Broadway Brews Project #1: Meet the HamilTeam!

April 19, 2016

Brew Crew Assemble! Welcome to the Broadway Brews Project: The Happy Hour Guys are putting together Hamilton an American Musical and Gun Hill Brewing of the Bronx, to brew a special one-off #CraftBeer for charity!

It's after showtime at 5 Napkin Burger in Midtown Manhattan, and members of the cast of Hamilton, The Happy Hour Guys, and Gun Hill Brewing meet up for great food and drink to discuss the recipe of their beer, what they might name it, and most importantly, who they'll be raising money for. Let's meet our brain trust!

HUGE thanks to our friends at 5 Napkin Burger Midtown for hosting us for the evening, and to Justin 'Squigs' Robertson, Dane Agostinis, Jeffry Denman and Ben Leibert on the lenses!

Here comes the Broadway Brews Project

April 4, 2016

Being Broadway guys who moonlighted as The Happy Hour Guys (or vice versa) just didn't cut it any longer: So Mark and I decided it was time to bring our Craft lives and our Broadway lives together.

So here's an intro to our newest series, The Broadway Brews Project. We're pairing a hit Broadway show with a local NY Brewer; then helping the whole crowd plan, brew and then celebrate a one-off beer, all for a charity of the show's choosing. And we follow along with our cameras the whole time, of course. 3 Episodes: Meeting/recipe planning, Brew Day, and Release Party.

So what show is up first? There may be a clue or two (or three) in this teaser!

Video 324: Tasting 25 years with Flying Dog Brewing!

March 31, 2016

Flying Dog Brewing was in NYC to celebrate their 25th Anniversary, so we helped them put together a little event at the Hidden Bar at L'Amico NYC. Great Brewery? Check. Genius Brewer? Check. Tasting a whole series of special release #CraftBeers? Check, check, CHECK!

Special thanks to Bev Director Percy Rodriguez at L'Amico, Mary Beth Wood of Harvey PR, and Erin Weston and the whole Flying Dog fam, (along with Squigs and Dane on the lenses!)

Video 323: Let's talk HOPS! (feat. Glacier Hops Ranch)

February 24, 2016

Let's get back to focusing on INGREDIENTS, shall we? If you've heard anything about beer, (especially #CraftBeer) you've undoubtedly heard the word "HOPS" tossed around and around, ad infinitum. Wondering what all the fuss is about? It's time we cleared that up for you - and with the help of the good folks at Glacier Hops Ranch just outside of Whitefish, MT, that is what we're about to do. Press play, and let's see (in the words of the immortal Squigs) 'What's Hoppenin'!'

Video 322, Lurking in the shadows of Giants: Bonsai Brewing Project.

February 11, 2016

Things have gone all topsy turvy in the Craft Beer world in the past year or so. Big Money has gotten involved, and with the purchase of Ballast Point last year by Constellation Brands for ONE BILLION DOLLARS, it seems that all of a sudden many people are only seeing dollar signs. So there are little guys (small/new craft brewers) out there now who want nothing more than to be big guys. On the other side of that, now there are big guys (regional craft brewers) who are working very hard to maintain their 'Little Guy' worldview and 'cred'. And sometimes you run into a brewer that's very happy to simply make great beer on a small scale and do it in the best way possible.

Enter Bonsai, where that ethos is built into everything they are, from the name forward. Graham Hart is the Owner and Brewer at this Whitefish, MT house party/brewery, and he's very happy to run his business exactly as it is. Will he get bigger? Most likely. Does he care? What's in store for him, and for Montana? Press play and see, and many thanks to the Happy Hour Gal for camera duty. Enjoy!

Video 321, HOW TO: Grow your Brewery.

January 20, 2016

Or: Blackrocks Brewery, 5 years later.

First came the beer: Two home-brewing pals that made terrific beers in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Next came the Nano: The Happy Hour Guys first started following Blackrocks Brewery in Marquette, MI in late 2010, when Andy and Dave had taken the leap of faith and had a tiny 1 barrel Brewery, just out of the gate, impressing their community and regularly selling out of beer each week.

Then came the growth: Just 5 short years later, Blackrocks has changed incredibly: Join us at their production facility where they let us in on their personal (and highly specific) manifesto for Success in the Brewing Industry. Enjoy!

Video #320: Looking back on 2015 - to 300, and...

December 28, 2015

This is the 2015 version (and the 8th installment) of our Year End tradition, a look back at all of the places we've visited over the course of a sudsy / boozy year.

2015 was a coast to coast extravaganza, featuring stops from Maine to Northern California, with Texas, Montana, Colorado, New York Missouri and more in between.

Also, (no big deal here) we officially released and celebrated our 300th video episode this year!

So...now what? Click play for a look at a remarkable year.