Beer Busters – Beer Busters

With Ethan Buckman from Stickman Brews Quarantine continues, we're all stuck at home, but the podcast must go on! Since we've started this series of socially distant episodes, we've made a point to have guests on that we know well, really get along with, and that we can count on to keep us laughing. Few people fit those requirements quite as well as Ethan Buckman, co-founder of Stickman Brews. Unfortunately, our field-promoted, honorary fourth Beer Busters, Kevin Keller, couldn't join us for this one. But, we soldier on and engage in riveting conversations about dick pics, creamy cocktails, Oreo beer, and the worst Wawa in America. We also talked about Stickman's work with Laurel House and their Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, a Men’s March Against Rape, Sexual Assault, and Gender Violence. Steph reported on the Sly Fox Bock Fest and Goat Race going digital. And Dan took over the job of Happy Fun Time Games host and lead us in a round of Stay the Fuck Inside, a drinking game made for social distancing, and supporting COVID-19 relief, including proceeds donation to Meals on Wheels. We drank, we laughed, we forgot about how crazy the world is for a little while. Hopefully this episode can help you do the same. Cheers.

With John Stemler from Free Will Brewing and Brandalynn Armstrong from Haymaker Meadery Our socially distant series continues and we catch up with some old friends, John from Free Will and Brandalynn, who we first met at Zeroday Brewing and is now at Haymaker Meadery. Anyone who knows beer in Pennsylvania has heard of these two. John is a widely respected brewer who helped make Free Will one of the most popular breweries locally and beyond. Brandalynn has contributed to the alcohol industry in our home state in so many ways, wearing more hats than the Queen of England. In this episode we discuss the effects the pandemic has had on their respective companies and the industry as a whole, as well as some thoughts on where things go from here. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne presented a general trivia game all about Corona...the beer. All this and more while we each drank from our quarantine stores of beer.

With Kevin Keller (Again) Because we still can't go anywhere, we've returned for another socially distant podcast! We were joined once again by our friend and beer industry guru, Kevin Keller. This time Wayne was unfortunately unable to join - he was away in the distant, magical land of West Philadelphia (where he was neither born nor raised). We moved things around a little bit...Steph delivered some uplifting beer news, and Dan led his own version of Happy Fun Time Games. We all drank various beers, and Kevin told us about his fun new way to infuse more flavors into some already delicious brews. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy out there. Cheers to you all!

With Kevin Keller from Prototype Brewery & Meadery Welcome to our first podcast from the end of days! We couldn't think of anyone better to help us try to be silly in the current environment than our old pal, Kevin Keller. He's worn many hats in the local beer industry, but is venturing deeper with his new project, Prototype Brewery & Meadery. There was supposed to be a pretty rad event with several local breweries in attendance, but it's been postponed to make sure everyone involved can be as safe as possible. There was no news or Know Your Beers, but we did somehow find a way to play a recycled version of Happy Fun Time Games from 7 years ago. And most importantly, we made each other laugh while supporting some of our favorite breweries, while practicing social distancing.

With Jonathan Zangwill and Chris Preston at Stolen Sun Craft Brewing & Roasting This episode was recorded just before the pandemic roared into full swing, businesses like Stolen Sun were still operating mostly normally - but there was already unease. We brought sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to the recording, but we weren't yet living in full-on quarantine mode. Obviously, the subject of Corona came up, though not immediately, and we tried not to talk about it at length. We did address the uncertainty small businesses were facing - an uncertainty that has, unfortunately, only grown since. If your reading these words while all of this unpleasantness is still happening, please support local businesses like Stolen Sun any way you can. They are adapting, offering curbside pick up and delivery, trying to keep their livelihoods intact and their families, employees, and customers safe. If you're reading this in the future, maybe try to send a tweet back in time and tell us everything will be ok. All that said, this episode is not really a bummer, we promise. We drank and made merry and talked about a host of non-existentially threatening subjects. We played Libation or Fabrication and learned about malt varieties in Know Your Beer. Stay safe, stay sane, and - above all - take care of each other. Cheers.

