The Gnarly Gnome: All The Podcasts

I LOVE the yearly tradition that consumes my garage fridge every winter. We call it Beervent, and it’s more than just a box filled with a different beer that I get to open each day – it’s a piece of the holidays that can’t be skipped. It starts my days (though… I don’t always get to drink the day’s beer until later), and I’m not sure that Christmas would feel right without it. For this year, I thought it’d be fun to chat about my favorites, to break down some themes, and to fill you in on WHY you need to get one for yourself next year! It’s a solo episode, with a can of Northern Row’s Hustler Helles… crack one open and enjoy it with me! This Episode’s Links Volume 8, Episode 12 – Higher Gravity Talks Beervent In July

In this episode of Cincy Brewcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming back Garrett Hickey as we celebrated some exciting achievements in the world of Streetside Brewery, particularly coming off the recent GABF weekend. We dove into the significance of winning medals and the competitive landscape of Ohio breweries, and discussed how certain styles dominate the awards scene. Garrett shared insights on their approach to selecting beers for competitions and the challenges of standing out in a crowded market. We also reflected on how awards can influence sales and the importance of brewing what they believe to be their best offerings. As we transitioned to the upcoming Demogorgon Day, we explored the unique variants that will be featured this year, including a special collaboration with Superstition Meadery. Garrett explained how the event has evolved, bringing together the community and showcasing their experimental spirit. We touched on their new food partnership and the excitement surrounding their 10th anniversary celebrations, highlighting the importance of staying connected with their roots while embracing growth and change in the craft beer scene. If you want to know more about Streetside, Demogorgon, or any of the other awesome stuff that they have going on, you can always check out their website – or make sure you’re following them on Facebook or Instagram. If you like THIS show, or any of the stuff that I do: make sure you hit up http://www.TheGnarlyGnome.com/support to become a Gnomie!

My goodness. Technical difficulties? Again?! I get it slightly under control as the episode progresses, and it WOULD be frustrating if I didn’t have so much fun with this show every year. It’s Oktoberfest season, and this is the finale of a massive bracket I do every year to determine the winner, and the brewer of Cincinnati’s BEST packaged Oktoberfest! I was joined by Marco and Julia from Truth Beer Podsequences – because you know… I can’t make this final decision by myself… and as expected, it was tough. If you want to know the final four, and you want to know who takes the ‘Golden Gnome’ trophy – you’ll have to listen to this episode! Huge thank you to this year’s host, MadTree, to Truth Beer and Podsequences for helping with the judging, and of course to every brewery that made a KILLER Oktoberfest this year!

I’m a huge Oktoberfest nut. I’m sure that if you’ve been around here for any amount of time, you’ve put that together. With a TON of great festivals happening here in Cincinnati, it’s hard to figure out exactly which ones you want to go to every year – but this one? This has become essential for me. I was joined by Justin Neff from Sonder and Brenden Douglass from Northern Row to talk about Sonder and Friends Oktoberfest – and to explore what’s going on in the industry right now. If you’re a fan of this show, or of ANY of the stuff that I do – you can always show your support by going to http://www.TheGnarlyGnome.com/support

There are a lot of neighborhood bars around the city of Cincinnati. There are dives, there are sports bars, there are cocktail bars, more types of places than I think there are neighborhoods that house them. When you find “your spot” in one of those, you fall in love with it. With that, when you hear that someone new has bought that spot, it’s easy to be afraid of what it means. To continue along this… when that restaurant group turns your spot into the flagship location for a local chain of places… sometimes you’re terrifed. It’s not often that that restaurant group does what the folks at By Golly’s have done, and knocks it out of the park. They’ve taken By Golly’s and found a way to bring the spirit of it into every new location they open, while also preserving the soul of what each existing location was before they came along. That’s extremely difficult, and something I didn’t think they would be able to manage. I’ll happily admit when I’m wrong about something like this. For this episode of Drinking with the Gnome, we sat down with Lance Sizemore, owner of Epic Eeats, and Heather Frye, the Chief Operating Officer to see if we can understand how it all came to be, how they’ve managed what they have, and where it’s all going. We recorded the episode (of course) from the flagship By Golly’s location in Milford, Ohio (iiiiinnnn Milford – if you’re old enough to know…) and I can’t thank both the Lance and Heather for the hospitality, but the entire By Golly’s staff. Folks were so wonderful there that even after we finished recording, I had to stay for anohter beer I was having such a great time. That’s the sign of a great podcast if you ask me! Don’t forget, this show – like everything that I do – is brought to you by listeners just like you. It wouldn’t be possible without the support of the folks who are as obsessed as I am. If you want to become a ‘Gnomie’ – go to http://www.TheGnarlyGnome.com/Support if you want to help! If you want to visit By Gollys – hit them up at their website or give them a follow on Facebook or Instagram to stay in touch with everything they’re doing! https://youtu.be/kM4e3Msqeh0