Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast

We're rolling into June with another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We knew we had a pretty loaded episode for this month, so to kick things off, we take a quick Look Ahead at what's to come in the world of Dancing Gnome before taking a Look Back at a busy May. First, Andrew recaps "Lustra Day" weekend, including a discussion on Barrel Lustra, the different casks variants, Lustra water, and more. Then we talk about the MBCC festival in Copenhagen, which was attended by DG family members Matt and Brett. That discussion rolls into the start of our second segment as Matt talks about his experience in Copenhagen. Next, we talk with Aaron about his trip to the Czech Republic! This was the same trip that Matt and Andrew took last year to learn about Czech brewing, service, etc. (Check out the May 2024 episode if you missed it.) We finish out the show by playing a round of Lager vs Logger and a quick Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Thanks for checking out the May episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We jump right into Look Back, Look Ahead pretty quickly, with the emphasis being on looking ahead to a busy May in the world of Dancing Gnome and most notably, of course, is Lustra Day at the end of the month. Andrew fills us in on all of the Lustra varieties that will be available this year (9!!) including the return of Barrel Lustra! We briefly talk about a Vinepair article that listed Pittsburgh as the #5 destination in the world for craft beer and another list of the top 100 craft beer podcasts. Next we were joined by our guest, Drew Cranisky who talked about his "Drew's Clues Trivia" business, how he got started, his process for coming up with questions, and much more. Drew sticks around for the final segment where Andrew and Jaron go 1 on 1 in a quick round of trivia, followed by our usual "Watch, Listen, Learn" segment to end the show. Thanks for listening!Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

April shah-ers bring May flah-ers, and April 1st brings a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. You know the drill at this point. At the top of the episode we read a new review before we take a Look Back and Look Ahead where Andrew tells us about a signage update in the taproom, the "Experimental Pilsner" releases and more. Then, we are joined by our guest, Alan Wildy of Allagash Brewing. Alan talks about bringing Allagash to the Pittsburgh market right as COVID hit, the popularity of Allagash White (a perfect beer?), some upcoming releases and much more. Alan sticks around for a lengthy round of Watch, Listen, Learn, during which we veer into Alan talking about growing up in Belfast before moving to the US in the early 90s. Thanks for listening!

We're back with the March 2025 episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We kick off this episode by reading a new listener review before jumping right into a Look Back and Look Ahead, where Andrew tells us about the Gravel Grinder redesign and what goes into that process. Next, we are joined by Dancing Gnome regular and DG Run Club member, Kevin Yurkovich. Kevin tells us about his history with Dancing Gnome, his experience in the run club, his brewery exploration with his wife, and much more. We wrap up this episode with a round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Good riddance to Dry January and hello to a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We begin the show with a tribute to PileZ (RIP) before jumping straight into a Look Back / Look Ahead (pay attention Barrel Club members.) Next, we talk about a Brew Bound article about breweries closing in Colorado, which leads to a discussion on what would be most helpful for breweries in PA (but mostly Allegheny county). Then, we are joined by our guest, Dr. Bob Parker from the University of Pittsburgh! Bob is the Associate Dean for Graduate Education in the Swanson School of Engineering as well as a professor of Chemical Engineering, but most importantly, teaches a course at Pitt called Science, Technology and Culture of Craft Brewing! Bob tells us how this course came to be, what the students learn during the course, how the students are evaluated, and much, much more. We close out this episode with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

We're ringing in 2025 with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We start the show with a new review and a quick discussion on an article about Molson Coors buying a Chicago craft brewery, going against what we discussed last month. Then, we take a Look Back and Look Ahead, both at the months of December and January, but also at 2024 and 2025 as a whole. Next, we are joined by Dr. Sam Fee of Monday's Brewing. Sam tells us about starting Monday's, opening their new location in Greenfield, and much more! We wrap up the episode with a beer review followed by a round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Thanks for checking out the December episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We kick things off with a new review, which also includes an acronym!! Then, we take a Look Back into November and Look Ahead into December, before diving into some listener questions. Next, we were joined by past guest and friend of the pod, Hart Johnson! Hart tells us about his return to Piper's Pub, their updated menu, plans for bringing back their cask system and much more. We finish the show with a round of Lager or Logger and a discussion around a Beervana article about the end of the "corporate craft" era. Thanks for listening and enjoy the holidays!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

