Beats, Beards & Brews

It's that time of year again, where Eric, Evan and Dan each pick an album that has not yet been reviewed on the podcast that they thoroughly enjoyed. Evan and Dan both pick the same album, Pet Symmetry - Vision, which Eric likes better than Into It. Over It. Even if the emo revival is something that should not exist.

Dan ends up selecting Dan Auerbach's Waiting on a Song instead. Evan and Eric agree that it's an inoffensive music record—with some hooks! Eric goes with The Night Flight Orchestra's latest release, Amber Galactic, for his pick. Evan is blown away by the Swede's take on the late '70s/early '80s AOR era of music.

Dan and Eric then move on to review (or at least give their initial impressions on) something ... completely different. Thanks to Amazon Prime next-day delivery they each receive a shipment of Bossman's Jelly Beard Oil in Gold and Magic scents.

Listen in to hear the bearded duo's thoughts on the product (no spoilers!).

We know what you're thinking. We're all the way to the beer portion and the boys haven't even delivered a full review of anything! Well, get off our cases, because we sort of review Reunion's Juice Factory Pale Ale out of Coralville, IA.

Post-Show Notes: Surprise! Dan Auerbach's "Shine on Me" is not a George Harrison cover, but it does sound very familiar. Also, Bossman appears to be based out of Austin, Texas, and not Lexington, Kentucky. However, the shipping label of the product via Amazon did read Lexington.

Eric, Evan and Dan are back for Episode 40 of Beats, Beards & Brews, in which they review the latest album, Wrong One to Fuck With, from underground death metal darlings Dying Fetus. Naturally, several f-bombs are dropped in this episode.

Dan and Eric then ponder the evolutionary and health-related benefits of having a beard, including its ability to protect from sickness, allergens and the elements. They may be full of shit, but damn if they don't make a compelling argument.

The three friends also talk about Rogue Beard Beer, a beer brewed with beard yeast, and go on to review Dankbot, an IPA from Insight Brewing in Minneapolis.

The gang is back for another round of reviewing things, including the second album, Witness, from blues/rock/soul artist Benjamin Booker. It may just be the least offensive album of 2017, perfect for some summertime group listening.

Eric and Dan go to a beard competition (again) and they fail to win (again). The bearded duo describe their wet experience at Beard-A-Whirl 2017 in Minneapolis. They also share some valuable takeaways for those who choose to compete.

Dan also sent Eric and Evan home with some Bent Paddle Brewing Co. bombers of Botanical Blonde (ale with spices added) for review this episode.

Based out of Duluth, Minnesota, Bent Paddle Brewing Co. specializes in lighter, yet flavorful, brews. Botanical Blonde attempts to capture the flavors found in Vikre Distillery's Spruce Tip Gin and it definitely captures the gin experience.

Welcome to Beats, Beards & Brews 2.0. We've got a new logo, thanks to Aaron Shekey out of Minneapolis, and have updated our look on the main Libsyn page and across social media (Twitter and Instagram). Follow along at @bbbpod.

On Episode 38 of the podcast, the gang FINALLY GETS A FUNCTIONAL CODE for 30% off your order at BurtonsBeardOil.com. Just head on over to the website, select your products and type in BBBPOD at checkout (not case sensitive).

Listen to the beard portion of the podcast for our honest take on some additional Burton's Beard Oil products and recommendations on what to try.

Also in this episode:

Eric, Evan and Dan spend more time than three grown (mostly) bearded men probably should talking about the latest Paramore album After Laughter, which features a new "tropical pop" sound. Dan fangirls over Hayley Williams.

Everyone drinks Des Moines IPA from Confluence Brewing Co. (another hometown brewery and Evan's go-to keg beer) and praises El Bait Shop.

Eric, Evan and Dan are back once more, to review Night Demon's latest NWOBHM throwback album, and second full-length release, "Darkness Remains." Evan gets lost in the heavy metal nostalgia, while Dan isn't as easily impressed.

Dan and Eric then give their take on an innovative, and slightly perplexing, new product called the Beard Balm Brush (aka #spongebowser). It's more balm than brush and it definitely smells good, at least the bearded duo can agree on that.

Finally, everyone reviews a lemony-fresh, sour brew straight outta Evan's hood (Des Moines, Iowa). While the Beatnik Sour from Exile Brewing Co. makes for a good entry-level sour beer, it's not necessarily as tasty after mowing the lawn.

Body Count's in the house! As promised, Eric, Evan and Dan review the latest release from Ice-T's metal outfit, Body Count. Bloodlust is the band's heaviest offering to date, though at times Ice-T goes a little too off the rails (just like this podcast), and the hip-hop legend inspires a grammatical debate on the correctness of the term "bustin' a nut" and Dan then attempts to start an Internet rumor involving The Wallflowers' '90s hit single, "One Headlight."

For the beard portion of the podcast, Dan and Eric review three scents from Black Tie Beard Oil -- Royale Black, Autumn Night and Polar Ice -- and use an odd jean-based rating system to do so. Evan and Eric then give their review of Hog Heaven Imperial Red IPA from Avery Brewing Co. and Dan drinks an IPA.

