The Gnarly Gnome: All The Podcasts

The title might have NOTHING to do with what we ended up talking about, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a lot to talk about on this week’s episode. Quite the opposite, actually. I start things off (after the regular technical difficulties) with ‘The Schnappening’ that was a little sweet… not peaches… but candy-like and delicious. From there we tal...

This has been an eagerly anticipated episode for me. As someone who both LOVES Alexandria Brewing Company, AND lives on the other side of the Greater Cincinnati area from them, a West Chester outpost is pretty perfect for me. Full disclosure, I work with Alexandria in my day job, and while that doesn’t come in to play at all with this episode… I want you to know! Andy Reynolds has been on th...

In this episode of Cincy Brewcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming back Garrett Hickey as we celebrated some exciting achievements in the world of Streetside Brewery, particularly coming off the recent GABF weekend. We dove into the significance of winning medals and the competitive landscape of Ohio breweries, and discussed how certain styles dominate the awards scene. Garrett shared insights on...

It’s hard to catch my attention these days with so many different products on shelves in our favorite stores… but Stoop Dayz managed to do that with their bright, clean hard soda brand. When I saw them sampling things out down at Oktoberfest, and saw the positive reactions from everyone trying it – I knew that I had to get them on the show! On the episode we learn all about the brand,...

My goodness. Technical difficulties? Again?! I get it slightly under control as the episode progresses, and it WOULD be frustrating if I didn’t have so much fun with this show every year. It’s Oktoberfest season, and this is the finale of a massive bracket I do every year to determine the winner, and the brewer of Cincinnati’s BEST packaged Oktoberfest! I was joined by Marco and...

I’ve been curious… I think that a canned cocktail that scratches the itch has a really important place in my drinking experience, but too many of them just kind of, well… aren’t great. That’s why I wanted to sit down with the founders of PonyBoy Slings on the show. I like them. I think they taste GOOD. Mike and Janell Bass were gracious enough to take some time to sit...

I’m a huge Oktoberfest nut. I’m sure that if you’ve been around here for any amount of time, you’ve put that together. With a TON of great festivals happening here in Cincinnati, it’s hard to figure out exactly which ones you want to go to every year – but this one? This has become essential for me. I was joined by Justin Neff from Sonder and Brenden Douglass fr...

This one starts out rough – with a pour of something horrid called ‘Yukon Jack Snakebite’. It might even be the worst thing that I’ve ever tried on this show, which is saying A LOT. I followed it up with a big glass of Fabled Brew Works’ Last Call of Cthulu, which was quite the improvement! We talk about Verge Brewing’s announcement that they are no longer worki...

I love cocktails, and I also like the simplicity of cracking open a can instead of mixing a whole bunch of stuff up myself. That’s why I love MadTree’s line of Sway cocktails… they make it easy for a lazy lawn ornament like me. I sat down with Brittany Frey and Sean Cox to talk about this collaboration with the folks over at New Riff. We cover it all, and you’re going to wa...

It’s always a possibility, but there are a couple of days every year where I pretty much know that this show is going to be late – and when we come out of a long weekend of camping, it’s a pretty good possibility that we’re going to be running a little late. We fire things up, drink a couple beers (and maybe even let them battle it out). It’s a whirlwind of a fun show...

Fueled by a conversation I had the other day with a buddy in a taproom, along with some recent online discussions about a building that is for sale, I thought it was a great week to explore what’s going on with the supposed “Big-Osa’s” as I’ve dubbed the LaRosa’s and Big Ash collaborative space. They announced that they’d be handing over their kitchen to t...

It’s never an easy thing when a local taproom closes, and it’s even worse when it’s a local institution like Listermann Brewing Company. I have a ton of thoughts that I’ve been working my way through – and what better way to work through them than live on a show with you! Grab a drink, and let’s see what happens. The Weekly Pint is a live show, and is best liste...

