The Gnarly Gnome: All The Podcasts

Back in the studio this week the Brewcast dives into a couple of beers and with Kat Finn in Studio a peek into Girls Pint Out and Pink Boots Society. We explore some different parts of the community and look forward to what we’re expecting the next year of Cincinnati beer to contain. While we don’t have any sort of crystal ball – we can definitely make some assumptions about where it’s all going based on where it is today! Guests This Week * Kat Finn – Girls Pint Out* Justin Neff – Sonder Brewing From The Beer Fridge * Sonder – Foeder Funk – Barrel Aged Wild Ale* Rodenbach – Fruitage* Sonder – Overthunk – Dunkelweisse Show Links * Girls Pint Out – Facebook* Girls Pint Out – Twitter* Girls Pint Out – Website* Pink Boots Society – Facebook* Pink Boots Society – Website* Sonder Brewing – Website* Sonder Brewing – Sonder Stories Podcast

I love the first chance that the show gets to sit down with a new brewery. It’s that first conversation where we get to dive into the story of place, or a person or an idea that turns into a new piece of Cincinnati’s brewing culture. Dead Low opened up for business in October of this year, and have already gained a good group of fans of not just the beer their brewing, or the great food that they’re cooking up – but of a taproom that is absolutely stunning as well. In this episode, we dive into it all and try to dissect exactly what makes these folks who they are. We try a few beers and try to peek into the future to see where they’re going long term, and what makes a brewery successful in a city that’s getting as “beer-busy” as Cincinnati is these days. Guests This Episode * Greg Snow – Head Brewery, Dead Low Brewing Company From The Beer Fridge * Dead Low Brewing – River Runt RyePA* Dead Low Brewing – Timberhead Roasted Chocolate Stout* Dead Low Brewing – Woodhawk Honey Brown Ale

Chef Tony from Brew City Sausage is not just a lifesaver for coming in at the buzzer for me this week, he also makes one of my favorite products that I’ve ever found, Brew City Sausage. This week’s episode we’ll explore his latest infusion – Utopias Infused Sausage) We drank a ton of beer and chatted about what’s been going on in the world of Cincinnati craft beer. It s fun, it’s busy, it’s awersome. Guests This Week * Chef Tony – Brew City Sasusage From The Beer Fridge * FigLeaf – 2 Year Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Solstice* Three Floyds – Alpha Klaus* Taft’s – Bourbon Barrel Aged Big Silky* AleSmith – Barrel-Aged Old Numbskull* Three Floyds – Robert The Bruce* MadTree – Bourbon Barrel Aged Are You Ready For Some Darkness?* Rhinegeist – Barrel-Aged Penguin* Listermann – Barrel-Aged Neopolitan Chickow* Yuengling – Hershy’s Chocolate Porter

It’s been another crazy week in the world of craft beer, and that means that I want to take a quick little journey outside of Cincinnati this week. I was joined by Justin and Danny from Sonder Brewing Company, but while at the start of the show we did dive into the cellar to drink some Cincinnati beer, the bulk of the conversation lies elsewhere. New Belgium is selling themselves off to a foreign company – which means they aren’t going to be “craft beer” anymore – and I’m struggling to understand how I feel about that. We take a deep look at what it means, and how it makes us feel… while we drink some great beers from Rhinegeist and Fifty West. A little peek behind the curtain… we were in Sonder Studios because we started the night by recording an episode of Sonder Stories – so you’ll wanna go ahead and subscribe to that if you haven’t already! Hang in there… this is a fun one! Guests This Episode * Justin Neff – Sonder Brewing Company* Danny Herold – Sonder Brewing Company From The Beer Fridge * Rhinegeist INK (2014)* Fifty West – Ghost Of Imogene (2017) Show Links * New Belgium Brewing Announces Sale To Kirin Subsidiary as Craft Beer M&A Heats Up – Forbes* Cool Down: A User’s Guide To Cellaring Your Beer – VinePair* Sonder Stories Podcast

It’s always fun to take a little dive into the other sides of the beer community, other than just the folks that make the beverage that we all love. BC’s Bottle Lodge and it’s owners Brian and Caleb are doing an amazing job in creating a space where you can not just grab a couple six packs on the way home, but take part in a much bigger community at the same time. Their two locations, West Chester and Montgomery are both amazing spaces, with huge tap lists and customers that make everyone feel welcome, and like a regular. In short… it’s exactly like some of the big factors that made us fall in love with all this in the first place! It only made sense to me, on the second anniversary of their Montgomery location to sit down with the guys and take a peek at not only what got them to this point, but where they see it all going in the next couple of years too. We also explored what the roll of bottle shops, and bars play in an ever changing craft beer world. Guests This Episode * Brian Brownlow* Caleb Colbert From The Beer Fridge * Masthead – Wet Work* Hubbard’s Cave – IIPA Centennial* Fifty West – Paths Worn Show Links * BC’s Bottle Lodge – Liberty* 7121 Liberty Centre Dr, West Chester* BC’s Bottle Lodge – Montgomery* 8175 Hetz Dr, Cincinnati

