The Pint Taken Podcast

Back in the saddle and tackling some tasty tidbits in this episode.(4:55) - Sampling of "Fruit Helmet" IPA from Bellwoods in Toronto (a collab with Evil Twin in New York City)(8:23) - Sampling of "Sud" Root Beer Stout from Farm League in Cambridge(13:03) - Mike’s Beer Adventures covering a juicy order from Sidewalk Beer Shop(22:40) - Drew’s Beer Adventures covering the I Heart Beer Festival in Ottawa and delicious orders from Blood Brothers and Dominion City(38:16) - A very strict warning to those very same Blood Brothers regarding their "Passion of the Spice" release(43:32) - A few unfortunate brewery closures :((51:15) - One of the greatest discoveries ever with the Ontario Beer Delivery Index!(57:00) - A board game wrestling fans should cop right now called "Watch Wrestling, Get Drunk"(59:16) - Upcoming Beer Adventures

GUEST ALERT! Also, quick turnaround time alert. In Episode 25, we’re chatting with Craig Bond of Bond Brewing Company located in Orleans, Ontario. Our lively and informative discussion included:(3:10) - Craig joining us in our episodic beer sampling tradition, as we sample brews from Stalwart Brewing, Counterpart Brewing, and Brasserie Dunham.(6:07) - Beer advent calendars. Craig is in TWO of them!(11:53) - Craig’s home brewing experience and success with his contest-winning Belgian Triple.(17:42) - His silver medal-winning bitter beer at the World Beer Awards.(20:03) - Design, artwork and branding of Bond Brewing.(21:28) - The recent Steamwhistle event in Toronto.(24:22) - Craig’s origin into beer-drinking and his transition into brewing.(34:54) - Beer culture and the tight-knit beer community.(38:36) - His favorite styles of beer.(45:16) - People who have influenced or supported Craig’s professional brewing journey.(53:13) - Any future expansion plans?(58:26) - The upcoming I Heart Beer Festival in Ottawa(1:01:49) - Any chance on a Pint Taken collaboration?---------------------------------------------------------Go check out Bond Brewing, and check out the Pint Taken on the social channels. Follow, Like, Subscribe, and drink beer! Thank you for listening, and CHEERS!

Get ready for the shenanigans! We kick off this joint by catching up on a few things that took place since the last episode, including Drew turning another digit on the odometer, Super Bowl LX activities, and sadly, the Canadian men and women’s Olympic hockey teams suffering crushing defeats at the hands of our southern neighbors.Then to quench our thirst, we sample two new beers: “Donny Brook” from Cowbell (7:54) and “After Dark Oatmeal Stout” from Base Camp (9:46).Onto BEER ADVENTURES (12:40) where we highlight some unique brews from a nice “finders keepers” situation, a special one from the Zombie series by Counterpart, the bomb ass Devil Went Down to Geary release from Blood Brothers, the return of Staycation (!) from Third Moon, a quick little run to the top of the CN Tower for a smooth lager by Railway City, and finally, the ultimate beer fridge-sorting experience (22:49).Finally, we unapologetically recap all of the zany shenanigans from the I Heart Beer Festival that we both attended in Toronto. Yes, tremendous beers, food, and of course… people watching! (29:19)Please Follow, like, subscribe, and comment! But most importantly, come join us for some beers and belly laughs. CHEERS!

As David Letterman used to say, “Welcome back to the progrum!” As we push through the dead of winter, there are two things that can remedy all of the cold and snow: A trusty flamethrower, and BEER! And not necessarily in that order.In this episode, we shoutout Andrew’s friend and my hero Steve Yzerman's scorching Detroit Red Wings (3:27), sample the “Rizbal Mango Lassi,” part of the Hula Hoop series from Parsons Brewing (5:31), sample the uniquely rare “Slow Wave,” a collab between Blood Brothers and Paradise Grapevine Wine Shop (8:26), dip into Mike’s Beer Adventures (14:02), wade even further into Drew’s Beer Adventures (26:07), play a fun game where we deliver our "ratings" on many diverse beer-related items... are they overrated, underrated, or properly rated? (36:24), then we finally drop a quick preview of the upcoming I Heart Beer Festival in Toronto, which we will be attending together (1:03:14).Cheers, and remember, stay warm and keep your beer even colder!

