Episodes
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A Short But Worthwhile Episode; Season 3.
This is a short but worthwhile episode. I don't have an interview, or even a theme, because frankly, I'm just overwhelmed. Dental work, packing up a house (not mine!), my duties as my aunt's executor, and starting a new season of What's Brewing PA has put me deep in the hole. But I'm not doing...
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Dive Bars In The Woods; Season 3, Episode 91
We went hunting dive bars in the Pennsylvania Wilds. My friends Dave and Rich went with me on a six bar tour of north-central PA. We hit Mountain Top & Provisions and Pat Reeder's Tavern in Haneyville, The Waldheim of Germania, the celebrated Perma Stone Inn in Galeton, Kinney's Country Store and...
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30 Years of Bullfrog Brewery! - Season 3, Episode 90
30 Years of Bullfrog Brewery! That should be all I need to say. The Bullfrog, Williamsport's oldest brewery (and best-known, until the incredible advent of New Trail), is an established icon of Billtown, seeming like it's been there on 4th Street forever. But as the interview with "originator"...
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Barrels in Snyder County; Season 3, Episode 89
They're making barrels in Snyder County! I think I told you this episode would be about some fun stuff we did and places we went in Philly and Rhode Island when we were celebrating our son Thomas's marriage to our new daughter-in-law, Shade Adekunle. You're probably still going to get some of…
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Oktoberfest: It's The Best! Season 3, Episode 88
John Trogner returns! With his brother Chris! The most popular episode we've ever run is still Number 3, our first holiday episode, that featured a lengthy interview with Tröegs Independent Brewing co-founder, John Trogner. We brought him back, with the other brewery co-founder, his brother Chris...
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Lewisburg: Not Named For Me! Season 3, Episode 87
It took me a while to find the right story for Lewisburg. Usually these town profiles center on a brewery, or a distillery, a chef, a candymaker. But this time, it's about a bookstore. I talked to Sarajane Snyder, the owner and inspiration at Mondragón Books, Lewisburg's community-supported...
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CAUGHT! The Elusive Pennsylvania Swankey!; S3, Episode 86
An almost extinct Pennsylvania beer, brought back from the brink! The Pennsylvania Swankey is a beer I've heard about for 30 years, but I never go to taste one until last week, when I interviewed Taylor Strein of Rosko's Brew House and William Wingfield of John Ryan Brewery, two small and…
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Sabatini's: The Best Beer Bar You've Never Heard Of; Season 3, Episode 85
Have you ever heard of Sabatini's, in Exeter, PA? Sabatini's might be the best relatively unknown beer bar in the East. An unassuming pizzeria with a bar and bottleshop annex across the parking lot offers a ridiculously great tap selection, and around 3,000 different bottles of beer: import,...
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A Wedding Postponement (with a Drink!); Season 3 add'l
The time crunch has arrived. I've been warning you that I may need to take a break to fit everything in; it's a jam-packed summer for me. I'm trying to get a new whiskey book done on a very short deadline, and my son Tom is getting married at the end of August, and we've got a wedding shower in...
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The Purple Lizards of the Grand Canyon! Season 3, Episode 84
Remember how I said it was mostly about food and drink? This episode is about the amazing outdoor recreation opportunities in central Pennsylvania. I talked to a guy who's arguably one of the foremost experts on the topic, who's also done a lot of work on outdoor recreation in the American West,...
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Hershey: Don't Say Chocolate! - Season 3, Episode 83
There's a lot more in Hershey than Chocolate! Hershey is a company town, named for Milton S. Hershey, the chocolate man who built a candy empire, and a thriving town that's one of the top tourist attractions in Pennsylvania...with a 4th grade education. It's an amazing story, but after I've told...
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The Port of Hollidaysburg; Season 3, Episode 82
Destination: The Port of Hollidaysburg! Landlocked Hollidaysburg sits just south of Altoona. The only waterway is the Beaverdam Branch of the Juniata River, maybe 30 feet wide at this point...a port? 190 years ago...yes! Hollidaysburg was a big canal town at the heart of the Pennsylvania Canal...
