The Gnarly Gnome: All The Podcasts

Alexandria Brewing Company is gearing up for their quickly approaching first anniversary – which means it was definitely time for me to head back out to the brewery to chat with owner/brewer Andy Reynolds to see what he’s been up to. With one of the areas best Bock beers on tap… just barely it was the last keg – I knew how we had to start the show. We talked about Bock beer… we talked about IBUs, as per usual Cincy Brewcast standards the conversation meandered around. The biggest part of it all was the discussion of Alexandria’s first anniversary which comes up this weekend (4/20/19) – they’re releasing their first ever bottles along with some really great variant tappings throughout the day – and it’s going to be something you most definitely don’t want to miss! Guests This Week * Andy Reynolds – Alexandria Brewing Company* Andy Foltz – Guest Co-Host From The Beer Fridge * Slayerator – Doppelbock* Murk – A Milk Stout* Cecelia’s Grace – Belgian Quad

I was joined this week… or a couple weeks ago depending on how you look at it by my good friend from Hunting Agnes, Bryan Booth to talk Bourbon, and to talk the Prohibition Bourbon Bar (you can listen to that episode if you haven’t already) and we were having so much darn fun that we recorded another episode. This time, we grabbed a cocktail to see what it was all about – the drink? The Kentucky Sidecar. The menu told us that the drink was Bourbon, Lemon, Cointreau and Bitters… but I had my doubts… listen in and see. Guests This Week Bryan Booth – Hunting Agnes What We Drank The Kentucky Sidecar, or The Bourbon Sidecar

It’s complicated to try to explain the time shifting that is happening in this week’s episode, but to keep it simple, it was recorded alongside next week’s episode at Alexandria Brewing Company. Leading up to their big first anniversary party and bottle release in a couple weeks, it was time to sit down and have another long chat with owner/brewer Andy Reynolds. I was joined again this week’s by Andy Foltz to help with the guest co-hosting duties and we talked about a little bit of everything. The conversation ranged from Cheese Whiz, to Alexandria’s new beer called Sustainable Buddy (it’s part of the Sustainable Suds program). This episode might not have been 100% planned… but it’s a fun one! Guests This Week * Andy Foltz – Guest Co-Host* Andy Reynolds – Alexandria Brewing Company From The Beer Fridge * Alexandria Brewing Company – Berliner Weisse Show Links * Alexandria Brewing Company – Website* Cheese Whiz… In A Can?

Asheville, North Carolina isn’t about beer alone – it’s about a community that provides a platform for one of the widest and most fun drinking cultures that I have ever experienced. With that being said… the best way to take a peek behind the curtain of that drinking culture is to sit down and have a chat at one of the breweries that helps give the city the nickname Beer City USA. Hi-Wire Brewing’s Chris McLain sat down over a pint with me earlier this year to help showcase not just what makes the brewery who they are, but what makes Asheville as a city who it is overall. There’s more to come about ‘Beer City’ – and how it all relates to our hometown here in Cincinnati… stay tuned. Guests This Episode Chris McLain – Hi-Wire Brewing

Bryan Booth from Hunting Agnes is a good friend, and a perfect guy to swing down to Newport’s Newberry’s Prohibition Bourbon Bar for a drink or two and a little peek into the world of Bourbon.

I’ve been sitting on this show for way too long, and it’s time to get it out there for you to enjoy. Originally broadcast as a live Facebook stream in collaboration with the Greater Cincinnati Craft Beer Society, it’s now a look back to the first barrel aged sour release from Urban Artifact. We pop open a few beers and talk about what makes barrel aging beers difficult and so fantastic at the same time. We also get into a little bit of what makes this process different from “kettle souring” or “quick souring”. It gets a little geeky at times, but sometimes the best parts about what Urban is doing are the geeky flashes of genius hidden behind a curtain of deliciousness. Enjoy! And don’t forget to share the show with all your friends. We’ve got some great new episodes coming up! Guests This Week * Bret Kollmann Baker – Urban Artifact* Scotty Hunter – Urban Artifact* Jesse Folk – Representing the Greater Cincinnati Craft Beer Society From The Beer Fridge * Palmistry – Double Fruited Berliner Pale Ale* Wine Barrel Aged Palmistry* Escapement – Raspberry* Escapement – Nectarine* Escapement – Cherry* Perpetuum – Year Two Show Links * Urban Artifact* Greater Cincinnati Craft Beer Society

I’ve heard that just over the river in Newport, Kentucky we’ve got a bar that houses the largest collection of Bourbon and Rye in the world. How in the world can a drinker hear this and not venture over to the Prohibition Bourbon Bar to see what it’s all about? I was joined by my good friend Bryan Booth from the band Hunting Agnes to grab a drink (or five) and talk about what the bar is all about. This isn’t a bourbon show (though that’s coming) – it’s a show about a bar. With that being said, we quickly realize how deep the rabbit hole goes – we’re going to need to head back sometime to dig a little deeper about the bar! Guests This Episode Bryan Booth – Hunting Agnes

Joined by Andy Foltz, it seems like a good night to talk about The Manhattan, right? Spoiler... it’s always a good night for a Manhattan.

