The Gnarly Gnome: All The Podcasts

I love getting the chance to sit down with a brewery that I don’t know very well. There are not that many chances to listen to someone’s story in their own words, and to help provide that opportunity for everyone is one of my true pleasures in having this podcast. For this week’s episode I was joined in studio by the folks from NEW Ales in Middletown. It was at the start of all of this Coronavirus craziness, but we hadn’t gone down the full rabbit hole yet… It was a great opportunity to grab a drink and get to know what they’re all about (as well as try a couple of their beers for the first time!) Guests This Episode * Beth O’Harra – N.E.W. Ales* Nikki Heupel – N.E.W. Ales* Wes Heupel – N.E.W. Ales From The Beer Fridge * N.E.W. Ales – Flippin’ Fruit Tart Strawberry Lime Gose* N.E.W. Ales – Country Dreamer Amber Ale Show Links * N.E.W. Ales – Website – Facebook – Instagram

This one’s a great one. As the world attempts to socially distance themselves from the global Covid-19 pandemic, it’s a breath of fresh air to listen to this show that we recorded last month. Sitting around a table, sharing some beers and getting a little nerdy… it’s exactly what I wish I could be doing right now. I was joined by Shawn Carson from Hopped Farms, Eric Baumann from Karrikin and Nick Wayne from ATavola. We gathered to talk about fresh hops, and especially the collaboration between the group with Campo, fresh hopped Saison, but as things usually go – we talked about a few other things as well. From the journey of a hop, to the state of beer in Cincinnati it’s a big show… and was an experience that if I could figure out how to bottle it… would make me a rich man. Guests This Episode * Shawn Carson – Hopped Farms* Eric Baumann – Karrikin* Nick Wayne – ATavola From The Beer Fridge * Karrikin – Campo Show Links * Hopped Farms – Instagram* Karrikin – Website – Instagram* ATavola – Website* Local Malt Growers* Rustic Brew Farms* Origin Malt* Sugarcreek Malt* Ohio Hop Grower’s Guild – Website

It’s insane that this is how we start our sixth ‘Volume’ of the show… it’s all shut down for now, Every bar and restaurant. I started putting this episode together not knowing that we’d be here by the weekend… but here we are. An interview with the amazing folks at Brewgooder has transitioned into a show where a couple places talked about what they’re doing about this virus… and what it means. This is as real, and as raw as it gets… and scratches the surface – there’s a lot to be said about it in the coming weeks. Guests This Episode * Abby Scott – Brewgooder* Jake Rouse – Braxton* Betty Bollas – Fibonacci From The Beer Fridge * West Side Brewing – German Irish Lager Show Links * Brewgooder – Website* Brewgooder – Facebook* Read My Post About The Brewgooder Global Gathering

Almost all of us collect something, whether we know it or not. These guys collect A LOT and are part of a group of like-minded folks who do the same thing. The BCCA is getting ready to host their big ‘Luck O The Irish’ show on St. Patrick’s day weekend. I took the chance to grab Beer Dave Gausephol and Doug Groth and get them in the studio to talk all things collecting Breweriana as well as to just chat about local beer (while having a couple to drink along the way!) Guests This Episode * Dave “Beer Dave” Gausephol – BCCA Queen City Chapter* Doug Groth – BCCA Queen City Chapter From The Beer Fridge * Gravely Brewing Company – Sprockets* Gravely Brewing Company – Power Chord* Gravely Brewing Company – Debaser* Avery – Pacer* Deschutes – Wowza Show Links * Brewery Collectibles Club of America – Website* The Queen City Chapter of the BCCA – Website* Queen City Chapter – Facebook

Wooden Cask’s food partner, Drunken Hog Barbecue is so freaking delicious, and goes so perfectly with the beer that they put out, I couldn’t resist but stop by to get them on the show to talk about it a little bit. We covered all of the new stuff that’s been going with the brewery as they enter what owner/head brewer Randy is calling their year of doing stuff. As the city’s beer scene keeps evolving and growing, it’s always nice to take a step back and talk to some of the people that have been a part of it from early on – if for no other reason than to get a perspective on what it all means, and how each place can find their own corner of Cincy beer to call home. If you like the show – and I hope you like the show – make sure you share it with your friends and of course, subscribe! You can support the show, the site and all the fun stuff that I have planned by going here! Guests This Episode * Randy Schiltz – Wooden Cask* Trevor Gorman – Drunken Hog Barbecue* Michael Amann – Adena Distribution* Karen Schiltz – Wooden Cask From The Beer Fridge * The Aged Scotsman – Barrel Aged Scottish Ale Show Links * Wooden Cask – Website* Drunken Hog – Website* Adena Distribution – Website