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Prince Farrington, Central PA's Most Famous Bootlegger; Season 3, Episode 81
Some Central Pennsylvania Moonshining History for you! Prince Farrington was the man to know in central Pennsylvania during Prohibition. With a network of 30-odd stills in ghost towns, stone donuts, and The Florida Fruit Farm, this North Carolina transplant and his perpetually angry wife Martha…
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Reedsville Revival...Kitchen; Season 3, Episode 80
Part II of The Big Valley: Reedsville, and Revival Kitchen! Reedsville sits at the northern, downstream end of the Kish Valley, where the Kishocoquillas Creek runs down through the Mann Narrows to the Juniata. There in Reedsville, tiny Reedsville, is Revival Kitchen, a surprisingly good…
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Just say "Kish"; the Big Valley: Season 3, Episode 79
Another episode I've been wanting to do: The Big Valley, the Kish Valley! The Big Valley is about 45 minutes southeast of State College, an hour from Harrisburg. It's an idyllic rural paradise of farms, markets, restaurants, and small food producers. And the engine that keeps it running is Kish...
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Cedar Ridge and Shenandoah Valley; Season 3, Episode 78
This episode is not about central PA...but it does have an excellent interview at a pioneering craft distillery that makes one of my favorite American Single Malt whiskies, and some great beer content, so stick around! Back in October, while I was doing my Midwest tour in support of my new book...
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Kane, A Star In The Forest; Season 3, Episode 77
My grandfather bought a nail file in Kane, PA almost 100 years ago. I still have it...but I'd never been to Kane. Turns out I really should have! Kane, "the star in the forest," is another small central PA town that punches above its weight. There's the iconic Texas Hot Lunch (I interviewed owner...
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The Great Sam Komlenic! Season 3, Episode 76
In 2026, how do you introduce a man who has next to no online presence? Sam Komlenic (pronounced "kom-LEN-ick") is not unknown. He's arguably the foremost historian of Pennsylvania rye whiskey, and has been quoted a number of times in major publications as such. He's been the copy editor of…
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A Big, Rich, Bowl of Stew; Season 3, Episode 75
How about a nice hot bowl of stew? Stew means a lot to me, and I'll bet most of you like a good bowl of beef stew, or chili, or goulash. Or maybe some ratatouille? How about some good Belgian waterzooi, or a Polish bigos, or a plate of Thai curry? A bowl of grits and étouffée at the Elk Creek…
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Northumberland and Sunbury; the Confluence of the Susquehanna; Season 3, Episode 74
We return to a place we haven't seen since Episode 1, back when I had no idea what I was doing, in order to do Northumberland and Sunbury the right way. Northumberland and Sunbury are getting the full treatment they deserve, over three years after I first stumbled through them. History…
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Shamokin, A Coal Town; Season 3, Episode 73
Join me on a journey deep into the reaches of the Coal Patch, following the anthracite trail to...Shamokin! I didn't think I'd do a coal country episode when I started the podcast, but Shamokin kept coming up (mostly because listener Jay Zalewski kept telling me about things in Shamokin), and…
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Great Whiskey, Great Story; Season 3, Episode 72
Holidays are over! Back to normal! Well, kind of. I'll admit, I was kind of tired after the holidays: eating, drinking, staying up late. traveling, playing games (had a LOT of fun playing The Chameleon, a gift from our friends the Gallups, thanks for that!), and all that holiday stuff. So there's...
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Post-Christmas Coffee Break; Season 3, Episode 71
Oh, hey. Hi. Have a good Christmas? Me too. Got up early, stayed up late, right? So I'm here with a whole bunch of coffee drinks to get going this morning! I didn't know what to do for a relaxed post-Christmas episode, and then I remembered this interview with John Mleziva of State Line…
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Holidays 2025 Part II: Christmas, Charity, Cookies, and Cathy, Season 3, Episode 70
It's the SECOND Smack-Dab Center of the Holidays episode for 2025! This episode features an interview with Shila Ulrich, the CEO of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. We talk about the best food and drink all year, but I wanted to helping the people who are focused on simply finding enough to…
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Smack-dab Center of the Holidays Part I: Ring in the Mifflinburg! Season 3, Episode 69
It's the FIRST Smack-Dab Center of the Holidays episode, a town profile of Mifflinburg! The holiday episode is about...Mifflinburg? Yes! For a couple reasons, but the biggest one is the Mifflinburg Christkindl Market, the annual recreation of an authentic German Christmas market on Market Street....
