Drinking With The Gnome

I was on vacation with the family down in Gatlinburg, but that wasn't going to stop me from doing a little "Gnome-Work" while we were away. I stopped into Sugarlands Distilling to chat with Reede Copeland about the unique culture of Gatlinburg, and the reasons that moonshine has caught on so heavily in the area versus other places. We talk about what makes the distillery special, what makes moonshine special, and what makes Gatlinburg a little different than you might think that it is at first glance.

Tourism is a big part of Gatlinburg - but there's more to the story.

Guests This Episode

Reede Copeland - Sugarlands Distillery

Show Links

Where To Drink: Gatlinburg

Sugarlands Distilling - Website

What Is Moonshine? - HowStuffWorks.com

How Prohibition Gave Birth To Nascar - History.com

The Great Smoky Mountains - Sugarlands Visitor Center

Wrapping up a three part series from Karrikin we take a dive into what's coming down the pipeline for this distillery. To help guide us through the conversation we pour a little bit of their 'Emerge' gin and take a quick tour through how they make it, and what pushed them to launch with two different gins into the market.

This is most definitely not the last you'll hear about Karrikin on Drinking With The Gnome - there's a lot more to them that still needs exploring!

Also, of quick note - Thank you for your patience between episodes lately. Life has been a little bit on the crazy side for me, and your support means the world. Without you - there is no Gnome.

Guests This Episode

Andy Foltz - Guest HostingEric Baumann - Karrikin SpiritsJeff Hunt - Karrikin Spirits

It’s not common to see a Baiju on shelves here in America. It’s especially not common to see an American distillery making a version of this spirit - let alone in a city like Cincinnati. This is beyond fascinating, but a huge part of what makes Karrikin so exciting to me. They are thinking outside of the box when it comes to making their products, and I needed to try to take peek behind that curtain a little bit.

We talked about their American made Baiju, which they call Shifu, and dug into their Agave spirit, as well. It’s a whirlwind of a show, but a fun one!

If you haven’t been out to Karrikin, or tried some of what they’ve been doing... it goes without saying - DO IT.

Guests This Episode

Andy Foltz - Co-HostingEric Baumann - KarrikinJeff Hunt - Karrikin

What’d We Drink?

Karrikin - ShifuKarrikin - Blaze

There are going to be a few different shows about Farifax’s Karrikin Spirits in the very near future. The last time I sat down with Eric Baumann and Jeff Hunt for a show, we ended up recording for a lot longer than anticipated, which means (good news for you) a lot more content!

The first of this little “Karrikin Series” is a showcase of their delicious sparkling spirits, a product that I think deserves quite a bit of recognition. It’s not a seltzer, it’s not a beer... it’s something else entirely, and I like it... a lot.

Guests This Week

Andy Foltz - Co-HostingJeff Hunt - Karrikin SpiritsEric Baumann - Karrikin Spirits

Kenwood needed this. It’s not a bar, it’s not another chain restaurant... it isn’t only about beer - it’s something new and refreshing. Hoppin’ Vines is a combination of a lot of different things than when combined create a space that will please anyone in your group of drinking buddies (or your non-drinking friends alike). They’ve got a great tap list, combined with a ton of wine and a nice curated spirits list, that when combined with duck pin bowling and pizza creates a space that I had to share with you.

Where We Were

Hoppin Vines - Kenwood/Madeira

Guests This Week

Brian O’Connell - General Manager

David Silvestain - Craft Beer Curator

When you find yourself in OTR with Michael D Morgan and a drink in hand, you don’t just wrap up your conversation quickly and go home... Since we had him on the show last week for Cincy Brewcast where he was promoting his new book, called Cincinnati Beer - we had to get him on this show too.

The show picks up by talking a little bit about the bar we were in, ‘The Drinkery’ in OTR, but quickly dove into OTR itself and what gives it the distinct personality that it has now versus the one it used to have.

We wrapped things up by a quick peek at Jack Daniels (meaning we drank it). It’s exactly what Drinking With The Gnome is all about... drinking drinks with drinkers.

Guests This Episode

Andy Foltz

Michael D Morgan

I have been really curious about cider for a while now, and until recently have kept putting off taking the deep dive into the world of fermented apple juice. Even now, I’ll be the first to admit I know very little to none about cider... but I’m on my way.

If you don’t know as much about it as you’d like to, there are few places that are as good of a stop to learn more than March First. The brewery/cidery/distillery might be ground zero for the world of Cincinnati cider. Leading up to their first ever ‘Ciderpalooza’ festival this spring, Andy Foltz and I sat down with brewer’s Shae Pridemore and Bryan Fisher along with good friend and their social media guy, Josh Engel (The Raging Hop) for those of you who have been paying attention.

The question I posed was pretty simple... what’s cider? The conversation went from there deep down the rabbit hole of distilling and fermenting - but I think we got a great first peek into what makes cider work!

Guests This Episode

Andy FoltzShae Pridemore - March FirstBryan Fisher - March FirstJosh Engel - March First

I’ll admit it, for as much as I love drinking, there are topics that I know only a little bit about. Cider is most definitely one of those topics. The great thing about this show, though is that we are surrounded by people who are knowledgeable about far more than you or I might be – experts in various drinking categories. These people can take us by the hand (or glass) and guide us through the different realms of drinking. This week’s episode finds us back at March First (back, only if you’re a listener to Cincy Brewcast). They’re coming up on their first ever ‘Ciderpalooza’ where they are diving DEEP into the world of cider with some of the area’s finest examples on tap for one massive day of cider drinking (you can read more about that here). What better opportunity for us to learn a little bit more about cider? Guests This Week Andy Foltz – Guest Co-Host Shae Pridemore – March First Bryan Fisher – March First Josh Engel – March First

Bryan Booth joins the Gnome to take a peek at the Bourbon Sidecar - sometimes called the Kentucky Sidecar.

Asheville, North Carolina isn’t about beer alone – it’s about a community that provides a platform for one of the widest and most fun drinking cultures that I have ever experienced. With that being said… the best way to take a peek behind the curtain of that drinking culture is to sit down and have a chat at one of the breweries that helps give the city the nickname Beer City USA.

Hi-Wire Brewing’s Chris McLain sat down over a pint with me earlier this year to help showcase not just what makes the brewery who they are, but what makes Asheville as a city who it is overall.

There’s more to come about ‘Beer City’ – and how it all relates to our hometown here in Cincinnati… stay tuned.

Guests This Episode

• Chris McLain – Hi-Wire Brewing