Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill

In this episode of Beer and Conversation, Pigweed and Crowhill take on a recent United Nations resolution addressing the history of slavery and the call for reparative justice. Beginning with the obvious — slavery is a moral evil — they quickly move past the headline and dig into the deeper question: which history is being told, and why? The discussion explores the broader global context of slaver...

After decades of staying close to Earth, the United States is finally pushing outward again. In this episode, we talk about the Artemis missions and what they represent: not just another NASA program, but a return to the kind of ambition that once put men on the moon. We cover the physics, the risks, the history—and the big question: Why did we stop in the first place? Plus, some thoughts on space...

How did New York City elect Zohran Mamdani—and what does it mean for the future of America’s most important city? In this episode of *Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill*, we review a citrusy blonde ale while unpacking the rise of NYC’s new mayor and the ideas driving his agenda: socialism, wealth redistribution, and an expansive vision of government power. We dig into: * Mamdani’s bac...

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Noir, a black IPA from DuClaw, then discuss slang. In this episode of Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill, we dive into a wide-ranging (and occasionally grumpy) discussion on slang — what it is, where it comes from, and why so much of it drives us up the wall. From Valley Girl “like” to “literally” meaning its opposite, from “no wo...

You might remember the Police referring to "that book by Nabokov." Well this isn't it. It's an earlier book about a Russian immigrant. With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review "Dance of Days" IPA by Atlas Brew Works, then take on Vladimir Nabokov’s Pnin — a novel that’s equal parts frustrating, funny, and quietly devastating. At first glance, Timofey Pnin...

In this episode of Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill, we crack open a Steady Eddie IPA and take on a big cultural question: why are people who hate Star Trek directing, producing, and writing the show? From the optimism of Star Trek: The Original Series and the (somewhat) moral clarity of Star Trek: The Next Generation to the confusion of modern efforts like Star Trek: Discovery, som...

The boys drink and review a homebrewed porter, then discuss birthright citizenship. The question of birthright citizenship hinges on one phrase in the 14th Amendment, which reads "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof." What does that mean? The point of the amendment was to give citizenship to freed slaves, but it's been interpreted to mean that the child of an illegal immigrant, b...

P&C drink a cream ale and reflect on the amazing life of Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris wasn’t just a movie star—he was the real deal. A multi-time martial arts champion with serious credentials, he built a reputation long before Hollywood ever noticed him. And yet, Hollywood did notice. From a run of classic action films to the long-running hit Walker, Texas Ranger, Norris proved he could carry a...

The boys drink and review Blackbeard's Breakfast, a robust porter, then discuss a new series about Merlin. The Daily Wire has entered the fantasy arena with *The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin* — but to understand what they’re trying to do, you have to go back much further than Camelot. In this episode we trace the evolution of the Arthurian legend from its earliest Welsh roots to modern...

The boys drink and review some homebrewed porter, then ask if Trump is resetting the entire global order. Many people believe the international system built after 1991 has become unsustainable, unfair, and disconnected from American interests. Trump is trying to reset it from an America First perspective. * The old world order depended on American sacrifice without reciprocity * Trump replaced glo...

Pigweed and Crowhill drink and review Lindemans Pecheresse, a Belgian Fruit Lambic, then discuss the show's uncanny ability to predict the future. In this episode we update past topics and predictions. An earlier show discussed kill switches and cameras in cars. There have been some developments to that story. On the show where we questioned whether psychiatry is science (mostly it isn't),...

The boys drink and review Finest Kind IPA from Smuttynose, then talk about efforts to make Alberta an independent nation. Pigweed's news feed has been full of talk about this burgeoning movement in Canada. Alberta is an energy rich province that sends a lot of money to Ottawa, but doesn't get much in return. Albertans hate being under the thumb of a government thousands of miles away with...

