First Crack Podcast with Garrick Van Buren

via Jared on the Sweet Marias mailing list:

Minneapolis area roasters. We have a date, June 30 a time 2pm and a location Black Sheep Coffee Cafe (705 Southview Blvd., South Saint Paul, MN (651) 554-0155)

For those of you who missed the early posts Peter Middlecamp the owner of Black Sheep is both a new shop owner and Barista competitor yet still placed 6th this year at the US championships. He is also a very nice guy. Here is the email Peter sent me today:
“Sounds great Jared. I’ll have some cupping samples and maybe some signature
beverage ideas for next year for you to try…

I’ll be there. Should be fun.

As Jeff Williamson, co-owner of St. Paul’s Flat Earth Brewing Co. awaits kegs to distribute the first batch of Flat Earth Pale Ale, he and I talk about;

• Getting a microbrewery off the ground
• How a new child changed his the direction of Flat Earth
• Flat Earth’s place in Minnesota’s beer scene.

Listen to Jeff Williamson on St. Paul’s Flat Earth Brewery [16 min].

White Rock Coffee in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul (arguably the best coffee shop in Twin Cities) is running one of the coolest specials I’ve heard of since TextDrive’s Mixed Grill / 3 Martini Lunch Hosting Plans - $99 gets you their travel mug + refills for the rest of 2006.

On a cool October day, while on my quest for some independent Twin Cities music, I sat down with John Ostby formerly of SpyMob. He had an acoustic guitar, I had a mic. We talked a little about the Twin Cities music scene, but mostly he played. Enjoy.

Listen to John Ostby and His Guitar [24 min]

Just in time for a mid-production fund drive, St. Paul, MN-based independent filmmaker, Melody Gilbert and I talk about her latest documentary, Urban Explorers into the Darkness and the independent, DIY, MacGyver, hack-your-environment, attitude shared by Urban Explorers, podcasters, and other high-tech geeks.

Check out excerpts of film and support Minnesota independent filmmaking by attending the sneak preview of Urban Explorers into the Darkness on October 15, 2005 - $12 / ticket (or $35 for VIP).

Listen to Urban Exploring with Filmmaker Melody Gilbert [26 min]

In part 5 of a 6 part series on the life passions of Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb’s partners and staff, Bill Forsberg discusses throwing out the first pitch at a St. Paul Saints game.

Listen to Bill Forsberg Throwing Out the First Pitch [10 min]

In part 4 of a 6 part series on the life passions of Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb’s partners and staff, David Gotlieb discusses St. Paul’s history as a safe haven for gangsters and how he met the expert on the subject - Paul Maccabee.

Listen to David Gotlieb, Paul Maccabee, and St. Paul’s Gangster History [15 min]