Drinking Partners

The Drinking Partners, especially Ed, excitedly welcome Anthony "Sizzle" Perry, the founder of Crafted Culture Brewing Company in Columbus, Ohio. This interview sets itself apart from the opening segment as Sizzle explains how he "accidentally" fell into brewing after a stint as a fill-in bartender, which led to various jobs across the brewing industry, including as a delivery man. Or, as Ed suggests. Mr. Perry is, "The Drinking Partners meets Will Smith in the Pursuit of Happiness." But Sizzle had a marketing strategy of his own: "If you want to gain yards in this game, go where they ain't." He presented his idea to the COO of the company where he worked as the top salesman, yet his proposal was brushed off as nonsensical. From there, he decided to pursue brewing on his own, starting first as a home brewer. With creativity and a focus on bringing soul into brewing, Mr. Perry paired up with a lifetime friend and a professional brewer and opened Crafted Culture, Central Ohio's first Black-owned brewery. Along with the brewery, Mr. Perry wants to focus on #beerthechange, a budding nonprofit that he hopes will help give back to diverse communities. Give this interview a full listen and enjoy the witty banter and deep business insights that have Ed feeling envious. Find more about Crafted Culture: www.craftedculturebrew.com

According to Ed, Day is in "mid-season form," as the Drinking Partners get back to the studio for number 6ish of their Quarantimes podcast series. Both excitedly welcome Trace Brewing owner David Kushner and brewer Zach Colton, as Ed and Day sample Moonpond, a balanced IPA with Galaxy and Columbus hops. The duo met while both were working at Harpoon Brewing and discuss how they ended up in Pittsburgh and the origins of Trace Brewing, which opened in December 2020 for carryout. Up next on tap is Love is the Way, a citrusy IPA with gooseberry, passionfruit, and lychee, which causes Ed and Day to take the conversation in a whole new (and freaky) direction. Continue listening as Zach details his long and winding history around beer, which strikingly readied him to become Trace's head brewer and experiment with spontaneously fermented beer. The short story? Zach started as a "beer here" guy and ended up in the Seine Valley region of Belgium learning about Lambic beer. Want to know how the pandemic affects what beers Trace is brewing? Tune in as they explain how the canning process and at-home drinking influences the beer style decisions. Day proves he's a big fan of Trace Brewing as he applauds how inclusive the staff and taproom of the newly opened brewery is and their 6-month vocational program that is committed to "diversifying the brewing industry." Enjoy this uplifting interview that encircles all the best that the craft beer industry can offer as the Drinking Partners return to their fun and frolicking selves. Learn more about Trace Brewing: www.tracebloomfield.com.

"You used to see us out in public," Ed announces as he changes up the Drinking Partners opening bit and welcomes back listeners. Another alteration for 2020? The Drinking Partners will accept contactless deliveries of Hennessy. A reunited and rejuvenated Ed and Day welcome Courtney Williamson, CEO and Founder of AbiliLife: "A company dedicated to designing and developing products to improve the quality of life for patients with Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases." Ms. Williamson discusses her personal shift from pursuing a PhD to medical product design, which came out of a desire to assist her mother, who suffered from Parkinson's. What started as a passion project with the support of Carnegie Mellon's start-up incubator Project Olympus quickly developed into something more, which is detailed and examined throughout the podcast. An intriguing and uplifting interview, and one that joyously brings Ed and Day back into the studio. To learn more about AbiliLife, visit www.abililife.com. And stay tuned to hear more comedy on tap from the Drinking Partners!

The Drinking Partners go worldwide with this latest and Fresh Fest Digi Fest exclusive release as they welcome Stacey Ayeh from Rock Leopard Brewing in London, England. After getting his start on the sales end of brewing, Mr. Ayeh decided to start homebrewing, yet faced hurdles to get his products on the shelves despite how well-received they were and how successful he had been selling other brewers' products. He relates how Paul Jones of Cloudwater Brew Company became a quick and dedicated fan of his brewing, and it was his support that finally allowed Mr. Ayeh's beers to gain attention. Stacey sips on his own West Coast-styled IPA, he talks about the current trends in British brewing: juicy and hazy. What message would Stacey Ayeh like to share? "Black people can make good beer and it's being sold near where I live." To learn more about Rock Leopard Brewing and Stacey Ayeh, visit: www.rockleopardbrewing.com

Much to Ed's delight, Ohio is in the building, at least virtually, as the Drinking Partners welcome co-owners Mike and Greg and head brewer Jared from Alematic Ales, out of Huber Heights, Ohio. Both Ed and Day admit love for the Alematic beer names, which leads to a conversation on the connection between recipe development and beer monikers. Or, as head brewer Jared states, "We try not to brew boring styles," as they get inspiration from the culinary world. Listen in as Greg talks about how Alematic incorporates an underground hip hop element into their brewery's vibe and how their multicultural staff encourages and creates a welcoming place for all kinds of beer drinkers. An especially important analysis of how Covid-19 had affected breweries happens near the midway point. Craft beer fans across the country will be able to sample Alematic Ale's collaboration with 11th Hour Brewing for Fresh Fest Digi Fest through Tavour and Beverages 2 U. Learn more about Alematic at: https://www.alematicbrewing.com.