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Happy Thanksgiving 2025!
Yeah, no real episode. This is just a little talk about what I'm doing on Thanksgiving, and a reminder that this week's episode will drop in TWO DAYS, on Saturday, because of the holiday. See you then!
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Wild Food and Thanksgiving; Season 2, Episode 68
Thanksgiving is coming, so here's a food show, and a family Thanksgiving side recipe, and "shop local" holiday advice! "Wild Food"? That's right, this is the FORAGING episode! I interviewed two foragers, both friends of mine here in Penns Valley: forester Andrea Ferich and my friend and pinochle...
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It's Pronounced "Lititz" - Season 2, Episode 67
Finally! A Lancaster County episode, about "America's Coolest Small Town," "Pennsylvania's Best Small Town To Retire In," a place with "a downtown dripping with charm": Lititz, Pennsylvania. I grew up not far away, and I'm pretty familiar with Lititz. For instance, Josh Kauffman, the brewer I...
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The Wolfe is Loose! Season 2, Episode 66
THE WOLFE IS LOOSE!! Erik Wolfe, that is. I sat down with Stoll & Wolfe distillery co-owner/founder/distiller Erik Wolfe a couple weeks ago when we did an American Whiskey Master Class event there. I wanted to get his thoughts on a number of things, and as usual, I had a whole page of questions…
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Who REALLY Owns OIP?! Season 2, Episode 65
THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED!! It's something that's bothered me for years: who owns the Original Italian Pizza shops?! They're all over central PA, dozens of them, all pretty similar, but all a little bit different. Thanks to a tip from Shy Bear's Jason Ufema, I got to interview John Pannizzo, the son…
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Shy Bear, Loose Goose: Season 2, Episode 64
Wherein we return to Lewistown and Shy Bear for another interview with podcast inspiration Jason Ufema to get the straight skinny on what's going on with their Hershey satellite operation. Shy Bear Brewing owner Jason Ufema was only the fourth person I interviewed for the show, and the quality of...
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PA Wines: A Drink of Traminette -- Season 2, Episode 63
After three years, we finally have an episode on Pennsylvania wines. I discovered Traminette, a delicious white wine grape, and it was time to press on! Pennsylvania has over 400 wineries! So it's definitely time to talk about them. I responded to this by talking about one grape: Traminette. I...
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Fresh, Local, Made From Scratch: Central PA's Independent Grocers, Season 2, Episode 62
When your central PA town is too small to get the attention of Wegmans, or Giant, or Weis, it's time for a local hero: the independent grocer! Rural Pennsylvanians need to eat too, and we like variety just as much as city-dwellers. Luckily, just like with craft brewers, and small butchers,...
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"I Call It FunCannon!" Season 2, Episode 61
You've got to do what I finally did this episode, and get off the highways that bypass the town of Duncannon, sitting just downstream of the confluence of the Juniata and the Susquehanna. Why? As a local bartender told me, "I call it FunCannon!" This episode came together in about a day and a…
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Gettysburg: After the Battle: Season 2, Episode 60
You all know about the Battle of Gettysburg, so we're not talking about that. Instead, I'm jumping right into the town before the battle (a little bit of history, some of it is still around today), and the town today, which is a huge tourist attraction that tends to be a little less touristy than...
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The Biggest Thing In Tipton; Season 2, Episode 59
What's the Biggest Thing In Tipton? America's oldest family-owned pasta sauce maker, DelGrosso Foods! The DelGrosso family has been making pasta sauce in Tipton for over 75 years, and running their amusement park even longer. Joe and Michael DelGrosso tell me the stories behind this; the love...
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Zeno's and Chumley's, State College Icons: Season 2, Episode 58
One interview, two absolutely iconic central PA bars: Zeno's, and Chumley's. I got an interview with Ellen Braun, who is the general manager of Zeno's, the bar that brought great beer to State College; and also the general manager of Chumley's, the bar that has quietly (and sometimes not so...