We've got a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast hot n' fresh n' ready. We kick things off with some Halloween talk before taking a Look Back into October and a Look Ahead into November in the world of Dancing Gnome. Then, we have a "State of the Industry" discussion spurred by the closing of another local brewery and some online chatter from friend of the podcast, Andy K at Hitchhiker. Next, we are joined by our guest, Tyler Hunter, who tells us how he got into homebrewing, his involvement in the local homebrew clubs (T.R.A.S.H and T.R.U.B) and much more. In the spirit of Halloween, we "resurrect" a segment from my old "Craft Beer Industry" podcast before finishing out the show with a round of "Watch, Listen, Learn." Thanks for listening!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Joseph McDade

Thanks for checking out the October episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. This month we have Brett Herron of Dancing Gnome sitting in with us for the entire episode. We kick things off by talking about a busy September and looking ahead into October, including Dancing Gnome's 8th anniversary! Andrew tells us about the anniversary beer releases and what else to expect for the anniversary weekend. Next, Andrew and Brett talk about their trip to Yakima valley for hop selection. We wrap up the show with a round of "Name that Hop" and a quick round of "Watch, Listen, Learn." Thanks for listening!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Fall is on the horizon and so is a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We start off by talking about our ketchup preferences (which i think we have discussed before) before Andrew drops a bombshell about what he puts on his scrambled eggs. Next we get into a Look Back and a Look Ahead which includes upcoming beer releases, upcoming events and some info about the upcoming anniversary weekend in October. Then, we are joined by our guest, Lauren Brock of Butterfat Gelato! Lauren tells us about the differences between ice cream, gelato and sorbetto, how she got into making gelato and her process, some details on their planned brick and mortar location and much more. Lauren sticks around for a round of "Watch, Listen, Learn" to close out the episode.Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Summer rolls along and we have a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We kick off the show by talking about the Phillies being in town recently and how that always leads to being one of the busier summer weekends at Dancing Gnome. Next we take a Look Back at a low key July and a Look Ahead towards August in the world of Dancing Gnome. Then we are joined by our guest, Beau Mitall of Alberta's Pizza. Beau tells us about living in South Africa, exploring different pizza places with his daughter when they lived in New York, Alberta's evolution from a pizza trailer to food truck to brick and mortar, his plans for their brick and mortar location, and much more. We wrap up the show by answering some listener questions and a quick round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

We are back with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We jump right in at the beginning with a Look Back and Look Ahead before talking about what makes a Mexican lager, "Mexican." Then, we are joined by our guest, Steve Hartman of Hazel Grove Brewing. Steve is back to talk about the grand opening of Hazel Grove on July 4th (and 5th, 6th and 7th), some of the trials and tribulations to get to this point, the 8 beers that they will have on tap at their opening, and much more. We wrap up this episode with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn, joined by DG family member Matt Pyecha. Thanks for listening and go check out Hazel Grove!!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Summer has arrived and so has a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! No new reviews for this month so we jump right into a Look Back and a Look Ahead. Andrew tells us about travelling to Georgia for their collab with Creature Comforts, we talk about Lustra Day/weekend and some of the new beers DG will be releasing in June. Next, we are joined by our guests, Nick Jones and Tom Marshall of New France Brewing Co. The guys tell us about being a part of the unique project where they will be one of three breweries located in the same building in Hazelwood. We talk about some of the beers they plan to release, the unique layout for each brewery and much more. Nick and Tom hang around as we close out the episode with a round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

The DG boys have returned to America and are ready to record the May episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We only have 2 segments this month but we aren't lacking in content. We kick it off with a new listener review before jumping right in to a Look Back and a Look Ahead. Andrew gives us a few details about 2024 Lustra Day and some details on their upcoming Four Chord collaboration and related events. Next, we talk about the end of the Round About Pop Up and a few "new" NA beers on the market. After a quick break, we dive fully in to Andrew and Matt's overseas trip to Munich, Pilsen and Prague. Thanks as always!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

