Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill

P&C drink and review Layered Up winter stout from Victory Brewing, then respond to some listener questions (starting at 1:47). * Does Santa really need Crampus as an evil counterpart? Would Pigweed actually put coal in the stocking of a bad kid? * Pentamom takes us to task on geography and explains the countries named "Guinea." * Did the Sackler family face any consequences as a resu...

P&C drink and review "Oaked Vanilla Porter" by Sam Adams, then discuss isolationism (starting at 3:57). They start off with a general definition, then talk about the history of isolationism in American politics -- from the earliest days. Americans don't like "entangling alliances." Or at least they say they don't. There's been a strong current of isolationism in...

P&C drink and review Paulaner's Salvator, which is a delicious dopplebock, then review the new movie "Lady Ballers" (starting at 4:08). The right claims that the left has been taking over the culture. The good folk at The Daily Wire have decided to start making movies to challenge the left's hegemony in this area. Movies from the right are often poor quality and preachy. The...

The boys review Crowhill's 2023 Christmas beer, then discuss a short story from James Joyce. Pigweed starts off with some biographical information about Joyce, and how "The Dead" fits into his collected works. The story was finished in 1907. Gabriel Conroy is the main character, and we see some of the action through his eyes. The whole story takes places in one snowy evening. It migh...

The boys drink and review Winter Storm, "a Category 5 ale" from Heavy Seas, then discuss populism in the U.S., and the career of Javier Milei. Most politicians want to appear as an ordinary, regular person -- at least when they're campaigning -- but a "populist" adds a critical element of a contrast between the people and the elite establishment, whom they ridicule or demon...

The boys drink and review Pigweed's holiday beer, then discuss a few odd stories from Hans Christian Anderson (starting at 4:33). Although he wrote a lot of other works, it's the fairy tales that made Anderson famous. Some of them are very well known, like The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, The Emperor's New Clothes, and others. P&C aren&#3...

The boys drink and review Anchor's Christmas beer, then discuss diversity. Note: this is an older show from the archives. Is diversity our strength? That's what the political elite tell us. But is that true? Diversiity has a very American sound. It reminds us of the saying on the statue of liberty, and reminds us that we're a nation of immigrants. But the word has become a cudgel. When...

The boys drink and review Crowhill's Tavern Ale, then discuss the international outcry over the Flashman Incident. Some stories, like this one by Hunter Allen, seem like they should stay local, but every once in a while a story catches fire and spreads across the nation. That's what happened when Bob dropped off an old book in the local tiny library. Day 1 -- Bob drops off the book. Pedro...

The boys drink and review Jailbreak's Hey Porter, then discuss the life and career of a famous decolonizer, Francisco Macias Nguema. Equatorial Guinea was colonized by the Spanish. Nguema started his career as a mid-level civil servant with the Spanish government. He was corrupt from the beginning, but maintained a good relationship with the Spanish. When the tides turned and anti-colonialist...

The boys drink and review Anderson Valley Brewing Company's Winter Solstice Ale, then discuss Freemasonry. How do you learn about a secret society without becoming a member? It's hard to know what to believe about them. Still, P&C did their best to find the essential details. Stone mason guilds started to have outsized political power and started to admit people who weren't stone m...

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Witness Tree Nut Brown Ale from Antietam Brewery, then discuss Crowhill's recent trip to the UAE. While Saudi Arabia dominates the Arabian peninsula, a couple smaller nations squeeze their way in, including UAE. After reviewing a bit of history and geography, the boys discuss Crowhill’s experiences in Abu Dhabi. Crowhill had three goals fo...

The boys drink and review Brooklyn Brewery's Winter IPA, then discuss the rich men (north of Richmond) who want to tell us how to live and control every aspect of our lives. Seamus Bruner recently wrote a book called Controligarchs about how the super-rich want to tell all the rest of us how to live. Bruner singles out five on his book cover: Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Klaus Schw...

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Saranac Caramel Porter, then discuss Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's as part of their "shortcut to the classics" series. They start with a quick bio of Truman Capote, then dig in to the novella. The story is set in WW2, and it's important to get the movie out of your head before you read the book. Holly Golightly i...

