Drinking Partners

Day Bracey and fellow Epicast podcaster Jared Evans of Grownup Human Comic People join forces for an unfiltered, amusing, and, at times, not safe for work chat before welcoming Andy Kwiatkowski and Gary Olden of Hitchhiker Brewing Company. Stopping by the studio to talk about their new expansion – after acquiring the Fort Pitt Brewery in Sharpsburg – owner Olden and head brewer Kwiatkowski also share several of their newer offerings, including a kettle sour that Day promotes as a key to a strong relationship: “Women love sours because they are fruity, but you also don’t feel like a bitch when you’re drinking it.” Jokes blend with education as the men from Hitchhiker explain what goes into their own crafts while teasing pretentious beer drinkers. This Drinking Partners installment provides an extensive analysis and special insight into what decisions precede the production of a particular beer. A must listen for engaged, but unpretentious, beer drinkers.

Guest host T-Robe, one of Pittsburgh’s top comedians, joins Day Bracey in the studio as a guest host while fellow Drinking Partner Ed Bailey recovers. Joining the duo is Emmai Alaquiva, hot off an appearance on the Jimmy Fallon Show, and, according to T-Robe, “one of the best dressed cats I know.” However, Mr. Alaquiva was not always so well groomed and shares how he evolved into a creative professional after once being homeless and examines the struggles in between. Resourceful and focused, Mr. Alaquiva is an Emmy-award winning businessman, producer, and director who now dedicates his time to helping others prosper creatively. T-Robe, taking over for Ed, pauses the serious conversation to criticize Day’s corduroy pants, lightening the mood with impromptu humor. A thorough and significant discussion follows about the importance of financial knowledge and responsibility before diverging into an entertaining story involving Maya Angelou. Toward the latter half of the podcast, Mr. Alaquiva offers sage advice for artists and creators on how to engage and encourage change politically and socially. The final minutes get fun and loud as the three men compare, argue, and defend their choices for top rappers in the game. Find more about Mr. Alaquiva at his website www.emmaialaquiva.com, or his studio at www.yamomzhouse.com.

Hyped up and loose lipped, the Drinking Partners welcome Jake Voelker, co-owner at Voodoo Brewery in Homestead, into the studio for this dashing and revealing interview. In the opening half, the trio discusses the success that Voodoo Brewery has enjoyed as an employee-owned company, one in which each worker in invested and devoted. At the midway point, Ed and Day take a pause from their merry musings to sample blonde ale Venti, a newly released, canned beer with limited availability. Beer aficionados will enjoy Mr. Voelker explaining the process behind canning and the details that go into creating their artisan-crafted lines. A comprehensive conversation continues as the men examine the effects of small, local business on a recovering community. The podcast plays like a tribute to craft beer, with Ed and Day entertainingly reflecting on their own love affairs with good beer while Jake Voelker schools them on what happens behind the brewing scenes. Be sure to check out Voodoo’s newest offering: a pinball arcade at its Homestead location.

In the studio that has been outfitted much like a buffet, with a vast spread of Pennsylvania food and liquor, the founding women of Farm to Table introduce the Drinking partners to a locally-sourced feast. Erin Hart and Mary Hagan enthusiastically explain how Farm to Table helps connect consumers with local farms and explain how healthy eating starts with understanding the origins of food sources. Intermixed with advice and information are wild stories from Ed and Day, including the revelation that Ed pees sitting down and hopes to inspire a trending hashtag: #isitwithbailey. With sharp discourse and impassioned words from Ed, the podcast is fast and familiar, just as you would expect from a Drinking Partners-hosted event. Farm to Table’s next event, Growing Roots for Healthy Communities, will be held on March 24-25 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center; to buy tickets, visit https://farmtotablepa.com.

The Drinking Partners warmly (despite their hangovers) welcome Pittsburgh’s best jazz musician Phat Man Dee and Rusted Root member and multi-talented solo artist Liz Berlin to the studio to discuss Social Justice Disco, the creative collaboration formed by both women to combat injustice and intolerance. With the goal of “singing against fascism,” the women hope to promote music as a form of protest while educating and encouraging others to do the same, both through their current Social Justice Disco project and through their personal music-based initiatives. The conversation ranges widely, from sacred femininity to giving voice to marginalized communities. Profound and moving, the podcast offers up a female perspective that is both timely and necessary as the women of Social Justice Disco engage and entertain while fighting for equal rights and against hate. After a deeply engrossing political and philosophical discussion, Social Justice Disco performs live, closing the podcast with a performance that is well worth the wait.