We're back with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We kick off the episode by reading a new review (finally!) and discussing some other recent reviews of the "Dancing Gnome hates dogs" sort. We take a look back into March 2024 and introduce a new segment that we are calling "Pak Tek Reflections." Then we take a look forward into April which includes the DG trip to Prague and the return of Three Rivers Beer Week. Next we are joined by multi time guest Rob Dillman for a deep dive into English/cask beers. We finish the show with a round of "Name that Hop" and a quick round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

It's March and that means two things; Spring is here and we have a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! Mike T joins us for the first segment where Andrew tells us about an upcoming Dancing Gnome trip to Prague in April! Then we dive right into a Look Back and a Look Ahead before wrapping up segment one by talking about the closure of Necromancer. Next, we are joined by Dom and Jeff of CoStar Brewing! Most listeners will already recognize CoStar as they have been brewing for quite some time, and now have opened their new spot in Etna! The guys tell us about their new place, how their brewing/beers have evolved over the years, and much more! We wrap up the episode with a new round of everyone's favorite game, Lager or Logger! Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

It's February and it's time for a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We start by talking about making it to 50 episodes, taking a Look Back and a Look Ahead, and then we discuss a few industry articles. Next, we are joined by Adam Harvey from the soon to be open Lawrence Hall. Adam tells us about the concept behind Lawrence Hall, the history of the building, some of the vendors we will see there, and much more! We close out the show with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn.Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Joseph McDade

Another year gone, another year started... and another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We start this episode off by talking about folks writing/emailing the brewery asking for labels, glassware, etc. and how Andrew handles those requests. Then we pit 2 holiday candies against each other in a "one must go" head to head. After Andrew takes us through a Look Back and Look Ahead, we are joined by our guest, Katie Sirianni of Love, Katie Distilling! Katie tells us about how she got into the world of distilling, the meaning behind "Love, Katie", the upcoming "First Friday" events in Sharpsburg and much more! We finish the episode with a quick round of Watch, Listen, Learn! Happy New Year!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

We're wrapping up 2023 with the December episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. Friend of the pod and regular guest Mike T of Dancing Gnome sat in with us for this episode. We kick it off by talking about Andrew's non-diverse Spotify wrapped and asking listeners that had GBNTB as their top podcast to send their wrapped our way. We take a Look Back/Look Ahead where Andrew tells us about some cool December events, including 925 Main ("the old spot") re-opening for one night of nostalgia. After a quick break  we dive into a bunch of listener questions where we talk about our favorite cheeses, Andrew tells us about future plans for 925 Main, and much more. We wrap up the episode with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Hello November and hello to a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We start the show with me talking about the Phillies blowing the NLCS and my first visit to Krazy Karens before taking a look back into October in the world of Dancing Gnome and a look forward into November. I also read an article about climate change affect hop yields in Europe to bum everyone out. Next, we are joined by Jon Ross of Sly Fox Brewing. Jon tells us about his time working at Troegs, what brought him to Pittsburgh, what he has going on at the Pittsburgh Sly Fox locations and much more. We close the show by answering a few listener questions and running through a quick round of Watch, Listen, Learn.Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

It's Fall, baby! Thanks for checking out another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We kick off the show with a new listener review before jumping straight in to a Look Back and a Look Ahead. While we did not have much to look back on, we look ahead only a few days in the future to Dancing Gnome's 7th anniversary! Andrew tells us about the plans for the anniversary weekend, including the return of Nobody's Monkey and a "deconstructed" beer dinner with Blue Sparrow! Next, we are joined by Matt Pyecha of Dancing Gnome. Matt and Andrew tell us about their trip to this year's GABF, the process of entering beers to be "judged" and attending the medal ceremony. Following GABF, they continued on to the Yakima Valley for hop selection. Andrew and Matt take us through that process leading to a very interesting discussion. We finish out the episode with a round of Name that Hop AND a round of Watch, Listen, Learn. This is a good one!!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

