On this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™, host Jimmy Carbone welcomes spring with the “Farmhouse Ales Guy,” Phil Markowski of Connecticut’s Two Roads Brewing Co. and author of Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftmanship in the Belgian Tradition. Phil discusses his decades-old craft beer journey, dating to his days as brewer at New England Beer Company to the launch of his huge facility in Stratford, CT.
Phil is joined by members of his team, Paul Sullivan and John Kleinchester, as they describe the mission of Two Roads, which offers regional craft brewing while offering space to contract and gypsy brewers such as Evil Twin and Stillwater.
Phil discusses the evolution of farmhouse ales such as Saisons and Bières de Garde. He offers a preview of Two Roads’ brewery-only April 19th release of Krazy Pucker, their very sessionable (3.8% ABV) Berliner Weiss.
On the European side of brewing, Raphael Mettler of Brasserie Trois Dames and B.R. Royla from Shelton Brothers weigh in on the Swiss tradition and contribution to craft beer. Raphael is experimenting with wild yeast strains on native fruits (most grains and all hops have to be imported for brewing in Switzerland).
This leads to a discussion of how breweries are using more local ingredients. Jimmy notes, “Every region has traditional ingredients, and I like seeing that expression in beers.”
Hear about Two Roads plans for expanding into additional markets, and Raphael’s collaboration project with Crooked Stave and Jester King (a beer using the same ingredients, aged in identical barrels, but brewed in three different facilities… should be ready for horizontal sampling mid-2015).