The Gnarly Gnome: All The Podcasts

I will be the first to admit that I know very, very little about the world of wine. I’m a beer guy that loves to drink booze and cocktails. With all of that out in the open, I also fully recognize that as a drinker, I need to expand my horizon a little bit, and take a dive into wine. I took the easy road. I called up our friend over at Fruitblood Wine, Josh Elliot. We know Josh because of his time at Urban Artifact, a brewery whose beer is just as close to wine as it is beer. It was a natural progression for Josh to make his way from UA over to his new company. It also makes it easy for me to make that move into wine from where I’m comfortable! Guests This Episode * Josh Elliot – Fruitblood Wine

It’s been far, far too long since I got an episode of Drinking With The Gnome out there. This show seems to be the thing that gets pushed aside when things get a little busy, and that’s not fair to a show that I have big, big plans for. With that being said, I’ve got one for you this week! I LOVE absinthe but get a little frustrated at the misinformation that gets put out there about this herbal liquor, so I made an episode to hopefully dispel some of those myths. We talk about the history – the myths and then we dive into a cocktail to explore just a bit about what makes this spirit so freaking tasty! This Week’s Cocktail – The Corpse Reviver #2 * 3/4 oz Gin (I used the wet hopped gin from Five Stories)* 3/4 oz Triple Sec (I use Cointreau)* 3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (I use Cocchi Americano)* 3/4 oz Lemon Juice* Rinse of Absinthe Shake all your ingredients (except the absinthe) and strain neat into a chilled cocktail glass that is “washed” with the absinthe.

I love this time of year! Not only does Dangerwheel return to Cincinnati, but we also get more Oktoberfest beers than any person actually needs (except me… because I drink them all) – this week’s episode starts out with me drinking a couple of tasty Oktoberfest treats, before venturing down to Pendleton to hang out with Lee during a very loud Dangerwheel event… (don’t say I didn’t warn you). We’ll be back to normal volume next week, and I promise I’ll get Lee back on the show soon to talk at a normal volume. Guests This Episode * Lee Wennerstrom – Fellow Drinker, Friend of the Show From The Beer Fridge * Fifty West – Vienermobile* Rhinegeist – Franz

It’s not like Moeller Brew Barn is a “new brewery” – they’ve been cranking out great beer from their taproom in Maria Stein since 2015 – but with the recent news that they were buying the old Rivertown Production facility up in Monroe… it’s certainly time to welcome them to Cincy, now. I made the trip up to Maria Stein to sit with their founder, Nick Moeller – and we had a great conversation over a few beers. We talked about their story, their philosophy, and the growth that is defining them coming out of the Pandemic. These folks are planning big things, and I can’t wait to see it all come to life! Guests This Episode * Nick Moeller – Moeller Brew Barn From The Beer Fridge * Moller Brew Barn – El Gallo* Moller Brew Barn – Cabrewin’* Moller Brew Barn – Trappist Triple Show Links * Moeller Brew Barn’s Website

This is a big one. There have been rumors flying around for a while now, and it’s time to put the guys at BCs on the spot and see what’s true and what isn’t. (Spoiler Alert… it’s all true) – the bottle shop is growing and becoming a brewery. We dive in to understand why they are making this change, what it’s going to look like, and what makes them think that they will be able to pivot their business. I can’t thank Caleb and Brian enough for taking out some time to sit down and break the news with us, I hope that you are as excited about it as I am! Guests This Episode * Brian Brownlow, BC’s Brewing Co.* Caleb Colbert, BC’s Brewing Co. From The Beer Fridge * Fair State Brewing Cooperative/Bierstadt – Side Pull Lager

I’m not saying that I’m ready for winter – actually… I’m not even close to ready for winter. I am 100% ready for Beervent season, though! (Don’t send me an email, I recognize that Beervent season is winter… but let me have this one). I sat down with Jason at Higher Gravity to dive into what all goes into these calendars (and to remind you to get your preorder in before they sell out this year) – we had a couple of beers and talked about a lot of stuff. From the opening of their second location, and all that went into that to what makes running a store like Higher Gravity fun, and difficult. This is a fun one, and I can’t thank the guys at Higher Gravity enough for making some time to put this episode together! Guests This Episode * Jason Parnes – Higher Gravity From The Beer Fridge * Brink – Hold The Reins* West Side – Lo-G Links From This Episode * Higher Gravity’s Website* Preorder Your Beervent Calendar Here!

