Beards, Books, and Bourbon Podcast
Mark and Stephen share their love of books, and bourbon...and happen to have beards that their wives love. Join these two friends as they explore some of their favorite genres of books: mystery, thriller, Sci-Fi, fantasy, horror, metaphysical, and all things unknown while sipping on a different bourbon each episode.
Episodes
In this episode, Stephen and Mark explore a topic or two about Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky that they didn't get around to discussing. For their bourbon, they are using Oak & Eden to help them make a new cocktail, named in honor of tonight's book.
Adrian Tchaikovsky, science fiction and fantasy author
In this episode, Stephen and Mark return to the work of Adrian Tchaikovsky in his novella "Elder Race". Once again, Tchaikovksy blends science fiction with fantasy in an almost Arthurian epic quest of unintended consequences, mistaken identities, mythic expectations, and the inevitable march of time.
A SFF story needs an SFF bourbon whiskey to pair with it. So, Stephen and Mark finally crack open a bottle they've been holding onto ...
In tonight's oopsisode, Stephen and Mark spend some time gushing over how much they love the writing of Alix E. Harrow, AND they feature their first custom cocktail with a name fitting for the episode.
Green River - The Whiskey Without Regrets
In today's episode, Stephen and Mark talk about two short stories from author Alix E. Harrow. They have reviewed her work before when they discussed her novels "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" and "Starling House".
Tonight's bourbon is Old Orleans from The Beautiful & The Damned Distillery. Some of you might notice that the name of the distillery also happens to be the title of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Don't know who good...
Honestly, this book was so good we probably could have just done an entire second episode about it. As we take a second look at Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, we also revisit one of our favorite picks so far in 2025, Moonlight Mayhem from Filmland Spirits.
Stephen Graham Jones | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster
In this episode, Stephen and Mark explore the layered, intelligent, and gut wrenching horror novel, "Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones. A Native American revenge story with a supernatural twist, Buffalo Hunter Hunter is as deep and thought provoking as it is horrific, disgusting, and occasionally hilarious in the most awkward ways.
A thought provoking story needs a thought provoking whiskey. To pair with Buffalo Hunt...
It's the final chapter of our deep dive into the Kingdom of Blunder with the oopsiside for Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig, where we talk about what we forgot to talk about. To go along with this episide, we're re-sampling Elijah Craig Rye. We don't sample nearly enough rye.
Stephen and Mark dive back into the Kingdom of Blunder for the second installment of the Shepherd King duology by Rachel Gillig. In this installment, all stories will be concluded. The mystery of the poem revealed, and a world will be changed for good or ill.
We loved this series, and it's only appropriate that we try a bottle from a label we have nothing but love for as well. In this episode we sample The Kiawah Blend from 2XO by ...
Tonight it's all about gothic poetry, horrific encounters, and the genius of Australian whiskey.
Tonight's episode brings us back to fantasy of the gothic kind. Blunder is a cursed kingdom, surrounded by a mist that snatches people into the wood, never to be seen again. All the families of the kingdom are named after trees, and the currency of power comes in the form of a deck of magical playing cards. These cards were made by a long dead king at the price of destroying himself to do it one piece at a time. Tonight we discus...
Oh, right. It's a dystopian YA novel involving students and probably organized by either Jigsaw or the guy from Seven. Tell the kids what they've won, Bob! They've won DEATH! We're going to need a stiff drink, and we get one with Barmen 1873.
Welcome to dystopian world of the early 20th Century where dragons live alongside humans, everyone is at the brink of war, and the fate of the world is in the hands of a bunch of misfit students being blackmailed into building what might be a doomsday weapon in the novel "A Language of Dragons". So...Tuesday. As our bourbon, Stephen and Mark will be embibing a little alchemy of their own with Dark Arts.
As the boys talk about some old priests, they revisit a really old friend. A less than half full bottle of Willett that's been sitting in the garage for 5 years is finally getting cracked open to see what demons lurk inside.
Stephen and Mark delve into the world of extraordinary circumstances and people. Our book for this episode is Conclave by Robert Harris, the novel which is the basis for the Academy Award Nominated movie. A story about extraordinary circumstances and the decisions that must be made.
The bourbon tonight is not a bourbon at all, but a Canadian Whisky brought to us the Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky.
IT'S A KIND OF MAGIC!
Stephen and Mark discuss the magical systems in Onyx Storm, and cast spells on themselves with Knob Creek.
Well, we made it. The end of the third book. There's a lot of twists, turns, love and rage that look eerily similar, the defilement of a throne, broken furniture, broken promises, betrayals in the name of love, and angst angst angst. But now it's over. We can finally relax. We....WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ARE TWO MORE BOOKS??? Pass the Ransom Bourbon, please.
There's a moment when you realize that there's something you need to talk about. There's another moment when you realize there just isn't enough time to really talk about it. This is one of those times as we discuss DRAGONS in Iron Flame by Rececca Yarros. Tonight we revisit our old friend, Smoke Wagon Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Once more, Stephen and Mark will dare to enter the Fourth Wing universe, written by Rebecca Yarros. This is book 2 of the series, and if you thought things were wild before, what with all the lightning and exploding bedroom furniture, you're in for another amazing ride.
Besgiath War College (not to mention everywhere else) is a dangerous place, and so the guys will need to have some luck on their side on this journey. That's why th...
How could they forget to talk about Merlin?? Well, they didn't really. They were just saving the nastiest for last. Luckily Stephen and Mark will balance things out with the smooth, fruity, smoky, loveliness of Blade & Bow Bourbon.
In this episode, Stephen and Mark visit "The Bright Sword" by Lev Grossman. One of our favorite authors, we are so excited to read his latest novel about Camelot after Arthur's final battle and all that was left undone and unfinished. For such a story, it's only appropriate that the boys continue their journey of the 2XO Bourbon label with the French Oak expression.
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