Wearing their Christmas worst and sitting fireside, the Drinking Partners podcast live from Rock Bottom Pittsburgh with head brewer Meg Evans and top comic and dirty Santa impersonator Tim Ross. The opening minutes showcase the darker, beer-loving side of Santa Claus as the comedians banter, ridicule and tease, often with outrageously entertaining results. After a customary Drinking Partners conversational detour, Ed and Day introduce their next guests, fellow podcaster Ya Jagoff and Penn Brewery manager and brewer Nick Rosich. After some high-spirited audience interactions, the Drinking Partners make room at the table for Shu Brew owner Zach Shumaker and Spoonwood Brewing’s James Evans. Frenzied, loud, and delightfully untamed, this episode is a wild and jolly listen.

Swigging on Straub Helles, a Game of Thrones-esque, warm-bodied, robust lager designed for the upcoming winter, the Drinking Partners welcome Aaron Watson, host of the Going Deep podcast, which thoroughly explores the passions and fears of wide-ranging guests. From the opening minutes, the men reflect and consider, examining what drives individual journeys. Moments of wit and laughter playfully interrupt the contemplative nature of the interview, which allows Ed and Day the space to be both introspective and self-deprecating. And the time to expose and criticize Santa Claus as a poor businessman and promote panda bears, who, according to Day, are “the Rick Sebak of animals … lovable and adorable.” Ed disagrees and a typical Drinking Partners tangent ensues, full of sarcastic quips and far-fetched tales. A full interview that swings from farcical to profound and is a charming listen. Listen to Going Deep with Aaron Watson on his website www.goingdeepwithaaron.com and catch the Drinking Partners live January 28, 2017 at Comtra Theatre (Cranberry, PA) for a stand-up showcase.

Tom Marshall from Full Pint Brewing, creators of the Drinking Partners-inspired, cognac-based Hundo ale, joins Ed and Day in the studio with special guest Chris Boles from Redfish Bowl, a Pittsburgh-based art collective that unites artists across mediums and showcases the diverse art scene. The two have teamed up for Living Color, a collaboration beer that provides financial support to local artists. The interview offers an in-depth discussion that craft beer lovers will appreciate, from brewing to marketing, and all steps in between. As with most Drinking Partners podcasts, the conversation often diverges, touching upon subjects that are political and personal, legal and illegal, yet wholly focused on community initiatives. In the closing minutes, the men get reflective, calmly and profoundly speaking about national affairs and events with a contagious optimism. Both Hundo and Living Color are currently available from Full Pint Brewing.

For their 100th episode, the Drinking Partners podcast live from Pittsburgh Playwright’s Theater as they host a beer-sampling, celebratory party for a packed house of lively, loud, and liquored up guests. An abundance of beer and mead from Shu Brew, Rock Bottom, Bloom Brew, and Apis Meadery filled the theater’s lobby as guests sipped for free during the opening hour. With a special-release, collaboration beer aptly named Hundo, Full Pint honored the Drinking Partners with this uniquely crafted, cognac-laced double imperial ale, which is now widely available throughout Pittsburgh. After live comedy provided by headliner T-Robe, Ed and Day enthusiastically welcome one of their most popular guests and Pittsburgh legend Rick Sebak. From the moment he joins, Mr. Sebak entertains and educates as he mixes up a Sidecar cocktail, complete with hand-squeezed lemon juice and strong enough that Ed proclaims, “This tastes like an Uber Ride.” Laughs and Pittsburgh-centric tales abound as Mr. Sebak regales Ed, Day, and an enthralled crowd with his amusing anecdotes. Midway through, pop artist and entrepreneur Baron Batch joins the panel and speaks on the importance of creative art adding beauty and dimension to today’s world, a necessary and timely ideal. Day introduces the final podcast guest and his own hometown hero, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, who cannot help but discuss the 2016 Presidential Election. A thoughtful, sometimes impassioned, conversation follows. An unforgettable, hour-long anniversary episode that charms and informs, teases and contemplates, and generates wild laughter as only the Drinking Partners can.

Live from Black Forge Coffee House, the Drinking Partners welcome Pittsburgh-based fantasy author Cat Bruno, although she is often more widely known as Day’s girlfriend. Sipping on Apis mead, she stops by to promote her latest release, Queen of Stars and Shadows, an Amazon bestseller in epic fantasy. Ms. Bruno’s long history with both Ed and Day provides an interesting and playful backdrop, made even moreso once the Drinking Partners begin sipping on a Weyerbacher Belgian Quadruple. Blending the personal with the professional, the trio discusses the craft of writing and explores how ideas evolve into stories. Of course, true to the Drinking Partners style, the interview cheerfully deconstructs and allows Ed and Day to engage in moments of hilarious recklessness. A quick listen which offers insight into the business side of writing. For more about Cat, find her at catbruno.com or through Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/catbruno.