Beer And Conversation With Pigweed And Crowhill

P&C drink and review "Oaked Vanilla Porter" by Sam Adams, then discuss isolationism (starting at 3:57). They start off with a general definition, then talk about the history of isolationism in American politics -- from the earliest days. Americans don't like "entangling alliances." Or at least they say they don't. There's been a strong current of isolationism in American politics since the beginning. Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe created the three pillars of American policy: neutrality, unilateralism, and non-intervention. Also, even though we are a "nation of immigrants," we've had extended periods where we didn't allow almost any immigration. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor pretty much ended isolationism in the United States. Now, the term "isolationist" is used as a slur, but it's become more popular because we're sick of sending our boys to die for other people's problems. As with Pearl Harbor, the attack on

P&C drink and review Paulaner's Salvator, which is a delicious dopplebock, then review the new movie "Lady Ballers" (starting at 4:08). The right claims that the left has been taking over the culture. The good folk at The Daily Wire have decided to start making movies to challenge the left's hegemony in this area. Movies from the right are often poor quality and preachy. The Daily Wire has raised the bar considerably. "Lady Ballers" makes fun of the absolute insanity of allowing men to compete in women's sports. A group of washed up, former high school basketball stars pretend they're women and completely dominate women's basketball. It's not the greatest comedy, but it gets some decent laughs and it makes a very important point. The media has mostly refused to even acknowledge that the movie exists, and when they do review it they simply cite one or two comments online. E.g., "One reviewer said ..."

The boys review Crowhill's 2023 Christmas beer, then discuss a short story from James Joyce. Pigweed starts off with some biographical information about Joyce, and how "The Dead" fits into his collected works. The story was finished in 1907. Gabriel Conroy is the main character, and we see some of the action through his eyes. The whole story takes places in one snowy evening. It might have been the feast of Epiphany. The hosts have an annual musical celebration. Joyce sets up a lot of expectations for possible tension that never come to fruition. The actual tension doesn't appear until fairly late in the story, and it's completely unexpected. Conroy is the responsible man at the party. He carves the goose. He sits at the head of the table. He gives a speech. He's a kind, educated man who is sensitive to other people's needs and does what's expected. Half way through the story you're wondering when people are going to start dying. It is "The Dead" aft

The boys drink and review Winter Storm, "a Category 5 ale" from Heavy Seas, then discuss populism in the U.S., and the career of Javier Milei. Most politicians want to appear as an ordinary, regular person -- at least when they're campaigning -- but a "populist" adds a critical element of a contrast between the people and the elite establishment, whom they ridicule or demonize. Populism might become more prevalent when there's more of a disparity between the rulers and the common man. Populism is not left-wing or right-wing. Donald Trump is a populist, but so is Bernie Sanders. Populists appeal directly to the people and tend to bypass the establishment. Left-wing populism has an economic focus and emphasizes economic and class struggle. They talk about redistributing resources, and are against corporations. Right-wing populism has more of a focus on cultural and nationalistic issues. It tends to be anti immigrant. There seems to have been more right-wing populism recently. T

The boys drink and review Pigweed's holiday beer, then discuss a few odd stories from Hans Christian Anderson (starting at 4:33). Although he wrote a lot of other works, it's the fairy tales that made Anderson famous. Some of them are very well known, like The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina, The Emperor's New Clothes, and others. P&C aren't interested in these, but in Anderson's weirder stories, so they review and discuss "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Traveling Companion," and "The Tinder Box." But in the spirit of the holidays they also review some of his Christmas stories: The Little Match Girl and The Fir Tree.

The boys drink and review Anchor's Christmas beer, then discuss diversity. Note: this is an older show from the archives. Is diversity our strength? That's what the political elite tell us. But is that true? Diversiity has a very American sound. It reminds us of the saying on the statue of liberty, and reminds us that we're a nation of immigrants. But the word has become a cudgel. When Trump decided he would address the number one concern of voters -- the border -- the left used "diversity" as a weapon against him. The reality is that diversity isn't a value. It's just a description. Diversity in and of itself doesn't make something better or worse. We care about outcomes, not the diversity of the people who bring about that outcome. Also, "diversity" is very narrow. It's been limited to sex, race, and sexual orientation. There are hundreds of other ways to categorized people. Why aren't they part of the "diversity" cult? What it really mea

