Beards, Books, and Bourbon Podcast

Do you like big Italian dramas?  Do you enjoy Machiavelian style politics?  How do you about the occasional eye gouging?  Do you have any thoughts on vague, subtley applied mystical themes?  How about generally forbidden love?  What's that?  You like all of it, you sick twisted puppy?  Then we have the book for you! On this episode, we explore the deeply nuanced grimdark epic of "Navola" by Paolo Bacigalupi.  Really, this one is rich and complex. So much so that we need an equally rich and complex bourbon to pair with it.  For this book, we picked Emerald Giant Rye from Redwood Empire as the perfect bottle to go with this story.   Windupstories.com - Fiction by Paolo Bacigalupi EMERALD GIANT - Craft Rye Whiskey - Redwood Empire Whiskey

This is one of those oopsisodes where it's not so much that we forgot, but rather that there's just too much to say.  This week, we revisit The Life of Chuck by Stephen King. While we discuss the power of opportunities taken, we take the opportunity to revisit a previous expression. Basil Hayden Subtle Smoke. Stephen King | The Life of Chuck Subtle Smoke Bourbon | Basil Hayden®

Stephen King has a habit of putting his strongest messages into his shortest of works.  Stand By Me (The Body), Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Life of Chuck is no exception.  First of all, read it.  No. Really.  READ IT.  Then go and watch the movie.  No no. Really. WATCH THE MOVIE. The Life of Chuck is the affirmation of life that we need in the world we live in today.  It doesn't assure us that all will be well, or even that everything will work out just the way we want or hope or think we deserve. No, but it does affirm to us all this. Each of us, every single one of us, are more than we suppose. Not just that, but additionally, who we are, what we experience, what we dream and hope and imagine, absolutely all of it, is important in some way and to some one. Our pairing on this episode is Ryes of the Robots by Filmland Spirits.  We felt it was appropriate. This is a fantastic rye whiskey, and we're looking forward to telling you all about it.   Stephen King | The Life of Chuck Ryes of the Robots Small Batch Straight Rye Whiskey  

BODYBALL!!!!  In this Oopsisode, the boys discuss one of the more horrific/grossest/hilarious parts of "From Below" by Darcy Coates. To keep themselves sane, the boys revisit an old friend, Thomas S. Moore Bourbon finished in sherry casks. Darcy Coates – Horror and Suspense Author NOTE There is no official website for Thomas S Moore anymore that we can find.  It is a product of the Barton 1792 Distillery.  If you can find it still on the retail market or other venues, don't miss the chance to pick up a bottle.

On this episode of BBB, Stephen and Mark review a book from Darcy Coates, an author known for her prolific collection of haunted house stories. In From Below, Darcy Coates turns the haunted house story on its head, and takes us on an adventure deep into the ocean and the past. To keep them afloat, Stephen and Mark will be sampling Old Elk Cigar Cut, Islander Blend. Darcy Coates – Horror and Suspense Author Specialty Products — Old Elk

On this episode, Stephen and Mark talk about forbidden relationships in the story. Hilarious and tragic, the boys will make everything better by revisiting Penelope Toasted Bourbon Whiskey.   Home - Joe Abercrombie Toasted Bourbon – Penelope Bourbon

On this epsisode of BBB, the boys explore a beloved author who they somehow haven't managed to review until now. Mr. Joe Abercrombie's alternate history/fantasy tale "The Devils" is the subject this time around. Hilarious, gory, and unrepentantly grim and sardonic, Stephen and Mark dive into a world of curses, werewolves, elves, Popes, and, of course, truly flawed and damaged characters. It is a world where the scariest things aren't the summoned Dukes of Hell, but the people doing the summoning.   To guard against any lingering traumas from this darkly funny and brutal story, Stephen and Mark will be sampling a new bourbon whiskey from a local distillery, Geneva Lakes Bourbon Whiskey by Geneva Lakes Distilling & Studio Winery in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.   Home - Joe Abercrombie Studio Winery

In the oopsisode following the interview, Shannon, Eddie, Stephen, and Mark all sit down for one last addendum to the interview they did on The Chimera Snare by writing team S & E Black.  In this unique oopsisode, the group samples not one, but two bourbons they've had before. Stephen and Shannon try In Lieu of Flowers while Mark and Eddie sample Redwood Empire's Emerald Giant. Welcome to The Chimera Snare - The Chimera Snare series by S&E Black Dancing Goat Presents — Dancing Goat Distillery EMERALD GIANT - Craft Rye Whiskey - Redwood Empire Whiskey

On this episode of BBB, Stephen and Mark get to sit down for an extended interview with the husband and wife writing team behind S & E Black, author's of The Chimera Snare: Fragments.  Shannon and Eddie are simply amazing people. Kind, funny, and thoughtful, we had a wonderful evening getting to know them, their work, and what's on the horizon for them. Our featured bourbon for the evening is Angel's Envy Triple Oak. It's an appropriate expression for us to try with this particular episode.  Deep, layered, and nuanced both in craft and flavor, it matches with with our interview with Shannon and Eddie as well as the complexity of the story they are sharing with the world. Because we run out, we also try a bourbon with a good cause by the end of the episode.  As many of you know, Stephen's daughter has a rare condition known as Joubert's Syndrome. In order to raise money for research into this disease, the Joubert Syndrome Foundation is selling a bourbon of their own! This LIMITED TIME OFFERING was picked by Stephen and Mark themselves in a comparison with four other blends. They think you will absolutely love it, not to mention it's Bourbon With A Purpose. If you would like to support the cause and get a truly special bourbon expression, follow the link at the bottom.   Welcome to The Chimera Snare - The Chimera Snare series by S&E Black TRIPLE OAK - Angel’s Envy US/EN