It's September and we are back with a fresh episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We start the show with a new review, including a new acronym that Andrew gets right away. We continue by talking about some local brewery closures and Mike T fills us in on some other local brewery news, before Looking Back and Looking Ahead in the world of Dancing Gnome. Then, we are joined by our guest Loran Sekely, who you may know as an Okta superfan, a Pitt Panther stan and a big muscle man. We talk about 2 out of those three things while tasting and talking about a few beers that we each brought for this episode. We wrap up what might be our longest episode ever with another round of Watch,  Listen, Learn. Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

Thanks for checking out the August episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We kick off the show with a new listener review which leads right into some Lego talk. We clear up Andrew's "Jeff Goldblum" statement and confirm that we do not actually know if he does or does not like Lustra. After taking a Look Back and Look Ahead, we are joined by our guest, Corey Ochai. Corey is an entrepreneur, artist, budding podcast producer and "unofficial mayor of Sharpsburg." Corey fills us in on how he has seen Sharpsburg change over the last 13 years, his involvement with the upcoming Barrel and Flow fest, and much more. To close out the show, we discuss two beer articles. One about the closure of Anchor Brewing and the other about how hazy IPAs have changed how people view other IPAs. We also throw in a quick "Watch" before wrapping up. Thanks for listening!  Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

We're kicking off your holiday weekend a little early with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! To start things off, we revisit the acronym from the June episode review and give out the correct answer. We then dive into a few listener questions which leads to a discussion on the much missed Underscore series. Next we take a Look Back and Look Ahead in the world of Dancing Gnome. For the second segment, we were joined by Josh Taylor of Old Thunder to talk about people still thinking their building is a post office even though it hasn't been one since the 80s, the upcoming 2nd annual Pilsburg festival taking place at the brewery this Sunday and much more. We finish the show by reviewing/discussing a few "beer industry" articles surrounding Anchor Brewing's "pull back," Platform Brewing's closure and the craft malt market. Thanks for listening! Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

We're rolling "solo" for the June episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. You're stuck with me and Andrew for this episode, but we got you covered as we had a lot to talk about! We start off the show with a new listener review that includes an acronym! Then we talk about my recent trip to check out some southwest National Parks before Andrew gives us a recap of Lustra Day (week? month?). Andrew also tells us about a potential upcoming change where DG might start opening on Mondays!! In the second segment, we give our best guess on the acronym from the review, give our opinion on a few summer "staples" and rip through a round of Watch, Listen, Learn! Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

May I interest you in the May episode of Good but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast? This month we introduce another member of the DG family, Amy Loebig! Amy tells us about her "journey" to Dancing Gnome by way of Mother Road Brewing Company in Flagstaff, AZ. Amy also fills us in on what she looks for in terms of service when visiting other establishments, the differences in patrons between Flagstaff and Pittsburgh and a whole bunch of other stuff. At the beginning of the episode, we read another listener review, discuss the Bud Light/Ultra Right Beer situation and talk about another local brewery that is going to brew a beer with a recipe written by ChatGPT. We finish the show by answering some listener questions and blazing through a quick Watch session. Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

After a short delay, the April episode of GBNTB is ready to go! This month we are joined by Mike Tysarczyk of Dancing Gnome and the PGH Brewer's Guild. And we're not talking about a short guest segment, this time Mike sits in for the entire episode. We start off with a new review, then we talk about the closure of BrewDog Pittsburgh. Next, I read a short article from Beervana about craft becoming the "sick man of beer" and get Mike and Andrew's reaction. After a short break, we look ahead to April 12th (4-1-2... get it?) and the start of Three Rivers Beer Week.  Andrew tells us more about the return of the Imperial Breakfast, now hosted at Dancing Gnome on the 12th, and Mike fills us in on some of the other events, releases, etc that we can expect during the week. We close out the show by learning about Andrew's high school musical past before another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening! Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Joseph McDade

