Comedian, former journalist, TikTok personality, and reality TV participant Garin Flowers travels to Auburn Thai Garden in Auburn, CA, to explain why he drinks...thai iced tea.
We also delve into that extensive prior career history, finding your footing in comedy, and pursuing your dreams in an entertainment landscape where the usual pipelines are clogged. But instead of complaining, Garin finds the positives in pursuing your passion even though the financial realities can be a challenge. We also discuss Garin's love of pairing Thai iced tea with Thai food and what his heat tolerance is.
If you want to see how to grow your skills, pursue a new path, or learn to laugh at yourself, this is the episode for you.
Follow Garin Flowers across social media @garinflowers
Learn more about This Is Why I Drink... with Ben Rice, Barley & Me, Ben Rice's comedy and comedy productions, other podcasts, etc., follow @barleyandmepod or go to www.barleyandmepod.com
Logo by Jaclyn Weiand
Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot
Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez

Host Ben Rice sits down with journalist, artist, activist, mother, etc., Liv Monahan over a mug of vanilla horchata latte (with an added touch of Leo's Love) from Classie Hippie Coffee & Tea on Broadway in Oak Park, Sacramento. We discuss her career journey, from high school dropout to writing for major publications, as well as her upcoming art installation at SOMA. If you've ever wanted an inside look at the collapsing newspaper industry and where journalism could go as trust has eroded, grab a nicely sweetened milky caffeine drink and tune into this very episode of This Is Why I Drink... with Ben Rice
You can find Liv Monahan on IG @thelivstyler
Check out This Is Why I Drink..., Barley & Me, Ben Rice's comedy and pollitical stances on IG/FB @barleyandmepod or by going to www.barleyandmepod.com
Join the Barley & Me Pod-uctions mailing list to learn about recent and upcoming shows, podcasts, and more, plus get discounts to ticketed events: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OwEXR-y_MYz6Dp-QB9uPaneXboQ-H22fZtBOJ9JnAe0/edit?usp=drive_web&ouid=101791735312940481630
Theme Song: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot
Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez
Logo by Jaclyn Weiand

In this latest episode of This Is Why I Drink... with Ben Rice, Ben invites New Zealand comedian Nick Rado to share his favorite beverage at his favorite spot to drink it.
Since Nick was simply visiting Sacramento, CA, he decided to pick a spot he'd like to drink his beverage of choice, coconut water. And that choice...was Folsom Prison.
But since that's a museum, Ben upped the danger by selecting the active California State Penitentiary, located in Folsom, CA. So we camped out across the street, with the beautiful Folsom Dam behind us, to record this episode about true crime, coconuts, advertising, and Nick's attempts to break in... to the American comedy market.
THIS EPISODE IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE, if you wish to watch us imbibe this sacred beverage on such sacred ground. https://youtu.be/33CKu2_r0i8
You can find out so much more about Nick Rado and his comedy, radio, and podcast adventures on IG @nickradocomedy
You can learn more about this podcast, This Is Why I Drink... with Ben Rice, the original podcast Barley & Me, Ben Rice, and Ben Rice's comedy and comedy shows on IG @barleyandmepod or at www.barleyandmepod.com
Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot (@bebraveboldrobot)
Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez (@breeztheartist)
Logo by Jaclyn Weiand

Host Ben Rice chats with fellow podcaster (and musician!) CJ of The Friendship Podcast literally over Slice Beer Co and Old Town Pizza Lincoln (shouts to both for hosting us!) and a pint of Kessel Run Krusher, as we delve into his recent transition to drumming from his reed/brass beginnings, the status of TFP's reunion, showing up to SisQo's house parties, mechanical keyboards, why we podcast in general, the sound of modern metal records, as well as, obviously, why a hazy IPA from Slice is his beverage of choice. And you know we covered so much more ground, because that's what we do for a "living."
Be on the lookout for the video version of this episode on YouTube! I fixed the issue from last episode but it's 2am, so give me some time to do the actual edit, please!
Again, thank you to Slice Beer Co (@slicebeerco) and Old Town Pizza Lincoln (@otplincoln) for having us and letting us use your space on such short notice, and for delivering killer beer and pizza for years.
Thanks to CJ (@g0dcomplex) for popping on the pod - be sure to follow his bands Chemical State (@chemicalstate916) and Dreamdebt (on YouTube only! @dreamdebt) and listen to the extensive back catalogue of The Friendship Podcast (@thefriendshippodcast)
You can find out more about host Ben Rice, Barley & Me, This Is Why I Drink..., and his comedy (shows) @barleyandmepod or at www.barleyandmepod.com
Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot
Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez
Logo by Jaclyn Weiand

