Beer Freaks

Scientists study the intensity of a hangover, beer versus wine!

We didn’t even know this thing could drink. It’s only like a year old. And it’s a robot. 

Researchers studied post-natural disaster communities to see if breweries would help them fare better. The answer (to us) is not surprising. 

Two Colorado breweries team up with AI technology ChatGPT for CollabFest to design a beer style AND recipe. No word yet on if it was drinkable. 

Beer and stars!

2023 World Beer Cup Results. 10,000 Beers Sampled in 9 Days? How Are These Guys Alive?
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#beer #craftbeer #brewing #worldbeercup #award #stonebrewing #judges #10k #drunk #usa #eu #bestbeers #beerfreaks #beerfreakspodcast #beerfreaksshow #podcast

LA Dodger star Mookie Betts refuses to stay at a haunted hotel during a series against the Milwaukee Brewers. See Derek, you’re not alone!

Well it's official. We have hit the big time. The City of Flagstaff invited us along with prolific Nevada beer journalist and perennial Beer Freaks guest Bob Barnes out to their city to explore the magical world of Flagstaff brewing and space exploration. Yes, they do both.

Our phenomenal tour guide, Meg, drove us to several tasty breweries, including Lumberyard, Beaver Street, Mother Road, Wanderlust, Grand Canyon Brewing, and Dark Sky, all within the city limits of the charming city of Flagstaff, most of which were walkable from our downtown accommodations, the very haunted Hotel Monte Vista. And yes, Derek got assigned to the most haunted room in the place.

But wait, there's more! Not only did we get to experience the best brews Flagstaff had to offer (and there were too many to recount here), but we also got a VIP tour of Lowell Observatory with Dr. Danielle Adams, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer of the observatory. Our hosts showed and told us all about how Pluto was discovered in Flagstaff, how the city still plays a major role in NASA (step aside, Houston), and how every single human that's ever stepped foot on the moon has spent time training in Flagstaff.

This whirlwind trip was an incredible experience from start to finish (except for the unprecedented snowstorm that doubled our drive time) and we can't say enough great things about Flag and the wonderful beer culture, community, and craft they've cultivated in the charming mountain town. You better believe we'll be back soon. And we hope to see you there.

Oh, there's one more thing. Because this was our first of hopefully many city tours in the future, we are working on a short film of the experience so that you can virtually come with us as we interview brewers, owners, general managers, and astronomers on this historic occasion. More details to come!

We considered calling this episode "Bob Barnes 2: Electric Boogaloo" but then decided against it for various reasons. But yes, this is Bob's second visit with us. And it didn't disappoint. Not only did Bob share some impressive facts about Nevada brewing and BrewDog history, but he also shared a few new fears with us which stemmed from the birth of his first grandchild.

We also enjoyed a few BrewDog favorites, including the Jet Black Heart Stout and the Light Speed Session IPA. It's officially unofficial. Bob is now our year-in-review correspondent. If you like this episode, just wait for January '24!

Have you ever heard an eagle cry? GTFO! Really? You have? Oh, no, you were joking. Okay, cool. Well, we got the whole crew from Crying Eagle, including the head brewer Ryan O'Donnell, the brewing crew, the marketers, and of course the beer, and we had them on our podcast. Now I suppose you're wanting to know what beers and fears we talked about? Nope. You'll have to listen this time.

QUICK NOTE: The audio is a little quiet because they did the meeting from the brewery. So STFU, listen close, and enjoy.

Well this is a new one for us. For so long, Derek and Stu have brought in brewers and other interesting folks to talk beer and horror. But what about the people who actually spin up the horror for our nightmares? What about the writers who stare into the depths of their souls and create the terror we so love in books and movies?

That's why this episode is special! For the first time, we invite a horror author. But not just any horror author. No. Hell no. We invited author of Man, Fuck This House (along with plenty more great works) Brian Asman to our podcast to talk about his writing process, both on the creative and business side, his current projects including a movie and a new Christmas-themed book, Return of the Living Elves, and plenty more.

And while we enjoy a few a great beer from Horus Aged Ales and a collaboration between Able Baker Brewing and Astronomy Aleworks, Brian enlightens us on his fear, l'appel du vide, or for those of us that are uncultured and don't speak French, the call of the void. 

Cheers! 

A bonus episode? What the hell is that? Well, let us tell you. We spent the first 90 minutes talking with author Brian Asman about his books Man, Fuck This House, Return of the Living Elves, Neo Arcana, and more while drinking several amazing beers from Horus Aged Ales, Able Baker Brewing, and Astronomy Aleworks. And we also talked about his fear, l'appel du vide, or the call of the void.

So by the end of the episode, you can imagine that we were pretty tipsy and terrified. But we also wanted to spend some time talking about what it takes to get a book published in the first place. Many people dream of writing and publishing a book. Heck, Stu has one ready to go. Only time will tell if it's good enough to get published. But Brian gives the details on his journey from writing EVERY DAY to finding an agent to landing on bookshelves.

So if you've ever considered publishing a novel, horror or otherwise, this is the episode for you.

Cheers!