The boys drink and review Local 1605, a red ale from Antietam Brewery, then discuss McCarthyism. Since "The Crucible," we tend to associate the Salem witch trials with Joseph McCarthy and his work with the committee on anti-American activities. After doing a show on the Salem Witch trials (see episode 367), P&C wondered if it's appropriate to link witch trials to Joseph McCarthy...

P&C drink and review "The Fear" -- an imperial pumpkin ale from Flying Dog -- then discuss surveillance. How should we live in an environment where everything we say is being recorded? Why shouldn't the government be able to do "routine checks" on citizens? We don't have anything to hide, do we? And if you're breaking the law, or a risk to others, don't we w...

The boys drink and review a hazy IPA from Sam Adams, then discuss the opioid crisis and big pharma. Corporations are not necessarily evil. As a rule, they do important work that provides a service people are happy to pay for. But from time to time you get some bad eggs. The Sackler family is an example. They took advantage of a new class of drug, and new thinking about how to manage pain, and lied...

The boys drink and review Warlock, a pumpkin imperial stout, then discuss the Salem witch trials. In this gripping podcast, Pigweed and Crowhill delve into the chilling history of the Salem witch trials. Join us as we unravel the mysteries, uncover the accused, and explore the dark trials that shook the heart of colonial America. Discover the truth behind the hysteria that still haunts Salem to th...

The boys drink and review Captain Crowhill Abbey Ale, then discuss the recent spectacle of college students defending Hamas. The conversation starts with a few assumptions. * Israel exists * It has a right to exist * It has a right to defend itself Why have there been so many ugly rallies in support of Hamas, and why have the universities been so silent about it. If you misgender someone on a coll...

Along with literary contributor Longinus, the boys drink and review Dark Usher, then discuss two short stories from Lovecraft: Shadow Over Innsmouth and the Call of Cthulu. In "The Shadow over Innsmouth," a man visits the decaying New England town of Innsmouth and discovers its inhabitants' disturbing alliance with aquatic beings, the Deep Ones. As he delves deeper into their siniste...

The boys drink and review a no-alcohol porter, then discuss five topics in about 5 minutes each. #1. Gender-reveal dad. From a YouTube video -- This poor fellow was obviously a captive. You could see it in his face. But it wasn't about a baby, it was about some kid transitioning. It was horrifying. It seemed pretty obvious the man was going along with an ultimatum from his wife. "Support...

The boys drink and review yet another non-alcoholic beer, then discuss Ted Kaczynski, aka The Unabomber, who recently died in prison. He was a genius. He skipped two grades, went to Harvard, and studied advanced mathematics. Unfortunately, he was an evil genius. Ted was a quirky guy who decided that technology and industrial society had to be destroyed. He worked for a few years to raise enough mo...

P&C drink and review "Gold Rush," a no-alcohol beer from Sam Adams, then discuss the "I Promise" School. LeBron James says that he owes a lot of his success to some wonderful people who took him in and helped him out when he was struggling in school. To his credit, LeBron wants to give back, so he created a new school to give disadvantaged kids a chance. The school started...

P&C drink and review a non-alcoholic Octoberfest "beer," then discuss their experiences in Hawaii. Pigweed had visited a few decades ago, while Crowhill just got back after a visit to Capt. Crowhill. Crowhill was surprised by several things. * Chickens everywhere. * Not many shells on the beach. * Almost no sea birds. * Mongooses on the loose. * The mountains are incredibly sheer and...

P&C drink and review Geralt's Gold, a no-alcohol Helles brew, then discuss how our views of children have changed. In the latter half of the 20th century our culture turned away from the previous "seen and not heard" attitude and tried to be more interested in what children say. We also started to be obsessed with childrens' feelings and their self esteem. P&C don't r...

The boys drink and review a lime and salt no-alcohol brew from Dos Equis, then discuss Chris Lunsford, who some people think is named Oliver Anthony. Mr. Lunsford recently appeared on both Jordan Peterson's and Joe Rogan's podcast. Pigweed and Crowhill try to determine if Mr. Lunsford is the man people think he is -- a simple, authentic man of the people. He seems to be. He has a disdain f...