I love Cincinnati beer, that should be pretty obvious by the fact that I have a blog and podcast that are dedicated to showcasing it. There’s another side to craft beer, though… and it’s a pretty big one. It’s everything else. There is a TON of great beer being brewed up outside of our hometown, and there’s a lot that can not only be learned from it… but enjoyed with it. This week’s episode I sat down with Michael from Adena distributing to talk about not just what’s going on with them, but to get a bigger “top down” picture of beer that isn’t from here, and why it might be more important than we give it credit for. Guests This Week * Michael Amann – Adena Distributing From The Beer Fridge * Wooden Cask – Potstill Porter* Singlecut – Desert! DDH IIPA* Illuminated Brew Works – Mumblegeuse Show Links * Adena Distributing – Website* Adena’s Craft Partners:* Alexandria* Black Acre* Cellar Dweller* Connecticut Valley Brewing* Darkness* Ethereal Brewing* Illuminated Brew Works* Singlecut* Temperance* Untited Art* Wooden Cask

Wrapping up a three part series from Karrikin we take a dive into what’s coming down the pipeline for this distillery. To help guide us through the conversation we pour a little bit of their ‘Emerge’ gin and take a quick tour through how they make it, and what pushed them to launch with two different gins into the market. This is most definitely not the last you’ll hear about Karrikin on Drinking With The Gnome – there’s a lot more to them that still needs exploring! Also, of quick note – Thank you for your patience between episodes lately. Life has been a little bit on the crazy side for me, and your support means the world. Without you – there is no Gnome. Guests This Episode * Andy Foltz – Guest Hosting* Eric Baumann – Karrikin Spirits* Jeff Hunt – Karrikin Spirits

Cellar Dweller has been slowly upping their game, and putting out some new stuff for a while now, and hot off the heals of an Oktoberfest that I fell in love with, they just released their big (and hyped up) stout with peanut butter and chocolate, called Puzzle Pieces. Sounds like a great opportunity to pull their assistant brewer Marco into the studio for a Brewcast, right? We drink both the new stout and their big Double Dry Hopped NE IPA called Governor Morrow, as well as a few other surprise goodies, and talk about the process that they went thorough in creating the new beers. We even try to get a little bit of a sneak peek into what might be coming down the road. It’s a good old fashioned studio show, and a fun one at that! Guests This Episode * Marco Penilla – Cellar Dweller From The Beer Fridge * Cellar Dweller – Puzzle Pieces* Cellar Dweller – Governor Morrow* Listermann/Untitled Art – Cincinnati Style Stout* Taft’s – Gustav Show Links * Cellar Dweller Craft Beers – Website* Volume 4, Episode 1 – Cellar Dweller, Valley Vineyards* Volume 5, Episode 26 – Cellar Dweller and Adena

It’s hard to be a fan of Cincinnati beer for very long before you get sucked into the history of this city and the beverage that we all call a hobby. The storied past of Cincinnati is one that Don Heinrich Tolzmann knows extremely well, and I was lucky enough this week to sit down with him to talk about it alongside his new book called Cincinnati’s Beer Baron’s in the Golden Age of Brewing. We dive into the topic with a beer in hand, and try to figure out what made Beer Baron’s so important to what this city used to be – as well as trying to figure out if such a thing can (or does) still exist in today’s very different beer community. Guests This Episode Don Heinrich Tolzmann Show Links * Don Heinrich Tolzmann’s Website* Cincinnati’s Beer Baron’s In The Golden Age of Brewing

Self Serve taps might one of the biggest things that you’ve heard about Anderson’s Big Ash Brewing… but this former Collaborative Brewing CO-OP has a lot more going for it than that. We settled into a seat on their warm sunny patio this week to dive into a couple of their great beers and to learn a little bit more about who they are. We explored the pathway that got them to this point, and then outlined what you can expect when you head over for a point or two yourself. It’s another fun one, and always a good time when we get the chance to welcome a new brewery into the fold of Cincinnati Craft Beer. Guests This Episode * Dave Emery – Co-Founder From The Beer Fridge * Big Ash – Oktoberfest* Big Ash – Backbeat Coffee Blonde Show Links * Big Ash Brewing – Website

I feel like I’ve heard people saying that lagers are going to be the next big thing in craft beer for a long time now. When you dive into the tap lineup at West Side Brewing in Westwood you definitely catch that vibe… I’ll tell you that! On this week’s episode we look deep into not just some of the beers that they brew, but why they brew them and what that might mean for the craft beer community at large. There’s some really amazing stuff happening on the West Side of town – and this episode is just a tiny peek into that! Guests This Episode * Adam Wiggins, West Side Brewing* James Riley, West Side Brewing* Colin Foy, West Side Brewing From The Beer Fridge * West Side Brewing Hefeweizen* West Side Brewing Red IPA* West Side Brewing Schwarzbier* West Side Brewing Imperial Stout Show Links * West Side Brewing – Website* Cincy Brewcast – Volume 3, Episode 19* Why Lagers Are The Next Big Thing In Craft Beer – Craft Beer Joe

