Cincy Brewcast

This is an action-packed episode. Not only were we sitting down with the awesome Jim Effler to talk about Bockfest through the years and designing the artwork alongside it – we also just happened to be recording at Gabby’s Cafe, home of the new Bocce Brewing Company – and were joined by owner Dino DiStasi and Manager Joe Cornella. The show was so epic that it ALSO happened to mark the 1000th beer on the show – and Jim dove deep into his fridge to find us a treat – a couple of bottles of Sam Adams Triple Bock from 1994.

We talked about Gabby’s, Bocce, Jim Effler – and of course… Bockfest!

This is one of those shows I’ll remember for a long while… it was an absolute blast!

I have long loved Paradise Brewing, and there are many reasons for that. They’re one of those places that seem to ignore the trends happening around them and can just be comfortable with who they are. That’s hard to do in an ever-changing world of craft beer. I think I respect that ability… a lot.

They make great beer (which should go without saying for every brewery these days.)

They’re also great people, which is an excellent way to hook me.

On this episode, I sat down with the folks at Paradise to talk about how they manage not to let things get out of control as they manage their slow and steady growth. We drink a few beers, and we talk about what inspires them to make the beers that they do.

I hope this one is as fun for you, as it was for me!

MadTree Brewing Company is certainly a household name here in Cincinnati. They make great beer, they have a killer taproom, and they provide an excellent company that is able to create a place where people can build their careers. When you look at it from the outside in, they nailed it. It’s not enough for the company, though, as it rounds the ten year mark. They’re constantly trying to improve everything. The very essence of who they are to their core has been a huge focus over the last few years – and I wanted to talk about what that means.

I sat down with Rhiannon Hoeweler, MadTree’s VP of Experience and Impact to talk about how they are doing that, what it means for the company – and hopefully what it means for us drinkers.

This is a huge topic and one that I covered this week on Drinking With The Gnome, too – with Sam Calagione of DogFish Head – we’re definitely not done talking about it.

Get out, do something for your community – give back… be better than you were yesterday!

When people ask what Cincy Brewcast is all about – what ‘The Voice of Cincy Craft’ really means – I tell them that it’s about the brewers, the owners, and the drinkers of Cincinnati craft beer. It’s those voices that tell the story of Cincy Craft. This is definitely one of those episodes that illustrates that well. Elijah Moreland is a great craft beer fan, and it’s always a pleasure to chat with him. I’ve been trying to get him on the show for a while, and we finally made it work out (even if we had to commandeer the table at Higher Gravity where Truth, Beer, and Podsequences usually record their show… with them in tow.)

We discussed how Elijah got into craft beer and homebrewing and his love for Urban Artifact. It was an absolute blast, and no one got tied to railroad tracks, which is always good.

It always seems to feel this way with new brewery projects – but BC’s Brewing Company feels like they’ve been in planning forever. I know that if it feels like that for me, it has to feel like a lifetime to the folks that are working their butts of to make it happen! If that doesn’t sound like a good opportunity to sit down for an episode of Cincy Brewcast, I’m not sure what does!

I was joined at BCs over in Liberty Township by Brian, Caleb, and Ryan (their new head brewer) to talk about how things are going at their new brewery in Mason. We talk about the journey to get here and if they would do anything different if they could travel back in time. We also explore a little bit what we think attracts people to their favorite watering holes and how that’s changing (or how it has changed) in today’s craft beer world.

This is a great episode – and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed making it! If you like what I do here (or anywhere I’m creating content) you can support over here – but the biggest help is if you share the show with a friend or someone that you think would enjoy it!

On this week’s episode, we head down to Alexandria, Kentucky, to head to (you guessed it) Alexandria Brewing Company. I sat down with owner and brewer Andy Reynolds to chat and have a few beers.

We kicked things off with one of the most unique slow pours that I’ve ever had, as well as a discussion about what exactly a slow pour is and what this take is supposed to accomplish for a beer drinker looking to try something a little different.

We talked about Alexandria finding their role in an ever-changing world of craft beer and finding the right ways to do what they do while listening to the drinkers who show up to enjoy their beer.

I love this place, I love Andy – and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for craft beer drinkers like me!

I Love Adam Mills.

I said it, and I’m not ashamed. I’m head over heels in love with this dude.  Adam is one of those people, though, that when you meet them, you can’t help but fall in love with them – not only is he smart, not only is he dedicated to his craft, he’s a freaking great guy.  He’s one of those people you want to be able to call your friend.  Adam is not only the Director of Brewing Operations over at Sonder Brewing, he’s also at the helm of a growing social media machine that is appropriately called ‘Adam Makes Beer’ where he brings his teaching history head to head with his current career path of brewing.

I needed to talk about this.

His approach to content creation is down to earth, packed full of information, and one of those bright spots in a world of social media content creation that many of us desperately search for.  He’s a guy that you need to know.

In a big move for a brewery that’s relied on a great food partner for ten years – MadTree made a lot of waves this month when they announced that they’d be bringing their food program under their own MadTree banner starting next year.  While I’m still working on a BIG blog post to talk all about my thoughts on the changing world of food inside of our craft breweries – I couldn’t resist the urge to head out to MadTree to sit down and chat about how they feel about it, as well as what we can expect when they roll out their new food program next spring.

I sat down with MadTree’s Director of Hospitality Services, Brock McMorran for a quick chat that will hopefully get you as excited for whats coming as I am!

After a long season, with 35 different packaged Oktoberfest beers battling it out to see who is the best this year… we’re finally there.  The finals were recorded live at MadTree Brewing Company (last year’s winners), and it was a really, really tough decision.  The decision was so difficult that I had to call on help from Marco and Julia from Truth, Beer, Podsequences to help me judge – AND had to get help from DIPA Josh to make sure that the contest was all on the up and up by helping us with the pouring.

In the end, though, as always – there could be only one winner, and this year Sonder took home the Golden Gnome as the first-ever double-winner of the contest.

It was fun, it was chaotic… it was a good episode!  Enjoy!

Special Appearances By:

In order of this year’s final results!

I love the folks at Common.  I love what they’ve built in Mason, Ohio.  I also LOVE every chance I get out to record an episode of the Brewcast with them.  I headed out to hang out recently to see how things have been going, as they settle down after their fifth anniversary and to hopefully show you exactly why a small neighborhood brewery like theirs can 100% stand out, even in a busy beer city like Cincinnati.

This is definitely the type of show that makes me remember why I enjoy Cincy Brewcast – and I hope you have as much fun as we did!