Drunkenness can be funny.
Just ask comedian Sean Flannery.
For the last three years, he has been running the Chicago-based Blackout Diaries, a now weekly comedy show that features comics and real-life people telling humorous stories about being drunk.
“It’s a fun way for fans of comedy to hear really funny drinking stories,” said Flannery, 37, who grew up in Copley Township and graduated from Walsh Jesuit High School and John Carroll University.
For the first time, the Blackout Diaries — which also is a podcast — is going on tour in Ohio. It will hit Mahall’s, 13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood, at 8 p.m. Thursday.
In addition to Flannery, the Cleveland show will feature comics Mike Polk Jr., Matty Ryan, the Puterbaugh Sisters, Bobby Minelli of Pipeworks Brewing Co. in Chicago and stay-at-home mom Jessica Flannery.
Minelli, an Ohio native, will share how he ruined a family wedding, Flannery said.
The show also will visit the Woodlands Tavern in Columbus at 8 p.m. Friday and the Southgate House Revival in Newport, Ky., at 8 p.m. Saturday. Much of the lineup is the same, although the Newport/Cincinnati show will include a real-life rocket scientist.
Tickets are $10.
Flannery is especially pleased to be coming home to Northeast Ohio.
“It’s kind of a blue-collar town,” he said about Cleveland. “I think those people work hard and they’ll drink hard on the weekend.”
He recalled the disastrous 10-cent beer night sponsored by the Cleveland Indians, and the creative ways that Browns fans would sneak beer into the stadium, including the famous story of a keg being hidden inside a doghouse.
“It’s funny the leaps that Clevelanders go to to make sure they are drinking at all events,” he said.
And Flannery even remembered his uncles buying dirt-cheap 30-packs of Schaefer.
“It was called ‘A Weekender,’ ” he said with a laugh.
Obviously, drunkenness has its downsides, alcoholism and drunken driving to name two.
“We don’t want to hide from the bad things about drinking, but at the end of the day people pay to laugh,” Flannery said.
For more details or tickets, go to http://blackoutdiaries.info.
Homebrew winners
A husband and wife from Akron were winners at the recent American Homebrewers Association’s National Homebrew Competition.
The event coincided with the 36th annual National Homebrewers Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Larry Reuter won first place in the smoke-flavored and wood-aged beer category. Meanwhile, Donna Reuter won second place in the India pale ale category. Both are members of the Society of Akron Area Zymurgists and helped each other with their beers.
The association said there were 8,172 beers judged in the competition this year, making it the world’s largest beer contest.
For a full list of winners, go to: http://tinyurl.com/qjz9m86.
Beer tasting in Ravenna
The East Park Restaurant, 1363 E. Main St., Ravenna, will hold a beer tasting and food pairing at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The event — a first for the restaurant — will feature five beers: Summit Pilsner, Goose Island 312, Elevator Heiferweizen, Elevator Dark Horse Ale and Goose Island IPA.
They will be paired with homemade onion rings, pretzel sticks, burger sliders, fried chicken and a slice of Troyer’s pie. The restaurant also will hold a trivia contest about the beers, with winners receiving T-shirts, bottle openers and glasses.
Tickets are $15. For more details, call 330-296-4827.
MS fundraiser
EnviroScience, 5070 Stow Road, Stow, is teaming up with Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. to raise money to battle multiple sclerosis.
The company will host its second annual Give MS the Boot benefit from 3 to 10 p.m. June 19. It’s open to the public.
Last year’s benefit helped EnviroScience cyclists complete a 150-mile ride and raise $9,300. The team hopes to raise more this year.
The event will include Thirsty Dog beer, the Orange Trük food truck, Audio Extremes Entertainment, a 50-50 raffle, drawings for prizes, and kid-friendly games.
For more details or to make a donation, call Jamie Krejsa at 330-620-7756.
Festival reminder
The third annual Rhythm & Brews beer festival returns Thursday to the Canton Cultural Center for the Arts, 1001 Market Ave. N., Canton.
The event supports the Arc of Ohio-Stark County, a nonprofit that helps individuals with developmental disabilities.
Rhythm & Brews runs from 6 to 10 p.m. In addition to the beer, many restaurants will be serving food.
Tickets are $35, $20 for designated drivers. They can be purchased by calling the Arc of Ohio-Stark County at 330-492-5225.
Hop Deconstructed
The Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed series — a must-try for hop lovers — is back.
The brewery created an India pale ale and made five different versions using a single, different hop. That gives beer drinkers an opportunity to taste the variations among Mosaic, East Kent Goldings, Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Simcoe and Zeus hops.
The beers are available in a limited edition 12-pack, which retails for $15.99 to $18.99.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his beer blog at www.ohio.com/beer. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ.