Stories From A Bar

In this episode I travel to Halfmoon, NY to hang out with one of the owners Randy Lewis. We sample some tasty beers while Randy shares his journey of going from home brewer to opening Other One Brewing and everything in between. Enjoy!

For this episode I am hanging out with vocalist Zack Baumgartner from Chicago pop punk band When The Sun Sets! Chatting about how the band came together and their song writing process, as well as, mental health, touring, what it means to hear from the fans, and a little about their upcoming full length album. Enjoy!

In this episode I'm hanging out with Ahmed Elsayed of the San Francisco punk band Goof. We chat a lot about his time living in Egypt during his formative years, how it has shaped his world view, how he got into music, as well as the bands sound. Going in depth on a variety of songs from their first album Kill 'Em All and their new album G2: Gudgment Day. Enjoy!

For this episode I chat with Sean Jain, guitarist in San Jose based punk band Last Ditch Effort. We cover a lot of ground including how he got into music, how the band came together, their latest EP titled Twenty-25, some politics, and reflect on the glory of the Punk-O-Rama compilation CD days. Enjoy!

In this episode I'm joined by Karen Bona from the fantastic mental health centered podcast Pieces to Wellness! We chat a little about our podcasts (of course), but we also talk about some of the anxiety and stress we experience in our lives, how it makes us feel, and what has helped us cope with it. Enjoy!   Beer of the episode: Speckled Pig Brewing - Restitution NEIPA

Hanging with Free Friends and a 2024 wrap up! ...... In the last episode of 2024 I am joined by pop punk band and friends of the podcast Free Friends! Chatting about the highlights from the busy year they had, some mental health, the holidays, what's coming up, and most hated Christmas songs. Be sure to check it out! ...... Beer of the episode: Common Roots Brewing Company Gondola Session IPA  

It's the first out of state episode! For Ep. 69 I traveled to Bennington, VT to visit Village Garage Distillery and hung out with head distiller Ryan Scheswohl and Doug Goble who handles Sales & Marketing. Ryan and Doug share the story of how Village Garage Distillery came to be, the desire to support the community, how the most interesting man in the world Jonathan Goldsmith joined the team, as well as a number of tangents and shameless plugs. Enjoy!

Talking about Flights for Veterans with David Hennel who is one of the people behind the scenes organizing the event! Flights for Veterans is a tasting event to benefit those who served. Taking place Friday November 8th at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum David and I chat about how the event came together, the excitement for it, and all the vendors involved. Proceeds to benefit the Capital Region Veterans Memorial and the Museum. Enjoy!

For ep. 67 I am hanging out at Hank Hudson Brewing Co. and chatting with co-founders/brewers Darren Van Heusen and Chris Crounse. Located at The Fairways of Halfmoon golf course, and open since 2016, we set up shop in the beautiful taproom overlooking the golf course and chat about how the teachers got into brewing, drawing inspiration from English pubs, establishing their brand, the challenges, and of course some of their beers. Enjoy!

For episode 66 I travel to Schuylerville, NY to visit Bound by Fate brewing and hang out with co-founders Pam and Brett. Set up in the tap room we chat about how the idea for the brewery came to be, how Covid caused them to accelerate their plans, introducing people to Laotian food, and of course some of the beers. Enjoy!

For Ep. 65 I travel to Schoharie, NY to chat with Adam and Kyle Wayward Lane Brewing. We talk all about the brewery, moving from Colorado to NY, the farm, and the whirlwind experience it has been in the 3 short years they have been open. Enjoy! ***Disclaimer: There was some technical difficulties with the audio during the first 13 minutes. So apologies for that, but hey, mistakes happen.

For Ep. 64 I'm hanging at Dancing Grain Farm Brewery in Moreau, NY! Joined by founder Rachel McDermott and brewer Chris Dufrain we spend an hour talking about how Dancing Grain came to be, the history of farm land it's on (3 words: "celebrity cow farm"), doing more with less, and of course some of their beers and brewing philosophy. Enjoy!

Talented local musician Sydney Worthley and DJ Fearless from No One You Know join the podcast for Ep. 63 of Stories From A Bar! We spend a good amount of time talking all things Taylor Swift and their upcoming TS themed events at Lost & Found and The Hollow in Albany. Also, hear all about Emo Prom happening at The Hollow as well and hear be the first to hear a little about Sydney's new album right from the source! Beer of the Ep: Druthers Brewing Company - All-In IPA

For Episode 62 Anothony Rossi makes his triumphant return to the podcast! Anthony discusses the founding of Crosstalk Media, LLC and the upcoming inaugural 1Upstate Convention (October 21) which is meant to be a celebration of games and the people that make them. Hear all about what the confirmed guests/panelists, exhibitors, and what you can expect to see. Enjoy! Recorded at: The Albany War Room Tavern located at 42 Eagle St., Albany, NY

For Episode 61 I am hanging out in East Berne, NY at Helderberg Mountain Brewing Company! Joined by co-owner and brewer Mike Wenzel we chat all about the brewery, the beers, some of the funny stories behind the beers, and of course hockey. Enjoy!

For Episode 60 I am joined by co-owner of Speckled Pig Brewing Co. Larry Heid! Located in Ballston Spa, NY the Speckled Pig opened back in 2022 and had quickly grown in popularity. Larry talks all about how the brewery came together, the people behind it, the community, the beers, and of course delicious wood fired pizza. Enjoy!

For Ep. 59 I am joined by owner of the brand new War Room Tavern & Todd's Back Room Cigar Lounge Todd Shapiro! Also, joining Todd is Tony who manages the fantastic establishments. Built into a 1890s era brownstone Todd talks all about the inspiration behind building a "Planet Hollywood of State Politics" and his desire to bring Albany something it hasn't seen before. So pour yourself a drink and hear all about the fascinating political memorabilia decorating the walls, the amazing food, and a place you will definitely want to check out. Cheers!

For Episode 58 I am hanging out at Active Ingredient Brewing in Malta, NY with co-owners/brewers Brian Fox and Nathan Rogers! We try and talk about a number of their awesome beers as well as chatting about how they got into brewing, opening the brewery during the pandemic, and some things to come. Enjoy!

For Episode 57 I get a chance to hang out and chat with Ben DeHan and Lauren White! We talk all about influences and bands we love, his music and sound, stepping away from music for almost a decade, and his journey back. Enjoy!

In Ep 56 I road trip up to Lake George, NY to hang out at Adirondack Pub & Brewery with brewer Bob Shafer! We talk all about how he got into brewing, his time in the Air Force doing Air Medical Evacuation, Lake George, and all about Adirondack Pub & Brewery. All while tasting 5 different beers of course. Enjoy!