We're back in your ear with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome Podcast! Andrew and I kick off this episode by forgetting to check on new reviews (we do it later) but we do discuss the news of Platform Beer Co. closing and how the future of "big beer" buyouts could be changing. We also discuss how/if to have a conversation with a fellow brewer when their beer(s) are off/subpar.  Then we jump into Look Back/Look Ahead to talk about Dancing Gnome hitting 2 million cans on their canning line, Andrew taking the baton from Piper's Pub and putting on an Imperial Breakfast event, and the upcoming Czech Beer Dinner with Golden Age Brewing. Next, we are joined by our guest Steve Hartman of Hazel Grove Brewing! Hazel Grove is a new brewery in Hazelwood that hopes to be open later in 2023. Steve tells us about how he became interested in beer/brewing, how they landed on Hazelwood for their location, where you can find some of their beers on tap currenty, and much more! Steve sticks around as we close out the show with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

Thanks for checking out another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We kick things off with another listener review before diving right in to a packed "Look Back, Look Ahead." Then, we talk about a current CO2 shortage that is affecting New Zealand and how we have recently come out of the same situation in the US. Next, we add a little international flair with our guest, Rob Bingaman! Rob has recently moved back stateside after spending ~ 2 years split between Berlin and Bristol, UK. Rob tells us about the circumstances that lead him overseas, his experiences in Berlin and Bristol (beer centric and otherwise) and his time in the Pitt marching band. We close out the show with another round of "Watch, Listen, Learn." Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

It's a new year and a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! I hope all of our listeners had a great holiday season. We get things started on this episode with a new listener review, which transitions into the sweatshirt I was wearing, which transitions into a discussion about Iron City/IC Light/Pittsburgh Brewing Company.  We switched things up this episode by skipping our usual Look Back, Look Ahead segment and instead answered some listener questions submitted on Twitter. Then, we were joined by our guest Mel Larrick of Hop Farm who told us about her background in distilling, working an internship with Sloop Brewing, her favorite Hudson Valley beer, her "most memorable" Pittsburgh beer, and much more! Mel stuck around as we closed the episode with a round of Watch, Listen, Learn! Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod 

We went ahead and recorded a long one for the December episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We talk a little bit about our Thanksgivings before taking a look back and a look ahead in the world of Dancing Gnome. Andrew also gives us a sneak peek into 2023 with some news about the 2023 series, a lager series (packaged in bottles!) and more. We are then joined by our guest, Brooke Keane of Trace Brewing! Brooke tells us about her decade in NYC working with The Bronx Brewery, how she made her way to Trace, her unique position with Trace, her writing style, and much more. Brooke sticks around as we finish out the episode with a round of Watch, Listen, Learn.  Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod 

We are back on our normal schedule and coming to ya with the November episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We spend some time in our first segment with a quick recap of Jaron's trip to Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. Then, we take a look back at September/October in the world of Dancing Gnome with a review of the 6th anniversary weekend and a look ahead that includes some talk about the Dancing Gnome partnership with Blue Sparrow.  Next, we are joined by a member of the DG family, Matt Pyecha! Matt tells us about his path to Dancing Gnome from Athens, Georgia, his time working with Creature Comforts and much more. Matt sticks around for our packed final segment of Watch, Listen, Learn.Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

After a slight delay, we are back with another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We start the show by explaining the cause for the delay and why we are combining the September and October episodes. Andrew tells us about his recent trip out west and how he discovered that he is a "desert guy," before we take a (long) look back and look ahead in the world of Dancing Gnome. Next, we are joined by our guest Mike Tysarczyk of the Pittsburgh Brewer's Guild. Mike tells us about what has been happening in the guild, what to watch for with the upcoming Three Rivers Craft Beer week and why everyone should get tickets to the First Pour kickoff event. We end the show with a full round of Watch, Listen, Learn!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

We're rolling into August with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We start off with a new listener review and me offering my apologies to Kennywood for the thoughts that I shared on a past episode. Andrew then takes us on a look back into July and a look forward into August in the world of Dancing Gnome. Next, we are joined by our guest, Andy Kwiatkowski of Hitchhiker Brewing Co! We talk about what's new at Hitchhiker, the Grateful Dead, 2022 Pitt football predictions and much more! We finish out the show with the return of a listener favorite game plus another round of Watch, Listen, Learn!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