The boys drink and review Crowhill's Tavern Ale, then discuss the international outcry over the Flashman Incident. Some stories, like this one by Hunter Allen, seem like they should stay local, but every once in a while a story catches fire and spreads across the nation. That's what happened when Bob dropped off an old book in the local tiny library. Day 1 -- Bob drops off the book. Pedro picks up "Flashman," by George McDonald Frazier, which is one of the books Bob dropped off. Day 2 -- Pedro takes the book to school, where Ms. Hughes sees it and discovers it's not appropriate for someone of Pedro's age. She asked where he got it, and he said "the library." Ms. Hughes assumed he meant the school library and posts her complaint to Facebook. Day 3 -- Social media explodes and demands that the school librarian be fired. Day 4 -- Twitter can't decide whether to blame Pedro for failing to report the book, but decided to blame his parents instead. Day 5 -- Both of Ped

The boys drink and review Jailbreak's Hey Porter, then discuss the life and career of a famous decolonizer, Francisco Macias Nguema. Equatorial Guinea was colonized by the Spanish. Nguema started his career as a mid-level civil servant with the Spanish government. He was corrupt from the beginning, but maintained a good relationship with the Spanish. When the tides turned and anti-colonialist sentiment grew, he saw his opportunity and ran for president. The Spanish supported him because they thought he was on their side. He started off with a very aggressive campaign to rid the country of anything from the Spaniards. He renamed cities and streets, and he attacked anything that was deemed a consequence of the colonists. That included education, medicine, bread -- even wearing glasses. It was a disaster. Nguema went from bad to worse and became one of the chief bastards in African history. Modern "decolonizers" should pay heed.

The boys drink and review Anderson Valley Brewing Company's Winter Solstice Ale, then discuss Freemasonry. How do you learn about a secret society without becoming a member? It's hard to know what to believe about them. Still, P&C did their best to find the essential details. Stone mason guilds started to have outsized political power and started to admit people who weren't stone masons. The organization grew in numbers and power, and was very influential in the founding of the United States. They became closely associated with Englightenment thinking and promoted the ideas of rationality and science. One of their mottos is to "make good men better." But what does it mean to be a mason? What about all their spooky rituals? And why is the Catholic Church against them? The boys discuss.

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Witness Tree Nut Brown Ale from Antietam Brewery, then discuss Crowhill's recent trip to the UAE. While Saudi Arabia dominates the Arabian peninsula, a couple smaller nations squeeze their way in, including UAE. After reviewing a bit of history and geography, the boys discuss Crowhill’s experiences in Abu Dhabi. Crowhill had three goals for his trip. Swim in the Persian Gulf, visit the Grand Mosque, and eat some weird local food. The boys discuss how the UAE maintains a national identity when only about 11 percent of the population is local. They’ve imported most of their citizens, but they still maintain a national culture and identity.

The boys drink and review Brooklyn Brewery's Winter IPA, then discuss the rich men (north of Richmond) who want to tell us how to live and control every aspect of our lives. Seamus Bruner recently wrote a book called Controligarchs about how the super-rich want to tell all the rest of us how to live. Bruner singles out five on his book cover: Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Klaus Schwab, and George Soros. Noticeably absent is Elon Musk, who seems to be supporting personal freedom rather than top-down dominance. (Which is why the media hates him.) The controligarchs think they have the right and responsibility to tell us what to eat, what to drive, what to think, what to say, how to educate our children, how to spend our money .... "You'll eat bugs and you'll like it." Unfortunately, the population doesn't have the courage or integrity to tell them where to stuff it. As long as we have our cable TV and cheap food that can be delivered in less than 30 minutes, we'

With special guest Longinus, the boys drink and review Saranac Caramel Porter, then discuss Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's as part of their "shortcut to the classics" series. They start with a quick bio of Truman Capote, then dig in to the novella. The story is set in WW2, and it's important to get the movie out of your head before you read the book. Holly Golightly is the star of the book. She's a young woman who uses men for their money. It's not clear if she's more call girl or escort or just "woman about town." But she's an amoral little sprite who does what she needs to do to enjoy life and live in the style she has come to expect. The boys disagree about how to evaluate her morals. It's a delightful story with a few interesting themes.

The boys drink and review Local 1605, a red ale from Antietam Brewery, then discuss McCarthyism. Since "The Crucible," we tend to associate the Salem witch trials with Joseph McCarthy and his work with the committee on anti-American activities. After doing a show on the Salem Witch trials (see episode 367), P&C wondered if it's appropriate to link witch trials to Joseph McCarthy and his anti-communist crusade. The analogy works in some respects and not in others. * There were false accusations in both cases. * In both cases, to be accused was bad enough. * In both cases, you could get out by accusing other people. * "Justice" was corrupted by mob hysteria in both cases. * However, there were no witches or witchcraft in Salem, but there were communists in the United States. The "red scare" was legit. There was a fight to the death between communism and the west. But that doesn't justify McCarthy's methods to root out that threat. P&C provide a brief re

P&C drink and review "The Fear" -- an imperial pumpkin ale from Flying Dog -- then discuss surveillance. How should we live in an environment where everything we say is being recorded? Why shouldn't the government be able to do "routine checks" on citizens? We don't have anything to hide, do we? And if you're breaking the law, or a risk to others, don't we want to find out before you do something horrible? Why do we have a presumption of innocence? What's the point? The boys discuss the basic principles, but also delve into the issues raised by Snowden and others who uncovered secret government surveillance.

