This week on Beer Sessions Radio™, host Jimmy Carbone welcomes Ben Keene, author of The Great Northeast Brewery Tour, who is discussing his new book and the very cool breweries he visited while writing it. Among those: Weyerbacher, also in the studio (Bob Fateaux and Yixi Villar) pouring “small” beers like Merry Monks (at 9.3% ABV); and Kelso of Brooklyn (represented by brewmaster Kelly Taylor).
And the Happy Hour Guys (Jimmy Ludwig and Mark Adrich) living things up with colorful readings from Ben’s book, while John Lapolla of Bitter and Esters regales both Jimmys with tales of homebrew cleaning techniques (note to self: buy Star San).
Learn all about how Ben went from Oxford University Press editor to writer of this very cool new book. And if you want to know Ben better, join him for a Prix Fixe dinner featuring beers from the book on January 27th at Jimmy’s No. 43.
There’s beer at the end of the (double) rainbow! At Ommegang in August, for BCTC.
Another year, another 50 episodes (no Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve broadcasts)! We welcomed brewers from both near and far, craft beer drinkers (of the year, in the case of Warren Monteiro), restaurateurs and publicans. We had a few episodes that generated extended dialogue (contract brewing, minority brewers), and we drank a lot of great beer.
Additionally, we got out a good bit this year, heading to the Craft Brewers Conference in D.C. and the Beer Bloggers Conference in Boston this year, plus undertaking trips to investigate the craft beer scene outside the northeast (including checking out what’s happening in Asheville, NC). Our July Good Beer month expanded to include a new series of Craft Beer Jam episodes at WNYC’s The Greene Space (a series that we hope to repeat, details soon). Plus we reached podcast #150!
And while it’s always hard to pick your favorite amongst the kiddies, we do have a few episodes from last year that we’d be happy to relive. Thus, here are our top 10 favorite episodes of what we believe were the best of Beer Sessions Radio™ 2013 (in chronological order):
Call me an ignorant American (please, don’t), but this episode of Beer Sessions Radio™ when Jimmy welcomed Mazen Hajjar, the brewer behind Lebanon’s 961 Beer, is one of the most memorable episodes—not just of 2013, but—we’ve aired. Who knew that Lebanon had a rich history in great wine and Heineken? How does one man change a nation’s taste from skunked lagers to great craft ales? This was also the episode where we checked in with Long Island brewers on their recovery almost three months after Hurricane Sandy devastated the region (and Barrier Brewing, in particular). From building to rebuilding, this was a fascinating episode to start off 2013! Listen to the full episode here.
It’s a honey of a show as we celebrate the end of prohibition! That’s right: It’s now legal to homebrew in all 50 states, in large part thanks to the efforts of Craig Hendry of Raise Your Pints, whose five-year mission to legalize homebrewing in Mississippi made this the 49th state in the union to catch up with the Carter administration (Alabama, the 50th, legalized in May). Plus we check in with homebrewers-turned-mead-makers as we examine this delicious but often forgotten fermented beverage (more details here).
There are times when we really miss the presence of Ray Deter on the show, but on this episode (details here) Jimmy Carbone is back in the co-pilot seat as fellow radio personality and Crusin’ for a Brewsin’ beer journalist Ale Sharpton from Atlanta effusively details his visit to Brooklyn (big shout out to the team at Red Hook’s Sixpoint Craft Ales). Plus, it’s the return of Dave Brodrick of Blind Tiger who adds his Vermont brand of beer knowledge. The fellas are talking about bars in Washington, D.C. at the Craft Brewer’s Conference and what’s happening in beer all across the southeast (including Green Flash’s expansion to Virginia Beach). Full update here.
We love how the craft beer scene has allowed the growth of “the other wine”—ciders! It’s all about English cider traditions, as we travel to Herefordshire, courtesy of Tom Oliver of Oliver’s Perry & Cider House, and B.R. Royla and Joel Shelton of Shelton Brothers Imports. The topic of the day: English cider and perry!
Sometimes everything old is new again. We saw a resurgence of interest in Michael Jackson, and we were one of the first in the nation to have a viewing of Beer Hunter, the documentary covering his life as a beer writer. Plus it’s traditional American meets new Italian as we go from the western Rockies to the southern Alps (guest list here).
