The Gnarly Gnome: All The Podcasts

April Fools! I hope that I had you going with this one! While I may not be moving the show to Dayton… it was a fun chance to head up that way for a week and chat with a place that I’ve been impressed with each time I’ve tried their beer – Branch and Bone Artisan Ales. I convinced their Director of Sales, Trevor Sutherland to join me on this little adventure and I’m glad that I did! This peek behind what makes this place tick makes me that much more of a fan of what they’re doing – and might even convince me to take some more regular trips up north to share what’s happening in the Dayton beer scene! I hope you enjoyed this one… and I hope you’re not to upset that I played a little joke on you! Guests This Episode * Trevor Sutherland – Branch and Bone Artistan Ales From The Beer Fridge * Branch and Bone Artisan Ales – Buzzards & Dreadful Crows, Pilsner

It’s not how I wanted to kick off Volume 8 of the show, but it’s how it’s going to happen. I’m alone in the studio because of another chaotic week that saw the Brewcast being pushed aside…again. I promise though that a big push for me coming into our eighth year of the podcast is to make sure that doesn’t happen as much. It seems that when I keep thinking life is packed full of chaos and “things” there are always more that will pop up — So I’m going to make a very conscious effort to stop using that as an excuse, and just start making things happen. That’s not to say that you won’t hear me in the studio on this show anymore – but it won’t be because things had to happen that way – it will be because it’s how I wanted it to happen that week. From The Beer Fridge * Fifty West – Fuel Up, Coffee Blonde Ale

There’s a lot to unpack here with this episode. Not only is it an episode where we finally sit down with Taft’s again after a long time… but it’s also the first time we really get a chance to talk about their contract business which exploded during covid, and during the resulting world “after” it. I grabbed a flight of beer (thanks, Taft’s, for buying me some beers…) and sat down with Dan Shatto to try to dive into it all. We explored everything from Dan’s start with Watson Brothers, all the way to what Taft’s is up to today. It was fantastic, and like I said – a lot. I think this needs to happen again to really dive into somewhere around 9 different topics that could have sidetracked us during the episode.

This was a wild episode. I mean, the Sausage Queen preliminary rounds are little nuts normally, but throw a brewcast into the mix? Things are sure to get a little chaotic. Here’s what I thought this show was going to be… a short 15-20 minute chat about what Sausage Queen and Bockfest are all about, then a little 30 minute or so episode that included some of the shenanigans from the competition. Instead… we ended up with fire in the middle of the Sonder taproom, and we chatted for an hour about it all. What can you do? I guess the rest of the content will have to be part of the rumored ‘We Had Beers’ podcast that those of you who subscribe to Patreon will get to enjoy. Who knows? Guests This Episode * Rachel Appenfelder – Bockfest, Sausage Queen, Just Frites (we didn’t even get to talk about that…)* Danny Herold – Sonder Brewing From The Beer Fridge * William Goat – Sonder Brewing… with a hot poker.

I like these sneaky little shows. Showing up at a brewery unannounced, without having a representative from there on the show usually leads to a different discussion than we would have had otherwise. I put out the call on social media last month that I had a handful of shows that I was planning like this – and needed a volunteer to make one happen. Nathan Stewart replied, and we rolled the dice – Listermann Trailhouse it was! I don’t want to spoil the episode by telling you too much about our impressions of the space – but it’s safe to say that we didn’t hold anything back in that regard. We drank a few great beers, had a fun conversation, and I think it’s safe to say that we’ll both be back to the Trailhouse to grab a beer sometime! Guests This Episode * Nathan Stewart From The Beer Fridge * Listermann – Bier Leicht – Light American Lager* Listermann – Sotto Lager – Euro Lager* Listermann – Nutcase – Peanut Butter Porter* Listermann – Boats and Goes – Fruited Gose* Listermann – Godspeed, Little Doodle – Pastry Stout

Woodburn has been on a definite transformation – when the new ownership (The March First Family of Brands) took over in early 2021 we knew that they were going to work hard to change things around, but this? This is fantastic. The taproom has grown a little bit, with the addition of a lounge area where the old brewhouse used to be – and now, they’ve added a full kitchen to the back of the space, too. If you thought that this was just another small, bar-bites type of operation, you were very, very wrong. This is a Kitchen that you’ll want to go eat at, even if you’re not a beer drinker. It’s something that should be getting the neighborhood of East Walnut Hills really, really excited right now. I sat down with Josh Engel (you guys know Josh, right? He runs social media and marketing for March First) – Bhumin Desai, the March First culinary director, and the new Head Chef for Woodburn, Andrew Han. We talked about not just what the Kitchen is going to be like, but what it means for the bigger picture of how March First’s taprooms will keep growing into the short (and long-term) future. Guests This Episode * Josh Engel – March First/Woodburn* Bhumin Desai – March First/Woodburn* Andrew Han – March First/Woodburn

