Brew Crime Podcast

Brew Crime Podcast

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  • HH07 The Crescent Hotel: Quakery, Cadavers, and Cold Spots

    Go to https://linktr.ee/ghostbites to follow the podcast on its feed and hear other seasons.

    Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT check into "America's Most Haunted Hotel," the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Mike details the hotel's notorious mid-life crisis when it was taken over by the charismatic but fraudulent "Dr." Norman Baker, who ran it as an experimental cancer hospital in the late 1930s. Mike covers the discovery of hundreds of bottles containing Baker's "cure-all" potions and, grotesquely, human tissue. Crucially, Mike includes the festive, yet chilling, ghost story of the Grand Christmas Tree that was inexplicably moved across the dining room during the holiday season. JT critiques Baker's fashion sense (a white linen suit and purple shirt), breaks down the sheer terror of a hospital using the basement kitchen as a morgue, and analyzes the spirits left behind, from the falling stonemason Michael to the ever-helpful cancer patient Theodora.


    Sources

    ●    Historic Hotels of America.

    (n.d.). Ghost Stories - 1886 Crescent
    Hotel & Spa. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/1886-crescent-hotel-and-spa/ghost-stories.php⁠

    ●    Crescent Hotel & Spa. (2021,

    September 29). Ghostly Happenings at the
    Crescent Hotel. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://crescent-hotel.com/blog/ghostly-happenings-at-the-crescent-hotel/⁠

    ●    US Ghost Adventures. (2022,

    January 14). The Crescent Hotel
    'America's Most Haunted Hotel'. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/the-crescent-hotel-americas-most-haunted-hotel/⁠

    ●    Travel Eureka Springs. (n.d.). America's Most Haunted Hotel - Nightly Ghost

    Tours. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.traveleurekasprings.com/crescent-hotel-ghost-stories/⁠

    ●    Crescent Hotel & Spa. (2023,

    August 4). Haunted Hotel History.
    Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://crescent-hotel.com/about/history/⁠

    ●    Crescent Hotel & Spa. (n.d.). Haunted Hotel. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://crescent-hotel.com/things-to-do/ghosts/⁠

    ●    Smithsonian Magazine. (2018,

    October 27). The Charlatan of the Ozarks
    Still Looms Over the Haunted Crescent Hotel. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/charlatan-ozarks-still-looms-over-haunted-crescent-hotel-180973743/⁠

    ●    Crescent Hotel & Spa. (n.d.). America's Most Haunted Hotel - Crescent

    Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.americasmosthauntedhotel.com/⁠

    ●    YouTube. (2022, October 31). The truly haunted history of the Crescent

    Hotel in Eureka Springs, explored. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVuEOBTpRiE⁠

    ●    Crescent Hotel & Spa. (n.d.). Americas Most Haunted Hotel Archives.

    Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://crescent-hotel.com/blog/tag/americas-most-haunted-hotel/⁠

    ●    Crescent Hotel & Spa. (2024,

    February 15). The Baker Hospital – A
    Patient's Story. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://crescent-hotel.com/blog/uncovering-the-past/⁠

    Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Linktree ⁠⁠



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    11 min
  • HH06 Bramshill House: The Bride in the Box and 14 Ghosts

    Go to https://linktr.ee/ghostbites to follow the podcast on its feed and hear other seasons.

    Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT check into Bramshill House in Hampshire, England, reputedly one of the country's most haunted stately homes with over 14 specters. Mike details the house's magnificent Jacobean history, its famous owners (including a Lord Zouche and an

    exiled King of Romania), and the legendary ghost: The Mistletoe Bride (or White Lady). Mike covers the tragic tale of the bride who hid in an antique chest during a game of hide-and-seek, only to be found 50 years later as a skeleton in a wedding dress. JT dissects the bride's baffling choice of hiding spot, questions the sheer audacity of being haunted by a 'Green Man' and a 1920s tennis ghost, and reflects on the eternal trauma of a love story ruined by a faulty spring-loaded lid.


