Tag: A Podcast & A Beer

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In the Tap Lines for December 2023

It is the end of the road for 2023. 31 more days until 2024 starts smacking us around. It has been a doozy. Strikes. Indictments. Wars. Inflation. And we are probably gonna run it back again. But, before you say we are doomed, we still have great craft beer and Christmas beers!

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Craft Beer & Brewing’s Best of 2023

~ special featured reviews of beers if I find room amongst the seasonal beers.

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads Going Infinite by Michael Lewis

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to NPR’s Book of the Day

~ Sports & A Beer returns with Where are all the Good QB’s?

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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A Podcast & A Beer – Patented

Most of my podcast recommendations are of new or ongoing series.  Patented is the first one where I found it just as it was wrapping up its run.  Part of the History Hit family of historical podcast, this one was ostensibly about inventions but it was really more about pivotal items or thoughts.

You could get a history of fish & chips and then a show about the patriarchy then one about the thermos.  Wide ranging stuff for sure.  Hosted by Dallas Campbell the show had fascinating tidbits of knowledge though at times the pacing could have sped up.

I would say that you just glance at each topic and see which ones grab you that day and see what you learn.

For beer, I would look for, if you are in Los Angeles, beers from Trademark Brewing in Long Beach since it is the closest to a patent that I could find. For those not near enough, I would look for historical styles and then learn about the twists and turns for that style, or find a flagship beer from a local brewery and learn how that beer, that recipe, came to be.

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In the Tap Lines for November 2023

Fall is well and truly here in SoCal. And with Halloween in the rearview we can focus on the twin heavy hitters of Thanksgiving and Christmas and by that I mean the Doctor Who episodes forthcoming. And also plenty of craft beer talk and general foolishness like…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from NBA cities for the new season

~ special featured reviews of beers to take to Thanksgiving (or not)

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Patented

~ Sports & A Beer returns with Demanding Trades

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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A Podcast & A Beer – Strike Force Five

What happens when five late night hosts have no shows to do but want to help out their staffs? You get the rambling and often hilarious Strike Force Five.

There are three episodes that had me laughing uproariously. The game show with questions for the Late Night wives, the Jon Stewart episode and the Letterman episode. Not to say other episodes were lacking funny but for pure full funny hours, those are the ones to start with.

What beer to pair with funny? I do not stay up late, so I don’t have a midnight beer either.

Maybe what works best would be to go out and get a taster tray of five wildly different beers and put your headphones in and sip from each and then pick a favorite.

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In the Tap Lines for October 2023

Fall is probably my favorite season even though the biggest holidays of the year (my birthday and Christmas) do not fall (sorry) inside its months. The switch from SoCal summer to milder temps and the Festbiers just make me happy. Enough about me, let’s get to what will be covered this month…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Richmond, Va.

~ special featured reviews of fall seasonal beers

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Strike Force Five

~ Sports & A Beer returns with re-aligning college football

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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A Podcast & A Beer – Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers

I know it is the tail end of the family vacation season and that means it is time to look back at that vacation and then listen to Seth and Josh Meyers as they talk vacation memories with celebrities.

There is a great rapport between the two and you can tell that they enjoy each others company as well as their parents who are frequent targets of jibes. The guest choices are good too. Timothy Olyphant was really funny questioning their questions and, as usual, John Oliver was very funny and sharp tongued.

I also like that the last question is Grand Canyon – Yea or Nay? It just leads to interesting answers.

For beer, check out your local bottle shops or online purveyors for beers from cities or vacation destinations that you want to go. For me Prague is up there so I would be looking for Czech Pilsners. Or, since Maui has been in the news for the wrong reason, you might pick up some of their mainland beers as a nod to one of the great American vacation spot that will hopefully get tourists back sooner rather than later.

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In the Tap Lines for September 2023

California has been in weird times lately. Hollywood strikes, a tropical storm for the first time in 84 years and robotaxis wild in San Francisco. Let’s get back on sturdier ground in beer…

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from the new trendy beer city, Pittsburgh

~ special featured reviews of Oktoberfest beers

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads Circe by Madeline Miller

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers

~ Sports & A Beer returns with too many hot takes

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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A Podcast & A Beer – Who Shat on the Floor At My Wedding

Yes, the title is long but it is apt. This is the hilarious investigation into a poo found on the floor of a wedding venue. Who Shat stars brides Karen Whitehouse and Helen McLaughlin and their ‘under-qualified ‘Detective’ Lauren Kilby as they puzzle out the mystery.

Now, I say hilarious for a few episodes before it becomes quite repetitive. And it grated upon me to the point that when I saw that the last two episodes were over an hour each, I tapped out. It seemed clear that the culprit was not going to be found or at least funnily left hanging.

But the waning interest fits in with the beer suggestion. Actually, less a suggestion and more a memory exercise. What beers have you had that started off really good but after a few sips lost that initial wow factor. I will start with an anonymous brewery where the aroma of the IPA was bright and soul stirring. A veritable melange of fruit notes, but the base of the beer was flimsy and watery and by the end was not finished to empty glass status.

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In the Tap Lines for August 2023

August is filled with lots of, shall we say, interesting posts coming from me. Stay tuned in for the two daily posts for monthly features like where I pair beer with books, podcasts and eve sports stories.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from around the United States

~ special featured reviews of beers from around the country

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads The Sullivanians by Alexander Stille

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Who Shat at the Wedding

~ Sports & A Beer returns with bad Womens World Cup vibes

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

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In the Tap Lines for July 2023

Climate change has weirded out the weather here in Los Angeles and in many other spots on the globe but this month is the time for lighter beers as we get higher temperatures. Plus the other fun stuff below….

~ e-visits to (3) breweries from Australia for the Women’s World Cup

~ special featured reviews of beers from around the country

~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events

~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark

~ A Book & A Beer reads The Trackers by Charles Frazier

~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to Drifting Off with Joe Pera

~ Sports & A Beer returns with Bad Owners

~ New Beer Releases and Best Beers of the Month

~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.