It’s taken a little bit of time, but we finally made our way down to Narrow Path in Loveland to sit down and rock out a podcast. It was a good one too, worth the wait if I say so myself. We got into it all, not just the story of how Narrow Path came to be, but even into the philosophy behind it that makes it a little bit different than anywhere else in town. Of course, we no Brewcast is complete without drinking a few beers – and that loosened things up a bit so we could even talk a little bit about the future of what might be coming for Narrow Path. These guys are phenomenal, a near-perfect example of what I want out of a craft brewery. If you haven’t been, you probably know what my next recommendation is going to be, then… right? Get there. Guests This Episode * Chad Powers – Narrow Path Brewing* Chuck Luken – Narrow Path Brewing From The Beer Fridge * Narrow Path – Essentia* Narrow Path – Cerise Savage #2 (Cherry)* Narrow Path – Peach Gose* Narrow Path – A Better Burden* Narrow Path – Espresso Maple Brown Bear

I mean it when I say that Bircus was pretty far ahead of their time when they started planning their taproom/circus hybrid. There are breweries that know how to provide an experience and then there are those that flounder around trying to figure it out on the go. Bircus knows experience. I sat down with owner Paul Miller and their new head brewer JD Angell to talk about how Bircus navigates a changing craft beer marketplace, and operates a taproom that is unlike anything else. I would be crazy not to also talk to them about their new Covington taproom, as well as the rumored plans for an upcoming taproom in downtown Cincinnati, too. We drank a few beers (Thanks Bircus!) and had an absolute blast. These guys are always fun! Guests This Episode * Paul Miller – Bircus Brewing* JD Angell – Bircus Brewing From The Beer Fridge * Bircus – Lud-Lite – Light Lager* Bircus – Showman – IPA* Bircus – Deeper Kilpatrick’s – Coffee Stout* Bircus – WH4 – Barrel Aged Wee Heavy w/ Vanilla

The holidays are great… I love spending time with friends and family, getting away from the normal craziness of life for a little bit – but the show takes a big hit – and I don’t like that. As we get back into the swing of things this week, I finally get to dive in a little bit about how things are about to change. I quit my job. That means a lot to me, to my family – and yes… to you. This all becomes a little more important in my day to day life, and those weeks where “work” takes over… they won’t exist as much. I get to spend more time creating, more time thinking about creating, and more time on all of THIS. And for that… we can all hopefully get excited. Stay tuned – this is gonna be fun! From The Beer Fridge * Rhinegeist – Snow Cat

I love this time of year. It’s not just the holidays themselves, or the fantastic seasonal beers that we get to enjoy, though. There’s a bit of a forced retrospection that we enjoy. There’s something about the end of another calendar year that makes you look back at all we’ve endured, and with optimism look forward to what’s coming. That’s what this show is about. I was joined by my good friends from Truth Beer and Podsequences Marco and Julia along with new friend John from Cellar Dweller to have a peek forwards and backward to see where we all think we are with craft beer right now. We drank a few beers along the way – and had an absolute blast hanging out for a bit at BC’s Montgomery. Guests This Episode * Julia Rohs – Truth Beer and Podsequences* Marco Penilla – Truth Beer and Podsequences/Cellar Dweller* John Lee – Cellar Dweller From The Beer Fridge * Spice Spice Baby – The Butcher and The Brewer* Great Lakes – Christmas Ale Just as a reminder… this show (much like all of them) is brought to you by folks just like you. We’re supported by The Gnomies, a group of dedicated supporters who make it all keep running. If you’d like to help out and become a Gnomie yourself you can do that!! Go to TheGnarlyGnome.com/Support!

