Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill

The boys drink and review Pigweed's homebrewed Black IPA, then discuss cancel culture in the light of the Charlie Kirk story. Defenders of so-called cancel culture object to the term. They say it's just "consequence culture." Traditionally, conservatives have been against cancel culture -- because it's usually a weapon deployed by liberals against conservatives. But now, when...

The boys drink and review Sunset Eclipse from Dewey Beer then discuss whether artificial intelligence will destroy us. Crowhill says he uses AI all the time and loves it, but at the same time he's afraid it's going to destroy us all. Despite being warned -- over and over again, in literature and by contemporary experts -- we blithely continue on as if everything is okay. We have no reason...

P&C drink and review a dopplebock from Troegs then ask whether there's a difference between a liberal and a leftist. Pigweed reflects on his youth and his admiration for the free spirit attitude of the hippies, and that while he hasn't moved, the Overton Window has moved around him, shifting him from left to right. The normal politics of a 1995 Democrat turn the left's hair on fire...

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review a Pub Ale from Black Abbey Brewing, then discuss ten ways that our quick (Type 1) thinking can deceive us, and how to compensate. Why do we make choices that don’t make sense? From overconfidence to loss aversion, our brains are wired with shortcuts that keep us alive but can also trip us up in everyday life. In this episode, we break down 10...

P&C drink and review Space Jellyfish from Nepenthe brewery in Baltimore, then discuss some short stories by Sinclair Lewis. Pigweed starts off with a brief bio of Lewis and some big picture themes that occur in his writings. Then, with special guest Longinus, the boys review the following short stories. "The Willow Walk" is about Jasper and John Holt, two identical brothers who lead...

The boys drink and review "I Just Crush A Lot" a blueberry hibiscus tart ale from Calvert Brewing. In 1054, a dramatic split forever changed the face of Christianity. Known as the Great Schism, it divided the Church into Roman Catholicism in the West and Eastern Orthodoxy in the East. But the break didn’t happen overnight—it was centuries in the making. In this video, we’ll explore: * Th...

The boys drink and review Atlas Brewery's Festbier then ask whether locking up criminals results in less crime. Why doesn’t mass incarceration always lead to lower crime rates? Research shows that most crimes are committed by a small group of career offenders -- 5–10% of criminals may be responsible for half of all crimes. Locking up these repeat offenders *does* reduce crime. But once those i...

P&C drink and review a Maibock from Guilford Hall Brewing, then discuss the problem of crime in (mostly Democrat-run) cities. Crime in cities is nothing new, but is it so bad that the federal government needs to get involved? Crime is one of the most divisive political issues in America today, and nowhere is the debate sharper than in the nation’s Democrat-run cities. Are recent reports of fal...

Pigweed and Crowhill drink and review a Fest Beer and discuss words that are their own opposites. English is full of quirks, but few are as fascinating as contronyms, which are words that are their own opposites. “Sanction” can mean to approve or to punish. “Dust” can mean to sprinkle or to remove. “Left” can mean departed or remaining. In this episode, we dive into the strange, witty, and sometim...

P&C drink and review Duckpin pale ale, then ask why none of these politicians ever end up in jail. We keep hearing, "Wait until it's our turn. We'll put these criminals in jail." But it never happens. Why do the powerful never seem to face justice? From Tuskegee to Russiagate, from MKUltra to the Mueller Report, history is full of scandals that promise accountability but deli...

The boys drink and review Pigweed's barley wine homebrew, then discuss the curious finances of our elected representatives. It’s no secret that many politicians leave office far wealthier than when they entered. But how does it happen? In this episode, we explore the perks, privileges, and backroom opportunities that come with political power. From insider connections and book deals to speakin...

The boys drink and review Crowhill's latest homebrew, then discuss gerrymandering. Every ten years, new census data reshapes our political maps. But who decides where the lines go—and why does it matter so much? In this episode, we dive deep into gerrymandering: what it is, how it works, and why it has such a lasting impact on elections. We cover:* The basics of redistricting and why “one pers...