Honestly, we didn't forget anything, but there's just so much going on in that book we could never get through it all in an hour. Tonight we revisit Keeper's Heart.   Matt Dinniman   Keeper's Heart Whiskey

Okay, okay, okay.  If you know what this is, you know.  If you haven't heard of Dungeon Crawler Carl....oh, friends, you are missing something special. Authored by Matt Dinniman.  Madcap, dirty as hell, oddly poignant, and always particularly meta at the end, Dungeon Crawler Carl is a delight. Speaking of delights, on this episode, Stephen and Mark will try a bourbon they've been holding into for quite a while. A bottle of Thomas S. Moore Sherry Wood Cask Bourbon.   Award Winning Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey | 1792 Bourbon Matt Dinniman    

There's always just so much to talk about, including the thunderstorm that nearly swept them away!  In this oopsisode, listen as Stephen and Mark have to retreat out of the rain while fortifying themselves with the magic of Dark Arts Bourbon Whiskey.   Dark Arts Whiskey House | Our Spirits — Dark Arts Whiskey House

Stephen and Mark change locations to the outdoor studio (Mark's backyard) where they almost get destroyed by a fast moving thunderstorm. They almost saw their recording equipment get blown away like little Toto in the basket. Because I bless the rains down in Africa. Because it puts the lotion in the basket. Wait. No. That's a Wizard of Oz reference. Nevermind. Scratch those last two parts. It's all in the name of books and bourbon, two things we know they can't resist, or shut up about. In this episode, the brothers from other mothers will talk about what they've already talked about up until...well....now.  Right now.  Not then. Just make sure you start listening to it SOON.   Tonight's beverage selection is from a local Chicago distiller and a local Chicago rock legend. FEW Smashing Pumpkins Straight Bourbon Whiskey with Madame Zuzu's Midnight Rose Tea.   FEW Spirits – Fortune Fancies The Bold

In this episode, Stephen and Mark explore a topic or two about Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky that they didn't get around to discussing. For their bourbon, they are using Oak & Eden to help them make a new cocktail, named in honor of tonight's book.   Adrian Tchaikovsky, science fiction and fantasy author oakandeden.com  

In this episode, Stephen and Mark return to the work of Adrian Tchaikovsky in his novella "Elder Race". Once again, Tchaikovksy blends science fiction with fantasy in an almost Arthurian epic quest of unintended consequences, mistaken identities, mythic expectations, and the inevitable march of time. A SFF story needs an SFF bourbon whiskey to pair with it. So, Stephen and Mark finally crack open a bottle they've been holding onto for a while. Filmland Spirits presents The Town At The Edge of Tomorrow bourbon whiskey. Adrian Tchaikovsky, science fiction and fantasy author Filmland Spirits

In tonight's oopsisode, Stephen and Mark spend some time gushing over how much they love the writing of Alix E. Harrow, AND they feature their first custom cocktail with a name fitting for the episode.     Green River - The Whiskey Without Regrets   Author | Alix E. Harrow

In today's episode, Stephen and Mark talk about two short stories from author Alix E. Harrow. They have reviewed her work before when they discussed her novels "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" and "Starling House".  Tonight's bourbon is Old Orleans from The Beautiful & The Damned Distillery. Some of you might notice that the name of the distillery also happens to be the title of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Don't know who good old F. Scott is?  Well, first, crawl out of the caves, you loveable morlock!  Second, he wrote The Great Gatsby and Tender Is The Night. The label on the bottle is a depiction of Moby Dick, and the name Old Orleans is a reference to the influence New Orleans had on the evolution of bourbon in America.  See that?  Culture with just a glance!   Home :: The Beautiful and the Damned Whiskey Author | Alix E. Harrow

Honestly, this book was so good we probably could have just done an entire second episode about it. As we take a second look at Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, we also revisit one of our favorite picks so far in 2025, Moonlight Mayhem from Filmland Spirits.   Stephen Graham Jones | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster   Filmland Spirits

In this episode, Stephen and Mark explore the layered, intelligent, and gut wrenching horror novel, "Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones.  A Native American revenge story with a supernatural twist, Buffalo Hunter Hunter is as deep and thought provoking as it is horrific, disgusting, and occasionally hilarious in the most awkward ways. A thought provoking story needs a thought provoking whiskey. To pair with Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen and Mark will be sampling In Lieu of Flowers whiskey by Dancing Goat Distillery.   Stephen Graham Jones | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster   Dancing Goat Distillery

It's the final chapter of our deep dive into the Kingdom of Blunder with the oopsiside for Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig, where we talk about what we forgot to talk about.  To go along with this episide, we're re-sampling Elijah Craig Rye.  We don't sample nearly enough rye.     Rachel Gillig, Author Elijah Craig | Home Page