The boys drink and review a cream ale from Jailbreak Brewery, then discuss the dramatic decline in trust in our institutions. Trust in institutions used to be the default. Today, it’s the exception. From corruption and abuse of power to ideological capture and growing economic inequality, many people feel that the institutions that once anchored society — government, media, academia, and public he...

The boys drink and review a peanut butter porter, then wonder about the nature of the mind and the self. We like to imagine that our minds are simple and unified — that we think, decide, and evaluate the world rationally. But the more we learn about the mind, the stranger that assumption becomes. Psychology talks about the conscious and unconscious mind. Behavioral economics divides thinking into...

P&C drink and review Manor Hill Brewing's Dunkel, then wonder if the U.N. still matters. The United Nations was founded after World War II with an ambitious mission: prevent global war, promote peace, and help nations cooperate on the world’s biggest problems. But nearly eighty years later, a fair question arises: does it do anything useful? The boys take a practical look at what the U.N....

The boys drink and review Dogfish Head's Sixty-One, which is an IPA brewed with Pinot Noir grapes, then discuss the idea that AI will make us all wealthy while Pigweed's cat prances around the studio. Elon Musk recently said that AI + robotics will eliminate scarcity to the point that there's no real point in saving for retirement. We'll have "universal high income." It&#...

P&C drink and review Pigweed's homebrewed porter then discuss squatter's rights. Can somebody just take over your house when you're on vacation? There's a famous case in Maryland where some "activist" has moved in to a $2.3 million house that had been foreclosed on. Can she do that? Who's to stop her, and how? "Adverse possession" is the technical word f...

The boys drink and review Crowhill's latest homebrew then discuss Iran. Persia was one of the first great empires. At times it stretched from Libya in the west, into India and the stans in the east, and stretched into the Slavic countries in the north. Some of the notable names are Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes. Isaiah mentioned Cyrus as God's chosen but took a jab at Zoroastrianism in the pro...

The boys drink and review Old Brown Dog by Smuttynose, then wonder why Michelle Obama is such a sourpuss despite her incredible good fortune. Despite being intelligent, wealthy, well-educated, and popular, she seems to be griping and complaining all the time. After Barack was elected she said, "For the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country." For the first time? Really? Eve...

The boys drink and review Ghost Stories, a smoked black lager from Burlington Beer Company, then discuss infrastructure. After the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, President Biden promised it would be rebuilt “as soon as humanly possible” — and immediately assumed the federal government would foot the bill. But why is that assumption now automatic? And what does it tell us about the state...

The boys drink and review Sierra Nevada's Narwhal Imperial Stout, then discuss the obligation of the government to provide for the poor and how such efforts inevitably degrade into graft, corruption, and abuse -- like what we see in Minneapolis right now. There have always been poor people, and there has always been an obligation to help the less fortunate. In the past, much of that work was d...

Pigweed and Crowhill drink and review a Copper Legend, an Oktoberfest from Jack's Abbey brewing. The topic for today: Has the development of AI changed our perspective on whether or not we're living in a simulation? Starting with Nick Bostrom's famous essay, the boys discuss the issues and why we might not be as "real" as we think we are. The development of AI has made Bostro...

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review an IPA from Cape May Brewing, then discuss the homogenization of culture, and how everything is starting to look the same. It's to the point where you're in a town three states away but you see the same stores, the same products on the shelves. Where's the local stuff? The boys discuss the history of this phenomenon, starting with...

With special guest Longinus, Pigweed and Crowhill review Nugget Nectar from Troegs and then turn to Death in Venice, a short but unsettling story about beauty, obsession, and moral collapse. Longinus provides a brief biography of Thomas Mann, and then the boys walk through the story while unpacking its major themes. This is a controversial book, and they don’t shy away from it's ugly side. Mann ex...

The boys drink and review Shugga, a strong ale by Lagunitas, then discuss a leaked government report that argues peace is actually a bad thing. War is not merely a tragic necessity, it's a fundamental stabilizing force in human society -- according to a secret government document called Report from Iron Mountain. It claims that war is essential for maintaining political authority, economic ord...