Happy New Year, Republic of Craft Beer. Flex returns from the brink of death with a cough, a doctor bill, and a sour IPA that immediately changes his mood. Greg rolls out new music, new merch, and a fresh fear that Hong Kong might be stealing their voices for AI. There’s a listener review that weaponizes the phrase “craft beer podcast,” a voicemail from Psycho Bear that somehow includes brewery hopping and Bears trash talk, and a holiday recap that proves staying up for midnight is mostly about spite. Toss in a trip to Disneyland, a drunk mandolin thief with a conscience, and two beers that kick off the year the right way, and you’ve got a proper reset for 2026.

Beers We’re Drinking:

• Flex is drinking Glitterbug from Young Blood Beer Company, a sour IPA with blackberry and cashmere hops.
• Greg is drinking a West Coast IPA collab from MadeWest Brewing and Beachwood Brewing with mango, peach, and pineapple notes.

We’ve got some fresh music for a fresh start for this fresh beer podcast! Flex explains how four weeks of being sick ended with a doctor calmly confirming he was dying and then sending him home. Greg shares why glitter is banned from his house, unveils new merch, and reacts to a surprise spike of listeners in Hong Kong. A voicemail from Psycho Bear turns into equal parts local brewery talk and NFC North trash talk, while holiday stories cover brutal work schedules, forcing kids to stay up until midnight, bacon-wrapped chestnuts, and surviving family gatherings. Greg finally makes it back to Disneyland, pilots the Millennium Falcon, and learns that blinking buttons are apparently not obvious to everyone.

Booze News:

• Sycamore Brewing closes its taproom following serious criminal charges against a former owner.
• Heineken plans new non-alcoholic flavor extensions and a zero-everything option.
• GhostFish Brewing takes over the former Pike Brewing space in Seattle.
• Malibu Brewing announces a future location at Universal CityWalk.
• A women-brewed pale ale highlights outdated beer laws around the world.
• A stolen mandolin gets returned with a note that reads, “sorry I been drunk.”

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Flex: Instagram: @flex_me_a_beer

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