    Sources

    ●    Burials & Beyond. (2019,

    December 21). The Bramshill House Bride,
    or the Legend of the Mistletoe Bough. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://burialsandbeyond.com/2019/12/21/the-bramshill-house-bride-or-the-legend-of-the-mistletoe-bough/⁠

    ●    Cope Collection. (2018, October

    31). The Bridal Chest of Bramshill, or, A
    Ghost Tale from the Cope Collection. University of Southampton Special
    Collections. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://specialcollectionsuniversityofsouthampton.wordpress.com/2018/10/31/the-bridal-chest-of-bramshill-or-a-ghost-tale-from-the-cope-collection/⁠

    ●    House and Heritage. (2018, June

    25). BRAMSHILL PARK. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://houseandheritage.org/2018/06/25/bramshill-park/⁠

    ●    US Ghost Adventures. (n.d.). The Bramshill House Bride. Retrieved

    from⁠ ⁠⁠https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/25-days-of-christmas/the-bramshill-house-bride/⁠

    ●    Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bramshill House. Retrieved October 14,

    2025, from⁠ ⁠⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramshill⁠_House

    ●    Wikipedia. (n.d.). Legend of the Mistletoe Bough. Retrieved

    October 14, 2025, from⁠ ⁠⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend⁠_of_the_Mistletoe_Bough

    Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Linktree ⁠⁠



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    13 min
  • Brew Crime News Year End 2025

    Welcome to Brew Crime News!

    This episode will end our 2025 Podcast year! Listen to todays news, once monthly. New episodes back in February. Happy New Year!


    Sources

      • https://ca.news.yahoo.com/sophie-kinsella-author-books-behind-132853934.html
      • https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/danielle-smith-recall-petition-approved-9.7001541
      • https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/florida-cair-muslim-brotherhood-declaration-9.7008351
      • https://ca.news.yahoo.com/rfk-jr-hit-articles-impeachment-164336909.html
      • https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israel-west-bank-settlements-9.7010575
      • https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/12/02/drunk-raccoon-virginia-abc-store-break-in 
      • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/21/bald-eagle-cat-windshield 
      • https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/us/politics/rubio-state-department-font.html 
      • https://thegrio.com/2025/12/06/trump-admin-removes-mlk-day-juneteenth-fee-free-days-national-parks/ 
      • https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/toddler-star-ms-rachel-named-finalist-for-antisemite-of-the-year-amid-gaza-advocacy-stopantisemitism-tucker-carlson 
      •  https://www.fox19.com/2025/12/08/ice-agent-arrested-held-no-bond-order-prosecutors-request/ 
      • https://coppercourier.com/2025/12/05/childrens-immigration-court/
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                41 min
              • HH05 The Yule Cat: Fashion Policing to the Extreme

                Go to https://linktr.ee/ghostbites to follow the podcast on its feed and hear other seasons.

                Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT venture to

                Iceland to confront the most terrifying holiday figure—one who isn't interested in coal or spanking, but in your wardrobe: the Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn). Mike details the cat's monstrous size ("bigger than a house"), its association as the pet of the man-eating troll Grýla, and the bizarre rule that dictates its victim: anyone who does not receive new clothes before Christmas Eve. JT critiques the sheer absurdity of the cat’s mission as "holiday fashion police," breaks down the underlying economic anxiety of wool-processing, and praises the cat's commitment to high-stakes sartorial enforcement. It’s an episode about horror, high fashion, and the constant fear of wearing last year's socks.

                Sources

                ●    J. M. (2021, December 1). The Yule Cat of Iceland: A Different Kind of

                Christmas Tradition. Medievalists.net. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.medievalists.net/2019/12/09/frau-perchta-the-belly-slitter/⁠

                ●    Nordic Visitor. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland with the Yule Lads.

                Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/the-13-yule-lads-of-iceland/⁠

                ●    Smithsonian Magazine. (2016,

                December 19). Each Christmas, Iceland's
                Yule Cat Takes Fashion Policing to the Extreme. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/each-christmas-icelands-yule-cat-takes-fashion-policing-extreme-180961420/⁠

                ●    US Ghost Adventures. (n.d.). The Legend of the Yule Cat. Retrieved

                from⁠ ⁠⁠https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/the-legend-of-the-yule-cat/⁠

                ●    Wikipedia. (n.d.). Yule cat. Retrieved October 9, 2025,

                from⁠ ⁠⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule⁠_cat

                ●    ZME Science. (2024, December 17). The Yule Cat: Forget Santa, Embrace the Dark

                Side of Icelandic Christmas. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/yule-cat-christmas-repubz/⁠

                Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Linktree ⁠⁠




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                11 min
              • HH04 Belsnickel: The Fur-Clad Judge of Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas

                Go to https://linktr.ee/ghostbites to follow the podcast on its feed and hear other seasons.

                Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT venture into the folklore of southwestern Germany and the American tradition of the Pennsylvania Dutch to meet Belsnickel. Mike details Belsnickel's unique role as a pre-Christmas judge who travels alone, dressed in ragged furs, wielding both

                a switch and pockets full of treats. Mike also covers the elaborate "Belsnickling" rituals and the character's eventual decline. JT hilariously critiques the sheer psychological terror of the Belsnickel's moral test (especially the "candy scramble"), questions why a figure of moral accountability looks like a runaway woodsman, and analyzes the extreme chaos of a holiday tradition based entirely on the fear of a gentle swat.

                Sources

                ●    Uncharted Lancaster. (2024,

                December 6). The Belsnickel: A
                Mischievous Spirit of Christmas Past. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://unchartedlancaster.com/2024/12/06/the-belsnickel-a-mischievous-spirit-of-christmas-past/⁠

                ●    VisitPAAmericana. (2019, December

                18). What - or Who - is Belsnickel?.
                Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.visitpaamericana.com/blog/post/what-or-who-is-belsnickel/⁠

                ●    Wikipedia. (n.d.). Belsnickel. Retrieved October 9, 2025,

                from⁠ ⁠⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belsnickel⁠

                ●    WITF. (2023, December 20). Who is Belsnickel in Pennsylvania Dutch

                Christmas tradition? [The Spark]. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.witf.org/2023/12/20/who-is-belsnickel-in-pennsylvania-dutch-christmas-tradition/⁠

                ●    Woot & Hammy. (n.d.). Krampus, Santa's Other Little Helper, and

                Perchta, Christmas Terrors. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://wootandhammy.com/blogs/news/krampus-perchta-the-christmas-terrors⁠

                Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Linktree ⁠⁠




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                10 min
              • Episode 190 - Murder of Ahmaud Arbery - Hate Crimes

                Brew Crime is back as we cover our new series Hate Crimes. Mike tells you about the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

                Sources

                ●    American Civil Liberties Union of

                Georgia. (n.d.). What happened to Ahmaud Arbery?

                ●    Associated Press. (2020). Ahmaud

                Arbery profile.

                ●    Associated Press. (2020). In his

                final days, Ahmaud Arbery's life was at a crossroads...

                ●    BlackPast. (n.d.). Ahmaud Arbery

                (1994–2020).

                ●    Courthouse News Service. (2021).

                Georgia legislature repeals Civil War-era citizen’s arrest law.

                ●    Equal Justice Initiative (EJI).

                (2022). Men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery used racist language in texts.

                ●    Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB).

                (2024). Georgia men who killed Ahmaud Arbery want new trial.

                ●    PBS NewsHour. (2022). All 3

                defendants found guilty of federal hate crimes in Arbery killing.   

                ●    PBS NewsHour. (2022). Analyzing

                the federal hate crimes trial for the men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery.

                ●    PBS NewsHour. (2022). Man who

                chased and shot Ahmaud Arbery gets life sentence for federal hate crime.

                ●    PBS NewsHour. (2023). Jury sworn

                in for trial of ex-prosecutor accused of shielding Ahmaud Arbery's killers.

                ●    PBS NewsHour. (n.d.). FBI expert

                says defendants in Ahmaud Arbery killing used repeated racial slurs over text.

                ●    Rothstein, P. F., & Coleman,

                R. J. (2024). Prior racist acts and the character evidence ban in hate crime
                prosecutions. Georgetown Law Faculty Publications.   

