Barley & Me

Ben Rice

Sacramento's Ben Rice travels to breweries and has conversations with the makers of your favorite beers and the people who drink them. Spoiler Alert: The beer dies at the end.

  1. This Is Why I Drink... Old Fashioneds at The Monk's Cellar w/ Steve Hayer

    10/03/2025

    This Is Why I Drink... Old Fashioneds at The Monk's Cellar w/ Steve Hayer

    On this episode, host Ben Rice travels to Roseville, CA to sit down with I Can Fight Cancer Brewfest organizer Steve Hayer to find out why he drinks... Old Fashioneds at The Monk's Cellar in Roseville, CA. Over a glass of the "high octane" version of The Monk's Cellar's Old Fashioned, made by bartender Kevin, we discuss the 2nd annual I Can Fight Cancer Brewfest, which is taking place October 18, 2025 in Rancho Cordova, CA, featuring over 30 breweries, 3 food trucks, and a live band. Steve tells us why he paired with Albie Aware for this very personal and important mission. We also see what Steve has been up to since Year One of the brewfest, including buying into partial ownership of Crooked Lane Brewing in Auburn, getting married, and still. not. asking. for help. with the brewfest. We'll delve lightly into why it's hard to ask for help, perfectionism, and what makes for a damn good Old Fashioned. This and so much more, on the latest episode of This Is Why I Drink... with Ben Rice. BUY TICKETS TO I CAN FIGHT CANCER BREWFEST: https://albieaware.org/events/i-can-fight-cancer-brewfest-benefiting-albie-aware/ Find out more on FB & IG: @icanfightcancerbrewfest Steve Hayer can be found on IG @sacbeer For Ben Rice, Barley & Me Pod-uctions, and This Is Why I Drink..., follow @barleyandmepod across social media or visit www.barleyandmepod.com for more info. Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez Logo by Jaclyn Weiand

    49 min
  2. This Is Why I Drink... Hazy IPA with CJ of The Friendship Podcast

    05/12/2025

    This Is Why I Drink... Hazy IPA with CJ of The Friendship Podcast

    Host Ben Rice chats with fellow podcaster (and musician!) CJ of The Friendship Podcast literally over Slice Beer Co and Old Town Pizza Lincoln (shouts to both for hosting us!) and a pint of Kessel Run Krusher, as we delve into his recent transition to drumming from his reed/brass beginnings, the status of TFP's reunion, showing up to SisQo's house parties, mechanical keyboards, why we podcast in general, the sound of modern metal records, as well as, obviously, why a hazy IPA from Slice is his beverage of choice. And you know we covered so much more ground, because that's what we do for a "living." Be on the lookout for the video version of this episode on YouTube! I fixed the issue from last episode but it's 2am, so give me some time to do the actual edit, please! Again, thank you to Slice Beer Co (@slicebeerco) and Old Town Pizza Lincoln (@otplincoln) for having us and letting us use your space on such short notice, and for delivering killer beer and pizza for years. Thanks to CJ (@g0dcomplex) for popping on the pod - be sure to follow his bands Chemical State (@chemicalstate916) and Dreamdebt (on YouTube only! @dreamdebt) and listen to the extensive back catalogue of The Friendship Podcast (@thefriendshippodcast) You can find out more about host Ben Rice, Barley & Me, This Is Why I Drink..., and his comedy (shows) @barleyandmepod or at www.barleyandmepod.com Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez Logo by Jaclyn Weiand

    45 min
  3. This Is Why I Drink... Well at Benny's/Q Street Bar & Grill, with Jesse Jones

    04/22/2025

    This Is Why I Drink... Well at Benny's/Q Street Bar & Grill, with Jesse Jones

    Host Ben Rice visits Sacramento dive bar mainstay Benny's AKA Q Street Bar & Grill to chat with STAB! Comedy Theater owner Jesse Jones about why he drinks well. Well, well, well, there are so many reasons and ways to pair well vodka with cranberry juice in a desperate attempt to keep costs low and your joie de vivre high! Some might call it the bottom shelf, some might call it cost-effective drunkenness, and for others like Jesse, it's just because the flavor isn't why we're here. Walk down Jesse's long road of life, taking him from the burgeoning Sacramento sketch and improv scene to the fast-paced, high-flying, Chicago-influenced sketch and improv scene of Los Angeles in the early aughts, and back to Sacramento, where he has spread his wings to develop one of the internet's most inexplicable comedy game show/podcast/writing competitions, the long-running STAB!, which existed before its titular comedy club STAB! Comedy Theater. Bask in Jesse's well-crafted improv character stylings and scene chewing recurring characters and act outs, his self-published book, his glancing mention in the New York Times. Are host Ben Rice and guest Jesse Jones perhaps the same person, splintered at some unknown and unknowable crossroads, forever indebted to lifting those around them no matter the cost? Or are we both just bottom shelf vodka crans, more sugar than juice, more hydrating than intoxicating? So many questions, so many answers, to be found here, on the latest episode of This Is Why I Drink...with Ben Rice. And if your questions remain unanswered, consider joining (from a vast distance) Jesse Jones on his yearly voyage to the desert for Burning Man, in search of those remains. STAB! Comedy Theater can be found physically at 1710 Broadway, Sacramento, CA, on YouTube, Twitch, or elsewhere @stabcomedy or stabcomedytheater.com Jesse Jones is...around, and also at those same places, nearly every hour of every day! Thank you again to Benny's/Q Street Bar & Grill for allowing us to record - they can be found at 2013 Q Street in Sacramento or on IG @bennysofficialqstreet You can find out more about host Ben Rice, Barley & Me, This Is Why I Drink..., and his comedy (shows) @barleyandmepod or at www.barleyandmepod.com Intro Music: "Functional Alcoholism" by Be Brave Bold Robot Interstitial Music: "JamRoc" by Breez Logo by Ben Rice and Jaclyn Weiand

    1h 26m
4.8
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

Sacramento's Ben Rice travels to breweries and has conversations with the makers of your favorite beers and the people who drink them. Spoiler Alert: The beer dies at the end.