We're happy to be back with another episode of Good but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We kick things off by reading the first new listener review in a while, before giving our thoughts on another "Pittsburgh staple," Turner's Tea. Then, we take a look back at the month of June in the world of Dancing Gnome, and a look ahead into July. Next, we are joined by our guest, Paul Schneider of Cinderlands Beer Co.  Paul tells us about the upcoming "Mixed Culture Fest" being put on by Cinderlands and Trace Brewing (Saturday, July 30th at Freedom Farms in Valencia, PA), his path to Pittsburgh, what's new at Cinderlands and much more. We finish the show with a round of "Name That Hop" and an abbreviated addition of "Watch, Listen, Learn."Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Thanks for checking out the June episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We start off this episode by diving back into our "Pittsburgh traditions" conversation with a discussion about the Smiley Cookie. We also briefly talk about a news story stating that Russia is using "spy dolphins" to protect a naval base and the origin of the Dancing Gnome beer name. Before the first break, we take a look back/look ahead with the main focus being Lustra Day. Then, we are joined by our guest, Cam Bosch of Permanent Hangover. Cam gives us an update on how he is settling in to life in Pittsburgh, what's new with Permanent Hangover (a board game on the horizon?!?!), and some topical Boston Celtics talk. Cam sticks around for a full round of Watch, Listen, Learn in the final segment, where we talk We Own This City, the final episodes of Ozark, the new Kendrick Lamar album and much more!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Joseph McDade

We're back with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We kick of the May episode by finally revealing the correct answer to a few acronyms that we received in a review on the March episode. Then, we jump right into a Look Back and a Look Ahead in the world of Dancing Gnome. For the second segment, we were joined by our most frequent guest, Pete Kurzweg of Golden Age Beer Company. Pete gives us an update on Golden Age, who just had their grand opening mid-April. We talk all things lagers, the upcoming Golden Age Lager Fest (Saturday May 15th - see the Golden Age website for tickets), N/A beers and much more. Pete sticks around for the last segment where we play a new game and then talk about what we've been watching recently. Thanks for listening! Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

We are rolling into spring with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! This month, we are joined by Dustin Baker of Roadmap Brewing, all the way from San Antonio! Before Dustin joins us, we read through a new listener review, talk a little about my recent trip to Mexico, take a look back to March and a look ahead to April in the world of Dancing Gnome. Then, Dustin joins the show to tell us about his path to Roadmap, the kind of beers they are brewing, the San Antonio beer scene and much, much more. We finish this episode with a new segment/game called "Name That Hop" and a discussion on what we have been watching recently. Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Thank you for joining us for another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We start the show with a new listener review (all the way from Berlin!) and a discussion about a "Pittsburgh style IPA" brewed by New Image Brewing in Arvada Colorado before jumping into our Look Back/Look Ahead segment. Next, with Mike Dunlay as our guest, we had to run through another round of "Daddy Likes" but first we talk about Andrew's weird eating habits, best kind of fries and Chicago style hot dogs. We finish the show with a round of Watch, Listen, Learn with a focus on the 10 movies nominated for the 2022 Best Picture.  Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