With Kevin O'Reilly, Jim Crossland, Shawn Dulee & Dave Wood at Naked Brewing Company We return again for a night of rabble-rousing and spirited conversation to Naked Brewing in Huntingdon Valley, PA. Joining us are podcast alums Jim and Dave, as well as Beer Busters virgins Kevin and Shawn. With the sweet sounds of live music by Mojo & The Helper Monkeys wafting in the taproom, we discuss Naked's upcoming second location in Bristol, their involvement with Pink Boots Society and the Bold Women & Beer Festival (spoiler: we'll be podcasting there), tap room etiquette and more. Our bellies were filled with amazing vegan sandwiches and mac and cheese courtesy of Un Soul Food, and we even got a chance to chat with owners, Bryon and Natasha Dockett. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of Libation or Fabrication, and Steph taught us all about the beer/cider hybrid, graf, in Know Your Beers.

With Ryan Seiz and Tim Tabe at Warwick Farm BrewingThis was quite an epic night. It began with crowlers of helles and pilsner (nice) and ended with drunkenly driving farm equipment around the property (not that we condone such activity - we are professionals on a closed course). Warwick Farm Brewing is a "family owned and operated Brew Farm that produces high quality independent beer on a historic farm in Bucks County Pennsylvania." It's also a pretty cool place with some pretty awesome people, two of which - Ryan and Tim - sat down and shared some brews and stories and barely kept the show on the rails. Also, Dan fell off a chair. In the news, we talked about the closure of Stoudt's Brewing. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of Bad Beer Reviews. And Steph talked about unfiltered beers in Know Your Beers.

With Ethan Buckman at Stickman Brews Honestly, we could podcast here every episode. In fact, our guest and one of our favorite people in the beer industry, Ethan from Stickman Brews, has his own podcast. It's called Bad Beer and High Prices and features Ethan and partners Jim and Kate. You should check it out. You should also listen to this episode of Beer Busters. Unfortunately, the rest of the crew were ailing and couldn't join us. But, Ethan is more than enough for an episode chock full of honesty, ranting, and laughter. We discuss Untappd, Yelp, selling out, the prevalence of  drugs in the food/beverage industry, and much more. Dan reported on the news, including the acquisition of Press Seltzers by Constellation Brands. Wayne hosted round two of There's Weird in My...Booze in Happy Fun Time. We skipped Know Your Beers to allow for more drinking and chatting. After this, check out our previous Stickman episodes here, here, here, and here.

With Greg Orth from Craft Tastings Our old friend Greg Orth, Master of Flavor, returns for the 7th year in a row for our annual Valentine's Day-ish tradition. Over the years, Greg - founder of Craft Tastings - has lead us through a wide variety of beer and food pairings. We started with chocolate, then moved on to a much wider array of snacks from bacon to popcorn and beyond. This time around, we come back to chocolate but swap out the beer for whiskey! Greg has been experimenting with using whiskey for his specialty pairing events, and we were more than happy to be his guinea pigs. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosted a round of There's Weird in My...Booze. And, Steph, being out of her comfort zone, channeled our friend Lew Bryson in a Know Your Bourbon segment. After all of that, you will be surprised to learn that we actually remained relatively sober throughout the evening. Like real adults.

With Brooks Hemauer from Hemauer Brewing After joining us for several years at Harrisburg Beer Week's Little Big Beer Fests to promote his upcoming brewery, Brooks Hemauer finally gets his own dedicated podcast episode. Since Hemauer Brewing is not quite yet open, however, he was kind enough to make the trek to the Beer Busters Basement. We talk about how Brooks got into brewing, why he decided to open a brewery, what that brewery will look like, and a lot about digging holes. In Happy Fun Time, Wayne hosts another round of Libation or Fabrication: GABF 2019 Edition. And, Steph takes a dive into the Oatmeal Stout style in Know Your Beers. Plus, we sample some of Hemauer's brews and a few other surprises.