It’s a topic that comes up a LOT in discussions amongst beer geeks. I’ve asked, and been asked it over and over, and never really answered or gotten an answer that satisfied me. Why in the world would we think that this time would be any different? Perhaps because on this week’s episode we had the wonderful Julia from Truth, Beer, Podsequences on? Maybe because she was joined by her “other half” Josh? This might be the time we finally get an answer we’re happy with. Or… maybe we’ll just drink a few great beers, talk about nonsense and have a great time – you be the judge. We hung out at West Side Brewing for this one (unbeknownst to them… which is always fun, and feels like you’re sneaking around – I like that) – it’s a great episode and I can’t thank Julia and Josh enough for making it happen! Guests This Episode * Julia Rohs – Truth Beer Podsequences* Josh Hester – Behind-the-scenes TBP Producer From The Beer Fridge * West Side – Nelson DIPA* West Side – H&R IPA Links From This Episode * Truth Beer Podsequences

The Queen City Mobile Food Truck Association has been working hard prepping for their upcoming Street Food XPO at Bechtold Park on 6/25 – and since I’ve been hanging out, helping them out with some “stuff” (That’s a long conversation for another day) I figured the timing was right to sit down and have some beers with good friend Tony Lange to talk about the festival (but mainly just to drink some beers…) We cracked open some cans out of the magic backpack, we were interrupted like 75 times by real work… and we had a blast. Check this one out, and make sure you make it out to the Street Food XPO! Guests This Episode * Tony Lange – Queen City Mobile Food Truck Association From The Beer Fridge * Streetside – MidWesty* Listermann – Helles Rauch* Streetside – Hazy Day In The Hood* Fifty West – Road To The Jungle Volume 3 (With Jungle Jim’s) Show Links * Street Food XPO – Website

I’m absolutely crazy about lager beer. I love it. It’s not just the actual beer itself, though… it goes deep for me. We’re blessed to live in a city like Cincinnati where folks get that – folks like Northern Row. Not only does the brewery make great lager – they get it. On the week approaching their Lagerfest – a celebration of everything lager – it only makes sense to sit down and talk about it all. Guests This Week * Brenden Douglass – Northern Row From The Beer Fridge * Northern Row – Hustler Show Links * Lagerfest Tickets

There’s a lot to cover in this episode… a whole bunch. I was joined by Mike Morgan and Bret Kohlmann Baker – and we talked about everything from their podcast (Brew Skies Happy Hour) – we talked about Urban Artifact brewing the most expensive beverage in the world – Missing Linck, and even spent a bunch of time trying to figure out what craft beer is all about anymore. My goodness… no wonder I was late getting home and made my wife mad. Enjoy this one… it was a ton of fun. Guests This Episode * Bret Kohlmann Baker – Urban Artifact, Brew Skies Happy Hour* Michael D Morgan – Queen City History, Brew Skies Happy Hour From The Beer Fridge * Urban Artifact – Peaches and Cream (Nitro)* Urban Artifact – Spicy Key Lime* Urban Artifact – Blueberry Grape and Terpenes* Urban Artifact – Strawberry Gazpacho* Urban Artifact – Astronaut Food, Blackberry and Blueberry Show Links * Brew Skies Happy Hour Podcast* Missing Linck Episode (2019)* Missing Linck Episode (2021)* Missing Linck Website* QueenCityHistory.com Mike’s Cincy Beer Books (These are Amazon Affiliate links, so I get paid if you click on them and make a purchase – full disclosure) * Over The Rhine – When Beer Was King* Cincinnati Beer

