What new bourbon are we pumped about? Which hiking trail are we exploring? Why is the next supercar so cool? The Manual is a website dedicated to helping men live a more engaged life. Each week, our editors and guests get together for a round-table discussion on what’s new, exciting, and unique in the men’s lifestyle world. So pop open your favorite brew, step into your man cave, and start streaming. Shout out to Portland-based No Kind of Rider for our intro/exit music.
This week’s episode of Beards, Booze, and Bacon: The Manual Podcast was a doozy. With Greg Nibler hosting; Editor-in-Chief Cator Sparks joining from Charleston, South Carolina; Jake Rossman offering commentary; and the guys from Migration Brewing, this episode was very beer-centric.
First up, the co-founders (and brothers) of Portland, Oregon’s Migration Brewing, Eric and McKean Banzer-Lausberg, discussed (while drinking) some of their favorite beers, what it takes to start a brewery (hint: it’s takes way more than just a love of beer), naming new beers in the time of the trademark, why Portland is the best craft brewing city in the world, where the name Migration Brewing came from, and what it’s like to own a business with a family member.
Next, Cator Sparks discusses his recent article on hunting and its necessity in the modern world today. With the decline of large predators throughout most of North America (thanks, colonists!), the wild deer and hog populations have exploded across the U.S., prompting concerns of overgrazing and environmental damage. Sparks lays out the reasons culling deer and hogs is necessary from an environmental perspective. Jake Rossman discusses taking a bite out of the heart of the first buck he ever took down and the importance of traditions in hunting cultures.
Sparks also provides tips on how to avoid deer when on the roads. A few examples: don’t ignore deer crossing signs (they’re there for a reason), don’t honk your horn at a deer, and always remember, where there’s one deer, there are often more.
Thanks for listening — if you want to learn more, see below. #beeranddeer
Further Reading
The History of the West Coast IPA (and Why It’s so Damned Hoppy): To go along with the episode’s discussion of beer, brewing, naming conventions, and Portland’s beer scene, Lee Heidel offers up a short history of the West Coast IPA and why the hell it’s trending.
Hunting and Controlling the Deer Population: Editor-in-Chief Cator Sparks chats with Bruce Lampright (Bray’s Island naturalist) and Joe Hamilton (wildlife biologist and founder of the International Quality Deer Management Association) about the exploding deer and hog populationa. Sparks outlines the multiple reasons why these populations should, and can, be controlled by humans, and how the best way to do that is hunting.