The Grit City Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Mead”

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

GCP Media — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 07:45:00 -0700

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.

Gaming With Grief

GCP Media — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 04:00:00 -0800

Joe Carlson from the podcast Gaming with Grief sits down at the Union Club with the guys in this episode. Joe created the podcast after experiencing a tremendous amount of grief between 2016 and 2020. With it, he tries to examine gaming from a perspective of how it can help deal with grief and how grief is articulated into the game itself.

01:55 – Jeff shares what square GCP would be if they were on Hollywood Square, they talk about pre-funking, and Justin welcomes Joe to the podcast. Joe shares how often Game of Grief is published, being up to podcast 141, and where the idea for the podcast came from. He discusses what made him start the podcast, talks about getting the Play Sation 5, and questions the group on different ways of using cannabis. Justin talks about his love of playing Magic online, Jeff explains his preference for playing DND, and they discuss the local Tacoma DND group.

22:33 – Joe talks about trying to be positive on Twitter, Justin talks about "hate reading" tweets, and Scott talks about shutting off his social media. He talks about the live streaming on the Citizen app, Justin talks about using the police scanner on his phone, and the multiple cannabis stores that have been robbed recently in the PNW. Jeff talks about his t-shirt ideas for the show in March, they discuss the illegal marijuana farms that are still out there in the states where it's legal, and share their reviews of Mead.

47:05 – They jump into Jeff’s Capades, Jeff gives the ending to his recent car drama, and Joe talks about what he's branched off to with the podcast. He shares what makes the best episodes for the podcast, they talk about the different types of games made to deal specifically with grief, and what the most recent grief game is about. They talk about doom scrolling, Facebook's recent loss of billions of dollars, and Joe talks about expanding his podcast to Spotify.

67:17 – Joe talks about his appreciation for GCP, Justin gives a shout-out to the listener that runs the Ferrell Furniture program, and they discuss Washington easing up on the mask and vaccination mandates. Justin talks about where listeners can find Gaming with Grief online, Joe encourages listeners of his podcast to provide feedback, and Justin discusses GCP's upcoming plans. Scott share's where people can buy GCP t-shirts, Jeff talks about designing the shirts, and Justin promotes the local Shroom Brothers artists. They talk about potential teaming with paranormal groups in the PNW, and Joe talks about shutting off the flat earth episode.

Thanks Joe for joining the guys for a great conversation!

Special Guest: Joe Carlson.

GCP: SADurday Night Grit

GCP Media — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 04:00:00 -0800

Justin and Scott BS on this episode about great places around Tacoma back in the day, events happening in the area, and upcoming GCP guests.

01:36 – Robo Brogan joins the podcast, Justin talks about the haps at Cosmic Bottles during the Super Bowl, and gives a shout-out to Ivers. He talks about the varying levels of sushi places in Tacoma and the new t-shirts they got in. He talks about his venture to check out KVLT Mead, plans to get past guests back on the show, and what the guys with Chasing Ghosts has been up to. Scott share's what he's been up to, Justin talks about his past Puyallup bar crawls, and Scott explains the type of bar CaskCades is.

21:50 – Justin dives deeper into his recent visit to KVLT Mead, he and Scott talk about their past experiences with mead, and Justin talks about the ones he liked the most at KVLT. Scott talks about the pirate group in Tacoma, Justin suggests that they have pirates on the podcast, and the recent robbery at Mary Mart. He talks about the sale of Narrows Plaza Bowl, the alehouse across from it, and the drive-in that used to be behind B&I in Tacoma. He talks about going to B&I when they had Ivan the gorilla, what he's doing for Valentine's Day, and what's on the Valentine Course at Bar Bistro.

47:03 – Scott talks about the newest BBQ place he's found in Seattle, the fantastic meatloaf they have, and Justin talks about the delicious smoked meatloaf he's made. Justin reflects on another great past restaurant in Tacoma, Pizza and Pipes, other restaurants in the same spot after it closed, and they talk about the recent car that crashed into a Sizzler. Scott talks about the hilarious Mount Saint Helens on Twitter, why he hates driving, and Justin talks about Brogan's last visit to a Sizzler. Scott talks about his disappointment with The Outback Steakhouse, and fundraiser ideas for Mary Mart.