I had never been to Crown Republic before this episode – and was lured in by some friends from the beer industry… and I am glad that I was. This place is fantastic on a few different levels – on the drinking side, the bar is great, it’s down to earth and provides great drinks without any of the pretentiousness that you might find at other spots. It’s a relaxed place to grab a great cocktail. On a whole other level, though… the food is to die for. Upscale, but still keeping that relaxed atmosphere that I love. It’s like hanging out in someone’s kitchen and having some really killer food. If you’ve never been – let this episode be the thing that pushes you to try Crown Republic out! If you’re still curious – you can always read a little more here on the blog, or head over to their website for more information! Guests This Episode * Aaron – Manager* Alex – Manager* Jason Roeper – Rivertown* Lindsey Roeper – Rivertown

It seems that we say this every time we sit down with someone from Braxton Brewing Company, but it’s been a whirlwind of growth for them lately. The past year has shown an insane flurry of action around their VIVE seltzer products and it’s easy to get lost down the rabbit hole of what that’s all about. Today’s episode? It brings us back to something that is very much at the heart of what makes Braxton who they are in Cincinnati. The Graeter’s partnership. These are two companies that have a lot in common – just at very different parts of their life. Like an extended family they’ve come together again this year for a series of products to showcase not just who they have been (in the case of Graeters… for 150 years) but who these companies are at their core today – and who they hope to be in the coming years. There’s a lot to this, and we dove into it all to see what it’s all about. If you are curious about the beer itself. (or one of the beers that we’ll see from this collaboration in 2020) you can read tasting notes here – or read about the release here – but in my book – you can do no better than hearing Evan talk about the collaboration (and then heading out to buy some when it hit’s a shelf close to you) Guests This Episode * Evan Rouse – Braxton Brewing Company From The Beer Fridge * Braxton – Graeter’s Black Cherry Chocolate Chip White Stout Show Links * Braxton Brewing Company – Website* Braxton Brewing Company – Facebook* Graeter’s – Website* Graeter’s – Facebook

I love bottle shops. I especially love a bottle shop that bucks the trend and helps create a new category of what that means the way that places like Higher Gravity has – and much like I say way to often anymore (that might mean something about how much fun stuff is happening in Cincinnati) this is far too long in the making. I’m thrilled to have this week’s episode take place at Northside’s Higher Gravity where we talked about who they are, and where the came from – along with some great insight into why they’re opening a second location in Blue Ash soon. It’s a peek behind the curtain, and a great insight into the type of people they are. I can’t give enough thanks to Jason and Nick for taking a few moments out of their busy schedule to make this one happen, and even to Mike Stokes who thought he was going to just grab a quick beer on the way home an ended up getting roped into a second half of the episode. I might have just met them… but I like these guys – a lot. Guests This Episode * Jason Parnes – Higher Gravity* Nick Belleman – Higher Gravity* Mike Stokes – Cincy Brew Bus From The Beer Fridge * Streetside – Bee Mine* Brink – Barrel-Aged Villainous Schoolmaster* Hoof Hearted – Stackin’ Paper Show Links * Higher Gravity – Website* Higher Gravity – Facebook* Cincy Brew Bus – Website* Cincy Brew Bus – Facebook* Three Ring Focus – Web Design

They might be small, but Off Track has a few things going for them that I’m absolutely in love with. Number one? Their beer is delicious. Number two? The freaking Dunlap Cafe serves as their “unofficial” taproom since they are a production only brewery right now. We talk all things Off Track to get to know the folks behind the brewery, as well as how they got started. We even take a peek into the future to see where they plan on this all going someday. This episode asks the questions that you’ve all been asking about Off Track, and hopefully gives you a peek behind the curtain to see why you should make your way down to the Dunlap to snag one (or two) of their beers and show them some love! Guests This Episode * David Walters* Dave Wilson From The Beer Fridge * Off Track Brewing Company – Schwarzbier* Off Track Brewing Company – Hop The Track, Pale Ale Show Links * Off Track Brewing Company – Website* Off Track Brewing Company – Facebook* The Dunlap Cafe – Website* The Dunlap Cafe – Facebook* Stay Tuned For An Upcoming Drinking With The Gnome About The Dunlap!

