Category: Uncategorized

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).

This week on Beer Sessions Radio™, host Jimmy Carbone bids farewell to a friend: We learned that Dennis Zentek of d.b.a. had passed away on Sunday. Our condolences go out to both his and the entire d.b.a. family. The craft beer world mourns with you.

This week’s episode (#206, listen here) was pre-recorded when Ron Pattison, author of The Home Brewer’s Guide to Vintage Beer and blogger of infamy, was in town on his book tour. He’s joined by Pretty Things owner/brewer Dann Paquette, who has brewed traditional beers with Ron since they met up in Amsterdam back in 2007. It’s a brewer’s (and historian’s) episode, as Ron delves into the history of brewing in 19th Century Britain (fact: the East India Porter was more popular and predates the better known IPA).

Later All About Beer editor John Holl joins the conversation, applauding Ron for “challenging us about what we think about beer.”

Is there an American future for cask ales? Ron claims, “The real beauty of cask beer is that it continues to develop.” However John thinks that until there’s brewer-led education, it will be hard to convince Americans that cask ale is anything but “flat and warm.”

Find out what are the UK’s best contributions to beer, plus the various styles of beers and how they changed between the mid-1800s and WWI. And you can geek out on a discussion that ranges from gravity to heavy hops and extinct beer styles.

We’re often asked, “What makes a Good Beer Seal bar?” Well, there’s a long answer and a short answer. The latter is “a bar committed to great craft beer and community.” But what really makes a Good Beer Seal bar is when the public recognizes its presence in the greater NYC bar/restaurant community. This past week, we saw just what a difference being a Good Beer Seal bar makes, when Brew York New York‘s Chris O’Leary set up a #BARchmadness bracket, pairing off 64 of the city’s best bars in a fight for bragging rights. Modeled on the NCAA’s March Madness, this bracket competition invited the public to vote for their favorite bars.

Amongst those 64 pairings were 32 Good Beer Seal bars. Let’s do the math: There are approximately 1700 bars in the city, of which 45 are GBS bars (while there are 50 GBS bars total, some are in New Jersey or on Long Island… the non-Brooklyn part). Thus, fewer than three percent of the city’s bars have been awarded the Good Beer Seal, yet 50 percent of the bars chosen to compete are GBS bars. That’s what makes a GBS bar special. And, what’s more, the second round has just begun, revealing 19 GBS bars advancing. In other words, GBS bars now make up almost 60 percent of the bars in #BARchmadness!

In the first round, the following GBS bars were paired off (sadly, many against each other):

Moving on to Round 2, we hope you’ll support the following GBS bars with your vote:

• 4th Avenue Pub
• Barcade
• Bronx Alehouse
• Idle Hands
• Jimmy’s No. 43
• Mission Dolores
• The Double Windsor

These GBS bars are facing off against each other, so go with your favorite:

• Blind Tiger v. Mugs Alehouse
• The Owl Farm v. The Pony Bar
• Alewife v. The Gate
• Rattle-N-Hum v. Bierkraft
• 124 Old Rabbit Club v. Proletariat
• The Pony Bar UES v. Dive Bar

This week on Beer Sessions Radio™ on the Heritage Radio Network, host Jimmy Carbone is hanging out with the ladies as he welcomes Anne Bescerra (of Anne Likes Beer and Gingerman) and Sweet Fire, a collaboration beer made at Empire Brewing. The women brewers included Empire’s Brand Manager Olivia Cerio, Hayley Jensen (Beer Sommelier at Taproom 307), Blind Tiger GM Katherine Kyle, and Spring Lounge GM Jen Torriero. They discuss how they came up with the name of their beer made with chilis.

Plus, the brewer from Wild Beer Company from Somerset England, Andrew Cooper, and importer Jon Lundbom (of B. United) discuss Cheddar Cheese and the resurgence of craft beer in the U.K.  Tune in and catch some infectious energy from a room full of beer pros. Listen to the full episode here.

This week on Beer Sessions Radio™ on the Heritage Radio Network, host Jimmy Carbone welcomes back some of our favorite beer writers, as Josh Bernstein and Niko Krommydas join new authors Giancarlo and Sarah Annese (Beer Lover’s New York: The Empire State’s Best Breweries, Brewpubs & Beer Bars). Together they do a recap of one of Jimmy’s favorite NYC Beer Week events, Josh’s tour of the old Nassau Brewing lagering caves. Josh discusses the rich history of beer in Brooklyn, noting that he likes to conduct tours where “you drink and think at the same time.”

Among the brewers that were serving up—what else?—lagers during the event was Chresten Sorensen from Bunker Brewing Co. in Portland, ME. Chresten discusses the challenges of opening a new brewery plus breaks down the beer scene in Portland. By phone, Luke and Walt Dickson of Wicked Weed Brewing discuss how large established breweries are helping small up-and-coming brewers via collaboration (Wicked Weed, based in Asheville, brewed their Brett IPA with now-neighbor New Belgium).

Giancarlo and Sarah discuss their travels through NY State and the many small breweries that surprised them with quality beers. Jimmy segues into a wrap-up of Brewer’s Choice, where more than 6,000 pounds of local grains were incorporated into this year’s brews. A major concern for small brewers is getting local ingredients, and NY has a long way to go to keep up with demand. The panel agrees that “grains are the new hops” and that anyone opening a malthouse in the northeast will be inundated with orders.

Both looking back and ahead on this week’s episode (listen here).

On this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio on the Heritage Radio Network, host Jimmy Carbone is discussing the state of beer in New York State! It’s a policy show, but also of major importance as craft beer continues to grow in NY.

