Whatcha Drinkin' Podcast

Sam and AJ sit down for some drinks with Erica Lang and Kelly McPhee from Woosah Outfitters and Outside Coffee Company. They discuss Woosah's early days, Kelly's background as a sommelier in the restaurant industry, how the two met, and what's going on in their lives today. They break out the French Chardonnay, Spanish Cava, and Erica's favorite tequila which leads to conversations about tandem bicycles, Trader Joe's reputable wine and beer labels, and Outside Coffee Company's upcoming Halloween party.  Woosah Outfitters is a naturally inspired art and apparel brand based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan featuring the artwork of founder and owner, Erica Lang. The designs and drive behind Woosah revolve largely around woodcuts and the outdoors. Each design and product is hand crafted here in Grand Rapids in limited edition runs. To help spread the Woosah, follow them on Instagram @woosahoutfitters or visit their storefront at 738 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids MI   Outside Coffee Co. was created to encourage community through coffee and the outdoors and has quickly become a hotspot in Grand Rapids for its coffee, menu offerings, and dog-friendly outdoor setting. Follow them on Instagram @outsidecoffeeco and visit them at 734 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids, MI.      This episode is brought to you by Ferris Coffee & Nut Co.  

Sam is back from Brazil and the guys are back in the studio to talk all things Brazilian coffee. They discuss what makes Brazil so important to the coffee industry, including overall production, elevation, varietals, and processing methods.  Sam recommends everyone try Ferris Coffee's Brazil Primavera and AJ shares his developing love for fortified wines like vermouth.    Also, if you're interested in witnessing a display of culinary creativity, you're not going to want to miss Sonder Eatery's Chef Throwdown this Thursday, September 12!  Tickets are $40 each and can be purchased through Eventbrite and by clicking this link!     

The guys sit down with Essence Restaurant Group's very own James Berg and Executive Chef Jeremy Paquin to discuss the group's early days, their core values, humble beginnings, and leadership lessons learned along the way. Chef Jeremy reveals what he eats at home and the guys discuss James' dietary choices. The word "brestaurant" is coined and James and Jeremy list some of their favorite places to eat in the state of Michigan.    Visit Essence Restaurant Group at their three locations:  Grove Greenwell Bistro Bella Vita   James Berg is the Managing Partner at Essence Restaurant Group. He helped open Bistro Bella Vita back in 1996 and formed Essence Restaurant Group with his partners in 2006 to become owners and operators of Bistro Bella Vita, The Green Well and Grove. His goal is to continue to build a collection of restaurants that foster a socially conscious environment and healthy lifestyle for all those who contribute to them.   Executive Chef Jeremy Paquin began working for Essence Restaurant Group in 2015 at Bistro Bella Vita before transitioning into the role of Head Chef at Grove. Prior to joining ERG, Jeremy brought the farm-to-table concept to Muskegon with his venture Mia and Grace. Jeremy’s roots of crafting dishes prepared from fresh, local products align with Grove’s fundamental value of thoughtfully prepared cuisine. Jeremy graduated from Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management at San Jacinto College in Houston, TX in 2000.   

On this episode of the Whatcha Drinkin' Podcast, the guys sit down with Dana Mate Dones and Rob "Wob" Wanhatalo from The Mitten Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, MI. They discuss everything from The Mitten's humble beginnings to their now three taproom locations, statewide beer distribution, PIZZA!, Ghosts, Oprah, and the brewery's ongoing philanthropic initiatives through The Mitten Foundation. Wob shares what he is drinking, AJ gets stuck trying to pronounce it, and a lightning round of random questions ensues.  Sign up for The Mitten Foundation's 2019 golf outing here or visit them at http://www.mittenbrewing.com  http://www.mittenbrewing.com/foundation  Locations- The Mitten Brewing Co. - Grand Rapids, MI The Mitten Brewing Co. - Saugatuck, MI The Mitten Brewing Co. - Northport, MI   More on The Mitten Foundation- Mitten Foundation plans to partner with a few, carefully selected, local non-profit organizations in an effort to raise both funds and awareness. With the help of its staff and customers, the Mitten has raised more than $200,000 for local organizations since opening in 2012. The foundation's criteria for choosing non-profit partners is twofold: the organization must be local, and they must be small enough that the donation will make a measurable difference. The foundation strives to connect each dollar donated to the effect it has.  The Mitten Brewing Company was humbled to receive the West Michigan Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professional’s 2015 “President’s Award” in recognition of its commitment to fundraising. The company plans to expand its community involvement efforts as it grows, and they recently started an employee volunteer program that provides staff with opportunities to become personally involved with non-profit partners. For more information about the Mitten Foundation’s non-profit partners, how you can get involved with the foundation, and all other donation inquiries, please contact Dana Mate Dones at dana@mittenbrewing.com   Episode Sponsor: Ferris Coffee      

