Episode 398

GCP: Hangover Sunday - Beer Fest, Carrot Dogs & Nuclear Wings

August 19th, 2026

1 hr 10 mins 40 secs

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altoona pizza strange food hangover sunday gcp weekend recap nuclear wings hot wings barbecue sauce peanut butter potato chip sandwich american cheese cincinnati spaghetti cincinnati chili craft breweries microbreweries porchfest minnesota professional disc golf disc golf 1-855-474-8272 grit city podcast hotline beer festival stories beer tasting black and tan beer braggot cider mead ipa hazy ipa washington craft beer craft beer washington beer festival tumwater washington tumwater beer fest 2026 tumwater artesian beer fest

About this Episode

The Grit City Podcast crew is back with another Hangover Sunday, and this week's episode proves once again that a simple weekend recap can go almost anywhere.

Jeff, Scott, Mike and C-Note kick things off by talking about the podcast itself. After years of making Grit City episodes, the crew has noticed a major increase in listeners, with downloads reportedly tripling over the previous month and a half. They take a moment to thank the longtime listeners, welcome the newcomers and remind everyone about the Grit City Discord, Patreon and the growing collection of classic episodes.

Then Jeff gets into the main event: the 2026 Tumwater Artesian Beer Fest.

Jeff spent the weekend hanging out with friends, including Ken Carlson, before heading into the festival. The group wasn't exactly made up of professional beer drinkers, but that didn't stop them from sampling the local scene. The festival featured beer, cider, mead and plenty of fruit-forward drinks, including strawberry, huckleberry, watermelon basil and blueberry offerings.

There was also plenty of food. Puget Sound Pizza gets a shout-out for serving enormous slices, while the guys discuss barbecue, food trucks and eventually making a stop for ice cream afterward. Being the designated driver wasn't a bad deal either, with discounted admission and free non-alcoholic drinks and snacks.

The weather also played a role. What was expected to be an overcast day turned sunny and hot, leaving people baking in the unexpected Northwest sunshine. Fortunately, the crew had a solution: food, drinks and eventually ice cream.

Jeff also puts the Grit City hotline to work with some genuine on-location reporting. Festival attendees check in with their names and what they're drinking, giving listeners a little taste of the event directly from the crowd.

Of course, no Hangover Sunday would be complete without several completely unrelated detours.

The crew revisits some classic Grit City history, including the early days of the podcast, old sponsors, conventions and a bizarre story involving a giant carrot costume that apparently looked enough like a hot dog to cause some confusion.

From there, the conversation travels into the world of strange internet rabbit holes before landing on something much more wholesome: professional disc golf. The guys discover just how serious the professional disc golf world has become, including a major tournament at The Preserve.

Eventually, naturally, they return to beer.

The crew debates hazy IPAs, traditional IPAs, hops, yeast, fruit flavors and the difference between craft beer and the kind of "garage beer" people drink when they aren't thinking too hard about what they're drinking.

And then the conversation takes a hard turn toward food.

A bizarre peanut butter, potato chip, barbecue sauce and pita bread creation gets discussed with the seriousness of a culinary crime investigation. The guys then move into an argument over American cheese before somehow landing on Cincinnati chili spaghetti and the strange combination of spices—including cinnamon and cloves—that goes into it.
Finally, the episode reaches its logical conclusion: incredibly hot wings.

The crew remembers a meal involving wings so brutally spicy that everyone eventually gave up. One person even managed to rub the sauce into his eyes, turning an already painful meal into a full-blown disaster.

Beer festivals, disc golf, carrot costumes, craft beer debates, bizarre sandwiches, Cincinnati chili and nuclear-level wings.

It's another weekend in the world of Grit City—and another perfectly chaotic Hangover Sunday.