Jimmy is joined in the studio by the Beer “Czar”  Sam Filler. Sam helps facilitate local beer production using regional grains and hops. Laurel Greyson of NYU and the Urban Farm Lab drops by to talk about her plans to open a local malting facility and distillery, and what that means for local drinkers.

Newest brewer in the Bronx, Davey Lopez of Gun Hill Brewery, also talks about his journey to having started the first farm brewery in New York City.

Later, Jimmy calls Pat Hooker, Deputy Secretary of New York State, to talk about the economic benefits of promoting local beer, wine, cider and spirits. Paul Leone, the Executive Director of the New York State Brewer’s Association, joins the program to talk about the boom in Craft New York Beer Fests. Steve Miller calls in to talk about the proper way to grow hops in New York!

One of the questions we’re often asked is, “What makes a craft beer bar a Good Beer Seal bar?” While there are many factors that go in to selecting members each July, the Good Beer Seal basically lets anyone know that this bar is special. And when a special brewer decides to launch in NYC, we’re thrilled that our Good Beer Seal bars are his (or her) first point of entry into the largest marketplace in the US.

Thus it is that we welcome Two Roads Brewing Co. to Manhattan and Brooklyn (and eventually beyond), where they’ll be debuting at Good Beer Seal bars, along with NYC Brewers Choice on February 26th! We spent a great time out in Stratford, CT, this weekend, getting to know the Two Roads’ team of Brewmaster Phil Markowski, marketing gurus Brad Hittle and Clem Pellani, plus various members of the hospitable Two Roads crew.

Their facility is impressive, offering both in-house and contract brewing. Although it’s a bit of a trip on Metro North to get there, they have converted a huge 100+ year old space that will take the average bar owner’s breath away. With a commitment to green brewing (they’re putting in solar panels and they recycle everything), Two Roads Brewing Co. is truly a part of their community, in much the same way as Good Beer Seal bars commit to improving theirs.

So, where can you find Two Roads in the coming weeks? Check out these events:

• On February 19th – Blind Tiger will host Phil and offer a selection of core brands and limited release beers.
• On February 20th – The Owl Farm puts a Brooklyn spin on Two Roads’ launch.
• On February 26th – Phil will be pouring his own brews at NYC Brewer’s Choice.
• On February 27th – Two Roads Brewing Co. comes to Spuyten Duyvil.

And we’ll soon have a full list of all the Good Beer Seal bars’ NYC Beer Week events. So, come out and drink Two Roads and get ready for some amazing happenings at a Good Beer Seal bar near you!

What is beer? What constitutes being a “brewery”? On this week’s episode (listen here) of Beer Sessions Radio™ on the Heritage Radio Network, two of craft beers most ardent opponents of contract brewing argue their case over why local beer is one part craft, 99 parts community. Rich Buceta of Singlecut Beersmiths in Queens started quite the firestorm late last year when he posted a sign referencing the concerns in some part of the craft beer world that contract brewing isn’t “real” brewing. Greenport Harbor’s Jeff Dorowski continues the conversation he began on one of our first shows talking about his concerns with contract brewing. And Augie Carton of Carton Brewing chimes in on the importance of Carton being a local brewery.

Beer Sessions Radio™ producer and beer writer Justin Kennedy, even comes up with a new rubric to discuss the types of breweries (and this blogger would add “Brewpub” to this list):

1. “Brand” Brewery – No physical presence, no personality associated with the beer, not an individual brewer.
2. “Brewery in Planning” – A “locally” marketed beer with the intention of eventually building a facility associated with the brand (early Brooklyn Brewery is a good example; Bronx Brewing is a modern example).
3. Gypsy Brewers – No physical presence, but definitely a personality or brewer associated with the brand.
4. Diversified Brewery – A growing presence necessitating off-premise brewing; Sixpoint of late.
5. “Traditional” Brewery – A brick-and-mortar presence with a brewer and/or personality, serving the immediate community and perhaps distributed regionally.

We invite you to listen in and form your own opinion about what makes a “brewery” part of the craft beer community.

It’s a dark and stormy night this week on Beer Sessions Radio™, as host Jimmy Carbone welcomes a dynamic but small group into the studio. We’ve got beer writer Niko Krommydas along with first-time guests Matt Monahan and Sam Richardson from Other Half Brewing Co., the first new brewery to open in Brooklyn in nine years. Sam discusses his time brewing with Kelly Taylor at Greenpoint Beerworks and getting his Fermentation Science creds from Oregon State University before launching Other Half.

Niko offers a Long Island beer update shares his opinions on the new breweries opening in the area (he jokes to Jimmy, “Every time a brewery opens in NYC, an angel gets its wings!”).

And we’re getting a beer week preview with events as varied as NYC Brewer’s Choice (on February 26th), which will be focusing on locally grown grains (Kelly Taylor is making a brew with 75% of its grains sourced from NY State: Edible Ale from Kelso will be available seasonally), and a lager cave tour with beer writer Joshua Bernstein (sadly, it sold out in minutes – see the photo courtesy of Niko at left). Plus Brady Lowe calls in about his heritage “porc” event, Cochon555 happening this weekend (tickets available here).

Finally, Beer Sessions Radio™ Justin Kennedy joins the group to discuss emerging beer styles and what they represent (e.g. there’s a movement to have a “Cascadian Ale” designation for brews coming from the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia). What’s the difference between a Black IPA and a Dark Ale? Is local beer preferable to national craft brands? Everyone has a story to share on this week’s episode (listen here).