Happy New Beer to you and yours! The second attempt of our first episode of 2026 plays out like this:Chat about the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.Crack our first new brews: “West Coast Swing” from Left Field (8:09) and “Scenic Route” from Railway City. (9:53)Drew’s Beer Adventures, including a trip to Quebec City and a successful order from Dominion City in Ottawa. (13:12)Mike’s Beer Adventures, including some holiday get togethers and an order from Fine Balance in Kingston. (22:57)A surprise Polar Vortexians series release from Sarcastic Comedian Brewing Company. (32:50)Our NEW BEER'S RESOLUTIONS for 2026! (35:58)

Let's embrace those winter vibes (not like we have a choice, it's Canada!) for the beginning of Year/Season TWO! We sample a couple of beauties from Third Moon and delve into some fun recent Beer Adventures, before making way for The 2025 Pint Taken Craft Brewery Draft! Just like our second love, sports, we're each drafting five of our favorite breweries. Back and forth, no duplicates. Was a helluva discussion. Here's how the show shakes out:(4:43) - Beer Sample: "Maple Pecan Bestowed"(7:15) - Beer Sample: "Epoch Slushie - Extra Spicy Caesar"(12:12) - Beer Adventures(26:30) - The 2025 Pint Taken Craft Brewery Draft!Thank you for the listens and support. Like, follow, subscribe and enjoy a cold one with us. Cheers!

ONE YEAR IN THE BOOKS!Live from the Hallihan Craft Beer Laboratory, we celebrate one year of The Pint Taken Podcast by getting together and recording for the first time in person.We cover tons of topics and some memories, including the potential expanding our beer "coverage" (7:29), some very successful Beer Adventures (9:15), reminiscing about moments from past episodes (27:12), digging into our beer data for the last year (35:11), things we’ve learned about beer (56:56), and finally, the things we’re looking forward to in 2026 (1:15:44).THANK YOU for the following and support over the past year, we truly appreciate each and every one of you that joined us for the ride. Come hang with us in 2026 and beyond, and tell a friend. Look up The Pint Taken on whichever social media floats your boat (or all of them). Cheers!The 4 unique beers that we split and sampled during the episode:- "Patrick Bateman" from Blood Brothers (3:56)- "The Cutback" also from Blood Brothers (31:49)- "Strange Animal" from MERIT Brewing (50:58)- "Epoch Slushie - Caesar" from Third Moon (1:10:28)

Hey look, it's November! First on the menu, it's quality over quantity in our latest Beer Adventures, where we tipped back some absolute bangers over the past couple of weeks (4:50). We then welcome in our guest, beer connoisseur Brady Lacroix (20:42). With our three-man booth intact, we sample some brand new releases from Pint Taken favorites Blood Brothers and Third Moon (23:25). Then we unravel how Brady's craft beer journey began, how he "discovered" the Untappd app, and chat about some of his/our favorite beer styles and breweries (32:48). Finally, we go beyond beer and talk about Brady's insane vinyl collection (51:56) and of course, sports - the Blue Jays heartbreaker, the Expos, the Packers (!), our collective non-Leafs fandom, and some vintage goaltenders (57:43). We wrap with some potential upcoming shenanigans, including an exciting ONE YEAR anniversary! (1:19:24).Please follow us, subscribe to us, like us, and drink with us on all of the socials (below). Mash the links and buttons, and help spread the gospel of beer!- YouTube- Spotify- Facebook- Instagram

Thankful for family. Thankful for food. Thankful for BEER! Episode 18 has the beer adventures running wild after our very successful annual Thanksgiving weekend shenanigans. Off the top, we sample the "Black Hand" stout from Blood Brothers (4:54) and the "Montmorency Cherry" Jelly King from Bellwoods Brewery (7:38). Then, we touch on some pre-Thanksgiving weekend beer adventures to highlight some of the interesting drinks we've had over the past few weeks. Consider it the calm before the beer storm (14:12). Finally... from fruited smoothie sours to barrel-aged imperial stouts to pumpkin-laced libations, we recap an entire weekend overflowing with new beer adventures (26:34).Join your neighborhood beer fanboys for another hour of brew banter. CHEERS!