It’s still Oktoberfest season in Cincinnati, and as long as the Marzens are flowing, I’m gonna be drinking them!  This week we join Andy Reynolds at Alexandria Brewing Company for their ‘Alexandriafest’ where they were tapping this year’s Oktoberfest alongside some other great beers. Andy has become my goto “style and beer science” nerd, so I wanted to see if I could finally get to the bottom of this whole festbier/marzen thing… all the while drinking something really tasty.  We definitely did that and more with a show that went a little longer than planned! Guests This Week * Andy Reynolds From The Beer Fridge * Alexandria Oktoberfest – Marzen* Das Henker – Hefeweizen* Flesh of the Pumpkin – Pumpkin Porter* Beard of Heaton – Belgian Style Kentucky Common Show Links * Alexandria Brewing Company – Website* BJCP Style Guidelines for Marzen – Festbier* Previous Episodes With Alexandria Brewing Company * Volume 2, Episode 15 – Beer Week Wrap Up! * Volume 2, Episode 26 – Light From The Darkness, Kickstarting Alexandria * Volume 2, Episode 32 – The Big Cis Brewcast * Volume 2, Episode 35 – The Rainy Day Brewcast * Volume 3, Episode 16 – Alexandria Brewing Company and Hops Spring Farms * Volume 3, Episode 20 – The 2017 Big Cis Brewcast * Volume 4, Episode 7 – A Long Awaited Flight At Alexandria Brewing Company * Volume 4, Episode 32 – Big Cis 2018 * Volume 5, Episode 4 – A Couple of Andy’s And Sustainability Buddy * Volume 5, Episode 5 – Alexandria And Their Anniversary, With The Andys. * Volume 5, Episode 18 – Family Reunion, Punch Out Style!

The title of this week’s episode isn’t really all that fair. While yes… the show was at the 2019 Mason Oktoberfest, which was hosted by Sonder Brewing company, the reason that I fell in love with the event in the first place was because it’s so ‘All encompassing’.  Somewhere around 18 different local breweries all came together to showcase their Oktoberfests… Marzens, Festbiers, German Party Lagers… they call came together in an incredible display of German happiness. I sat down with not just some folks from Sonder, but some other perfect examples of some of the other pieces of the Cincinnati Craft Beer community.  Our conversation ranged from (of course) German style beer, to brewery closings and what it means for the community.  We touch on hard seltzer and if it grows the craft beer market, or takes away from it.  The wind whipped us in a frenzy, and the beer kept us cool headed. It was an awesome time! Guests This Episode * Justin Neff – Co-Founder, Sonder Brewing Company* Danny Herold – PNP, Marketing Manager Sonder Brewing Company* JP Patrick – Listermann Brewing Company* Brian Brownlow – BC’s Bottle Lodge From The Beer Fridge * Sonder Brewing Company – Original Settlers* Sonder Brewing Company – Dunkelweizen

I just wrote last night about Streetside’s upcoming anniversary (make sure you know about that) but this week’s episode of the brewcast is about a lot more than just them celebrating another year. The brewery is in the middle of a phase in their life where they are getting to settle in, and really figure out who they are and what that looks like for us as drinkers and fans. The last time we were out at Streetside to talk to owner Garrett Hickey, he talked a lot about their wood aged program, and the decision that they are in a lot of ways forced to make to lean into the sours, or the big bourbon barrel aged beers. This episode dives even deeper into the philosophy behind the decision and what it means for the actual people that are making these beers for us. Guests This Week * Garrett Hickey – Streetside Brewery From The Beer Fridge * Streetside – Barrel Aged Sour Honey Blonde Ale Show Links * Streetside’s Upcoming Anniversary Party* Previous Brewcasts You Should Check Out* Volume 2 – Episode 38* Volume 3 – Episode 01* Volume 3 – Episode 15* Volume 3 – Episode 24* Volume 4 – Episode 12* Volume 4 – Episode 37

It’s been more than a year since we last sat down with Mark and Amy at Mason’s Common Beer Company, and in that time the brewery has been rolling along and finding their place in the ever-growing Cincinnati beer community. This week we dive into how their role has changed, evolved and defined itself from the inside out. We explore what it means to be a neighborhood brewery in a city like Cincinnati and how they listen through the noise to find what’s important and what isn’t. Of course… along the way we also drink a few beers to keep things exciting! Guests This Episode * Mark Lortz – Common Beer Co* Amy Lortz Common Beer Co From The Beer Fridge * Burdick’s Brown – Cocoa Puff Brown Ale* Smashly Madison – SMASH Pale Ale* The Hops Make Me Hazy – NE IPA* Effin’ And Blindin’ – Red Ale* Walk Around Town – Brown Ale Show Links * The Common Beer Company – Website* Volume 04 – Episode 22 – Getting To Know You: The Common Beer Co