The Manual Podcast

We get a little weird today, in honor of Halloween, discussing ghosts, hauntings and traveling to historic places. Greg begrudgingly admits that he has experienced something strange and that a Ghost Investigation has occurred at his house. Sam unsurprisingly states that he is a skeptic, yet still plans to join a paranormal organization. Nicole is open-minded, but unsure, and shares a list from The Manual of some of the most famous historic and haunted buildings in the world.

When Jaisen Freeman helped invent Four Loko, he had no idea it would turn into the phenomenon that it became. It has truly become one of the most famous alcoholic beverages in the world and the story of how it happened is fascinating. Jaisen has now helped other brands become successes in their own right. Plus, we have a super fan in our co-worker Riley who joins us for the first time, and we have Nicole who is trying Four Loko for the first time.

Do you know what a Gin Ambassador does? Apparently it's everything amazing in the world! We are joined by Mattias Horseman of Hendrick's Gin to discuss his incredible job, that takes him all over the world. Hendrick's itself is a big part of the conversation and how they distill their great product. Then we discuss cocktail parties. From how to prepare, to what to wear, we cover the whole gamut of what you'll need to know.

F1 Racing is experiencing a bit of a surge in popularity in the United States, but worldwide, it is HUGE. We're joined by Ross Fruin, the founder of the fantasy sports racing site, Grid Rival, to talk all about it. Discussions range from why F1 is the elite level in the racing world, to where some of the races take place. His platform is original, and the business side of making a dream project come true, is equally entertaining. Don't forget to check us out at the Portland Podcast Festival on November 9th!

The CEO and co-founder of Naadam, Matt Scanlan joins us today, to discuss his incredible story. From being stranded in the desert of Mongolia for a month, to discovering how to disrupt the supply chain of high end cashmere, his story is truly unique. We'll also discuss how to care for cashmere and why you shouldn't pay an astronomical amount for it. Also...the real cashmere mafia may not want you to know about his interview.

Oktoberfest is upon us and today we take a look at several aspects of one of the greatest celebrations of beer ever! We'll cover it's origins as what must have been one hell of a party, to it's global reach, including the biggest cities outside of Munich to celebrate. There are some attempts at speaking German, a definition of Marzen beers and even some trivia at the end. Prost!

How does someone narrow down the products from 1000 different distilleries, to 27 different spirits, in 9 categories? Through a lot of hard work! The Manual team has taken this effort upon themselves and today we discuss how they did it, what the categories were, and what the team looked for. It's pretty complicated and a huge endeavor. Sam Slaughter explains the important factors that they looked for and some great cocktails that you can make with this year's selections.

Can you go on a backpacking trip without spending over $100? That was the challenge laid forth by Drew Prindle from Digital Trends and Nicole Raney from own The Manual. They spent a night in the woods of Oregon, placing their priorities on different items, learning a lot along the way. What kind of sleeping bag should you get? What about a backpack? How can you possibly survive on such a small amount? Along with tips for everyone, they cover their entire, hilarious, and informative experience.

James Bond is a fascination with all of us at The Manual and we start the show off discussing our favorite actors in the role. We came up with a consensus favorite, but a lot of debate ensued for number 2. For the gear, we are joined by Prindle, Drew Prindle, from Digital Trends to discuss his favorites. The classic Aston Martin is covered, as well as Sam's favorite...the martini. 

What is the city of Portland, really like? We're joined by Jeff Miller, President and CEO of Travel Oregon. We discuss the changes that have happened, but more importantly what has stayed the same and gives Portland it's unique culture. We'll also cover where you should visit, what is a must see, the nationally leading craft brewing industry and even the uptick of urban distilleries. Also...it's our 50th episode! Thanks for joining us!

Chef Drew Adams of Bourbon Steak in Washington, D.C. joins us today! We start off by learning about the art of urban foraging, what it entails, how to stay safe, and what some of the odd things are that you can find in a city environment. There are incredible resources available right in front of us, and probably foraging groups wherever you are. Then we discuss the most expensive beef on earth, served at Bourbon Steak, and why it tastes like olive oil.

The Big Island of Hawaii is full of fantastic adventures and Chase lays out his favorite places and things to do. From volcano tours, to roadside stands, to snorkeling locations, and the best places to stay, he covers it all. Then Sam fills us in on the fascinating history of Sailor Jerry, plus he provides a cocktail from his upcoming book. You'll want to hop on a plane immediately after this one.

Brian Treacy, President of Sagamore Spirit joins us today to talk all about their distillery and rye whiskey. With a very unlikely path to distilling whiskey, Brian has some great insight into what it takes to make it in the tough business. We'll also go in depth with the intricacies of rye whiskey, what it takes to make it, what it means to have 'straight' whiskey and a lot more.

Zach and Dalton are professional race car drivers on the IndyCar and IndyLights series, respectively! We sit down with them to talk about what it's like racing in the fastest cars on earth, how they got to this point and what Mario and Michael Andretti are like in person. Want to know what drivers say to each other on the track? We cover that too... A really great interview with great people. See them live in Portland, August 31st to September 2nd, as well!

The craft brewing scene in the US seems like such a staple of our beer-drinking culture. However, not that long ago, golden macrobrew lagers were the standard of the day. Dan Kenary, CEO and co-founder of Harpoon Brewery helped lead the charge to diversify our options. Today we learn about the history of the brewery, the changes to craft brewing over the years and what we can look forward to in the future.