With special guest Longinus, the boys review Garage Beer, then discuss some fairy tales. The two stories reviewed in today's episode came in at #2 and #1 in a recent contest between Grimm's fairy tales. Pigweed, Crowhill, and Longinus review the stories and evaluate the imagery and messages they contain. Coming in at #2 is The Juniper Tree, which is a very grim Grimm fairy tale. It include...

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review a local IPA, then continue their "Shortcut to the classics" series with a review of "Daisy Miller" by Henry James. What makes Daisy so fascinating — and so frustrating? We discuss her headstrong independence, the social rules she challenges, and how her choices lead to tragedy. Along the way, we explore themes of innocence...

P&C drink and review a single-hop beer from Brookeville Beer Farm, then Crowhill quizzes Pigweed on the most important characters in English literature. Crowhill combined replies from both ChatGPT and Grok to create a test for Pigweed. The prompt read as follow: "Please give me a list of the 30 most important characters in English literature. By important I mean they have made a lasting impres...

The boys drink and review 13 Eye Witness Brews then head back into the topic of transhumanism. (See episode 535.) One of the problems the transhumanist agenda needs to address is the connection between the body and the mind. Is "the mind" something that can -- even in principle -- be uploaded to a computer? Or does it have to have a body. Does the mind = the brain, or is there a non-mate...

The boys drink and review Brookeville Beer Farm's Dew Point Pale Ale then discuss the 100th anniversary of the Scopes monkey trial. Called "the trial of the century," the Scopes trial pitted tradition against modernism. Due to the influence of H.L. Mencken, who covered the trial, it was one of the first big media events. It became a cultural flashpoint whose influence went far beyond...

P&C drink and review Beach Traffic lager from Big Oyster Brewery, then discuss the blurring lines between using technology to restore human function vs. enhancing it beyond natural limits. From bionic limbs and neural implants to nanobots, AI integration, and the terrifying implications of brain-computer interfaces, Pigweed and Crowhill ask: Are we on the verge of becoming obsolete in a world...

In this episode of Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill, we crack open a local amber lager and dive into a deceptively simple question about whiskey: If all distilled spirits come out clear, does it really matter what grain you start with? Crowhill shares a long-standing curiosity about the flavor differences in whiskey and what actually survives the distillation process. Pigweed joins...

In this episode of Beer and Conversation with Pigweed & Crowhill, we dive into the meteoric rise and personal struggles of Oliver Anthony, the viral country-folk sensation behind Rich Men North of Richmond. From rags to Rogan, Anthony rocketed to fame with his raw, heartfelt music and humble lifestyle. But what happens to a marriage when it confronts sudden fame and fortune? In this case, it l...

In this episode of Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill, we crack open an Amber Castle from Silver Branch Brewing and dig into Andrew Doyle’s hard-hitting new book The End of Woke: How the Culture War Went Too Far and What to Expect from the Counter‑Revolution. What we cover:* Why 15 years of “woke” may have peaked — from DEI backlash to Trump’s political re‑entry * Woke vs. Liberalism—...

The boys drink and review a pale ale from Oliver Brewing, then bask in the fortunate timing of their births. No, we didn’t win World War II or build the postwar economy, but those of us born between 1960 and 1980 — the late Boomers and early Gen X — may have hit the generational jackpot. In this episode, we explore why we think our generation is the most fortunate of all. We were… * Too young for...

Pigweed and Crowhill drink and review Summerfest lager from Sierra Nevada, then dive into the most consequential U.S. Supreme Court decisions handed down since the Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. We explore the Court’s growing willingness to redraw the legal map on race, religion, executive power, parental rights, and the limits of judicial authority. Highlights include: Affirmative Acti...

The boys drink and review Calaminator, Crowhill's homebrewed dopplebock, then discuss the surprising comeback of Catholicism. What is a "rad trad"? Why are young people -- particularly young men -- increasingly attracted to conservative Catholicism? "How Catholicism Got Cool" by Madeleine Kearns addresses this question. Reasons include ... * Transcendence and mystery * Givi...

P&C drink and review Pigweed's home-brewed pale ale, then discuss the societal danger of the so-called beta male. They react to a review by Dr. Orion Taraban of a Survivor episode that discusses the complex interactions between alpha males, beta males, and clever women. According to Dr. Taraban, the women made an alliance with the beta males to kick out the alpha males, but then the women...