Beers with Nigel

Act 65: The Pleasure Way and a Brewmance walk into a tap room...

Sometimes, the beer names just write themselves. Such was the case when Nigel and Nick parked their car outside Crane Brewing in Raytown, Mo. this week. On this episode, Chris Myers & Jenna Munoz return to the show, but this time to actually talk about their entry into craft beer, the great Crane taproom and all of the beers they brew up each and every week. In case you were wondering, or want to return to their earlier appearances, Chris joined the show in Act 10 to talk about the Black is Beautiful project and Jenna first joined us in Act 58 to talk about the Pink Boots Society.

Hey, Junior! Here's this week's beer list: Buffalo Bayou Brewing, Maple chili jam; Big rip/ BlaQ & Soul collab, Don’t block the intersection; Toppling Goliath/Lua Brewing collab, Ferrari Backpack.

Act 64: Let’s get weird

Nigel and Nick hit the road again — this time to Long Bell Pizza, located on the western edge of Lee’s Summit, Mo. Owner and chef, Jason Eggers joins the show to talk about his approach to cooking food, his wide variety of craft brew offerings and his love beer.

Beers consumed during the show: Anyways Shake Prickly Pear, Diametric Brewing; White Stout, Grains & Taps; Elvis Juice, Brew Dog; Crushberry, Lion Bridge Brewing.

Act 63: Beer is good, but can also DO good

Beer is good. This we know. But beer can also DO good. Act 63 is evidence of that, as Sam Jones & Simon Sheckells are involved in two KC beer events where the proceeds go to organizations that donate to charities. Sam is the curator of the all things KC beer website, Kansas City Beer. She, along with Simon, also run the bike-, walk-, run- and scooter-friendly beer fest — Pint Path. We learn about Sam & Simon’s entry into craft beer and why they love the craft community. And as if Sam didn’t have enough on her plate, she’s bringing back the COVID-delayed home brew beer festival, Spring Fling. Spring Fling was the brain child of Rodney Beagle, the late head brewer of 3Halves Brewing who passed away suddenly in 2021. One of the home brew awards is named after Beagle and part of the proceeds from Spring Fling will go to his kids, also known as the Beagle Pups... and man, was there lots of beer on this show!

Drinkers: Heart Breaker Pomegranate Cider, Cinder Block Brewing ; Thrice Rice, Green Bench Brewing; Hop Juice, Left Coast Brewing; Gimme, Docent Brewing; Pseudonym, Diametric Brewing; Luther Stein, Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Lee’s Summit, MO

Mystery beers: Black is Beautiful French Toast Stout, Core Brewing; Black is Beautiful Special Edition Scarlet Letter, Core Brewing

Act 62: Dan! Is there a Dan in the house? Somebody call Dan

East Forty brewing was the first brewery to open in Blue Springs, Missouri and has been part of the boom of breweries on the east side of Kansas City during the past 5 years. We chat with owner David Mann about how East Forty came to be and we also find out half of  brewery’s power is generated by solar energy. Cool! We also learn head Brewer Nate Hoylman and Nigel have a six degrees of separation story involving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Isn't that Weird?

Beers Consumed:  Jackson County Common, East Forty Brewing; Quarter Quarter Pale Ale, East Forty Brewing; Pils, Pils, Pils, J. Wakefield Brewing; Dripping in Orange, Alma Mader Brewing; and there was another, but we forgot to save the can so you'll have to listen to find out!

Act: 61: Paint us a word picture, Chris

What came first, the biscuit or the beer? Well, you're about to find out. Christopher Gandsy, of Daleview Biscuits and Beer in Brooklyn, NY, joins the show to share not only his beer story, but how he's turned a riff on his grandmother's southern buttermilk biscuit recipe into a growing Brooklyn restaurant and brewery business. Dude paints such a word picture, Nigel and Nick are already selling pints of blood to afford a plane ride to New York soon.

Beers consumed: Utopias Barrel Aged Worldwide Stout, Dogfish Head; Radical Candor, Martin City Brewing; and Farmhouse IPA, Crane Brewing Company.