We are back with a fresh episode of GBNTB! Thanks for listening, thanks for writing reviews and thanks for telling a friend! We've upgraded ya'll!! As you'll hear right at the start of the episode, I have finally upgraded our podcasting equipment, which includes a pair of headphones for Andrew so he can hear when he is talking off mic, a new mixer with sound effect buttons that I'm sure everyone will be sick of hearing immediately, and new microphones that are on the way and will be here for the March episode. We dive right in to a Look Back at January 2021 in the world of Dancing Gnome. January brought the start of the Garden Tool series and the artist reimagining of core brand label series, as well as the start of statewide distribution for Pennsylvania! Next we take a Look Ahead into February and beyond where Andrew announces that DG is going to start opening on Tuesdays (!!) starting March 15th, which is also going to be the start of kolsch service! Then, we are joined by our guest, Matt Buchholz of Alternate Histories. Matt tells us about his love of 1950s era Sci-Fi movies and how that influenced the work he is doing with Alternate Histories. Matt and Andrew get really into some film school talk and we discuss George A. Romero movies, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and much more before talking more about the Dancing Gnome 2022 artist series. We finish up the show with Andrew picking the winning review and answering a few listener questions. Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Happy New Year to all of our listeners! Thank you for joining us for another episode of Good, but not the best... A Dancing Gnome Podcast. We kick off this episode by discussing my recent trip to Charlotte, the breweries I visited while there, the ACC championship game, the "fake slide", Kenny Pickett, and some #PittTwitter personalities. Then, Andrew and I share some of the holiday traditions that our families used to have when we were growing up as well as some "holiday beer" traditions that we have or used to have. Next, we take a look back at December 2021 in the world of Dancing Gnome before taking a look ahead to January 2022 and beyond. Andrew shares with us some of his "plans" for the upcoming year, which includes an "Artist Series" where local artists will reimagine the can labels for 12 Dancing Gnome core brands. We are then joined by our guest Hart Johnson to hear about his wife's and his new catering/meal delivery/weekend pop-up business, Mindy's Take & Bake. We also go down the rabbit hole of Sharpsburg dive bars, the Southside Burger King, and other Pittsburgh eccentricities. We finish out the show with a holiday version of "Watch/Listen/Learn"! Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Happy Holidays and thanks for joining us for the December episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We start out the episode by discussing our Thanksgiving breaks before summarizing some new reviews. Andrew fills us in on an acronym (BATRISH) that we could not decipher from the last episode and we also discuss a few craft beer adjacent news stories that I was curious about since our last recording. Then, we take a look back at November 2021 in the world of Dancing Gnome, with the biggest event being the opening of the new tap room at 1025 Main, before looking ahead into December 2021 and even a little further beyond with Andrew filling us in on the upcoming 2022 monthly series at Dancing Gnome.  Next, we are joined by our guest, Aaron Dahl of Golden Age Beer Company! Aaron tells us all about Golden Age, his path to Pittsburgh from Chicago, the beers he likes to brew, and much more! Aaron sticks around for the last segment which we close out with a round of "Take It or Leave It!"  Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod 

It's hard to believe but it's time for the November episode of Good but not the best... a Dancing Gnome Podcast. To kick things off we take a look back and recap Dancing Gnome's anniversary, Three Rivers Craft Beer Week, and a few other things from October. Then we spend some time taking a look ahead into November and mostly talking about the opening of the new space at 1025 Main! Next, we are joined by our guest, Tom Marshall of PA Libations. Tom tells us about his role with PA Libations, their locations across the state, some of their relationships with Pennsylvania alcohol producers, and much more. We finish out this episode with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for Listening!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

It's time for another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! If you're listening to this immediately after release, don't forget to make a trip to the brewery and help celebrate Dancing Gnome's 5th anniversary!! Andrew tells us about the anniversary beers that will be released and how they will celebrate throughout the weekend, after we first read 2 new reviews, both with acronyms. Later in the episode, we are joined by Brian Eaton of Grist House and the PGH Brewers Guild. Brian tells us about the new construction at their Millvale location as well as a quick update on their new spot in Collier. We then talk about the upcoming "Three Rivers Beer Week", the kickoff event happening October 5th, some other events you can look forward to, and much more! We finish the episode by answering some listener questions and rolling through a quick round of Watch, Listen, Learn.Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Thanks for joining us for another episode of Good, but not the best... A Dancing Gnome podcast! Mike Dunlay sits in with us again on this episode as we start off with reading some new reviews. Next we take a look back at the month of August in the world of Dancing Gnome before looking ahead to the month of September. Then, we are joined by Katie Heldstab of Leona's who tells us a little about their process and where you can find their ice cream, followed by more ice cream talk than you could ever want. Finally, we give the people what they want by finishing the episode with another round of "Daddy Likes!"Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Joseph McDade

