Cincy Brewcast

In a world where craft beer has created every concept imaginable, from massive production breweries to movie theaters to breweries aboard cruise ships… there aren’t many things that feel as great as a good, old, neighborhood brew pub. The folks behind Montgomery Public House (also lovingly called MPH) knew that when they started planning for their space in downtown Montgomery.

Built upon a foundation of great food, great beer and great service – these guys had no idea that when they opened their doors in 2020, it would be in the middle of a global pandemic. They’ve soldiered on, though. Today we have a space that their loyal customers are happy to call home, and folks like me are more than happy to visit!

I sat down to get the rundown of how the brewery came to be. We drank a few beers and explored exactly what their concept is all about, and even dove into the question that might hit you as soon as you look at their tap lineup – What’s with the Left Hand Brewing Company beers? It was a great show!

Make sure that you subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, and if you like what we’re doing each week – consider heading over to support!

This was a little different. I had an idea, and some goofy behind-the-scenes stuff that I needed to test out – so we rolled with it. I called a couple of friends (Justin and Danny from Sonder) and we did a long-distance Brewcast that hopefully doesn’t sound too much like it. The idea was simple… I threw together two little packs of beers for a blind tasting – none of us knew what beers were what, and we just started drinking, and talking.

If you have been listening along with the journey of Cincy Brewcast since the beginning, you know that shows like this are how we sort of started – just fun ideas with good people and some beers… I hope to bring a little bit of that spirit back in the future.

While the beers that we drank weren’t the freshest, it really wasn’t the point. It was about the conversation, the act of “getting together” and having a drink… even if it was digitally.

Sometimes scheduling doesn’t work out – it’s often that life takes over, family takes over and it just doesn’t work. This week? My guest that was supposed to be on the show let me down though… I was up a certain creek, without a paddle.

This is why we have friends.

The guys over at March First shot me a message as soon as they heard what I was going through, and said they’d be happy to jump on the show and chat. I ran over, eager to hang out over a beer and talk about whatever came into the conversation – after all… I’m a huge fan. Between the brewery, distillery, taprooms, let alone their little “side project” podcast called Shift Beers?

There is a lot we could talk about… and a lot we did.

If you want to know more about March First, obviously you can read about them here on the website, or if you wanna do things the official way, they’ve got their own website too.

As for that Shift Beers Podcast I mentioned? You should definitely head over and subscribe to that – it’s on Apple and probably wherever else you listen to your podcasts, too!

Dead Low Brewing has been through a lot in their short life here in the Cincinnati Craft Beer Community – and with the chaos that the last year has brought, they’re definitely looking forward to what the future has in store for them. I sat down this week with their head brewer, Grant Thompson, who came on board just as Covid hit the industry in 2020.

With how… “weird”, the last year has been, I know that a lot of folks haven’t had the chance to sit down and get to know him, and what he’s all about – so this episode spends a lot just diving into what makes him tick. We talk about how he got into the industry, how he ended up here in Cincinnati, and what he likes to brew. Of course… we drank a couple of beers along the way, too!

For more information about Dead Low Brewing, you can of course explore a bit here on my website, but make sure that you head over to their site for a great breakdown of what you can expect when you stop in. Speaking of stopping in… you should 100% do that, too. They’re in a great spot, right off the highway by Coney Island and Riverbend – get out there and check them out!

Ugh… Alone in studio for the second week in a row. Cincy Brewcast is certainly not about being along in a basement studio – but with colds hitting our house last week… it’s how things are going to be. Dad-Life. I won’t let it stop me from getting this show out, though – although a little later than it’s supposed to be. As we head into the last few months of winter, we’re getting into one of my favorite times in Cincinnati… Bock beer season.

We’ve talked about Bock a few times on Cincy Brewcast, but I thought it was a great opportunity to dive into the history of the style a bit and some of the history of Bockfest to help get you excited for the upcoming beers that I sure hope will fill your beer fridge. We’re already starting to see the first few bocks hit shelves and tap lines around town and I’m excited!

It’s been a heck of a ride getting through 2020 – but here we are – 2021. With the new year comes bright futures, exciting ideas and for me, a renovated studio packed full of new ideas. This episode might be a “solo” show, which means it’s a little abbreviated – but in it we talk about the upcoming plans, not just from a few local spots in the middle of growth, but the plans of the Gnome and all the “stuff” around that.

It’s a lot to cover, in a really short period of time, so grab a beer, hunker down and let’s do this!

This season is one of the finest times to crack open a cold beer… but what makes Christmas beer, well… Christmas beer? What’s this style all about? I was joined this week by Bret Kollmann Baker from Urban Artifact to crack a few open and figure it all out. Bret is easily the biggest Christmas beer nut that I know… so it only seemed fitting for him to help me navigate these waters. We talked about what makes this style so special to folks who go bonkers for it each winter, and the nostalgia factor’s importance in it all.

It’s a great episode… If I do say so, myself.

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!