The Gnarly Gnome: All The Podcasts

This has been a LONG time coming for me, with the idea to do this show literally taking years to become a reality. I do recognize, though, that you might not be as familiar with what it’s all about as I am. Drinking With The Gnome is very similar to my other podcast and blog – except that while those are about Cincinnati’s vibrant craft beer scene, this project takes a bigger look… a step back at the overall drinking culture of Cincinnati. We’re talking about Cincinnati and it’s spirits, it’s wine, and of course a little bit of it’s beer sprinkled in there. What makes this city’s drinking culture tick? There’s a bit of educational aspects thrown in if you want to learn more about specific things, and some drink news and event coverage as well… but this is about something much bigger. What does it mean to be a drinker in Cincinnati, Ohio? Stay tuned… the show launches this spring, and I’ve got some really fun stuff in the works that I know you’ll love.

What do you do when this week’s episode of Cincy Brewcast falls on the weekend that you happen to be in Asheville, NC? You hide in your hotel room with a mini fridge full of Cincinnati beer... that’s what! We fire the brewcast up with some friends from back home, and a bunch of beer to make things official!

This week I was joined in the Sam Adams Cincinnati taproom by their head brewer Chris Siegman. You might know Chris from his time at Fifty West or at Mt. Carmel here in town, but his new role at Sam Adams is a pretty incredible one. We took a peek behind the curtain at how you run a brewery that is part of something as culturally important in this community as Sam Adams is - we also drank a few beers to see what they’re up to in what I think is the nicest nano brewery that I’ve ever seen.

The plans were all laid out perfectly - I was going to embark on the biggest Cincinnati brewery tour of all time. At the end of the night, though things ended a little differently than I planned for them to. This show is about FigLeaf’s release of ‘That One Time In Newport’ - a beer to honor it all. The conversation, though ranged from the beer to ‘The Story’ to malternatives, to how you keep growing (or don’t) as a brewery in Cincinnati. There’s a TON to digest here in an action packed hour. This is a great show... if I might say so myself!

Streetside is at an intersection at all times, trying to balance space and what makes their fans and their brewers happy at the same time. It's a delicate dance, and a fascinating one to take a peek behind the curtain at. We drank a few beers (Apple Brandy Demogorgon and Vanilla Toasted Coconut Demogorgon) along with a great discussion about where the brewery is today, and where they are aiming to head in the future. Masthead was in the taproom too that night, celebrating their anniversary with a 'Satellite Party' so we snagged a glass of their 'Where's My Birthday Cake' and talked about Ohio as a whole and what makes it such a great beer state.

Sometimes you find yourself alone in studio with a beer in hand, testing some things out. That was what this show was going to be after being stuck in the house all weekend. I ended up getting a call from the Beercat to help test out that tech - and used the chance to wrap up this years barrel aged beer bash with him (since I missed it, being stuck in the house all weekend). I drank some Rhinegeist Dad - talked about Rivertown and the new beer they had on tap... it ended up being a fun one!

To cover everything that happens in 2018 I had to get help. Alongside folks from Points on Pints, The Northeast Ohio Craft Brewery News, The Taproom Exlusive, The Mahoning Valley Flight Crew and The Hop and The Bean we hit it all. We drank a few beers in the upcoming Nostalgia Brewing Company and talked about all the news, the latest trends and some of our favorite beers from 2018. It’s a smorgasbord of beer news and beer geeks! Enjoy!

I was invited to give a talk on Cincinnati Beer History at the Boone County Library last week, and I knew that it was a topic that I could bring over here to share with you. It's a deep one... I could talk for a long time about the history that defines who we have become today. Somehow I managed, though, to boil it down into this week's episode of Cincy Brewcast - complete with a From The Beer Fridge Segment featuring some Fretboard and Taft's beer to kick things into gear!

There's a lot to talk about, and a lot to drink, to try to cover the year in review. I was joined by David McKinney and Andy Foltz to take a peek back at what made 2018 special for craft beer fans in Cincinnati. Take a look back, ahead and into a full glass on this week's episode! We drank Wooden Cask's barrel-aged cider - Sonder's Kenosha Kicker and Grainworks' Bagpipes of Bardstown and Barrel Aged Old Motor Oil for a delicious from the beer fridge segment.

Big Cis is about a lot of different things, it's about charity, about friends and family and about the great things that this craft beer community can do as one cohesive group. Mike Cisneros might be gone, but he's definitely not lost, and will never be forgotten. Every year we brew a beer in his honor, we get together and we celebrate. We miss you, buddy.

Dark Charge Day at Braxton Brewing Company isn't just about releasing a big Imperial Stout - it's about celebrating all things barrel aged (and the community around them, too). I spent my day at Braxton's annual event talking to Christopher Walker from Have a Drink, and Evan Rouse and Adam Rauckhorst from Braxton about what exactly makes this event so special. While Dark Charge day might have been a little rainy, it becomes pretty clear that the weather is the last thing anyone is worried about when it comes to this celebration!

It's been a long time coming, but Sam Adams has finally opened their Cincinnati taproom in OTR, take a look behind the scenes of their big grand opening, and hear what the taproom means to Jim Koch himself. The gnome might be alone recording the show, but that doesn't mean you can't listen along and drink a beer or two on this quick episode!

In typical Urban Artifact fashion, you never really know what you'll get when you do a show with them. It's fantastic. We covered their upcoming release, we talked about where they get their ideas... rehashed some of the arguments that have burnt some bridges for the Brewcast (I'm starting to despise the word Lambic) and even played everyone's favorite show, Sip Slam Dump. Could we have crammed any more into one episode? No... I don't think so. I love it.

This industry has the potential to be incredible, it has the chance to do great things if we can build it up and allow it to. But at the core of it all is people acting like they should... and treating each other with the respect they deserve. Today, in the wake of who knows how many events and accusations of people being innapropraite we talk about how bars and taprooms can take a step into being part of the solution. There's a LOT to be said about this topic, and you haven't heard the last about it from me.

It might get a little bit noisy, but the excitement of Sonder's Grand Opening was too much to pass up for a live episode. We try the beer and talk about all the things that you can expect when you step in their door for the first time. It's a perfect companion episode to the last visit to the brewery where we dug into the who and the why of Sonder Brewing Company. Grab a drink, sit back and enjoy this one!