The heat... my God, the heat. We're in the dog days now and we are coming through with the August episode of GBNTB. We kick the episode off with some discussion of previously mentioned heat (Andrew loves it - I do not) before revisiting some listener questions that were submitted last month after we had stopped recording. We also read through 5 new listener reviews (thanks everyone!), including one acronym and one "desert island beers"-esque question. Next, we take a look back into the month of July in the world of Dancing Gnome, which included the reopening of the taproom at 925 Main and the start of production at 1025 Main, before looking ahead at what is coming in August. Then, we are joined by our guest, Wes Shonk who tells us all about Goodlander Cocktail Brewery, how he came up with the idea, his path to opening, some of the cocktails they are producing and much more. We finish up the episode with Watch, Listen, Learn plus announcing which one of the new reviews is going to receive the "free stuff" that Andrew promised last month.Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

Thanks for checking out the latest episode of Good, but not the best! This month we are joined by Lauren Hughes of Necromancer Brewing. Lauren tells us about her path to Necromancer, foregoing multiple degrees in music to work in craft beer, the latest with the PGH Brewery Diversity Council, having a cool dad that played Latin jazz in Miami, and much more. Before we get to Lauren's segment, Andrew and I spend about 40 minutes talking about the last month at Dancing Gnome, including Lustra Day, a few updates on the new spot, dogs at breweries and people that give bad reviews if they can't bring them, and a bunch of other stuff. We end the episode by answering some listener/follower questions that were sent to us via Twitter while we were recording.Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

It's getting steamy outside and it's time for another episode of Good but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. Just me and Andrew this episode as we have a lot Dancing Gnome news/changes to cover. Before we get to the news, I give a very important correction from the last episode regarding the length of my middle toe and we give our thoughts on another Pittsburgh tradition, the pierogi. Next, we dive into the Dancing Gnome news, starting with the rebrand, what has changed, why it was time for a change and more. Then, Andrew gives us some updates on the new location and the hopeful timeline for production and taproom opening. Throughout this segment we also are answering listener questions submitted on Twitter. We finish out with a rambling third segment that kind of resembles Watch, Listen, Learn. Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

It's time for another episode of GBNTB! We're rolling along with the May 2021 episode and this month we are joined by Mike Dunlay of Dancing Gnome. We start off with some sweet flip flop/sandal talk before reading the newest review on Apple Podcasts. We then continue on with our Pittsburgh tradition discussion, this month tackling Primanti Bros / fries on sandwiches.  Next we take a look back at April 2021 in the world of Dancing Gnome and a look ahead into May. After a quick break we come back to play a round of "Daddy Likes", before finishing up with a roundtable discussion version of "Watch/Listen/Learn."Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

For the first time in a long time, ya boys are back together recording live and in person! It's the April episode of GBNTB! We kick it off by lamenting the lack of new reviews (c'mon listeners!!) before getting Andrew's thoughts on another Pittsburgh quirk, the "Pittsburgh Left." Tune in next month for our thoughts on Primanti's/fries on sandwiches. We take a quick look back into March and look ahead into April before bringing on our guest, Aadam Soorma of Trace Brewing. Aadam joined us last year before COVID and a lot has changed since then. He tells us about moving on from Very Local Pittsburgh, joining the team at Trace as well as helping start the Pittsburgh Brewery and Taproom Diversity Council. Aadam updates us on what's been happening at Trace and what we can expect as we move towards the Spring/Summer. Aadam sticks around for the final segment as well, as we debut a new segment called Take It or Leave It that is mainly about stuff in the craft beer universe, but then devolves into stuff like the Snyder Cut and JNCO jeans. Thanks for listening!Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Kevin MacLeod

March means Spring here on Good But Not the Best, and with Spring comes the return of outdoor dining, beer gardens and meeting up with friends! We touch on this a little later in the episode when Andrew reveals the plans for the reopening of the Dancing Gnome Garden, but first we discuss the Bearcat on Beer article that mentioned Dancing Gnome beer being "distributed" in Ohio and some of the traditional styles DG offered in February, including their first barleywine. A look ahead into March reveals the aforementioned opening of the DG Garden and the next release in the Watershed series. We are then joined by our guest, Cam Bosch of Permanent Hangover. Cam tells us about his introduction into craft beer, his time working at Bissell Bros, how he got started with Permanent Hangover, and much more. We finish the episode with another round of Watch/Listen/Learn. Intro & Outro music by: Kabbalistic VillageBreak music by: Joseph McDade