What You Missed On Beer Sessions Radio™: Beer Sessions Goes To Cooperstown, Part 2

BCTC15It’s getting pretty FOAM-y up at Cooperstown as host Jimmy Carbone continues his round of interviews with the various beer personalities who gathered up at Ommegang earlier this month for the annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown (if you missed the first half of this episode, you can listen here).

First up are Mark, Joey, Scott and Greg from FOAM, aka the Fitchbug Order of Ale Makers, from Massachusetts. They discuss their homebrew scene and admire the hops growing on the vine at Ommegang, which is currently working with Cornell University to grow 15 varieties of hops (which they hope to expand to 25 varieties by next year). They are joined by Pete Valez of Hop Union, the west coast company known for helping source hops that is now working with east coast hops farmers.

Sustainability and conservation are the message of the hour, as Jimmy discusses the watershed and hydrofracking concerns with Ommegang’s Phil Leinhart and Peekskill Brewing’s Jeff O’Neill. You’ll meet a whole new set of colorful characters here on this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™!

What You Missed On Beer Sessions Radio™: Beer Sessions Goes To Cooperstown

BCTC1Tune in to this week’s Beer Sessions Radio to hear the first set of Jimmy Carbone’s recordings from the annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown, which ran from August 2-4 up at Ommegang Brewery! Hear from Ommegang’s Simon Thorpe and Phil Leinhart as they discuss their popular Game of Thrones beers. Hear from lots of regional and new breweries and brewpubs who made it up to the festival.

Plus, Bill Herlicka of New Hampshire’s White Birch Brewing talks about his hops and yeast selections, the rise of local hops, and the growing craft beer scene in New Hampshire. Plus, “drop by” interviews from Cooperstown with Jonathan Moxley, Mike Lovullo, Tommy Ortega, John Langley, and the Radiant Pig team! Listen to the full episode here, and be sure to check out the Beer Sessions Radio Facebook page for lots of cool photos. And don’t forget to tune in next Tuesday at 5 p.m. for part deux of BCTC.

Good Beer Seal Bars Wrap Up Summer with Beer Dinners, Special Brews

bigalice2This is a great week to be visiting a Good Beer Seal Bar. From beer dinners to tap takeovers, you can count on the Good Beer Seal to ensure you’re in the right place for great craft beer.

Coming up this week, one of our newest Good Beer Seal bars, The Queens Kickshaw is collaborating with Queens’ newest brewery, Big aLICe to bring you a four course beer-paired tasting menu for $60. Courses include:

  • Biscuit Slider with Purple Potato Chips – paired with Purple Potato Tripel
  • Green Papaya Salad with Tumeric & Orange Dressing – paired with Lemongrass Tumeric White Lager
  • Patty Pan and Summer Carrot Papillote – paired with  Curry Leaf Lapsang Smoked Beer
  • Avocado Shake Palate Cleaner
  • Big aLICe Chocolate Morel Stout Cake with Chocolate Ice Cream – paired with Star Anise Hybrid Baltic Porter

This dinner can be enjoyed at any time from 6-9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 20th. Just e-mail the bar with your reservation request.

Then on Wednesday, August 21st, Mission Dolores will be having its Dog Days of Sour event, featuring some killer sour beers all day long with drink specials from 7-10 p.m. The line-up (subject to change):

  • Carton Monkey Chased the Weasel
  • Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge
  • Bruery Tart of Darkness
  • Bayerischer Bahnhof Berlinerweisse with Potatoes
  • Fritz Briem Grodziskie (sour smoked wheat ale)
  • Dilewyns Vicaris Tripel Gueuze
  • Tilquin Gueuze
  • Freigeist Peated Abraxxxas
  • Drei Fonteinen Beersel Blonde
  • Vanberg & Dewulf Lambickx DeTroch

If European is your flair, head on over to Jimmy’s No. 43 for their Thursday Tap™ this Thursday, August 22nd, when brewer Filip Govaerts from Brouwerij Het Nest will be bringing some of his favorites and drinking with patrons. Plus, they’ll be pairing beer with Lawless Jerky.

And if it’s a tap takeover, Barcade (Brooklyn, their Jersey City branch is also a new GBS bar), will have a Barrier takeover from 4 p.m. on next Thursday, August 29th, with Craig Frymark and Evan Klein in the house pouring a killer beer list.