Keep your eyes out for the upcoming Buzzfeed article, "10 Facts You Didn't Know About Jakob Dylan" and let the #oneheadlight rumors begin. #onenutlistener

On Episode #35 of Beats, Beards & Brews the gang checks out Mastodon's latest release Emperor of Sand, which serves as a perfect gateway metal album. It's really catchy too and worth a listen for fans of all types of music, even if its concept in no way relates to Disney's underrated The Return of Jafar.

Dan and Eric then give their take on an oil/balm sample they ordered from Burton's Beard Oil that included Business Blend oil and Tobacco balm. Does size matter when ordering a beard sample pack? Tune in to find the answer.

In the true spirit of the early days of Beats, Beards & Brews, everyone grabs a different beer from Left Hand Brewing Co. because Eric was a little quick on the draw when picking up Saison au Miel, the new spring seasonal release.

Evan reviews Left Hand's Extrovert IPA and Dan goes with the Introvert IPA. Dan finds out that not all Left Hand Brewing beers need to be poured hard. The three friends proceed to have an insightful discussion on session ales for craft beer enthusiasts and Cracked Black Pepper Triscuits with a hint of honey.

Post-Show Notes: Eric mentions the "Show Yourself" video during the podcast. Here's a direct link for you to enjoy while eating Nabisco pepper crackers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUGda7GdZPQ

What's that smell? The patchouli-infused fragrance of hipster BS is in the air during Episode #34 of Beats, Beards & Brews as the dudes review The Shins' fifth and latest release Heartworms.

Prepare your ears to be indie rocked.

Dan and Eric test out some beard oils from Skully's out of Victorville, California, a relative newcomer to the beard oil scene. A review is given to Skully's Peacemaker blend of bergamot and lime with a hint of vanilla, but other scents are referenced, as the order of the oil also included a free sampler pack of eight flavors.

Evan delivers some background on Kona Brewing Company and everyone struggles to pronounce Hanalei (Hahn-ah-lay), as in Han Solo, not Hannah. The dumbest part of this debate is that Eric pronounces it correctly in the intro.

So really there should have been no debate, but everyone's feeling surly! Long story short, the gang gets transported to POG flavortown as they drink several Hanalei Island IPAs, which we assume tastes a lot like guava if anyone actually knew what guava tasted like. Plus passionfruit and orange. Slam it down.

In Episode #33 of Beats, Beards & Brews, the gang finds Jesus ... Even More Jesus Imperial Stout that is, the highest abv beer drank on the podcast so far, clocking in at a solid 12% abv.

Things start off pretty normal with a review of Minus the Bear's latest album VOIDS, which brings Evan back to his college days. No one is overly impressed by the band's sixth studio album, but Eric is glad it's not your typical indie BS.

Next up, Dan and Eric go in-depth answering the question "What makes for a good beard oil?" and give a breakdown of everything they look for when rating a beard oil for the podcast. Thank God (or Jesus) that Eric made a list for this discussion as the imperial stout starts to kick in about this time, but everyone sort of keeps their composure.

Finally, Evan, Eric and Dan get to the main event ... and things quickly go off the rails in the beer portion of the podcast as Evan shares his expert knowledge on Evil Twin Brewing gleaned from a documentary on the Brooklyn-based "brewery" that he partially watched on YouTube. Great job, Evan!

As the three craft beer enthusiasts continue to explore the history of Evil Twin Brewing and imperial stouts they gradually lose the ability to speak, which makes for a pretty hilarious description and review of Even More Jesus.

We highly recommend you pick up a four-pack of Even More Jesus tall boys or some other really syrupy/chocolatey/boozy flavored high abv imperial stout, sit back and enjoy the ride.

In Episode #32 of Beats, Beards & Brews, the gang dives into the latest release from Lupe Fiasco, DROGAS Light, which might be a mash-up of three albums, one of which (we think) carries an alien/stripper/space concept.

Eric then shares his latest (and greatest) pocket beard comb/pick find, the Beard Pick No. 1 from Bisson Combs out of Toronto, which produces some quality stainless steel products with an array of price points and finishes. This leads to a heated debate on pocket functionality and proper wallet placement.

Front-right pocket or back pocket for the wallet? You decide. Send us a tweet at @BBBPod if you feel strongly on this very important issue. Use #frontpocketwallet or #backpocketwallet to weigh in.

Finally, Evan, Dan and Eric rate the first entry in the Hop Disciples IPA project from Great Divide Brewing Company, which features Idaho 7 hops, known for its unique black tea flavor.

See, you can actually learn a thing or two about beer on our podcast! Post-Show Notes: Dan briefly mentions the "Bend and Snap" technique that "ladies love." Apparently there's even a WikiHow page dedicated to this technique, which has roots in the movie Legally Blonde, but Dan's version seems to place emphasis on a man's posterior versus the length of a woman's leg (at least that seems to be the difference).

Gender equality FTW!

Also, the song "Mama, I'm Coming Home" off No More Tears by Ozzy Osbourne (total classic) is about Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife, and not his mother.

Take that Evan and Dan!