00:00 – Cold Open Chaos
The episode starts with the usual Grit City technical confusion before the intro.
01:18 – Welcome to Hangover Sunday
Jeff, Scott, Mike and C-Note kick things off and admit everyone had a big weekend.
02:13 – Grit City Is Growing
The crew thanks listeners after noticing downloads have roughly tripled over the previous month and a half.
03:11 – The Grit City Archives
A look back at the show's older interview episodes, the early days of podcasting, and recording interviews in the back of bars.
05:53 – Old Episodes Become Local History
The guys talk about people and businesses from the early Grit City days that aren't around anymore.
06:04 – The E.J. O'Donnell Story
A conversation about one of Grit City's longtime sticker partners and how one former contact went on to build a successful business.
07:47 – Call the Grit City Hotline
The crew promotes the listener hotline and talks about the new AI-generated jingles.
10:46 – Tumwater Artesian Beer Fest 2026
Scott recaps his weekend at the Tumwater Artesian Beer Fest and hanging out with Ken Carlson and friends.
11:19 – Ken Carlson, Beer & A Very Reluctant Beer Drinker
The crew talks about Ken, his work, his writing, and bringing a reluctant beer drinker along for the festival.
12:26 – DD Discount, Pizza & Festival Food
Being the designated driver has its perks, including cheaper admission, free non-alcoholic drinks and snacks.
14:10 – Ice Cream Saves the Day
The crew discovers the simple beauty of post-festival ice cream—and the heat starts becoming a problem.
15:19 – On-Scene Reporting from Tumwater
Scott talks about calling into the Grit City hotline from the festival and getting some real-time reactions.
16:21 – Live from the Beer Fest
Festival-goers check in with their names and drinks, including strawberry cider, huckleberry cider, watermelon basil cider and blueberry jam ale.
17:25 – The "Jimmathy" Problem
The guys discover a suspiciously named drink and debate whether they're comfortable with it.
18:42 – How to Do a Proper Grit City Check-In
The crew explains the strategy behind approaching strangers at events and getting them on the hotline.
19:07 – Fruit Beers, Mead & the Steam Mule
A deep dive into the festival's flavored drinks, huckleberry mead and one particularly questionable-sounding "Steam Mule."
20:22 – Wristbands, Sunshine & Camp Stamp Cameras
The guys discuss the festival's wristband system, unexpected sunshine and Scott's photography setup.
22:28 – Mead, Cider & Braggot
A stop at Acorn Brewing leads to a discussion about mead, cider, beer and the mysterious hybrid drink known as braggot.
23:13 – What Exactly Is a Black & Tan?
A quick beer education session turns into another Grit City tangent.
24:58 – The Giant Carrot That Looked Like a Hot Dog
An old workplace story involving a giant carrot costume somehow looking like a hot dog.
25:32 – The Night Side Distillery Days
The crew remembers an old sponsor, conventions and a particularly memorable case of flavored vodka.
26:02 – The Carrot Incident Explained
The legendary carrot story gets the full treatment.
29:00 – The Internet Rabbit Hole
The conversation turns toward strange online rabbit holes and the kind of stories that always seem to end with demons, dimensions and doom.
33:26 – Disc Golf Has a Pro League?!
The crew discovers just how serious professional disc golf has become, including a tournament at The Preserve.
34:00 – Skip Aces & the Disc Golf Tour
A surprisingly enthusiastic discussion about professional disc golf and Minnesota's top courses.
40:00 – Minnesota, Family & Pay-What-You-Can Events
The conversation shifts into Minnesota culture, family stories and the idea of events using donation-based admission.
45:57 – PorchFest, Conventions & Finding Something to Do Every Month
The guys discuss PorchFest, local events and the dream of having enough business-related excuses to attend conventions constantly.
46:50 – Are Microbreweries Disappearing?
A conversation about the changing craft beer scene and the future of small breweries.
50:00 – Hazy IPAs & Why They Taste Fruity
The crew debates IPAs, hazy IPAs, hops, yeast and why some beers taste more like citrus than traditional beer.
56:35 – Midwest Beer vs. Garage Beer
A discussion about regional beer preferences and the idea of a "garage beer."
57:28 – The IPA Weekend
The guys admit the conversation has basically become an extended beer discussion.
59:59 – The Peanut Butter, Potato Chip & BBQ Sauce Situation
A bizarre food combination involving peanut butter, potato chips, barbecue sauce and pita bread gets put on trial.
01:02 – American Cheese Controversy
The crew debates American cheese, melted cheese and whether American cheese belongs anywhere near pizza.
01:03 – Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti
The conversation turns to Cincinnati chili, spaghetti and the surprisingly complicated ingredients involved.
01:04 – Spaghetti vs. Chili: The Family Food Debate
A discussion about childhood food traditions turns into another culinary argument.
01:08 – Nuclear Wings
The guys remember an encounter with brutally hot wings that eventually defeated everyone at the table.
01:09 – The Food Disaster Files
The episode closes with stories about bad restaurant experiences and the strange food-related luck of the Grit City crew.

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