Screw you, busy August. We are back! And there is no messing around, as we sample some beers right from the jump. Drew (finally) gets to crack one from All My Friends Beer Co. (3:03), while Mike reaches back to his roots in Miramichi, NB for a brew from New Maritime Beer Co. (5:10). After wetting our whistles, Drew dives into his medal-claiming run at the Master Men's Canadian National Fastball Championship in Kitchener (8:06). Next, we share some exciting and exploratory Beer Adventures from Ontario and the East Coast of Canada (24:41). Finally, we bring back the popular sequel to Build-A-Beer (Episode 9) with some dynamic and delirious releases from Sarcastic Comedian and Broken Pancreas, our two fictional breweries (44:25).It's been a minute, so it's a live one! Please, treat yourself and come join us for some laughs and libations. CHEERS!

It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's a Pint Taken gathering! It's been a long time coming, but we managed to hang out for an entire weekend. First, we recap an extremely adventurous beer and golf-filled get together, while sipping on samples from Left Field Brewery (9:46) and Blood Brothers Brewing (12:31). Then we dive head first into our most action-packed Beer Adventures to date (21:28). Finally, for this episode's topic at hand, we're tackling the debunkification of some all-too-common Beer Myths that we've encountered along the way (42:13). Blasphemy we say!What is not blasphemous however, is joining your neighborhood beer fanboys for some laughs and libations. Tip a glass with us!

FINALLY, we're back in the booth after an unnecessarily long break. We beg for your forgiveness! First, we catch up on the action-packed month of June's happenings, followed by some new beer sampling from Longslice Brewery (12:11) and Rainhard Brewing (15:21). Next, we would be doing beer a disservice by not acknowledging Drew's hot pursuit of 1,000 unique beer check-ins on Untappd (16:33). After, we share some exciting Beer Adventures (19:07). Finally, we dive into some recent beer industry headlines that include: The ongoing Beer Store closures (35:33), an emerging "rice beer" trend (40:22), the Lake of Bays and Sawdust City merger (42:21), the Blood Brothers and Metallica (yes, that Metallica) collaboration (46:08), and the Worst Beers List (52:02).Come join your neighborhood beer fanboys for some laughs and libations!

That’s us, in comic book form!After a quick catch up (with a fancy new fridge involved), we sample some delicious dark beauties from Lake of Bays (7:56) and Third Moon (11:27). Although a lighter version, we then tap into some recent beer adventures (15:45). Following that, word on Imaginary Boulevard is saying that Broken Pancreas has a brand new summertime release. Oh, it’s true! (27:39) Finally, we tackle our primary topic about the “timing of beer” and its various layered elements (34:12). What the hell does that even mean? The only way to know for sure is to listen, and discover. A blast, as always.CHEERS to joining your neighborhood beer fanboys for some laughs and libations!

Before we get to any of the awesome content, the Pint Taken's THEME MUSIC has arrived! Come vibe with our new silky smooth introduction...First up, we sample some delicious brews from Left Field Brewery (9:10) and Lake of Bays Brewing (11:24). Next we tap (pun intended) into some recent beer adventures, including several brewery visits (16:27). After, the rumors are confirmed about fictional brewery Sarcastic Comedian's newest release (27:59). Then we chat about what's hailed as "the most prestigious beer competition in the world" in the World Beer Cup that took place in Indianapolis last week (32:31). Finally, the Pint Taken hands out a few awards of it's own with the "Pint Given Awards," celebrating some of the best beer experiences since the inception of the podcast (47:15).Cheers in joining us for some laughs and libations!

'ON LOCATION' ALERT! Drew took a road trip to Orleans, Ontario to shoot the breeze and learn about some interesting beer and food experiences with Marc from ⁠Stray Dog Brewing⁠, chef Darryl from Curry Curry, Indo-Caribbean food catering company (34:47), Haico from ⁠Haico's Hot Sauce⁠ (1:12:04), and then chef Remy, also from Curry Curry (1:18:12).You don't want to miss this fun industry expertise. Cheers!

As the (controversial) title insinuates, we FINALLY locked down our first guest of the show, in an action-packed Episode 11. First, we discuss a brand new imaginary beer release from the Broken Pancreas Brewing Company (2:04). Then, Godfather of the IPA and brew aficionado Chris Murray joins us to sample beers from Wellington (8:51), Sawdust City (11:00), and Willibald Fram (14:02). Next we dive headfirst into some beer adventures and what we've each been sipping on for the past couple of weeks (17:36). Finally, we learn about how Chris started into his craft beer journey (44:01), some likes and dislikes, brewery experiences, and wrap up with some polarizing beer statistics from deep within the Untappd app (1:11:38).