We caught up this week with the folks from the upcoming Firehouse Grill and Brewery in Blue Ash to get a picture of who they are and what they’re all about. Firehouse Grill has been a staple of Cincinnati’s craft beer scene for years now, and the next step to open up their own brewery is a natural one. We talk about their beers, and how they plan to integrate the kitchen into their beer program even deeper now that they’ll be brewing their own. It’s an exciting evolution for them, and a fun one for all of us drinkers to take part in! Guests This Episode * Molly Davis – Firehouse Grill and Brewery owner* Justin Chaney – Head Brewer* Jamie Campbell – Chef From The Beer Fridge * Firehouse Grill and Brewery – Blue Ash Brown* Firehouse Grill and Brewery – Summit Saison

I was on vacation with the family down in Gatlinburg, but that wasn’t going to stop me from doing a little “Gnome-Work” while we were away. I stopped into Sugarlands Distilling to chat with Reede Copeland about the unique culture of Gatlinburg, and the reasons that moonshine has caught on so heavily in the area versus other places. We talk about what makes the distillery special, what makes moonshine special, and what makes Gatlinburg a little different than you might think that it is at first glance. Tourism is a big part of Gatlinburg – but there’s more to the story. Guests This Episode * Reede Copeland – Sugarlands Distillery Show Links * Where To Drink: Gatlinburg* Sugarlands Distilling – Website* What Is Moonshine? – HowStuffWorks.com* How Prohibition Gave Birth To Nascar – History.com* The Great Smoky Mountains – Sugarlands Visitor Center

I have been trying to get this one planned and scheduled for a long time now, and was thrilled to finally get the chance to sit down and explore Humble Monk Brewing with you this week! Humble Monk is located in Northside and while they lean heavily on Belgian style beer, you’ll quickly figure out that it’s not all they are about. We talked about how they got started, what they’re all about and even took a little peek into the future for them to see how they envision themselves growing into an ever evolving beer scene here in Cincinnati. Guests This Week * Mike Kemp – Humble Monk Brewing From The Beer Fridge * Humble Monk – Abbey* Humble Monk – Devoted* Humble Monk – Halo, Green Apple Seltzer* Humble Monk – Haze Goggles* Humble Monk – Nodding Blossom* Humble Monk – Pancake Porter* Humble Monk – Pious* Humble Monk – Tempus* Humble Monk – Trinitas

It’s an exciting time down at Christian Moerlein, and I’m not just talking about it almost being Bockfest time again… no, they’ve got plenty of other stuff going on, besides that. I sat down with Greg Hardman and the new ownership team to talk about everything that’s been happening. The team discusses what it takes to bring Moerlein into the future of craft beer, and what that means for brands that we love around here (like Little Kings!). It’s a great conversation and is made even better by the Emancipator Doppelbock that was flowing. Guests This Episode * Greg Hardman – Founder, Chief Market Development Officer* Jay Woffington – New CEO, Christian Moerlein* Jodi Woffington – New CMO, Christian Moerlein* Michael Graham – New CFO, Christian Moerlein From The Beer Fridge * Christian Moerlein – Emancipator Doppelbock* Christian Moerlein – Power Stoutage* Christian Moerlein – Baltic Porter Show Links * Christian Moerlein – Website* Read more about the new Moerlein leadership team

The construction on CincyBrewcast studios continues… and the progress inspired me to schedule another ‘In Studio’ show, this time a couple of great beer friends, Josh Engel (Raging Hop, who’s with March First… I guess he’s not really Raging Hop anymore) and Danny Herold from Sonder Brewing in Mason. It was a bit random, and the way it all came together is even more random – but we got together to do a vertical tasting of MadTree’s Thundersnow. With five years of the Scottish Ale on hand (we missed 2017 somehow… we weren’t really sure what to expect from the beer, which isn’t known to be one that a lot of people cellar on purpose – but without spoiling anything, I can say that we were pleasantly surprised! Guests This Episode * Josh Engel – March First* Danny Herold – Sonder Brewing From The Beer Fridge * MadTree – Thundersnow 2014* MadTree – Thundersnow 2015* MadTree – Thundersnow 2016* MadTree – Thundersnow 2018* MadTree – Thundersnow 2019 Show Links * March First Brewing – Website* Sonder Brewing – Website* MadTree – Website* Read More About Thundersnow

This is always a special week for Cincy Brewcast each year. A celebration of Mike Cisneros, and a celebration of the craft beer community and all that it means. Big Cis is a big deal, and is always a blast to take part in. You can (and should) read more about the event and the beer here. This year’s event took place down at Alexandria Brewing Company again, and was insanely fun. From some really fun charity raffles to live music from Hunting Agnes… I hope you made it down to experience a great time! If not… here’s your way to get a glimpse at how much fun we had! Guests This Episode * Andy Reynolds – Alexandria Brewing Company* Sean Willingham – Municipal Brew Works* Eric Bosler – Darkness Brewing* Randy Schiltz – Wooden Cask* Karen Schiltz – Wooden Cask From The Beer Fridge * Alexandria Brewing Company – Big Cis 2019 – Blonde Ale* Alexandria Brewing Company – Saturn Ascends, El Mariachi Show Notes * Alexandria Brewing Company – Website* Municipal Brew Works – Website* Darkness Brewing – Website* Wooden Cask – Website* Hunting Agnes – Website