Want to know what Ed means when he refers to a "trench coat beer?" Listen in to the latest quarantine-edition of the Drinking Partners for that explanation and more as Ed and Day interview Alex Bard, the COO of Hear Corp, a 2020 sponsor of Fresh Fest Digi Fest. Alex speaks on his company's founding and how Hear Corp grew into a full service live event production company, which at times is like playing Risk, he admits. Midway through, Alex discusses his involvement with 25 Carrick Ave, a community learning center for event technology. The non-profit program's goals are to provide education in production and broadcast and open a creative arts center for Pittsburgh-based artists. Check out how Hear Corp is adapting by checking out their live stream channel, Live at 25. The podcast wraps up with Day talking about his pandemic wardrobe and his new aversion to jeans and love for "fancy sweats," and reminds listeners that the Drinking Partners still offer comedy on tap, even from their front porches.

The Drinking Partners, in conjunction with the City of Pittsburgh's Inclusive Innovation, podcast from their porches with a trio of dazzling and consequential women. Listen in as Ed and Day interview Mayor Marita Garrett, Representative Sara Innamarato, and Director of Diversity and Inclusion with the Pittsburgh Technology Council Gina Winstead. Up first, of course, is what they are sipping on: a port wine, an IC Light Mango, and a pretzel beer, which Ed and Day fear is a major flex on them. After a steady supply of jokes, Mayor Garrett and Rep. Innamarato discuss community engagement during pandemic times, while Ms. Winstead explains the technical side of the digital shift and how essential it is to help small businesses make the change. The central focus of this Drinking Partners episode is the importance of the US Census and how technology impacts the 2020 census. "If you're not counted, you literally do not count," Mayor Garrett reminds listeners, especially in Black and Latinx communities. Rep. Innamarato expands upon this by explaining that the number counts are used to help bring money back into communities, from infrastructure to school lunches to healthcare. The women answer and address concerns about the privacy of the census answers, gerrymandering, how this census is the first that can be done online, and various other concerns. Midway through, during a question and answer segment from those watching on Zoom, the responses become a bit more animated and lot more amusing. A classic Drinking Partners interview, with the as-expected mixture of merriment and useful information.

The Drinking Partners welcome local business owner Justin Strong as they adapt to the times and hold a remote interview, although all three share a beer. Justin sips an East End Big Hop, while Ed samples a Rusty Rail Luminous, a golden stout that leads the conversation elsewhere. Day leaves his dry April behind with the much-coveted Dark Berry Fruit Whip from Cellar Works. What have the men learned during their stays at home? Listen in as they talk about how domesticated they have become, a conversation that leads to several rounds of laughter as they share "survival" stories, and Justin teaches the importance of cranberry sauce. Day speaks on the emerging model of streaming, virtual entertainment as they speculate on what live events will look like in the coming months. Check out Justin's dry cleaning businesses, www.strongfabriccare.com, which are currently operating with some modifications.

Day spends the opening minutes of the latest Drinking Partners podcast munching and mumbling as guest host Derek Minto does the heavy verbal lifting and welcomes Neil Glausier of Burgh'ers Brewing. Right away, the trio looks into how Burgh'ers Brewing models their business and focuses on a farm to table approach, from "happy cows" to neighborhood-centric burgers. As Day samples Head Chef Fiore Moletz's Polish Hill burger, the group sips on an American light lager, the 1890 Lager, which allows Neil to detail how he brews in a thorough, informative manner. How do you get a beer to be clear and beautiful? It's more difficult than you might think, but listen in for a truly brewing-centric conversation, including how to maintain an environmentally sustainable model and how the idealized image of brewing quickly dissolves once you begin to run a business. For those looking to get a brewery experience in these hard times, the interview offers a safe and informative alternative. Find Derek Minto at Burning Bridges Comedy Club and find Burgh'ers Brewing at www.burgherspgh.com

In this special Drinking Partners release, Day visits Portland, Maine and interviews Rob Tod, founder of Allagash Brewing, who literally pieced together and welded (from dairy equipment!) the original brewery in the mid 1990's. The opening minutes have Mr. Tod discussing his early vision for Allagash and focus on the Belgian brewing tradition. Wondering which beers not to serve cold? Rob answers that and more during this detailed interview that offers inside access to brewing and business from one of the originals in the craft beer industry. Listeners will be surprised to hear how slowly Allagash developed, employing only four people after their first ten years. Why did Rob Tod persist? Midway, he answers that while describing the down moments that he struggled through to keep the brewery going and why he values his current employees so much. This newest Drinking Partners podcast with one of craft brewery's best also highlights what the Drinking Partners do best: examine the industry from their own distinctive perspective and with humor and joy.