Introducing OUR FIRST EVER GUEST Ferris Coffee's Head Barista Dan Shoup! Check him out on Instagram @danielcshoup In this episode, the guys sit down with Dan to talk about the early days in Dan's coffee journey and how he landed at Ferris, his many nicknames, and his go-to list for preferred cafe beverages. Dan introduces the term NPR Mouth, AJ messes up another word, and they share experiences from various coffee competitions.   0:01:15 - Dan Shoup Intro 0:11:05 - A Day in the Life of Ferris Coffee's Head Barista  0:17:19 - Dan's List Fair Oaks Farms Exposed Video Country Dairy - New Era, MI Elmhurst Non-Dairy Alternatives 0:21:20 - Dan's Experience with Barista Competitions 0:31:20 - Ferris Coffee's New Downtown Wine and Beer Menu 0:41:30 - What's Dan Drinkin'? Ferris Nitro Cold Brew Coffee. French Rose, White Bubbles - Not just for celebrating!  

Wait, what happened to Ep.003? Well friends, we pulled it from the site. We weren't happy with how it or we sounded so Ep.003 is dead. Instead, we're throwing in hopefully what turns out to be a crowd-pleasing pasta episode from the archives. Enjoy! Sam and AJ share what they did over the weekend, including AJ's Kentucky Derby Party, A Cinco de Mayo coffee class, and Sam's Chicago trip.  00:10:20 The guys briefly discuss Sam's ITALIAN roots and where his affinity for pasta originated from.  00:16:00 AJ talks Pasta History Stuff 00:19:25 Durum Wheat Explained 00:22:35 The time when Sam let off 14 pasta names 00:24:30 Fresh vs. Dry 00:26:33 Al Dente 00:29:10 "00" flour for Fresh, Durum for Dry 00:20:20 Semolina School 00:34:20 Calling all trolls, here's our pasta recipe 00:42:43 Mark's voice is dead   Does anyone have a recommendation on an extruder that actually works?   00:50:24 Sam namedrops Massimo Bottura 00:51:45 Key takeaways from this pasta talk 00:55:02  Stuff in the news - random NBA Finals update 0056:50 Boston Beer Co. acquires Dogfish Head Brewery 01:00:00 Haters gonna hate. Welcome to 2012! 01:01:08 What's Sam Drinkin? Lagunitas Daytime 01:03:10 What's AJ Drinkin? Ferris Coffees Rwanda Huye Mountain 01:04:00 Recommendation of the Week Full Circle Tie-in: EATALY  

0:00:30 Introductions 0:02:20 Costa Rica, Great Big Hairly Elephants Can Never Poop - A Central America primer 0:06:30 Costa Rica Coffee Growing Regions 0:08:25 Thoughts on growing elevations 0:10:10 Costa Rica Varietals 0:13:15 The Micromill Revolution!  0:16:00 Costa Rica Processing Methods 0:22:00 Other nuggets to know 0:25:30 What’s AJ Drinkin? Ferris Coffee’s Sumava Yellow Honeyed Villa Sarchi produced by Francisco Mena 0:29:10 What’s Sam Drinkin? Ferris Coffee’s Montanas del Diamante, a Catuai white honeyed coffee produced by Martin Gutierrez. 0:32:55 Wild Costa Rican origin stories for the road 0:36:53 Local Recommendation - Outside Coffee Company Nanny Banany Latte? Granny Banany Latte! 0:38:50 West Michigan New Restaurant - Pennyroyal Provisions      Visit our instagram for photos from the guys Costa Rica sourcing trip from back in the day.  Instagram @whatchadrinkinpodcast Twitter @_Whatchadrinkin