Beers and Laughs Podcast

Jacob and James join for a two man cast. They bang out a quick episode before heading off to trivia at Cagney's. They end up playing a new game, Pro, Anti or Matisyahu.

They debated the merits of water. No one will ever turn you down if you ask for some water. If they do, just find a sink.

James breaks down seeing The Offspring, Bad Religion and Pennywise at the House of Blues. Jacob also went to a concert. He saw Horse the Band.

Farewell to trivia at Cagney's.

Jacob and Eddie ventured out to Springfield, NH to meet Bill and Mike of Hoptimystic Brewing. We had way too many laughs, learned how they started (during a pandemic nonetheless!) and had lots of tasty beers. We even were treated to some homebrews!

Jacob and Eddie headed to Marlboro, MA to interview the founder of Flying Dreams Brewing.

Interview:

• So on your website’s section “our story” it's basically just Dave Richardsons story...So what are your stories?
• Says here that Dave has won 35 awards. Does the website get updated every time a new award is won?
• Can you name all 35 awards?
• What’s the story behind the name?
• 2 locations: Worcester and Marlborough, MA. Looks like beer is brewed in Worcester and the taproom in Marboro. What’s the story with the two locations?
• *potential follow-up: Wormtown used to brew at the Worcester location
• • How did the relationship with Wormtown Brewing begin?
  • Are there any collabs with Wormtown?
• How have you guys dealt with the new normals amidst this pandemic?
• What’s your thoughts on the hard seltzer trend?
• Do you remember drinking your first craft beer?
• What was the first beer you brewed?
• What’s your favorite style of beer?
• What beer do you enjoy brewing the most?
• *If there was a beer you could brew with no regards to cost, production, or sales, what would it be and why?
• On collaborations, which brewery was the most fun to brew with? What beer was it?
• I may be retarded, but how do you pronounce “SYZYGY”? Why?
• Any shout out to any upcoming future brews
• It’s been over a year since the news section has been updated? What gives? Nothing going on over here?
• Yes, this interview is mostly based off your website and whatever google searches we pulled up.

Name

Style

ABV

Ratings

Avg

Dr. Equahtic #5 DIPA

IPA - Imperial

9.1

3

4.52

Boroweizen

Wheat Beer - Hefeweizen

5.2

2

4.44

Cream Ale

Cream Ale

5.2

1

4.38

Eccentrica DIPA

IPA - Imperial

8.9

1

4.37

Syzygy

IPA - Belgian

6.9

4

4.33

Topics/Segments:

• Game - Know your neighbor (local brewery beers, name the brewery)
• 1. War Castle (Redemption Rock)
  2. Shook Ones (Greater Good)
  3. Becky Likes The Smell (Bay State Brewing)
  4. Buddha’s Juice (Wormtown)
  5. Mass Soul (Wachusett)
  6. Hoppy Buffalo, DIPA (Milk Room Brewing, Rutland MA)
  7. Mass Hole (Wormtown)
• Famous Celebrities, Are they Marlboro or Worcester
• 1. Bill Simmons (Marlboro)
  2. Jordan Knight (Worcester)
  3. Daniel B Wesson (Worcester)
  4. Aaron Dulbac (Marlboro - Converge and Bane)
  5. Carmella (Worcester - WWE)
  6. Marcia Cross (Marlboro - desperate housewives)
  7. Dennis Leary (Worcester)
• LPT from Reddit: (updated 10/1/20)

1. When wearing a tie on a windy day, slip a coin down the inside of the hem to keep the tie from blowing around.
2. When you sign up for anything online, put the website’s name as your middle name. That way when you receive spam/advert emails, you will know who sold your info.

• Bad Yelp Review - Redemption:

1. Steven B. - Boston, MA (Worcester location)
2. 1. A very small, cozy brewery located next to a restaurant. I recommend the tasting as you will get to keep your sample glass. The samples you get to try will vary from day to day depending on which beers are on tap.
3. Concession IPA- Bitter and hoppy. Unfortunately, I did not find this IPA terribly appealing.
4. Double bock--Caramel and whiskey. Like a barley wine. Nice smooth finish. This was the highlight of the tasting.
5. Cafe session stout--thinner consistency than most stouts. Distinct Coffee complexity. Reminds me of cold brew. It's a refreshing stout.
6. Double Mando DIPA--Strong hoppy flavor with a nice bitterness that lingers in the tongue. Pine note. Thin consistency. Decent DIPA.
7. Park Ave porter--a little malty but not much. But, I found the flavor dull and watery. Satisfactory, but not much going on here.
8. 1. Like most breweries, the brews can be hit or miss. Double Bock a...

Episode 268: The Guys enjoy some @hillfarmstead and a collab with @vitaminseabrew and @jwakefieldbeer

• LPT from Reddit:

1. When hired for a new job, copy the list of responsibilities they provide you and save it in a folder with your resume. This will make it easier to complete an application the next time you look for a job when the employer asks what your last job duties were.
2. Don’t be afraid to splurge a little bit on a few luxury items from the grocery store that may dissuade you from eating out, and act as a reward for saving money and (probably) eating healthier. (The cost of a meal purchased at the grocery store is on average far cheaper than a similar meal via fast food, takeout, or (especially) delivery. If you can afford it, splurging a little bit on a good steak, or specialty produce at the grocery store may prevent you from eating out as often, so you’ll save money and experience higher quality food compared with a similarly priced meal from a restaurant.)

• Beer news:

1. Anheuser-Busch Wins the Regulatory Go-Ahead to Acquire Craft Brew Alliance

The Department of Justice gave its approval on Friday, Sept. 18 for Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) to move ahead with its acquisition of Craft Brew Alliance (NASDAQ:BREW) -- or what Craft Brew calls an "expanded partnership." The deal been in limbo since February, when an antitrust examination began, but has now cleared a major hurdle on the way to closing.

The approval is contingent on the two parties' agreement to sell the Hawaiian operations of Kona Brewing to PV Brewing Partners, LLC. Craft Brew Alliance and Anheuser-Busch suggested the divestiture back on June 10 as a way to "expedite the regulatory review process and alleviate potential regulatory concerns."

Anheuser-Busch InBev and Craft Brew Alliance will grant PV Brewing Partners a perpetual license to brew and market Kona beer in Hawaii, along with selling it a new brewery with a capacity of 100,000 barrels and other Kona facilities in the state.

Anheuser-Busch has owned a 31% stake in Craft Brew since 2016, but the deal will give it 100% ownership, paying $16.50 per share to Craft Brew's shareholders at closing. CBA's shares ended Friday trading up 6% on the news. Anheuser-Busch's Brewers Collective president Marcelo Michaelis said the beverage giant expects the combination "to help fuel the growth of the craft beer category" in the "competitive and dynamic" American beer market.

March Madness is amongst us. This means only one thing, March Craftness has to happen. Our first ever March Craftness Tournament. We had 8 fantastic beers from all over the country come together to compete to be the best beer they can be.

Mike and Kez both joined Jacob and James again. They tackled this tournament with the upmost respect and seriousness required for picking the winner of these games.

Eight beers randomly drafted their seedings and competed to win it all. Below is the first round of the tournament, the Elite 8.

1. Rogue Dead Guy Ale (Oregon)

8. JK Scrumpy Hard Cider (Michigan)

4. Boulevard Saison Brett (Mizzouri)

5. Arrogant Bastard Ale (California)

3. Hoppin Frog Heathen (Ohio)

6. Boulevard Imperial Stout (Mizzouri)

2. Trapp Family Lodge Lager (Vermont)

7. Middle Ages Druid Fluid (Syracuse)