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

Thanks for checking out the May episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We jump right into Look Back, Look Ahead pretty quickly, with the emphasis being on looking ahead to a busy May in the world of Dancing Gnome and most notably, of course, is Lustra Day at the end of the month. Andrew fills us in on all of the Lustra varieties that will be available this year (9!!) including the return of Barrel Lustra! We briefly talk about a Vinepair article that listed Pittsburgh as the #5 destination in the world for craft beer and another list of the top 100 craft beer podcasts. Next we were joined by our guest, Drew Cranisky who talked about his "Drew's Clues Trivia" business, how he got started, his process for coming up with questions, and much more. Drew sticks around for the final segment where Andrew and Jaron go 1 on 1 in a quick round of trivia, followed by our usual "Watch, Listen, Learn" segment to end the show. Thanks for listening!

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

April shah-ers bring May flah-ers, and April 1st brings a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. You know the drill at this point. At the top of the episode we read a new review before we take a Look Back and Look Ahead where Andrew tells us about a signage update in the taproom, the "Experimental Pilsner" releases and more. Then, we are joined by our guest, Alan Wildy of Allagash Brewing. Alan talks about bringing Allagash to the Pittsburgh market right as COVID hit, the popularity of Allagash White (a perfect beer?), some upcoming releases and much more. Alan sticks around for a lengthy round of Watch, Listen, Learn, during which we veer into Alan talking about growing up in Belfast before moving to the US in the early 90s. Thanks for listening!

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

We're back with the March 2025 episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We kick off this episode by reading a new listener review before jumping right into a Look Back and Look Ahead, where Andrew tells us about the Gravel Grinder redesign and what goes into that process. Next, we are joined by Dancing Gnome regular and DG Run Club member, Kevin Yurkovich. Kevin tells us about his history with Dancing Gnome, his experience in the run club, his brewery exploration with his wife, and much more. We wrap up this episode with a round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!

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

Good riddance to Dry January and hello to a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We begin the show with a tribute to PileZ (RIP) before jumping straight into a Look Back / Look Ahead (pay attention Barrel Club members.) Next, we talk about a Brew Bound article about breweries closing in Colorado, which leads to a discussion on what would be most helpful for breweries in PA (but mostly Allegheny county). Then, we are joined by our guest, Dr. Bob Parker from the University of Pittsburgh! Bob is the Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the Swanson School of Engineering as well as a professor of Chemical Engineering, but most importantly, teaches a course at Pitt called Science, Technology and Culture of Craft Brewing! Bob tells us how this course came to be, what the students learn during the course, how the students are evaluated, and much, much more. We close out this episode with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!

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

We're ringing in 2025 with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We start the show with a new review and a quick discussion on an article about Molson Coors buying a Chicago craft brewery, going against what we discussed last month. Then, we take a Look Back and Look Ahead, both at the months of December and January, but also at 2024 and 2025 as a whole. Next, we are joined by Dr. Sam Fee of Monday's Brewing. Sam tells us about starting Monday's, opening their new location in Greenfield, and much more! We wrap up the episode with a beer review followed by a round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!

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

Thanks for checking out the December episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We kick things off with a new review, which also includes an acronym!! Then, we take a Look Back into November and Look Ahead into December, before diving into some listener questions. Next, we were joined by past guest and friend of the pod, Hart Johnson! Hart tells us about his return to Piper's Pub, their updated menu, plans for bringing back their cask system and much more. We finish the show with a round of Lager or Logger and a discussion around a Beervana article about the end of the "corporate craft" era. Thanks for listening and enjoy the holidays!

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