In studio, a couple beers, a couple microphones – you never know what you’re going to get. I love these shows, the unplanned ones from the studio. It opens up the discussion, and let’s us get to know the people that are on the show a little better than a typical episode might. This week we get to know Andy Foltz a little bit better… and we drink a few beers along the way. Andy came through for me big time this week. With a last minute cancellation on the booking side of the Brewcast if it wasn’t for him, you’d have had another “solo studio ramble” which isn’t nearly as fun for any of us. Instead, we were left with a show that drifted from Andy’s ‘Road to Craft’ to a little bit of a discussion about what’s happening in the local beer community (who knew Seltzer water could create such a commotion?) Cincy Brewcast is not just about what we drink, it’s about who we drink it with – and I was thrilled to have a couple beers with Andy this week. I hope you do too. Guests This Week * Andy Foltz From The Beer Fridge * North High – Cover Crop (You can read more about this beer here)* Rhinegeist – Andromeda* Southern Grist – Chop It Up

What’s the story with the Manhattan? Well… truth be told it’s complicated, and it’s usually pretty hard to find the truth buried inside all the tall tales, too. I was joined this week by friend, and fellow beer-geek Andy Foltz to take an initial dive into what I expect will be many dives into The Manhattan Cocktail. We explore this week not just what’s in the drink, but take a peek at the history of it too – we play around with a couple ingredients and of course have a couple manhattans of our own to set the stage. Stay tuned – we’re not done talking about this one… there’s a lot to say! The Gnome’s Manhattan Recipe 1 1/2 Ounces – Rittenhouse Rye 1/2 Ounce – The McCallan 12 Scotch 1 Ounce – Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth 3 Dashes Of Angostura Bitters Lemon Twist Garnish Guests This Episode Andy Foltz

The evolution of our local breweries is one of the exciting parts of watching our craft beer community. Things don’t often stay exactly how they are when a brewery opens their doors, and most of the time it’s for the better. This week, sitting down with Queen City Brewery of Cincinnati, it become’s clear that this is extremely true for Blue Ash’s nano brewery. These guys have gone through a lot in their first couple years in business, and it’s exciting to see how it has redefined who they are as their personality grows. The beer is on point, and the brewery is right on track to keep winning new fans over as each new guest experiences their taproom and what it has to offer someone looking to grab a beer with their friends. This week, I was joined by Jason Surniak from the brewery to try a few new things on tap and talk about where they’ve been, where they’re going and who they are today vs who they were when they opened their doors. This is definitely an underdog story, and like watching a Rocky movie… it’s incredibly fun to root for them. Guests This Week * Jason Surniak – Queen City* Andy Foltz – Special Guest Co-Host From The Beer Fridge * Queen City – C-Town Oatmeal Stout* Ikuutayuq – Imperial Red Ale* Bengal Bee – Honey Wheat* My Ex – Coffee Blonde Ale* Overhopulated – IPA* Wittewijven – Belgian Tripel* The Darkest Knight – Black IPA

Making a couple of stops around town, The Gnarly Gnome takes a peek at St Patrick’s Day drinking in Cincinnati.

It’s Paddy’s Day in Cincinnati – and I made the rounds. I ventured out to some of the hottest spots in Cincy to figure out what makes St Patricks day more than you might think it is on the surface. Sure… there is a lot of Guinness and Green beer that get’s poured – but what makes it special? I only scratched the surface in this one. The show is a little shorter than I anticipated… but I suppose that you can understand with it being the first episode that I’ll figure a few things out as I go along. I’m already working on some stuff for the coming weeks, and I can’t wait to dive into this city’s drinking culture a little deeper! Huge thanks to Nicholson’s and to Dingle House for giving me a few minutes of an insanely busy day! Guests This Week Ryan Shappelle – Nicholson’s/Horse And Barrel Scott Inlow – Dingle House, West Chester

It’s fun to watch a place like Mt. Carmel not just grow and evolve, but to use each step along that path of growth to future define and showcase who they are at their core. Cincinnati’s first locally owned craft brewery is setting themselves up for the next phase of their life, and it’s going to be an exciting journey to take along side of them.

It sounds like the perfect recipe for a brewcast - a fifth anniversary that happens to fall on the biggest weekend to drink bock beer here in Cincinnati. We dig into the “beer fridge” and drink a few beers from Paradise Brewing from their anniversary/bock celebration including their Billy Baroo Bock, their White IPA, Night at the Opera sweet coffee stout and their big barrel aged Off Kilter Scottish ale which was recently released in bottles. There’s a lot to talk about, hang in tight for this one!