Spring is getting closer and we're back with another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome Podcast! It hasn't been too long since we last recorded so we jump right into a lighter Look Back / Look Ahead, which includes a brief history of the Titty Sphinx, which is featured as the February "Pittsburgh Series" beer. Next, we are joined by our guest, Kevin King of Sarene Craft Beer. Long time listeners will know that Sarene is the beer distributor (wholesaler in Pittsburgh terms) that Dancing Gnome uses for their distribution. We talk with Kevin about how Sarene got their start, their focus on craft beer, their philosophy and how it is different from a lot of other wholesalers, and much more. We finish the episode with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn.

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village
Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

Thanks for checking out another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome Podcast! This episode is our first ever recorded away from 925 Main Street as we took the show on the road to record at Lorelei. We kick things off with a look back into January as it is always a tough month in the beer industry and we roll that into our usual Look Back/Look Ahead in the world of Dancing Gnome. Next, we are joined by our guests, Pete Kurzweg and Aaron Dahl. Long time listeners are familiar with both of these friends as they have joined us multiple times. This time, they are here to talk about their newest spot in the Northside called The Bohemian. Pete and Aaron fill us in on how this space will be unique from their other spots, the beers they will be pouring, the history of the building and much more. We close things out with a round of Lager or Logger and also a quick run through Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village
Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for sticking with us as we start another year with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! In this episode, we start with taking a Look Back and Look Ahead in the world of DG and also talk about some of our favorite Dancing Gnome and non-Dancing Gnome beers of 2025. Next we are joined by our guests, Jason and Nikki Lavery of Lavery Brewing. They tell us about starting Lavery back in 2009, what has changed in the industry over the past 16 years, what is on the horizon for Lavery Brewing in 2026 and much more. Jason and Nikki join us as we finish the episode with a round of Watch, Listen, Learn.

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village
Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

Happy Holidays everyone! Thanks for joining us for another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. To kick it off, we take a look back after a full month of Nine t(w)o Five being open, as well as our regular look back and look ahead into all things Dancing Gnome. Then we talk about some unique Pittsburgh personalities (Jag Revere, Bumper Bike Guy, etc.). Next, we are joined by our guest, Jeff Betten of Hellbender Vinyl! Jeff tells us all about Hellbender, how different types of records are produced, their second location in Philly and much more. We close things out with a round of Watch, Listen, Learn.

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village
Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

Hey y'all, it's November and it's time for a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We had a lot to catch up on with this episode so let's jump right in. We looked back on a busy October featuring DG's anniversary, the opening of Nine t(w)o Five and more! We take a quick look ahead into November with Andrew telling us about the plans for Black Friday this year, which is going to feature a lot of barrel aged beers (new and old). After the break, we take another look back at this year's hop selection trip with the guys telling us about their experience this year. Thanks for listening!

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village
Break music by: Joseph McDade

It's October and we have a big announcement on this episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! Before we get to the news, Andrew gives a quick reminder of what to expect for DG's upcoming anniversary weekend and I talk a little about joining a boxing gym. Then, we finally dive into the big news about the next phase for the original Dancing Gnome space at 925 Main Street! Get ready to check out Nine two Five!! Andrew and JJ fill us in on their vison for this space and what people can expect when Nine two Five opens in October! Thanks for listening.

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village

September is here and so is a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We have Mike T sitting in with us for this entire episode and we kick things off with a Look Back and Look Ahead in the world of DG. We talk Okta, we talk Festbier, we look a little further ahead into October to Dancing Gnome's 9th anniversary. Next, we wade into the always treacherous waters of a "kids at a brewery" discussion, following some recent 1 star reviews DG received on Google. We read a New York Times article from earlier this summer that talks about how some breweries are handling this tricky issue and the responses they are receiving. After our break, we crack open two of Dancing Gnome's latest barrel aged offerings, Contact and Vindemia, while Andrew talks about the interesting process behind creating these two beers. We close out the show by answering some listener questions. Thanks for listening!!  

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village
Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

We're entering the "Dog Days" of summer and along with them comes another episode of "Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast." We start out the episode with Andrew telling us about his trip to San Antonio for a beer fest hosted at the brewery of our April 2022 guest, Dustin Baker of Road Map Brewing. Then, we dive into a quick Look Back and Look Ahead in the world of Dancing Gnome. Andrew gives a look even further ahead into September and October with some talk about the upcoming DG anniversary and the reopening of the original spot at 925 Main. Both topics that we will re-visit when those months come along. Next, we are joined by our guest, Michael Kuban of Redhawk coffee. Michael tells us how he got his start in the world of coffee, his role at Redhawk and much, much more. (This dude LOVES coffee.) We round out the show with a quick segment of "Watch, Listen, Learn." Thanks for listening!

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village
Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

We have a holiday weekend coming up and you can enjoy it by checking out a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We kick things off by talking about Andrew's trip to Maine, some of the food and beers he enjoyed and a little about the Wavy Days fest the following weekend. Next, we are joined again by Luke Cypher of Blue Sparrow. Luke was our third ever guest when we started this podcast and hasn't been back since that episode. We get caught up on all of the changes since then, including the partnership with Dancing Gnome, how that relationship works, and much more. We dive a little deeper on food and food trucks in general and Luke talks about mentoring other folks that are interested in getting into the food service industry. Luke sticks around for a round of Watch, Listen, Learn to close out the episode. 

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village
Break music by: Joseph McDade

We're rolling into June with another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We knew we had a pretty loaded episode for this month, so to kick things off, we take a quick Look Ahead at what's to come in the world of Dancing Gnome before taking a Look Back at a busy May. First, Andrew recaps "Lustra Day" weekend, including a discussion on Barrel Lustra, the different casks variants, Lustra water, and more. Then we talk about the MBCC festival in Copenhagen, which was attended by DG family members Matt and Brett. That discussion rolls into the start of our second segment as Matt talks about his experience in Copenhagen. Next, we talk with Aaron about his trip to the Czech Republic! This was the same trip that Matt and Andrew took last year to learn about Czech brewing, service, etc. (Check out the May 2024 episode if you missed it.) We finish out the show by playing a round of Lager vs Logger and a quick Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!

Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village
Break music by: Kevin MacLeod