Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast

Hosted by Andrew Witchey & Jaron Barton

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Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

A podcast about the past, present & future of Dancing Gnome, as well as music, movies, and anything else Andrew and Jaron feel is worth bringing up. Guests include friends of Dancing Gnome, industry professionals, and artists along the way.

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60 recent

October 7, 2026Episode 821 hr 30 min

October 2026 Dancing Gnome 10th Anniversary Talk with Andrew and Jaron

It's time to celebrate 10 years of Dancing Gnome with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! This entire episode is pretty much one big Look Back / Look Ahead, so we dive right in with a quick recap of September in the world of Dancing Gnome. Part of looking back includes the annual trip to the PNW for hop selection, for which Jaron tagged along this year, and Andrew gets his perspective as a first timer. Next, we talk about the upcoming DG 10th Anniversary! Andrew tells us about all 10 collaboration beers that will be available, including how they decided on which beer styles to brew with which collaborating brewery, and much more. We finish up with a quick round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!! Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

September 1, 2026Episode 811 hr 17 min

September 2026 with Lauren Brock of Butterfat Gelato

It's Virgo season and time for another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We kick off this episode with a tale of woe from Jaron about why he was late to the recording session. We then briefly talk about Sly Fox closing their Pittsburgh taproom(s) before jumping into Look Back / Look ahead, where Andrew gives us a peek into the collab beers that will be available for Dancing Gnome's upcoming 10th anniversary. Next, we are joined by our guest, Lauren Brock from Butterfat Gelato. Lauren was a guest exactly 2 years ago and a lot has happened in that time! Lauren tells us about the opening of Butterfat's brick and mortar location in the North side, the response they've seen so far, and much more. We close the show with a quick round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening! Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

August 1, 2026Episode 802 hr 1 min

August 2026 Hop Talk with Matt Pyecha of the DG Family

Yinz ready for some hop talk? In lieu of our usual post hop selection episode, we are talkin' hops before the boys head out to the PNW later in September. DG family member and frequent guest Matt Pyecha sits in with us for this entire episode, which we kick off by talking through a dumb scenario Jaron thought up before then taking a Look Back and Look Ahead in the world of DG. The next segment is all hop talk including some specifics about this year's hop selection, a discussion about the secondary market, and much more. We finish up by playing a round of Name that Hop, followed by a quick Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening! Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

July 1, 2026Episode 791 hr 37 min

July 2026 with Adam Valen of Drusky Entertainment

Summer has descended and we are back with the July episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We kick things off in Look Back, Look Ahead with a recap of a busy June full of fests. Andrew tells us about the various beer fests DG participated in with a deeper dive into Wavy Days in Portland. Next, we are joined by our guest, Adam Valen of Drusky Entertainment. Adam is the marketing director for Drusky, and we dive into a great conversation about his experiences in the music/entertainment industry. Adam hangs around for our third segment as we close out the show with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Joseph McDade

June 1, 2026Episode 781 hr 24 min

June 2026 Industry Talk with Mike T

Thanks for checking out another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! To start this episode, we dive right into a Look Back and Look Ahead, spending most of the "Look Back" talking about Lustra Day weekend. Next, Mike T leads us into some industry talk around financials, new "trends", etc. We close out this episode with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening! Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

May 1, 2026Episode 771 hr 35 min

May 2026 with Rob Houston of Balance Brewing Company

Thanks for checking out the May episode of Good, but not the Best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! We kick things off with another new review (we're on a roll!) before jumping straight into Look Back/Look Ahead. Andrew tells us about a DG "collaboration" with Yakima Chief Hops which leads into a wider discussion about alternative hop products (cryo, hop oils, etc.). We also talk about Pittsburgh hosting the NFL draft and the underwhelming turnout that was seen for local businesses. Next, we are joined by our guest, Rob Houston of the newly opened Balance Brewing Company. Rob tells us all about Balance, his path to opening a new brewery, his history in the industry and much more. We round out the episode with Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening!! Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

April 2, 2026Episode 761 hr 35 min

April 2026 with Aadam Soorma of Trace Brewing

No foolin', we're back with the April episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast. We kick things off with a few new reviews (!!) before jumping right into Look Back, Look Ahead. Andrew tells us about his trip to Little Beer fest in Duluth, GA, we talk about Dancing Gnome's Imperial Breakfast event on 4/12 and discuss how the increase in gas/oil prices may affect breweries. Next, we are joined by longtime pal of the podcast, Aadam Soorma of Trace Brewing. It's been a while since Aadam has joined us, so we get a quick update on Trace and Trace Echo before diving into a wider ranging discussion on industry trends. Aadam sticks around for our third segment as we close out the show with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

March 1, 2026Episode 751 hr 36 min

March 2026 with Kevin King of Sarene Craft Beer

Spring is getting closer and we're back with another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome Podcast! It hasn't been too long since we last recorded so we jump right into a lighter Look Back / Look Ahead, which includes a brief history of the Titty Sphinx, which is featured as the February "Pittsburgh Series" beer. Next, we are joined by our guest, Kevin King of Sarene Craft Beer. Long time listeners will know that Sarene is the beer distributor (wholesaler in Pittsburgh terms) that Dancing Gnome uses for their distribution. We talk with Kevin about how Sarene got their start, their focus on craft beer, their philosophy and how it is different from a lot of other wholesalers, and much more. We finish the episode with another round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

February 6, 2026Episode 741 hr 41 min

February 2026 with Pete Kurzweg and Aaron Dahl of The Bohemian

Thanks for checking out another episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome Podcast! This episode is our first ever recorded away from 925 Main Street as we took the show on the road to record at Lorelei. We kick things off with a look back into January as it is always a tough month in the beer industry and we roll that into our usual Look Back/Look Ahead in the world of Dancing Gnome. Next, we are joined by our guests, Pete Kurzweg and Aaron Dahl. Long time listeners are familiar with both of these friends as they have joined us multiple times. This time, they are here to talk about their newest spot in the Northside called The Bohemian. Pete and Aaron fill us in on how this space will be unique from their other spots, the beers they will be pouring, the history of the building and much more. We close things out with a round of Lager or Logger and also a quick run through Watch, Listen, Learn. Thanks for listening! Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod

January 1, 2026Episode 731 hr 28 min

January 2026 with Jason and Nikki Lavery of Lavery Brewing

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for sticking with us as we start another year with a new episode of Good, but not the best... a Dancing Gnome podcast! In this episode, we start with taking a Look Back and Look Ahead in the world of DG and also talk about some of our favorite Dancing Gnome and non-Dancing Gnome beers of 2025. Next we are joined by our guests, Jason and Nikki Lavery of Lavery Brewing. They tell us about starting Lavery back in 2009, what has changed in the industry over the past 16 years, what is on the horizon for Lavery Brewing in 2026 and much more. Jason and Nikki join us as we finish the episode with a round of Watch, Listen, Learn. Intro/Outro music by: Kabbalistic Village Break music by: Kevin MacLeod