I love collecting the latest label approvals for our local breweries, and it always sparks a few conversations around the possible products that we might see in the near future. If that doesn’t give you a big hint about where this week’s episode will be headed, I’m not sure what will. I go back to a taste of Twisted Tea flavored whiskey… which still isn’t very good, a...

There are a lot of neighborhood bars around the city of Cincinnati. There are dives, there are sports bars, there are cocktail bars, more types of places than I think there are neighborhoods that house them. When you find “your spot” in one of those, you fall in love with it. With that, when you hear that someone new has bought that spot, it’s easy to be afraid of what it means....

When the weather heats up, I get the urge to drink a bunch of lagers… so that’s what we’re going to do on tonight’s show. I crack open four different (non-local) lager beers to see if they taste even better when it’s hot outside. We also talk about the inspiration, a new 8.4 oz can that’s coming from the folks at Sierra Nevada… and why an 8.4 ounce serving...

It’s been a real whirlwind of a week. The news that Ohio Eagle was closing it’s doors, or being sold is still super fresh (and full of unknowns… are people losing their jobs?). To top that off, my oldest kiddo broke her arm which was just a ton of fun to deal with. It all means that a drink is in order! I started the show off by giving a Glazed Doughnut vodka a taste (it was terr...

It’s a painful process to watch, the closing of a brewery. I can only imagine what it’s like from the perspective of an owner and founder of a brewery… but we get a little peek at what it’s like in this week’s episode with DogBerry’s founder, Tony Meyer. He talks about how he has rediscovered a love for craft beer, after it had almost disappeared at the end of D...

Norwood, Ohio, gets a big win with the opening of Braxton’s new taproom at Factory 52. In what COULD have been a huge loss, HiWire recently announced the closure of their Cincinnati taproom to focus on their efforts back home in North Carolina, and with it, a partnership of sorts where Braxton will always be keeping some HiWire beer on tap there. I sat down with Jake and Evan Rouse, two of B...

As we head out of Father’s Day weekend, I’m left feeling like it was just a great weekend. Good beers, great food, you know the drill. It all has me in a fantastic mood. We kick off this week’s happy hour by diving into a quick taste of Luxardo Maraschino, which I’m pretty certain I’ve never actually just tried by itself. As it turns out, this stuff is delicious. It w...

It’s been a busy weekend in my house. We’re coming off of a big family camping trip, which is always really exciting when you have to then get your butt home and try to do a live podcast. We were doomed from the beginning… this show was going to be late. Luckily for all of us, we have always said that since this ISN’T a show – there’s no way it’s possible...

I love a good beerfest, and as we gear up for this year’s newly rebranded ‘Bacchus Beerfest’ (you might remember it as The Oakley Beerfest, previously) I wanted to sit down with some of the folks that are helping to make it happen. I sat down with Bill, Mandy and Jack to talk about what draws people to beerfests these days, how you keep upping the game and why folks should be buy...

I didn’t want to be too boring with my celebration of Cinco De Mayo, and instead, I might have made a terrible error. I picked some of what might be the worst margarita imposters that were available. This will be… interesting. Luckily, we can talk about Awards, and about upcoming new releases from Rhinegeist. A silver lining I suppose! This show is brought to you by listeners just like...

There are a lot of different breweries in 2025, and while the industry has plenty of struggles, there is one model that stands above everything else – the neighborhood taproom. This is exactly where the upcoming Depot Brewing Company hopes to align itself. They’re planning a small brewery and taproom for the community of Morrow, Ohio, and from everything I can tell, it’s going to...

The river is UP. In fact, the water is so high that a few of our breweries are either underwater or unable to open due to flooded streets. It’s a great opportunity to remind us to support the places that we love, especially when things get rough out there. We kick the show off with a taste of some ‘Orahovac’ which is just as tasty as I remember it being. A bottle of sparkling Sak...

I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get a show up this week – and then remembered that I’d be hitting up the Ohio Craft Brewer’s Association’s ‘Pamona’s Abundance’ event at Urban Artifact. This celebration of women in beer would be absolutely perfect! I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not the best audio in the world – it&#821...