trade. So, we review a beer from a brewery with some of the best can and box art in the business, 21st Amendment Brewery of San Francisco, specifically their He Said He Said double collaboration with Seattle's own Elysian Brewing Company. [I will never reveal whether the artist + artistic beer packaging was a heavy-handed plan or a dumb coincidence.] Sean suggested the song this week, from Red Fang out of Porktown, OR. We listened to, and watched, the video for their song Prehistoric Dog. For those unaware, Red Fang's videos are the stuff of legend. Our good friend Mike was in the Red Fang video for Blood Like Cream (he's the zombie in the bright safety vest and hard hat piling on that poor fool at the 3:53 mark). Anyway. WHATEVER.

All right, let's get weird. This week we are joined by a childhood friend of mine named Sean, who has a great radio voice though that is not why he joined us for this and one more episode. Sean and I were across-the-street neighbors from 1986 until 1994. We also formed a band together in high school with three other dudes. That band was called Antique Future because we were poetic geniuses. Tony, you're not going to actually play music by a bunch of 15-year-olds from a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a cassette are you? HELL YES I AM GET YOUR OWN PODCAST. The quality of the music audio is godawful, so go ahead and prepare yourself for that. Oh, and the audio morphs a couple times during the two songs we listened to because 20-year-old cassette. Like all episodes, we start out by drinking a beer and this week that beer is Board Meeting Brown Ale by Port Brewing. It is a very good beer, but I'm not going to pretend that's why you're here this week. Enjoy!

Here's a hot, fresh Xmas episode only several days after Xmas. Prairie Artisan Ales of Tulsa, OK recently expanded distribution to Georgia, so we put their Christmas Bomb! through the paces. Russ supplied a wonderful song in a heavy metal version of "A Little Drummer Boy" by one-million-year-old actor Christopher Lee. The most notable thing about this episode is that it functionally ends at around the 25-minute mark ... but we keep on talking for like 15 more minutes. If you hear Russ mention Frank Sinatra and you keep on listening, well, I can't help you.

As part of our year-end wrap up, we like to take a look back at what people really enjoyed through out the preceding annum, and then fall completely short on any comparable appreciation and/or analysis. At no point in this podcast's history has this process been more thoroughly executed than on this, episode 101 of 1 Beer 1 Song. Many of our contemporaries had 2014's release from Run The Jewels in the top 5 on their year-end best-of lists, a couple with it in the #1 position. So, we thought we's see what all the hubbub is about. LOL If you like awkward pauses, clueless grasps at relevance, and meandering naively into the volatile waters of race relations in America in 2014, then this episode is for you. Oh, and we also talked about some Sam Adams beer from Costco.

The second of two episodes with Blake from Creature Comforts Brewing Company, located in downtown Utopia, USA. Blake was gracious enough to bring two gems from the Creature Comforts cabinet, Southerly Love, and Koko Buni, both just really really great beers. We hate you, Blake. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, this is episode 100 (ONE HUNDRED). What better way to celebrate such a milestone than with a song by ... One Direction? Okay, we may or may not have picked the song to distract from the fact that we're really not that interested in being self-reflexive or self-congratulatory. Okay, maybe Russ is, if only because it might mean someone will tell him he has served his time and he is free to go home. Also, this episode would have been FINE to wrap up at somewhere around the 30-minute mark. But don't worry, we managed to blather North of 50 minutes. Granted, we're all fantastically articulate renaissance men, so our aimless pontification is your Radiolab, but just a heads up in case all you care about is the beer and the song.

This is the first of two episodes with our good friend BLAKE, whom you regular listeners are already familiar with. The difference with these two episodes from previous episodes with Blake is that this time we are drinking beer from Creature Comforts Brewing Company in Athens, Georgia where Blake is employed as a brewer. Blake helped brew these beers and the general public can legally buy them with money and drink them. NEAT. In this episode, we quaffed two of Creature Comfort's canned beers. Athena is a Berliner Weiss, and Tropicalia is an IPA. Both cans are beautiful. Like a responsible guest, Blake came loaded with a song. We listened "Uncomfortably Numb" from the Graveyard album Hinsingen Blues. The episode clocks in on the long side for us, but it's packed with good info. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO TELL YOU GO LISTEN TO THE EPISODE.

This episode starts a little LOOSE. While editing this episode, I actually wondered what the hell we were actually doing, which is notable because I was there when we recorded it. I am, in fact, the one who recorded. If you can't bear the suspense of the first few, weird minutes, HANG IN THERE, the payoff comes at 4:42. The beer is Black Hole stout from Mikkeller. Not sure where I picked up this bottle of beer, but we are strongly suspicious that we should have consumed this bad boy several years ago. After watching the DC episode of Sonic Highways, Russ suggested we review a song from Bad Brains SO OKAY WE WILL DO THAT RUSSELL. The whole thing was kind of a mindbender. I'm still not completely convinced Russ isn't just trolling me. If you're fed up after the song, HANG IN THERE, we talk about Serial from 23:00 to 26:00.

This is a loosely Boston-themed episode. The beer is from Trillium Brewing Company, which is most definitely in Boston. Like, right downtown. I was there on a business trip recently and the internet told me there was an excellent brewery a few blocks from my hotel. So I went there, and schlepped a couple bottles back to the dirty dirty. The song connection to Boston is a little bit looser, but I stand by it. Since you all have listened to every episode of this podcast repeatedly, you will no doubt remember the song from Episode 13, a little ditty by Old Man Gloom. Russ LOOOOOOOOOOOVES Old Man Gloom. Special treat: Russ does a serviceable Bill Clinton impression at the very end.

After a not-so-relaxing fall break, we are back with a lukewarm vengeance. Rather than ease back into the normal routine, we are coming straight at you with an ALL RUSS EPISODE. Russ procured the beers from his buddy Donny, who has a role at Brewsters Brewing Company, which has numerous locations across Canadia. We love it when brewers give us beer to review. If you're reading this AND you're a brewer AND you haven't sent us beer, well ... we can't help you. I mean, we can help you, but you have to send us beer. Russ also brought us a song this week. The band is Yip Deceiver, who, for whatever reason, I keep calling Yip Destroyer. Yip Deceiver hail from Athens, GA. Russ explains their origins and Athens-related family tree on the episode. If you do venture into this episode, make sure you listen all the way to the end.