It is no joke that the Esquire Network has brought some truly outstanding television programs to cable over the past few years. Esquire, a lifestyle and entertainment network, which debuted in September 2013, features programming that speaks to classic and contemporary passions and interests, from fashion and style to food and drink, travel, family and relationships. The channel builds on Esquire magazine’s 80 years of insight into what makes men tick. On Wednesday, April 1, 2015 the network premiers the new seasons of two of its most popular programs; Best Bars in America and Brew Dogs. Both programs take a decidedly tongue-in-cheek approach to their respective subjects along with a distinctive style that could only come from Esquire.
Source: Esquire Network
Before Brew Dogs hit cable in 2013, I had the privilege of speaking with James Watt and Martin Dickie, founders of the Brew Dog brewery in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The duo is… well, they are eclectic, outspoken and utterly entertaining. Those very eccentricities are what drew producers Steve Stockman, Chris Burke and Jared Cotton of Custom/Redtail Partners LLC to reach out to them for a new beer-centered television program for the Esquire Network.
“We came out to the US because the whole craft beer movement is so far ahead.” Watts said. “There are so many beers and styles. It’s a fun place to hang out.”
Known for creating outlandish brews with astronomical alcohol content – the duo created a beer that once held the record for highest alcohol content at 55% ABV — Watts and Dickie wanted to shake up the British brewing industry and learn how to do it from those who were on the cutting edge of the industry: Americans.
“The UK doesn’t have anything like the craft beer culture that you’ve got in the U.S.,” Dickie explained. “In the UK before 2007, you had two options; you could have industrial generic beer or you could have cask beer. We just didn’t have the excitement, the diversity, or the innovation that was happening in the US. So, we wanted to capture some of that.”
Now in its third season, Brew Dogs opens this year by returning home to Scotland and brewing in the most haunted house in the UK. While doing so they hope to revive a long dead Scottish beer style that they plan to age in Scotch whiskey super-cask while hunting for ghosts with a team of the UK’s best paranormal investigators. The program airs at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, April 1.
Source: Esquire Network
Comedians Jay Larson and Sean Patton roam the U.S. in search of the perfect cocktails on their show Best Bars in America. Larson, a stand-up comic with 15 years of delivering punchlines under his belt with gigs on Conan, Carson Daly and The Late Late Show, livens the show with witty banter with co-host Patton. Patton, a comedian based in New York and Los Angeles by way of New Orleans, lends his opinions, insights and humor to the show keeping the banter zippy and the glasses full.
This season’s premier finds the comics kicking off their nationwide bar tour in San Francisco, where they find a detective-themed speakeasy, try their first waffle shots at a boozy brunch, and get punch drunk with Academy Award winner Nat Faxon. The program airs Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. Eastern just before Brew Dogs.