Act 60: The one with the Fuggle Snuggle

The official opening is set for March 5, but Nigel and Nick just couldn't wait to meet up with the crew at River Bluff Brewing's new location in Kansas City. Zack (without an 'h', he says this is very important), Hootie (not the blowfish guy) and Chris (he's the boss who gets the big pour) join in to share their craft beer origin stories, the process for naming beers and professing their love of a good "cry burp."

Some of the beers consumed: Zipp coffee infused milk stout, Stonecloud Brewing Company; Dark Truth Stout, Boulevard Brewing Co.; Speedliner IPA, River Bluff Brewing; and a few others from the River Bluff selection, but we didn't take notes and apparently some of them don't have proper names yet. But you can find out. Just #followtheriver.

Act 59: So, what’s a ’Jawn?’

The Cider Jawns — Ashley and Jasmine — drop in on Nigel and Nick to provide a little education. First and foremost, they explain a little Philly slang and give the definition of "Jawn." And then, they get down to business for a cool conversation about ciders and their road to not only spreading the gospel of this brew, but also becoming brewers themselves.

The official "Junior" drinking list for this episode: Bloody Mary, Ozark Distilling; Red Hot Cider, Wind Shift Brewing; and Dragon Fruit Cider, Wind Shift Brewing.

Act 58: The one with the Badonkadunkel

Our first episode of 2022 and it's a doozy! I mean, come on, it's the one with the Bedonkadunkel. Jenna Munoz, from Crane Brewing and Jessica Bloom, from Border Brewing, join Nick and Nigel in the studio to share secrets of past lives (one of them used to be an attorney!), finding love (of beer) and the good works done by the Kansas City Chapter of the Pink Boots Society.

Beers consumed: Qui Bit Fancy, Transparent Brewing; Holidotz, Toppling Goliath; Counterculture, BKS; and Scaredy Cat, Vintage Brewing.

Act 57: It’s all in your head

In the final episode of 2021, Mark Myers and Blake McCarter from Fringe Beerworks drop by the studio for a conversation about their now 5-year-old brewery and taproom. Blake tells the story of how he went from beer tender to brewer and Mark blows our minds when he tells us what we’re tasting isn’t what we’re tasting and he’s just messing with our heads through the chemistry of brewing. Also making an appearance is Alex Workman. Fringe co-owner Eddie Pease was not in studio. Apparently, he was on the fence.

Beers consumed: I don’t really listen to podcasts — Cosmic Eye Brewing; Slush Fund Flamingo Lounge — Vanessa House Brewing; Berried Alive — Fringe Beerworks; Flower of the dead — BKS artisan ales; Water for Elephants Baja — Fringe Beerworks; Sunsets 2017 side project Brewing Company; From the mountains to the prairies — Holidaily Brewing + Fringe Brewing collaboration; Rye on Rye 2014 & 2015 — Boulevard Brewing Company; Hop 99 — Abita Brewing Co.

Act 56: From savin‘ bacon to makin‘ bacon

The Angry Swede ain't so angry anymore... unless the Vikings are losing. Nigel and Nick hit the road this week for a quick road trip to St. Joseph, AMERICA and a little brewery called the Angry Swede. Owner/brewer Mike "The Swede" Olinger and occasional general manager/full time billboard Marcus "Mad Dog" Miyamto sit at the table to talk about the beer, the brand and the tap room. Oh, and for the first time, we have an international mystery beer brought straight from Mad Dog's recent trip to Mexico. Also joining the show are America's craft beer marketing power couple and benevolent show sponsors Ronnie and Rachel Dyer as well as the one and only Mrs. That Other Guy.

Angry Swede Drinkers: Foggy Fjord; Imperial War Hammer; Blueberry (Nigel didn't write down the Swedish name, sheesh) Sour; Valkyrie Vanilla Porter; Mjolnir Stout; and Hefeweizen/Pumpkin Blonde Cuvee.

Mystery Beers: Report the Bruce, 3 Floyds Brewing; Dark Star, City Barrel Brewing; Key Lime Pie, Martin House Brewing; and Debut, Hercules Brewing.