I think that it’s sort of Cincy Brewcast’s “thing” – to go off the rails from time to time. This week is a great example of one of those times. I sat down at Streetside with owner Garrett Hickey to talk about the collaboration beer that brought us all together, Socially Influenced, and instead – we went down an entirely different path about growth, expansion, new locations, brewpubs vs breweries, Big Beer vs craft beer. We hit a lot of stuff. We did still manage to talk about Socially Influenced a bit – and I even brought on Craft Beer Joe to try to get us back on track… but this was too good of a topic to not dive into it. In fact, we were having so much fun we didn’t even do a from the beer fridge segment (rest assured we were drinking, though). I love episodes like this a lot, it’s a very natural conversation – there are probably a few things that we should have cut out during the edit – but I thought the context was important for everything. Enjoy! Remember to make sure that you’re subscribed to the show wherever you listen to your podcasts – and probably even more importantly, tell a friend or two about it! Guests This Episode * Garrett Hickey – Streetside Brewing* Craft Beer Joe – CraftBeerJoe.com

Zac Holley is a local beer geek. He’s passionate, he’s having fun with his craft beer journey, and he’s a guy that you’re probably going to see around from time to time. He founded a Facebook group for folks who love craft beer, but think that there might be a little too much negativity in some of the other Facebook groups. He’s working on a podcast where he can sit back and share his thoughts of a cold beer… Basically, he’s working his butt of trying to share his love of craft beer with all of us – and that? I’m most certainly here for that. I met up with Zack last week over a few beers at Sonder Brewing Company. We talked about how Zac got into craft beer, why he thinks this community is awesome and even talked about the infamous Bourbon County Brand stout. There’s a lot here, and I hope you leave feeling like you just hung out with your friends over a couple drinks! Guests This Episode * Zac Holley – 513 Craft Brew Facebook Group From The Beer Fridge * Sonder Brewing Company – Family Tradition 2021 (Heaven Hill Barrels)

These two guys have been in this industry for a very long time… and so while the purpose of the episode was to talk about Little Miami’s recent expansion with their event center along with the BCCA Sunday after thanksgiving show coming up – I couldn’t resist diving into talking about the bigger pictures stuff. We drank a couple beers and dove into what makes all this tick, how things have changed, and where we think it might all be headed. The Queen City Chapter of the BCCA is about a lot more than just collecting random Breweriana… though that’s a major part of it. This Sunday After Thanksgiving Show is a great chance for you to not just head out and pick up a few items for the beer geeks on your Christmas list – it’s a great time to just get out with a few of your friends, grab a couple beers and spend an afternoon doing something a little bit different. It just so happens that this show takes place in the new event center at Little Miami Brewing Company. If you haven’t seen what they’ve done out there, it’s an amazing chance to get a little peek at how much they’ve grown. This event center has a massive indoor space, and a patio that makes the incredible outdoor space over at the brewpub jealous. Guests This Episode * Beer Dave – The Queen City Chapter of the BCCA* Jim Strelau – Little Miami Brewing Company From The Beer Fridge * Little Miami Brewing Company – Earth Cookie* Little Miami Brewing Company – My Dad’s Truck* Little Miami Brewing Company – Dark Side of the Moon

I am more than excited to see Hamilton, Ohio growing in the ways that it has been. If you’re a regular listener of Cincy Brewcast, you’re aware of that. I’ve sat down with plenty of people this year to talk about it… and I’m not done yet! I’ve been watching the Hub (That’s the abbreviated name of Hamilton’s Urban Backyard) as they’ve been working on getting their space together for awhile now – and their doors are finally open. You know what that means… time to dive in! The Hub is a perfect blend of a food truck park, a comfortable bar, and a gathering space for downtown Hamilton. They nailed what they were trying to do with it, and I think you’re gonna understand why I’m as excited as I am when you stop for your first visit. Guests This Episode * Jeff Bucalo – The Hub* Jim Goodman – Municipal Brew Works* Tony Lange – Queen City Mobile Food Truck Association

Aside from the beginning of this episode where it is AGAIN, me solo in the studio… this week’s episode is fantastic. I am always more than thrilled to get Brady and Kenny from MadTree on the show. They are at the helm of a brewery that has become an inspiration for breweries all across Cincinnati. When you talk to them, you can clearly see why, also. This is a brewery that pushes it’s own limits, spends a lot of time exploring who it is and that grows in the most organic way possible because of that. The world of craft beer is always evolving, and this episode is really about how MadTree as a destination always tries to evolve with it. It’s wonderful. I mean… we also drink some beers and make some really great tree puns along the way… its not too serious the whole time. Guests On This Episode * Brady Duncan – MadTree Brewing Company* Kenny McNutt – MadTree Brewing Company From The Beer Fridge * MadTree – Holly Days