In this episode of This Is Why I Drink... with Ben Rice, I sit down with my good friend and marketer extraordinaire Karen Lewis, an absolute dynamo who immediately seizes the means of production over a pint of Beautiful Blues at Nitty's Cider in Sacramento.
WARNING: We are also there on cornhole night, so expect a lot of bang for your buck with this very much free episode.
ALSO: There will be many references to the video of this episode, but one of the files got corrupted so...no. But we have a YouTube for this, I swear!
Karens are gonna Karen, so Madame Lewis drives hard through conversations about the history of electronics, weird thumbs, pooping so hard you pass out, being raised by lesbians, stealing friends, and all the many, many reasons she drinks...cider and other gluten-free beverages due to Celiac's disease. Somehow, she undersells herself throughout the episode.
Be sure to learn more about Karen at her website think4it.com or across social media @think4it
Nitty's Cider (now with beer!) can be found at nittyscider.com or @nittyscider. Thanks to Nick and his crew for having us!
You can find out more about host Ben Rice, Barley & Me, This Is Why I Drink..., and his comedy (shows) @barleyandmepod or at www.barleyandmepod.com
Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot
Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez
Logo by Jaclyn Weiand

Host Ben Rice visits Sacramento dive bar mainstay Benny's AKA Q Street Bar & Grill to chat with STAB! Comedy Theater owner Jesse Jones about why he drinks well. Well, well, well, there are so many reasons and ways to pair well vodka with cranberry juice in a desperate attempt to keep costs low and your joie de vivre high!
Some might call it the bottom shelf, some might call it cost-effective drunkenness, and for others like Jesse, it's just because the flavor isn't why we're here. Walk down Jesse's long road of life, taking him from the burgeoning Sacramento sketch and improv scene to the fast-paced, high-flying, Chicago-influenced sketch and improv scene of Los Angeles in the early aughts, and back to Sacramento, where he has spread his wings to develop one of the internet's most inexplicable comedy game show/podcast/writing competitions, the long-running STAB!, which existed before its titular comedy club STAB! Comedy Theater. Bask in Jesse's well-crafted improv character stylings and scene chewing recurring characters and act outs, his self-published book, his glancing mention in the New York Times.
Are host Ben Rice and guest Jesse Jones perhaps the same person, splintered at some unknown and unknowable crossroads, forever indebted to lifting those around them no matter the cost? Or are we both just bottom shelf vodka crans, more sugar than juice, more hydrating than intoxicating? So many questions, so many answers, to be found here, on the latest episode of This Is Why I Drink...with Ben Rice. And if your questions remain unanswered, consider joining (from a vast distance) Jesse Jones on his yearly voyage to the desert for Burning Man, in search of those remains.
STAB! Comedy Theater can be found physically at 1710 Broadway, Sacramento, CA, on YouTube, Twitch, or elsewhere @stabcomedy or stabcomedytheater.com
Jesse Jones is...around, and also at those same places, nearly every hour of every day!
Thank you again to Benny's/Q Street Bar & Grill for allowing us to record - they can be found at 2013 Q Street in Sacramento or on IG @bennysofficialqstreet
You can find out more about host Ben Rice, Barley & Me, This Is Why I Drink..., and his comedy (shows) @barleyandmepod or at www.barleyandmepod.com
Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot
Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez
Logo by Ben Rice and Jaclyn Weiand

This Is Why I Drink... is a new Barley & Me Podcast offshoot, where Ben Rice sits down with a comedian, musician, writer, or other creative type, over a glass of their favorite beverage. Today, we're talking to comedian Kalea McNeill over a cup of STASH Refreshing Peppermint tea.
Find out why Kalea drinks it, as we also discuss her time in the ROTC, acting, theme parks, lifetime bans, bad jobs, harassment, a dash of 9/11, and, oh yeah, comedy. Including the fact that she is headlining Ben's new show The Bomb Shelter on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at 9pm at The Silver Lining in Sacramento. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.com or at the door.
Learn more about Kalea McNeill at www.kaleamcneill.com or on socials  @WhateverKalea 
Follow Ben Rice, Barley & Me, and This Is Why I Drink... @barleyandmepod or find shows, other podcasts, and more at www.barleyandmepod.com
Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot (@bebraveboldrobot)
Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez (@breeztheartist)
Logo by Ben Rice