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Huntingdon: the Standing Stone, Season 2, Episode 57
It's another OG Beer Bar interview with a real original: Paula Seguin of Boxer's Cafe in Huntingdon, serving craft beer since 1991! I went down to Huntingdon to get the interview and have a beer at one of the most welcoming bars I know, and wound up with more than I'd planned: barbecue,...
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At Long Last: Barbecue! Season 2, Episode 56
It's "barbecue," but you know...if you spell it "barbeque," or "BBQ," or "Bar-b-que," it's gonna taste just as good! I got an interview with my man Dave Graham of Graham's Up In Smoke in Philipsburg. Dave's got opinions about barbecue, and that's 100% cool, because he makes excellent barbecue:...
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Interview With The Bartender; Season 2, Episode 55
When you tell me who to interview, I listen. Who should I interview, I asked folks on Facebook. What central PA creators would you like to hear from? And one of the most asked-for names was Sc'eric Horner, the bartender at Pine Grove Hall in Pine Grove Mills, PA. He's a regular on top bartender...
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Why My Water Tastes So Good; Season 2, Episode 54
Our water tastes great in Millheim. Wanna know why? Trout. Trout fishing is a very big deal in central PA, from the Yellow Breeches Creek in Cumberland County, to Cedar Run in Lycoming County, the Little Juniata, and Centre County's Spruce, Spring, and Penns Creeks. I talked to a pair of young...
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Tasty in the Wilds: Season 2, Episode 53
I went way out in the Pennsylvania Wilds, up in elk country (not Elk County), to interview a couple who make salad dressings and ship them across the country. Village Eatinghouse dressings...or are they sauces? Marinades? Whatever they are, they're delicious and versatile, and they're made here…
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Salmon? In Central PA?! Season 2, Episode 52
No, there isn't a salmon run on the Susquehanna, but you CAN get really fresh (frozen) salmon in central PA! A couple episodes back, we talked about the five pound box of frozen haddock. This time, I talked to the people who actually catch sockeye salmon (and rockfish, and cod, and the big king...
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On The Rails To Danville; S2, Episode 51
Yes, it's about Danville. No, it's not because I had to go to Geisinger! I've been going to Danville for years, almost always for the same reason: to go to Old Forge Brewing. And that's what I did this time, to interview owners Damien and Maria Malfara. I also went to the two coffee roasters in...
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Bottled in Bond Day; a Shot and a Beer; S2, Episode 50
Happy Bottled in Bond Day! Yes, it's another whiskey episode, for a variety of reasons, and there's a chunk of beer as well, so it's kind of a boilermaker episode, if you will. I got hold of Al Laws, the founder and owner of the Laws Whiskey House in Denver. I told you about visiting there back…
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More Whiskey Business; Season 2, Episode 49
Back to Michigan for Part II of Whiskey Business! I have a great interview for you with Bill Welter, the owner of Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan. I got this interview the same day (in the same room) as the one from episode 46 with Marty Duffy. Bill's got some stories about starting...
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Valentine's Day & Such: Season 2, Episode 48
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so here we are with a candymaker interview! Have you ever driven past the small Purity Candy building on Rt. 15, between Lewisburg and Williamsport? I have, but I finally stopped, and learned that the candy is terrific. I got an interview with...
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"Cheesesteak" Is One Word: Season 2, Episode 47
It's "cheesesteak," not "cheese steak," and certainly not "Philly cheese steak"! I got an interview with Pat Romano of the We Are Inn restaurant and motel in Philipsburg. Pat's got opinions about cheesesteaks, and Philly roast pork sandwiches, and management, and...Pat's got opinions. He's also...
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Whiskey Business! Season 2, Episode 46
Hey, I'm back! And I brought whiskey! I know, I know, I've been away a long time. Three months? Really? That long? Well...a lot happened, and I'll tell you about it, but briefly: had to drop everything to deal with wrapping up writing my next book, and then I lost my voice. Yeah, imagine that.…
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The Stone Fence Episode (Season 2)
The Stone Fence Episode? Yeah, I'm up against it with this book project. I didn't get the "here's what it's like writing a book" episode done, but then I remembered that I had a recording of the rye whiskey and cider talk I took part in back in April down at Ploughman Cider in Gettysburg (Thanks,...