Cincy Brewcast

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 talk about how the brewery’s move down the street and the long-term growth plans of the whole idea of Bircus call for a new evolution. The sale of their historic space is one piece of that puzzle. Over a couple of beers, a lot of laughs we work our way to the bottom of what’s happening with Bircus.

That’s not all, though – Paul made a quick phone call to Obekeng Malope (you’ve hopefully read her work in ‘Final Gravity’, or in ‘On Tap’ Magazine) all the way in South Africa. She’s incredible, and I feel like I need to do a full episode with her when she’s here in the US, soon!

Action Packed? I’d say so… it’s a lot to cram into one episode of Cincy Brewcast!

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 brewer Payton… that certainly does, doesn’t it? We talk about how they are trying to stick to things that folks love about the brewery from the last 16 year while also improving on all the pieces that need improved.

It’s a great episode, and I can’t thank the folks at Listermann enough for helping to make it happen.

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 I hope that we see a lot more of it going forward!

I sat down with brewers/owners John and Dave Maddrill to learn how Happy 2 came to be, why they ended up where they are, and how they try to do things their own way without paying too much attention to what the world tells them they’re “supposed” to do.

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’ll never be the biggest or the trendiest place in town – but along their journey, hopefully, they always feel good about how they’re doing what they are doing… I can get behind that.

I sat down with owner/brewer Dan Lauro to discuss how he got from where he started to where he is today and where he thinks they’ll go from this point on. We drank a couple of beers (of course) and talked about what it means to make a beer that’s meant to be drank.

For more information about Gravel Road, follow them on social media or visit their website here.

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 who they are.

There’s a lot of reasons that the pandemic set them on a course that got them to this place, and we talked a lot about how that road actually “appeared” before them, and how they managed to travel down it without coming apart at the seams.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Brewcast if we didn’t have a few beers along the way. Would it?

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, they’re hoping to prove that much like coming out of Covid made them a stronger brewery… things will be ok.

I sat down with Mike and Alicia (Humble Monk’s amazing owners) to talk about how they are managing all of this, and what we can expect as fans of the Northside Brewery.

To learn more about Humble Monk Brewing, make sure you check them out on their website. As soon as there are more details about the brewery’s new location, we’ll share it over on the blog, too.

As always, if you like this podcast or any of the stuff that I do – don’t forget that you can support by going to TheGnarlyGnome.com/support!

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.

After seeing the space they’ll be calling home when they open their doors on 5/17/24 – I think this new Harrison taproom will be something special for the brewery. We talk about exactly why I think that – explore the journey to get to this point – and, of course – have a couple of beers along the way.

The episode is an absolute blast, and I hope to see you in Harrison very soon to check out their new taproom!

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 all they keep proving that they are a little more than just one thing.

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 for what the brand means to guests who find themselves stepping into their taproom.

We explore their story and their vision and drink a few beers along the way!

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 about it, as well as give you a little peek into why she wrote it in the first place!

A massive shoutout to Grainworks Brewing Company for unknowingly hosting the show this week!

If you want to purchase your own copy of the Brewery guide, you can find it right here.