Welcome to the inaugural name pending offshoot of Barley & Me, where I (host Ben Rice) sit down with interesting people over their favorite drinks at their favorite places, whether it be beer, hard alcohol, coffee, or anything else.
Today, we're talking to improvisor Lacey Carroll (@lacey.m.carroll) about this weekend's (Friday March 28/Saturday March 29, 2025) Femme Fest at Sacramento Comedy Spot (tickets at www.saccomedyspot.com/femmefest) while seated on the patio at Sacramento's first Belgian beer bar, Pangaea Bier Cafe.
Lacey is a big fan of saisons, so we started with Sante Adairius's Jaybird, a foudre-aged saison with mango. We then tried a beer both of us were hesitant on, a hoppy brown from Ghost Town called Rust & Ruin.
Aside from Femme Fest, we also discussed Lacey's attempts to get into improv at the age of 12, why she loves a good saison, merch-making, marketing, corporate comedy, and how local news journalists have some of the worst background work instincts on the planet.
All this and more on...Bevy of Bevvies? Bevs with Ben? What Are You Drinking? Let's Grab a Drink? Imbibin' with Ben? If you have an idea, let me know!
As always, you can folow me across social media (but really just Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube) @barleyandmepod. You can also visit www.barleyandmepod.com to find out what projects I'm working on, latest episodes, and my comedy shows.
Thanks for listening!

Host Ben Rice travels to Santa Rosa, CA, to record with US craft beer legends Moonlight Brewing, with Moonlight's Chaos Management Specialist and Adult In Charge Erin Latham-Ponneck. Joining us for the conversation is comedian Jon Lehre, who is also the booker at Santa Rosa's premier comedy club Barrel Proof Lounge. Together, we'll discuss Moonlight's magnificent flagship beers, their efforts to keep to their goal of clean, beautiful beers that still break the rules in an increasingly bolder craft model; replacing hops with redwoods; and do side by sides of Bombay By Boat IPA on draft and on cask and Reality Czech versus its supercharged cousin 14 P Special. Plus! FeBREWary, which takes place every Saturday in February, which involves a free shuttle between Sonoma County mainstays Moonlight, Shady Oak, Cooperage, Iron Ox, Cuvee, and Russian River (Windsor); doing comedy on a dare; and some of Ben's worst ideas ever. Enjoy!
You can always learn more about Moonlight Brewing at moonlightbrewing.com or on IG @moonlightbrewing
See what's going on at Barrel Proof Lounge, including live stand up and music, at www.barrelprooflounge.com or on IG @barrelprooflounge
You can follow Jon Lehre's comedy journey @jlehre or at www.stepdadofcomedy.com
Barley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod
Check out past episodes, show dates, and more at barleyandmepod.com
Email questions, comments, concerns, guest ideas, brewery ideas to [email protected]
Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot (@bebraveboldrobot)
Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez (@breeztheartist)
Logo by Jessica DiMesio (@alchemistqueen)

Host Ben Rice travels to Roseville, CA to sit down with Andy Klein, brewmaster and owner of the Monk's Cellar, to discuss their upcoming 10th anniversary (taking place October 15-19, 2024). Joining us on this journey is BJCP judge, softball star, and all-around badass Amber Dalske. We sip on some anniversary ales as well as the Monk's Cellar Festbier, since we recorded during their Oktoberfest celebration.
Obviously, I am most excited for their final anniversary event, the return of FIRKINFEST! Which we discuss at length, sure, but you can also hear about body-changing saisons, harvesting yeast, working with mixed culture barrels, and our shared love of old-school British-style beers. Plus! Special FOOD anniversary collaborations, Andy and Amber's early days in Davis, growing out of the concept of 'favorites,' and beer judging woes. All this and more, on episode 184 of Barley & Me! (and Anniversary 10 of Monk's Cellar!) Enjoy!
Find out more about the anniversary, the brewery, the bourbon collection, the food, the on and on and goings-on at Monk's Cellar on IG @themonkscellar
Check out the various ventures of guest Amber Dalske @ambeezy10
Barley & Me can be found across social media @barleyandmepod. Check out past episodes, show dates, and more, at the newly-revamped barleyandmepod.com
Email questions/comments/concerns/guest ideas/brewery ideas to [email protected] or [email protected]
Intro Music: “Functional Alcoholism” by Be Brave Bold Robot (@bebraveboldrobot)
Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez (@breeztheartist)
Logo by Jessica DiMesio (@alchemistqueen)