Happy Friday! We're pairing beer with music, celebrating some of our favorite drink-inspired jams! But first, we're sampling a couple of new brews from Bellwoods / Jelly King (2:21) and Side Launch (4:55). Then we share a tidbit about Moosehead's "Presidential Pack," something you have to hear/see to believe. After, we get into some Beer Adventures after a three-week absence, with Drew at (13:53) and Mike at (20:53). Then we address the internet rumors about Sarcastic Comedian Brewing Company's brand new fictional release (34:13). Finally, we're sharing some our favorite tunes that pair perfectly with some adult beverages (39:44). Come, sing along!And yes, there is indeed an actual Spotify playlist that features all of the songs we discussed. Click the link, load it up, throw it on SHUFFLE, and get your groove on!Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Tu19UZzhxMIJJb4Oovg8P?si=fd5545cc11a4412b

This week's episode features what could be the most entertaining segment to date! First, we wet our whistles with a couple of new brews from Blood Brothers (3:01) and Niagara Oast House (5:34). Then we share some quick beer adventures highlights (9:11). Finally, have you ever heard of "Build-A-Bear," the store where customers can create and customize their own stuffed animals? If not, definitely Google it. But if you're familiar with the concept, you might enjoy our "Build-A-BEER" spin on this cultural phenomenon, where we've created our own fictional breweries and launched our 4 imaginary (and mostly nonsensical) flagship beers (22:02). This was a blast to bring to life, and we hope you think so too. CHEERS!

After three weeks filled with illness, bad weather, and general busyness, we are pumped to be BACK! First, we spend a few minutes catching up, whilst quenching our thirst by cracking a couple of brand new brewskis; (7:01) for Mike and (11:12) for Drew. After, we reflect on some of our individual Beer Adventures (15:05), including Drew's trip to the "I Heart Beer" Festival in Ottawa (22:45). Finally, we shoot the breeze on some polarizing beer headlines that have made waves in the news recently (44:42). As always, cheers!

IT'S A SUPER BOWL PREVIEW SHOW! We're back and now there's football involved! We kick things off (pun intended) by sampling a couple of beers (4:19) and diving into our latest beer adventures (10:00). Then, we chat about some fun Super Bowl facts (16:22), including the state of the always-popular Halftime Show (17:29). After, we dig into some notable NFL players that have become involved in the beer industry (32:10). Finally, we preview and predict tonight's Super Bowl 59 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles (48:26).

We are back with a tasty assortment of beer topics. First, we quench our thirst by cracking a couple of new brews (3:15) and catch up on some January beer adventures (13:34). Next, we quickly react to the ridiculous tariffs and counter tariffs (including beer!) being imposed on Canada by a certain Chester Cheetah-lookin' mafk south of the border (26:08). Then, prepare your imagination as Mike slaps Drew with some of the weirdest beer names of all-time (31:59). Finally, we talk about benefits of choosing the right glass for your style of beer (39:18). Come, have a beer with us!

After a month-long hiatus (booooo!), the fellas are back on the horse. It's a new year, and there will be plenty of new beers! First a couple of quick shout-outs to Rickey Henderson (RIP) and the Los Angeles wildfires (3:41). Then, the Episode 5 beers are cracked (7:38), followed by some Beer Goals for 2025 (14:12). Finally, we dive tastebuds first into some jam-packed Beer Adventures that spanned the holiday season and even the opposite side of the continent (31:26). Cheers!

The fellas catch up on their recent beer adventures, including Drew's weekend in New York City (0:59). Then, they crack two brand new beers to taste and highlight (23:25). Finally, Mike administers a surprise beer quiz on Drew. Get ready to learn some entertaining and potentially mind-boggling facts about what else? BEER. (29:07). As always, cheers until the next round!

Mike and Drew run through their recent beer adventures (1:11), highlight their weekly beers/breweries (8:42), then provide a mini crash course on various elements to consider when exploring the craft beer scene for the first time and/or beginning one's "craft beer journey" (16:27).

Mike and Drew do a quick pulse check on any new beer adventures in the past week (1:21), then reveal their absolute Favorite Beers of All Time (11:14), followed by their Least Favorite Beers of All Time (33:37) with some rapid fire honorable mentions to wrap up the episode (43:05). Lists subject to change. ;)

Mike and Drew begin the Pint Taken Podcast journey by sharing how the podcast came together (0:54), the many different directions they'd like to go with it (5:41), sampling a couple of debut beers (15:35), and finally discussing Beer Etiquette 101, with some of our own personal "rules to drink by" (25:57). #CHEERS