16 Lots is fresh off not only their first big barrel-aged bottle release but also the massive announcement that they are going to be opening up a second location in Newport Kentucky, right at the Levy. It sounds like a great time to sit down for another episode of the Brewcast, right? Del Hall was generous enough to give me a few minutes of his time to break it all down for me – and my goodness, it gets me pretty excited about the future for these folks! Guests This Episode * Del Hall – 16 Lots Brewing From The Beer Fridge * 16 Lots Brewing – Subtle Nuances #3* 16 Lots Brewing – Kenny’s Dey Drinkin’ Lager

I didn’t think when we were planning this episode that it would also be Cinco De Mayo, I also am not always a fan of the fact that so many beers that folks make for the holiday are pretty much the same thing… so for those reasons, this isn’t a Cinco De Mayo themed show… but Michael Amann (from Adena Distributing) and I certainly talked about it. We also talked about “alternative beverages” and their place in modern craft beer… and we had a great discussion about some really nerdy beer stuff that you can’t hear because my memory card freaked out on me (always carry a backup, podcasters). It’s an excellent episode! Guests This Episode * Michael Amann – Adena Distribution From The Beer Fridge * Brink Brewing – Summertide* Singlecut – Wild and Gilly* Pipeworks – Ninja vs Unicorn* Fifty West – Hard Pink Lemonade* Karrikin – Bourbon Wheel* Newtopia Cyder – Amethyst Airwaves

It’s hard to believe that the last time we sat down with Randy and Karen at Wooden Cask, it was before things shut down in 2020, yet… here we are. The world is vastly different, plans are not the same and every brewery has been through a lot of “stuff” which means we definitely have plenty to talk about. We rolled through a hearty flight of beers and talked about it all. We covered how the brewery has managed things for the last couple of years, how it all changed their plans. The curiosity for me was how it changed the soul of what makes Wooden Cask who they are (or maybe how did it manage to not change it). I loved this one, it’s always a good time hanging out in Newport, Kentucky! Guests This Episode * Randy Schiltz – Wooden Cask* Karen Schiltz – Wooden Cask From The Beer Fridge * Wooden Cask – Levee Lager* Wooden Cask – Blackberry Sangria Sour* Wooden Cask – Newporter* Wooden Cask – Corruption* Wooden Cask – Caribbean Night Out* Wooden Cask – Dessert First* Wooden Cask – Chocolate Praline Stout

I love beer holidays. And no, I’m not talking about national beer day or anything like that – I’m talking about those days around town when breweries release a beer, or a few beers and repeat it every year. We as craft beer drinkers can use these chances as an opportunity to hang out together, drink a few beers and be a community. That’s what this is all about, after all. It’s a community. Streetside gets this. Their tagline is “The Intersection of Craft Beer And Community” so it only makes sense that they’d find a way to create a few of these days for those of us who love craft beer. The latest? That’s the topic of this episode. Speak of the Devil day quickly approaches (It’s on April, 23rd) and I sat down with them to find out what it’s all about (as well as drink them ALL) – it was a good morning. Guests This Episode * Garrett Hickey, Streetside* John Ewars, Streetside* Andy Sohoza, Streetside From The Beer Fridge * Speak of the Devil, Barrel-Aged Base* Speak of the Devil, Barrel-Aged Double Coconut Coffee* Speak of the Devil, Barrel-Aged Snowball* Speak of the Devil, Barrel-Aged Banana Trail Mix* Speak of the Devil, Barrel-Aged Vanilla Bean* Speak of the Devil, Barrel-Aged S’Mores* Speak of the Devil, Barrel-Aged Maple Coffee

I don’t get to explore the beer scenes outside of Cincinnati nearly enough – and was thrilled to get away this weekend to do exactly that. Good Friend of the show (and me) Matt Demaris invited me and a couple of friends on a “Cincinnati Brews Travellers” trip down to check out the beer scene in the mountains of West Virginia. We hit up a bunch of breweries, recorded a bunch of podcasts and had an absolute blast doing it. I hope this one is as fun for you to listen to as it was for us to record! Guests This Episode * Matt Demaris – The Cincy Brews Traveller* Marco Penilla – Cellar Dweller/Truth Beer Podsequences* Mark Miller – “Quick Trip” From The Beer Fridge * Greenbriar Valley Brewing Company – Braxxie Blonde Ale