65:12 – They talk about planning to attend the upcoming Point Defiance Party for Polar bears, Fat Zach's pizza being there as well, and Scott talks about going to see Soulfly the following weekend. Justin talks about wanting to check out Little Radio, his excitement for podcasts coming up, and closes out this episode talking about the passing of the chef at Unique Bakery.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

Ivar's — Ivar’s calls the Pacific Northwest home
Chasing Ghosts, Ghost Chasers, Ghosts, Ghost Stories, Ghost Hunting — Chasing Ghosts. On Scooters. In Bars. Our meandering stories about ghosts, bars, and scooters. Sure, it's an odd combo, but trust us on this, it all makes sense.
2 men steal cash during armed robbery at Tacoma pot shop — Shot fired during armed robbery at Tacoma pot shop Thursday, police say
Apartment complex to replace University Place bowling center
Ivan the Gorilla is moved to a cage at the B&I Circus Store in Lakewood on March 4, 1967. - HistoryLink.org
Bar Bistro Tacoma — Bar Bistro proudly serves intriguing New American Cuisine, fusing northwest favorites with multi-cultural culinary methods.
Raney's Bar and Grill — The Raney family: Paul, Barbara & Tom, bring a fresh take on Northwest style BBQ and luscious burgers.
Car crashes into Lakewood restaurant; police investigating - Tacoma News Tribune — Car crashes through windows of Lakewood restaurant, driver leaves scene
Allison Needles visit with GCP — Allison Needles from the Tacoma News Tribune
Party for Polar Bears 2022! — Party for Polar Bears is back again this year and is just as exciting as ever! Dystopian State Brewing will be hosting us starting at 5pm, with 50 cents of every beverage will go toward our cause! This is a public and family friendly event!
Unique Bakery on Facebook — Family-owned French Pastry bakery. Veteran owned.
Little Radio (Tacoma, WA) — Located in the heart of downtown Tacoma's historic "Whiskey Row", Little Radio brings a nostalgic touch to the restaurant landscape of Pacific and 8th.

KVLT MEAD

GCP Media — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 10:00:00 -0800

On this episode, Jen Otis, co-owner of KVLT, sits down with the GCP guys. KVLT Mead is Tacoma's first meadery with a mead taproom! Each batch is hand-crafted and produced on-site with premium and local ingredients, including PNW Clover Honey, PNW sourced fruits, and Cascadian glacial waters. She and her fellow co-owner are rabid consumers of metal music and wanted a place of their own to celebrate their love of metal music and the culture that surrounds it. KVLT is located at 5011 S Washington St in Tacoma; visit their website, kvltmead.com, for operating hours.

00:00 – Brogan kicks off the episode talking about having to work the day before, Justin and Brogan compare their boat shoes, and Brogan talks about how easy it was to find them. Jen shares where KVLT is located, explains what mead is, and what mead's primary fermentable sugar is. She talks about how mead products are never exactly the same, the agriculture component to honey, and how more mead makers are entering the market. Justin talks about his first introduction to mead, Jen talks about what got her into making mead, and they reference Tacoma as the Oakland of Washington.

13:01 – Jen shares how mead in the PNW is often Viking-themed, her love of metal music, and Justin reflects on growing up on Jagermeister and Highlife. He talks about getting introduced to the drink Starry Night, Jen talks about the cost of the bottles, and how they commission local artists to design the art on their bottles. She talks about it being slow to catch on in the community, how she likes the idea of the business growing organically, and how she works to keep a positive atmosphere at the taproom.

26:35 – Jen talks about how difficult it was to open a business in Tacoma, the amount of taxes tied to selling alcohol, and their plans to open to the Oregon market. Brogan talks about the ease for Washington to sell alcohol in Oregon and how hard it is for Oregon to sell alcohol to Washington. She talks about the events she's doing in the area, hosting the traveling dark art market Market of The Beast, and the metal-themed belly dancing coming up at KVLT.

37:25 – Scott talks about the history behind The Clown Hotel in Nevada, Jen talks about suffering from sleep paralysis, and starting a new music project. She explains the meaning behind the name of her latest project, being involved in the Doom Hags on Facebook, and they talk about their favorite metal bands. Jen discusses the great metal bands in the PNW and closes out this podcast sharing the bands performing that night at KVLT.

Thanks, Jen, for joining the podcast and sharing your love for mead and metal!

Special Guest: KVLT MEAD.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

Kvlt Mead on Facebook
Kvlt (@kvltmead) on Instagram — "Revel in life through libations, live music, and friends who become family."
A dark market for the weird, wild, occult, and obscure — A traveling/ virtual dark art market for the weird, wild, occult and obscure.