This week’s episode is about Big Cis… the beer, the event, the plans for next year… but it’s about exploring what it’s all about, too. This collaboration is not just about creating a beer – it’s about reminding ourselves what makes craft beer so fun, and so special in the first place.

I sat down with Andy Reynolds from Alexandria Brewing and Sean Willingham from Municipal Brew Works to have a couple beers, talk about Mike and explore this whole idea of Big Cis – and you get to hang out with us while we do.

I have been wanting to get the Ohio Craft Brewer’s Association on the show for a very long time, and with the current state of the world – it seemed like it couldn’t be more timely than to get them on in 2020. Justin Hemminger from the OCBA joined me via Zoom to chat about the organization, and how 2020 has shaped up to be something unlike any year before.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many folks have let me know that the very existence of an organization like this has been critical for their business this year – and it has brought to light just how valuable they are… not every state is as lucky as Ohio to have as great of folks working for their industry.

On the show we drank a couple of beers – Justin was drinking Fretboard’s OohAhh and I put away Taft’s Santa’s Bribe. We talked about the history of the OCBA and some of the main focuses or goals that they have as an organization. We talk about their auction that they were getting ready to launch (it’s live now!) and the importance of fundraising (especially in a year like this…) – all in all? I call this one a great episode!

Quarantine is in full effect in my house, which means that the Brewcast schedule has taken a hit this month. Shows that I planned, are postponed, and the ease of just hitting record is, well… not easy. Being locked in a house with two small kids, and a wife who (although she may like beer) has no desire to sit around and talk beer with me – it all means that I have a lot on my mind.

This week’s release of BCCS (and a ton of really fantastic local beers) means that you might have to deal with a solo rant this week while we normalize the schedule a little bit. With my apologies… hang in there for this one!

I have been wanting to do this show (or some version of this show) for literally years at this point. Warped Wing Brewing Company might be very much a Dayton Brewery, but it’s easy to see that they, and their beer, most definitely play a role in Cincinnati Beer. We’ve had their beer on the show a few times… and it seems like it’s finally the opportunity to get them on and talk about the brewery in a little more depth.

The brewery recently opened up their Barrel Room and Smokery in Springboro, and it’s close enough to Cincinnati that… well… the line get’s blurry enough.

I sat down with owner’s John Haggarty and Nick Bowman to explore not just what this new location is all about, but also to dive into their story a bit to give you an idea why this brewery is as fantastic as I think they are. We drink a few beers, share a few laughs and hopefully shed a little light on their story (and give you a few reasons that you need to head up to check out what they’re doing!)

You can always find out the latest information about Warped Wing by hitting them up on their website, and their social media. If you pay close attention, you might be able to find the latest news right here too… hmmmm…

Just a heads up… this is a long one. To my defense, though, I’ve been planning on this conversation for a very long time – and there was a lot of ground that we needed to cover, and an hour just wasn’t going to cut it when I sat down with Esoteric Brewing Company.

We talked about who they are, as people, and as a brewery too. We drank a few beers and might have even convinced them that they need to start their own podcast, too. All in all? I think it’s an absolute success! For more information about Esoteric, although you could read about them on TheGnarlyGnome.com – you can’t do much better than hitting up their website or following them on social media!

As a reminder – this podcast, and pretty much everything I do wouldn’t be possible without folks like you. If you want to help you can always go to the support page here – or to the store and buy something. The absolute biggest help, though – is also the easiest. You can tell someone about the site, about the show… about the Gnome. Listen, Share, Repeat!

You’ve probably heard about this place. Certainly if you have your ear to the ground about Cincinnati beer, you have. Cartridge Brewing Company is located in the historic Peter’s Cartridge Factory, also known around these parts as the Powder Factory – and it’s been a big project that a lot of folks didn’t think would ever see the light of day.

Here we are, though… in the light of day for a brewery that is going to make a lot of people very, very happy. We sat down to explore their story a bit, dive into some of the beer and talk about how it all has come together. The best part? We only scratched the surface… I have a LOT more that I want to talk to them about, so you know you’ll be hearing more in the future!

This isn’t how I planned for this week’s episode to work out. I had a heck of a week in leading up to it, though. From a cancellation, and then two events that I didn’t make it to… nothing on the “gnome-front” seemed to work out how I intended. With two sick kids, and a tired wife… sometimes things aren’t easy. Yet, here we are. It’s another week and a quasi-episode to satisfy my urge to make a podcast for you.

I drink a beer, and give a quick chat about what makes a taproom, a beer… anything, really – “good”. It’s been on my mind for a while, and it’s not going away any time soon… so be prepared!

Sometimes, to get a really good look at the bigger picture, you have to spend some time with the “little guys”. Paradise is certainly not big. Their small brewery in Anderson makes some incredible beer, though – and it’s always a blast getting to spend a little bit of time with them.

We talked about how they got started, and then dove into what they thought about the current beer scene, the current state of the world, and what it means for a brewery their size vs some of the bigger guys in town.

Any chance I can get to sit down at Adena’s warehouse to talk with Michael Amann about beer, I’m going to take… and it seems like there is plenty to talk about. We of course hit on the topic that you’re all probably sick of hearing about – but dive into some other stuff as well. Seasonal creep is a big one that I’ve been wanting to touch on with all the folks that love to talk about it this time of year – is it a real thing? Does it matter? Why does it only happen this time of year?

If that’s not enough for you, we drink a tasty rum barrel aged beer from Wooden Cask – a NE IPA from Streetside, and then drink a seltzer that is unlike any other one I’ve had before… not just because it’s pretty expensive (for fizzy water…) – there’s a lot packed into this show – it’s a fun one!

I talk a lot about our local breweries, bars and taprooms staying scrappy as 2020 kicks all our butts. Higher Gravity is a fantastic example of what that means. This Northside bar/bottleshop is an amazing example of staying diligent, and paying attention at how you adapt to the changing industry as the world around you seems to burst in to flames. They are selling this years Beervent calendars, which makes for a good excuse to grab a beer on a warm evening to talk about how they’re managing not only staying open and safe, but how they’re prepping for a second location at the same time.

These guys are great people and amazing stewards of craft beer in this city – enjoy this one… I know I did!