The Happy Hour Guys look back on 2019 (and Mad Princes)!

Our yearly tradition continues with an added bonus, a visit to Pennsylvania’s Mad Princes Brewing!

Once again, we celebrate where we’ve been in the vast landscape of American Craft. What we’ve seen, what we’ve sampled, and most importantly, the people we’ve met. What a year for us, with visits to states across the Union:

Other Half Brewing

Big aLICe Brewing

Walking Tree Brewery

Great Lakes Brewing

Neir’s Tavern

Barbarian Brewing

We also managed to accomplish the FIFTH beer in the Broadway Brews Project, a collaboration with Come From Away and Five Boroughs Brewing, to benefit the wonderful folks at Tuesday’s Children. Now streaming on the STAGE NETWORK!

2019 was a fantastic year, and 2020 looks incredibly exciting, with Mark winging his way across the USA on a National Tour, and Jimmy holding down the fort on the Eastern Seaboard. Can’t wait. Enjoy our lookback on a wonderful year.

The Happy Hour Guys look back on 2018!

This is our ELEVENTH look-back episode.

Let’s just ponder that for a minute. Since we started producing regularly in 2008, eleven Happy Hour Guys seasons. ELEVEN ‘year end’ episodes!

Two guys back then with a non-HD camera, some borrowed sound gear and a single light that made them look like they were at the dim end of a long tunnel had no idea they would or could come all this way.

And there’s much further to go: Stay tuned for a big announcement early in the New Year!

• 2018 saw us make some new friends around the country, saw us re-visit some old ones, and take the Broadway Brews Project to the two-thirds point: Four done, and only two beers left to complete the Broadway Six Pack. Links:

  • Braxton Brewing

  • Rheingeist Brewing

  • Industrial Arts Brewing

  • Broadway Brews Project Phantom: Meet the Team!

  • Broadway Brews Project Phantom: Brew Day!

  • Photos from Phantom Release Party

  • Fifth Hammer Brewing

  • Genesee Brewing, 2018

• Also, we engaged you guys this year in a whole new way with our GoFundMe to help complete the Six Pack, and you responded: We raised over 15K to get us across the finish line.

• Going into 2019, there’s some VERY BIG NEWS that will take the Broadway Brews Project (and us!) to a whole new level!

As always, thank you. We are nothing without our audience, friends and fans. These great stories need to be told, and we do it so that all of you can follow in our footsteps. Now go someplace new, try something different, and most importantly, buy someone a drink. CHEERS!

Broadway Brews Project, Phantom of the Opera: Meet the Team!

Broadway Brew #4 Commences!

The Broadway Brews Project rolls on, as our FOURTH brew in the Broadway Six Pack is about to premiere in NYC! And now YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG and see how we got it there.

In this episode, Mark and Jimmy introduce members of the Phantom of the Opera cast to the Hardywood Brewing (from Richmond, VA), and, using some unbelievably good beer as mental grease, we answer some very important questions: What will this beer be like? What will we name it? Which charity will it raise money for?

Phantom Cast: Ali Ewoldt (Christine Daee), Rodney Ingram (Raoul), Paul A. Schaefer (Marksman), Katharine Heaton (Page), Giselle O. Alvarez (Ballet Chorus), Maree Johnson (Madame Giry), Carlton Moe (Ubaldo Piangi), and Jacob Keith Watson (Swing): 

Hardywood: Matt Shofner (Marketing), Brian Nelson (Head Brewer).

And the WONDERFUL charities under consideration: Vocal Ease, TDF Autism Theatre Initiative, Musicians On Call, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Let's get started with our Phantom journey. This one's gonna be a great one, folks!

Special thanks to all out there who participated in the online naming contest, Mahaley and Marc at Bond Theatrical (you guys are wonderful), the good folk at Rattle N Hum West for hosting us, and to our capture team, Brad, Johnny, Squigs and Jennifer!

Broadway Brew #4: Let's play the name game!

What do you think a Phantom beer should be named?

The Broadway Brews Project rolls on! The Happy Hour Guys are assembling yet another team to create the fourth in our Broadway Six Pack lineup, with none other than - PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!

And this Majestic Brew will be created by cast members of the Broadway company, collaborating with the craft wizards of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery in Richmond, VA.

Very soon we'll be gathering the cast together to talk about what kind of beer they're going to make, and which charity this beer will raise money for.

 

HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN:

WE NEED A NAME. What should a Phantom of the Opera beer be called? Share your entries with us in the comments here on the website, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed. If we choose your idea, there will be goodies in it for you. One rule: Phantom of the HOPera is already taken!

GOOD LUCK and off we go!