                ●    Stanford Law School. (2022).

                Memorandum regarding citizen's arrest laws.

                ●    Stanford Law School. (2022).

                McMichaels murder trial: Ahmaud Arbery killing background memo.   

                ●    U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

                (2022). Federal jury finds three men guilty of hate crimes in connection with
                the pursuit and killing of Ahmaud Arbery.

                ●    U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

                (2022). Federal judge sentences three men convicted of racially motivated hate
                crimes in connection with killing.

                ●    U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

                (2023). Brief for the United States (Case Document).   

                ●    Weldon, R. (2022). Citizen’s

                arrest and race. Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, 20(1).

                ●    Wikipedia. (n.d.). Murder of

                Ahmaud Arbery.

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                    33 min
                  • HH03 Perchta: The Belly-Slitting Christmas Goddess

                    Go to https://linktr.ee/ghostbites to follow the podcast on its feed and hear other seasons.

                    Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT venture into the chilling, pre-Christian folklore of the Alpine regions to confront Perchta (or Frau Berchta), the dual-natured winter goddess. Mike details her terrifying role as the "Belly-Slitter," who roams the countryside during the Twelve Days of Christmas to enforce social and domestic order. Perchta's punishment for the lazy is grotesque: she cuts open their stomachs, removes their guts, and replaces them with straw and pebbles. JT critiques the sheer insanity of using organ-removal as a domestic punishment, questions the logistics of the

                    required traditional meal of fish and gruel, and analyzes the extreme measures the Catholic Church took to demonize a goddess who was just a little too focused on tidiness and spinning.


                    Source

                    ●    Morris, S. (2014, December 22). Perchta and the 12 Days of Christmas (Part

                    2). Stephen Morris, author. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.stephenmorrisauthor.com/perchta-12-days-christmas/⁠

                    ●    Myth Perchta. (n.d.). Perchta.Tirol. Retrieved October 9,

                    2025, from⁠ ⁠⁠https://perchta.tirol/myth.en.html⁠

                    ●    Smithsonian Magazine. (2024,

                    February 28). Before the Yule Lads
                    Evolved Into Icelandic Versions of Santa Claus, They Terrorized Children Into
                    Following the Rules. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/before-the-yule-lads-evolved-into-icelandic-versions-santa-claus-they-terrorized-children-into-following-rules-180948162/⁠

                    ●    VICE. (2018, December 20). Meet Christmas Goddess Perchta, a

                    Belly-Slitting, Half-Woman Demon. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.vice.com/en/article/perchta-christmas-goddess-demon-woman/⁠

                    ●    Wikipedia. (n.d.). Perchta. Retrieved October 9, 2025, from⁠ ⁠⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchta⁠

                    Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Linktree ⁠⁠





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                    10 min
                  • HH02 The Tomte: Tiny Protector, Enormous Fury

                    Go to https://linktr.ee/ghostbites to follow the podcast on its feed and hear other seasons.

                    Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT take a deep dive into Scandinavian folklore to examine the Tomte (or Nisse), the diminutive, yet fiercely powerful, homestead spirit. Mike details the Tomte's essential job—protecting the farm and livestock—and his simple, non-negotiable

                    demand: a single bowl of porridge with butter. JT critiques the Tomte's
                    high-stakes payment contract, analyzes the absurdity of his extreme vengeance (which involves everything from killing livestock to crushing farmers over bad manners), and tracks his career evolution from a homicidal gnome to the modern, jolly Jultomten. It's a hilarious look at a traditional myth that proves the cost of a clean barn might just be your life.


                    Sources

                    ●    Hafstein, V. (2018). The Tomte/Nisse. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Scandinavian Literature and Mythology.

                    Oxford University Press. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199580471.001.0001/acref-9780199580471-e-0498⁠

                    ●    Nordiska museet. (n.d.). Tomten i folktron. Retrieved October 9,

                    2025, from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.nordiskamuseet.se/arets-händelser/jul/tomten-i-folktron⁠

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                    10 min
                  • Episode 189 - Dehumanization of Immigrant Children at the Border - Hate Crimes

                    Brew Crime is back as we cover our new series Hate Crimes. JT tells you about Dehumanization of Immigrant Children at the US Border.