 

 

What You Missed On Beer Sessions Radio™: It’s All About The Grain

wheatIt’s a ladies’ night as host Jimmy Carbone gets down to talking about local grains and their importance in making great beer. Joining him in the studio are Maia Raposo, spokesperson for Brooklyn Brewery, and June Russell, Manager of Farm Inspections and Strategic Development for Greenmarket/GrowNYC. Plus, Andrea Stanley from Valley Malt in Massachusetts phones in.

Maia and June discuss their collaboration beer, Greenmarket Wheat (currently available at Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesday and Saturday; also at the Brewery and some restaurants in the Union Square area). This beer was made with >70 percent local grains, beating the Greenmarket’s 60 percent local threshold. Local grain is a big deal at GrowNYC, where even the bakers at the Greenmarket must source over half their grain locally. $4 from each bottle of Greenmarket Wheat goes to support GrowNYC.

And although we’ve got awhile to go until Halloween, you’ll be singing, “We did the Mash… the Brooklyn Brewery Mash!” Maia talks about the Brewery’s nation-wide 11-city tour bringing Brooklyn beers on the road to DC, Philly, Chicago and Miami, among others. Partnered with Slow Food USA, Brooklyn Brewery is collaborating with local chefs and artisans in every city on the tour to create unique experiences while drinking Brooklyn Brewery’s finest.

And Andrea discusses People’s Pint’s Emmer beer, made from an ancient grain that grows well in the region and looks to have a future as part of the local craft beer industry. Plus Valley Malt’s upcoming Barleyfest (October 12th) and Jimmy’s birthday (August 17th). All on this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™.

 

 

What You Missed On Beer Sessions Radio™: Sloop, Owl Farm, and Berliner Weisse

foodwithbeerThis week on Beer Sessions Radio™, we welcome a new GBS bar, The Owl Farm, to the show, along with a new brewer, Sloop, from Poughkeepsie. We have Ben Wiley and Steven Baird from the former, while Adam Watson and Justin Taylor of the latter make their Brooklyn debut with two beers: Red Sea Red IPA and Sour Peach Berliner Weisse.

Which launches a discussion into how best to make a Berliner Weisse, with or without added fruit flavors? Adding to the discussion led by host Jimmy Carbone is Joe Callender, aka the Craft Beer Coach, who has launched the latest addition to the beer ap field, a tasting profile ap called BrewHorn.

Also in the studio are soon-to-be-wedded T.J. and Jaime, who are on a Scavenger Hunt to find the best beers in a 50-mile radius of where they’ll be getting married to bring to the reception. So, what’s the recommended line-up for great wedding beer (courtesy of Ben, and not all local):

  1. Open with Peekskill’s Hop Common
  2. For the Champagne toast, pull out Mikkelller Nelson Sauvin Brut
  3. For a general crowd pleaser, Carton’s Red Rye (or Boat Beer)

Jimmy is also getting ready for this weekend’s Hudson Rising in Beacon on 8/11, which will feature beers from Sloop (off MetroNorth). Or listeners are invited to stay in town and join Heritage Radio Network for their Hawaiian BBQ party.

You can listen to all of Episode 175 here.

 

Good Beer Seal Awards Go Out To 10, Including NJ and LI

Beer Sessions Radio host shows off Mayor's Proclamation before the announcement of the 2013 Good Beer Seal Awards.
Beer Sessions Radio host shows off Mayor’s Proclamation before the announcement of the 2013 Good Beer Seal Awards.

The Good Bear Seal is growing again, and this year (our 5th) we’ve burst the seams of the five boroughs and expanded to Long Island and New Jersey.

First up, the scene at last night’s Good Beer hosted by Edible Manhattan. For a great summary, check out Brew York’s column or Local Bozo. With dozens of food and beer purveyors at 82 Mercer, there was a little something for everyone. However, the big news came at the launch of the party, when 10 new Good Beer Seal bars were awarded the Good Beer Seal. Good Beer Seal Bars are committed to the presentation, promotion and enjoyment of good craft beer; seeking out the best beers from local, national and international producers. They also are key venues for Good Beer in their communities.

This year’s Good Beer Seal Awards went to bars in three boroughs (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens), Long Island and New Jersey:

This brings the number of GBS bars to a nifty fifty, and we congratulate these leaders in the craft beer community. Cheers, and welcome to the Good Beer Seal.

GoodBeer2013