Volume 10 Archives - The Gnarly Gnome

I LOVE a new brewery, especially when that new brewery is run by an older brewery that I already love. I love it even more when that team manages to create a new space that takes all the things we already love and gives it a new personality. If you’re not putting it together yet, that’s exactly what’s going on at Gilligan’s Brewery in Wyoming, Ohio. In this episode, I sit d...

When Mellotone Beer Project announced that they’d be taking over a VERY familiar brewpub space here in Cincinnati, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew their head brewer and co-founder, Alexandra Nowell, knew what she was doing from her time in the industry, but what I have found since is a space that manages to brew traditional styles really, really well, without being afraid to put t...

Higher Gravity On Continued Evolution And How They Stay Great. This week’s episode of Cincy Brewcast takes us back to Higher Gravity. Higher Gravity has two locations: the OG spot in Northside and a space in Blue Ash at Summit Park. Their Summit Park has a full coffee program, and both locations have great cocktail menus. They sell amazing, well-curated beer, a variety of wines, seltzer, and...

It should feel a little familiar if you’ve been a fan of this show for a while, now – Big Cis brings together old friends to celebrate a beer that is in itself a celebration of craft beer itself. This year’s tapping of Big Cis coincided with Cincy Beer Week, which only made it that much more special – and I hope that resonates with everyone else the way that it does with me...

The long quest to find the mysterious “Party Tree” comes to an exciting conclusion for me with a short hike through the woods with the one and only Matt DeMaris. I really wanted to get him on the podcast to talk about this year’s Honor Bus, his Vets & Brews charity work… and of course to have him lead me to this legendary, mysterious spot in the woods. If you want to le...

In this episode of Cincy Brewcast, I sit down with Garrett Hickey from Streetside Brewery to dive into the latest happenings in the world of craft beer. We kick things off by discussing the recent gold medal win for Streetside’s Black Cats English Brown Ale at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Garrett shares insights into the brewing process, the significance of the award, and the uni...

This is the end of a fantastic Oktoberfest season for me. For the fifth year in a row, as soon as the first local Oktoberfest beers hit shelves, I started my quest. It’s a journey to find the “best” Cincinnati Oktoberfest beer that takes me through a massive bracket, head-to-head matchups between every single packaged Cincinnati Oktoberfest beer, and culminates in a live event to...

There are several things that make an Oktoberfest great – and Sonder has it absolutely dialed in. Every year, we take a few minutes during their festival to make a podcast (probably an excuse to hang out over a few beers as much as it is anything else) – and this year, we explored a little bit about those things that make it so great. We drink a few beers and share a few laughs…...

There’s been a lot of confusion in the local beer circles about what’s going on with Bircus. They got a lot of folks a little worried when a ‘For Sale By Owner’ sign appeared on the marquee of the Ludlow Theater. I headed down to Ludlow, Kentucky to talk to Paul Miller (The Chief “Goof Officer”) of Bircus to get it all settled. Paul lets us behind the curtain to...

There has been no shortage of moments in time when Listermann has gone through big changes, and the last year has been the latest. With new ownership on board to run things, a new kitchen program is coming to life – and a ton of new classic-styled beers to sit next to the fan favorites… things are exciting. If anything sounded like a great time to sit down with owner Terrie and head br...

The folks at Happy 2 Brewing in Anderson don’t have any major aspirations to be the next big Cincinnati brewery. In fact, they seem to be happy just being in a neighborhood spot located in a little pizza shop, making beer that they really enjoy. I’m a firm believer that this is a model more places should adopt. Small pockets all over the city can support a taproom model like this, and...

The world of craft beer in 2024 is very confusing sometimes. It’s easy to get caught up in a lot of different things that can distract you from why you fell in love with all of this in the first place. What I love the most about Gravel Road Brewing Company in Middletown, Ohio, is their focus on doing the things that they fell in love with back when they first started drinking beer. They&#821...

It’s been a very, very long time since we stopped out at HighGrain Brewing Company to record an episode of the podcast, and with their recent opening of a new brewery over in Springfield Township – I think it’s a great time to make it happen. I was joined by Austin Neal, Brad Brooks, and Matt Utter to talk about how they keep things growing without losing sight of what makes them...

Humble Monk has been through it. They had just opened their doors and started to settle into things when they were hit by the pandemic which forced them to rethink their whole business model. Now, through some crappy luck, they just let their fans know that they now are being forced to relocate their whole brewery and taproom. It’s a real bout of tough luck, but with a smile on their faces,...

There’s been plenty of whispering around the craft beer community lately, rumors about that Fretboard Brewing Company would be taking over the former Heist & Co space in downtown Harrison and turning it into the next Fretboard taproom. These rumors were confirmed recently, and if I’ve ever heard of a great reason to get them on the show for a chat – this is certainly one. Aft...

It’s a hard world to navigate, this modern one where craft breweries, brewpubs, bars, and restaurants must constantly figure out what those terms mean. What can you keep giving your customers that not only keeps them interested, but stays true to your personality at the same time? Dead Low Brewing has been through a lot in the almost five years that they’ve been open, and through it al...

The road for Bad Tom Smith hasn’t always been smooth. They have had plenty of ups and downs throughout their story, and with new ownership coming on board recently, it seemed like a wonderful time to sit down and talk about how they’re looking to turn things around with this new chapter for the brewery. They have a new brewer on board, an upcoming new location, and a refreshed vision f...

Navigating the busy world of Cincinnati Beer can be tough, and if you’ve been following along with any of my work, you know how passionate I am about it. When I hear about other folks who are working hard to help with the same mission, I love it. Jennifer Craig just wrote the ‘Pocket Guide To Cincinnati’s Breweries, ‘ and I wanted to sit down and ensure that all of you knew...

When a new brewery opens in Cincinnati you should know by now that I’m going to do whatever I can to get out and get you a podcast episode about them! On this week’s episode, I sat down with Dana, Keith, and Bobby from DVD Brew to explore everything about this new spot. We look at how they started, what you can expect, and where they go from here. Along the journey, we will drink a cou...

Back again for another year, Oakley Beerfest is shaping up to be even better than last year! I’m always up for hanging out and having a few beers with friends at a festival, and I’m certainly looking forward to it this year! I sat down with Bill and Jack to talk all things Oakley Beer Fest and to even give you not only a first peek at the beer list – but also an exclusive chance...

It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since TheGnarlyGnome.com was born. As we enter the 10th season of Cincy Brewcast, I thought it might be fun to take a peek back at the journey to get here. Without folks like you coming along with me as I explored this craft beer scene, I don’t know if this project would have ever made it to this point. Highs, lows… it’s b...