                    Sources

                    phr.org

                    • S. Government Confirms Migrant Children Experienced Severe Mental Health Issues Following “Family Separation” - PHR
                    • factcheck.org

                      • Nielsen's Rhetoric on Family Separations - FactCheck.org
                      • immigrantjustice.org

                        • A Timeline of the First Trump Administration's Efforts to End Asylum ...
                        • americanimmigrationcouncil.org

                          • Government Documents on Family Separation - American Immigration Council
                          • ebsco.com

                            • Trump administration family separation policy | Research Starters - EBSCO
                            • hrw.org

                              • “If I Wasn't Poor, I Wouldn't Be Unfit”: The Family Separation Crisis in the US Child Welfare System - Human Rights Watch
                              • fpg.unc.edu

                                • The Science Is Clear: Separating Families Has Long-Term Damaging Psychological and Health Consequences for Children, Families, and Communities
                                • aclu.org

                                  • ACLU Obtains Documents Showing Widespread Abuse of Child Immigrants in U.S. Custody
                                  • cfr.org

                                    • S. Detention of Child Migrants - Council on Foreign Relations
                                    • womensrefugeecommission.org

                                      • Update on Families Forcibly Separated under the Trump ...
                                      • justice.gov

                                        • Hate Crimes | 2018 Hate Crime Statistics - Department of Justice
                                        • csusb.edu

                                          • Report to the Nation: 2020s – Dawn of a Decade of Rising Hate - CSUSB
                                          • 💻 Connect with us on:

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                                                34 min
                                              • HH01 Iceland's Troubling Trolls: The 13 Yule Lads

                                                Go to https://linktr.ee/ghostbites to follow the podcast on its feed and hear other seasons.

                                                Description

                                                Today on Ghost Bites, Mike and JT take a festive, yet deeply unsettling, trip to Iceland to explore the folklore of the 13 Yule Lads (Jólasveinar). Mike details the Lads' evolution from child-eating trolls to modern gift-givers, and introduces their cannibalistic mother, Grýla, and the giant, garment-obsessed Yule Cat. JT dissects the sheer absurdity of their crimes—from Spoon Licking to Skyr Gobbling—and critiques the administrative chaos of having thirteen Santas. It's a hilarious look at a holiday tradition that proves sometimes, the best way to get children to behave is still a credible threat of a rotten potato.


                                                Sources

                                                ●    Arctic Portal. (n.d.). The thirteen Icelandic Yule Lads.

                                                Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://arcticportal.org/education/quick-facts/people-and-culture/3469-the-thirteen-icelandic-yule-lads⁠

                                                ●    Arctic Portal. (n.d.). Icelandic Yule Lads. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://arcticportal.org/x-mas⁠

                                                ●    Gale, T. (n.d.). The Yule Lads History. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://icelandicyulelads.com/yule-lads-timeline/⁠

                                                ●    Icelandair. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland: The Yule Lads.

                                                Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.icelandair.com/blog/the-yule-lads/⁠

                                                ●    Icelandic Christmas folklore.

                                                (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved October
                                                9, 2025, from⁠ ⁠⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic⁠_Christmas_folklore

                                                ●    Nordic Visitor. (n.d.). Christmas in Iceland with the Yule Lads.

                                                Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.nordicvisitor.com/blog/the-13-yule-lads-of-iceland/⁠

                                                ●    WorldStrides. (n.d.). Iceland's 13 Yule Lads. Retrieved from⁠ ⁠⁠https://worldstrides.com/en-us/teachers/how-it-works/blog/icelands-13-yule-lads⁠

                                                Intro Music by - Jayme McDonald (Chatterless) ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Linktree ⁠


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                                                10 min

                                              About Brew Crime Podcast

                                              From the publisher's feed

                                              We are a True Crime, Craft Beer and Comedy podcast. Join us as we pair great tasting beer with the all kinds of messed up stories.

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