The boys drink and review a hazy IPA from Sam Adams, then discuss the opioid crisis and big pharma. Corporations are not necessarily evil. As a rule, they do important work that provides a service people are happy to pay for. But from time to time you get some bad eggs. The Sackler family is an example. They took advantage of a new class of drug, and new thinking about how to manage pain, and lied and cheated their way to riches. They convinced the medical community that opioids weren't addictive. (Based on one questionable study.) Doctors began prescribing opioids more than they should have, and a lot of people got addicted. It's a sad tale with lots of villains and victims. The boys give it a fun and sometimes humorous review.

The boys drink and review Warlock, a pumpkin imperial stout, then discuss the Salem witch trials. In this gripping podcast, Pigweed and Crowhill delve into the chilling history of the Salem witch trials. Join us as we unravel the mysteries, uncover the accused, and explore the dark trials that shook the heart of colonial America. Discover the truth behind the hysteria that still haunts Salem to this day. The Salem witch trials were a series of events that occurred in 1692 in colonial Massachusetts. They involved mass hysteria and accusations of witchcraft, resulting in the execution of 20 people, mainly women. The trials were marked by religious fervor, paranoia, and false accusations, ultimately revealing the dangers of unchecked superstition and fear in society. What role does Calvinism and predestination play in all of this? Did it provide a particularly fertile soil for hysteria about witches? The Puritans came to America believing they could start a new life, and a better society as the chosen peo

The boys drink and review Captain Crowhill Abbey Ale, then discuss the recent spectacle of college students defending Hamas. The conversation starts with a few assumptions. * Israel exists * It has a right to exist * It has a right to defend itself Why have there been so many ugly rallies in support of Hamas, and why have the universities been so silent about it. If you misgender someone on a college campus, that's the end of you. But if you call for genocide against the Jews, that's free speech. These protestors divide the world between oppressor and oppressed, and somehow the Jews -- possibly the most persecuted people in the history of the planet -- are designated "oppressors." If you're oppressed, colonized, marginalized, "of color," etc., you're automatically the good guy from the standpoint of the idiot left.

Along with literary contributor Longinus, the boys drink and review Dark Usher, then discuss two short stories from Lovecraft: Shadow Over Innsmouth and the Call of Cthulu. In "The Shadow over Innsmouth," a man visits the decaying New England town of Innsmouth and discovers its inhabitants' disturbing alliance with aquatic beings, the Deep Ones. As he delves deeper into their sinister secrets, he faces terror and the looming threat of a transformation into one of them. "The Call of Cthulhu" unravels a cosmic horror as the protagonist pieces together accounts of a monstrous entity, Cthulhu, who lies dormant beneath the ocean. Cults worldwide revere this ancient, nightmarish being, awaiting the moment when it will awaken to usher in worldwide chaos. The story unfolds through a series of interconnected narratives, leaving readers with a profound sense of dread about the insignificance of humanity in the face of cosmic forces.

The boys drink and review a no-alcohol porter, then discuss five topics in about 5 minutes each. #1. Gender-reveal dad. From a YouTube video -- This poor fellow was obviously a captive. You could see it in his face. But it wasn't about a baby, it was about some kid transitioning. It was horrifying. It seemed pretty obvious the man was going along with an ultimatum from his wife. "Support me on this or suffer." #2. Means-tested speeding tickets. A Finnish man participating in a strange combination of the Iditerod and a race across the country gets a speeding ticket that was "means tested" based on his salary. His fine was $62,000 for driving 10mph over the speed limit. Because he was wealthy. #3. Why is nobody covering the Epstein sex scandal? Supposedly there's a list of elites who took advantage of Epstein's ... hospitality (at the expense of underaged girls). But nobody will touch it -- not the media, not the government, not the feminists. #4. Our broken culture. We h

The boys drink and review yet another non-alcoholic beer, then discuss Ted Kaczynski, aka The Unabomber, who recently died in prison. He was a genius. He skipped two grades, went to Harvard, and studied advanced mathematics. Unfortunately, he was an evil genius. Ted was a quirky guy who decided that technology and industrial society had to be destroyed. He worked for a few years to raise enough money to live in a shack in Montana. From there he started his terrorist bombing campaign. His crimes spanned from 1978 to 1995, with a 5-year gap in the middle. He got caught after his manifesto was published and his brother saw similarities between the manifesto and the ravings and letters of his brother.