Phil doesn't mess around when it comes to beer. He even attempted to have the world's biggest global cheers over Zoom in 2020. That's how passionate he is when it comes to craft brews. So we wanted to talk to him about what beer makes him tick, and what fears linger beneath the surface.

That's when we found out that Phil Haney's phobias stem from body horror. Particularly, he stays awake at night in fear of amputation and ... having his eyes gauged out. Is that an awfully specific fear? You're damn right it is. Is it totally valid? You bet your ass.

Join us for another round of Beer Freaks in all its fun, fear, and fermented goodness. We enjoy Pompeii IPA by Toppling Goliath Brewery out of Iowa and Matame Ahorita by Jolly Pumpkin Artisanal Ales (in collaboration with Anchorage Brewing) from Michigan. Cheers!

The Las Vegas beer scene is growing, my friends. And North Fifth Brewing is one of the newest players on the scene. Officially the first brewery in North Las Vegas (yes, NLV is its own city), Patrick has turned this once middle of nowhere destination into a mecca of art and science in the brewing world. He draws inspiration from everywhere to make some incredible flavors like the Flor de Mayo West Coast IPA and more, which we thoroughly enjoyed on our show.

The one thing Patrick won't do, however, is speak about his beer to a large crowd. Sure he's willing to sit down and do a podcast with the two of us, knowing that all of seven more people will listen. But when it comes to public speaking, Patrick is out. Unless he has a little liquid courage, that is. 

Join us to hear more about North Fifth Brewing, fear of public speaking, Pepto Bismol, and of course other random shenanigans. 

Exhibit A Brewing is not owned by lawyers. Shocking, right? But they are a brewery out of Massachusetts that knows how to make very good beer and can art. So we asked Matthew Steinberg and Kelsey Roth of Exhibit A Brewing to join us to talk about their awesome beer (including We're Going to Need You to Come in on Saturday Scotch Ale (IYKYK) and Goody Two Shoes Kolsch that is one of the top rated Kolsches (Koschi?) in the country). 

We hope you enjoy this great episode that covers such topics as how to find good grains for your beer, how many birds Stu could kill before they took him out (hypothetically), and where great ideas for new beer come from.

Adam Rains is the award-winning Lead Mixologist at the Golden Tiki and he did us the honor of breaking beer (our version of breaking bread) in our studio. First and foremost, we gush a little bit about our San Diego background and shared fandom of the Padres (go #SlamDiego). Then, we talk about Adam's global travels, learning new bar techniques and flavors, bartending in Primm, Nevada, a weird run-in with Mike Tyson, the local beer scene, the moons of Uranus, and his intense claustrophobia. And of course, we drink an incredible collaboration beer, Crypt Bandit DDH Hazy Double IPA made by Thorn Brewing, Beer Zombies, and Mason Aleworks. 

Cheers!

They say “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Well, when you have a podcast in Las Vegas, you’ve got to bring James Manos, founder of Able Baker Brewing, in to have a few drinks and share some stories. In the first of this two part episode, we enjoy Double Barrel Honey Dip Stout and Double Dead Duck & Chris Kael Impale'd Ale while we talk about brewing in Vegas, the up and coming beer scene, and plenty of other things. 

Enjoy the thrilling conclusion of Able Baker’s James Manos interview!

They say “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Well, when you have a podcast in Las Vegas, you’ve got to bring James Manos, founder of Able Baker Brewing, in to have a few drinks and share some stories. In the first of this two part episode, we enjoy Double Barrel Honey Dip Stout and Double Dead Duck & Chris Kael Impale'd Ale while we talk about brewing in Vegas, the up and coming beer scene, and plenty of other things. 

Then we leave you with a cliffhanger on what his fear actually is. So enjoy part one and stay tuned for part two!

Yes, you read the title right. Greg Koch. As in co-founder of Stone Brewing. Greg Koch. As in the co-master mind of some of the best hop-forward beers this side of, well, Earth. Arrogant Bastard. Ruination. Enjoy By. Cali Belgique. Frankly, too many to name here. But we could go on. 

We digress. Greg joins the Beer Freaks Crew to talk about Germany's reinheitsgebot, what drew him and Steve to focus Stone Brewing on hoppy beers, brewing technology and ingredients, rock and roll, and trying his best to keep an open mind and not become a curmudgeon as he gets older and wiser. All this while Derek and Stu enjoy Stone Brewing's Fear Movie Lions (guess why it's called that!) and the new Belgian White, Dayfall. Cheers to some incredible beers, and stories!

Bob Barnes is a former school teacher turned food and beverage writer in Las Vegas. He's written for Gayot, Vegas Seven, Las Vegas Magazine, Celebrator Beer News, and more. And he's here with us to talk about his very, very specific fear of heights, particularly when his feet are not supported (think ski lift). To help him cope with his very rational fear of falling from such great heights (what up, Postal Service?), we crack open a few Able Baker Infamy 2403s, which happen to be barrel-aged imperial porters. We also spend time talking about the history of the Las Vegas beer scene, which has changed dramatically since the 90s. It's gonna be a fun ride. Keep your hands and (especially) legs inside the cart at all times, Bob!