We’re in the throes of July Good Beer Month and checking in with two of the city’s most established bar owners, James Langstine of Bronx Ale House and Chris Genua of The Double Windsor, to talk about the evolution of the NYC craft beer bar and how to address consumer demand for new beers and flavors. And we welcome one of the city’s newest brewers: Grimm Artisanal Ales!
Episodes 177 + 178 (aired 8/20 + 8/27) – Belgium Comes to Cooperstown
We make our annual trek to Ommegang for the “Festival about Nothing.” Nothing but good beer, that is! One of the few episodes we pre-record and our only two-episode arc each year, BCTC is one of the best festivals on the Eastern seaboard and a who’s who of beer connoisseurs. In Part 1, we keep things jovial with Ommegang’s Simon Thorpe and Phil Leinhart as they discuss their popular Game of Thrones beers, plus check-ins with many new and established breweries and brewpubs serving their favorite beers at the festival. In Part 2, we transition to regional issues with the guys from FOAM (aka the Fitchbug Order of Ale Makers) and discuss everything from sustainable hops growing to the watershed and risk to it from fracking. Host Jimmy Carbone talks with Simon Thorpe, Larry Bennett, and the brewers from Peekskill and Ommegang—Jeff O’Neill and Phil Leinhart, respectively—about water quality, hops, grains, and more.
One of the cool things we did this summer was Hudson Rising, a tour of heritage ships up and down the Hudson River, which allowed us to meet lots of cool new brewers along the watershed. On this episode, we welcome two of these brewing teams: Tommy Keegan and brewer Geoff Wenzel of Keegan Ales; plus John Rubbo, Nick Califano, and Sharif Taleb from Yonkers Brewing.
It’s the return of NYC Cider Week, and we’ve got even more cool guests in the studio to discuss the continuing resurgence of cider, including the macro-ciders now coming on the market to challenge the smaller apple farms in the region. Cider’s come a long way, baby, and you can find out more here.
One of our final episodes of the year was originally dubbed, “In Defense of English Beer,” but as Wandering Star’s Chris Post notes, “What needs defending?” The British (to include England, as well as Scotland and Wales) beer tradition is different than the American craft beer scene, but guests Post, Alex Hall and Sam Smith V (yes, that Sam Smith) all agree that the subtler version of beer is not an inferior version of beer. The British scene continues to grow, expand and create new beers. Call it everything old is new again (find out more, here).
As we head into the holidays, our last Beer Sessions Radio™ podcast of 2014 is a gathering of some of the country’s craft beer legends. Recorded on November 13 just before the tri-annual (sort of, the last one was 2009) Union Beer portfolio tasting. This year’s event was open to the public for the first time, and host Jimmy Carbone got the inside scoop from Tim Stendahl. And because this industry tasting brings the best beer makers and marketers to the city, we embrace the return of Dave Brodrick of Blind Tiger fame, who talks about the challenges of opening a craft beer bar in 2013 as opposed to the early years. Bobby Gagnon (The Gate) also represents the Good Beer Seal.
Brewers in the studio include Dick Cantwell of Elysian Brewing Co. in Seattle discussing his beer writing career, along side fellow northwestern brewers Irene Firmat and Jamie Emmerson of Full Sail in Hood River, OR, who can boast of some of the best water efficiency in the world of brewing. Hear about Full Sail’s twenty years in the craft beer game, and how the industry has evolved since their start. And coming back to Brooklyn, Ray Darmstadt shares his experiences from opening his beer store, St. Gambrinus Beer Shoppe. Hear about the shift in the craft beer world (especially the evolution of American-born craft beers) from these craft beer legends here.
This week on Beer Sessions Radio™, host Jimmy Carbone is joined by one of Britain’s stalwarts in craft beer, Sam Smith V, to talk about how British (which includes Scottish and Welsh, as well as English) beers go beyond the “warm and flat” stereotype. Sam reminds us that his brewery entered the US market in 1978 and helped give rise to the great homebrew and craft brewing movement in the states.
Wandering Star Brewing (an American company founded by Brits) is also in the house, with frequent guest Alex Hall bringing his cask expertise (find out what a Sparkler is!) alongside brewer Chris Post, who admits that he was really impressed by American craft when he moved from Britain.
On the American side, we go hyper-local as head brewer Pete Dickson of Sixpoint Craft Ales discusses how UK beers have influenced American breweries (despite the hoppiness of Sixpoint beers).
How does “sessionability” affect drinkability and how do the Brits drink session beers v. the American idea of “session” beers (Alex Hall: “Six percent? You’re kidding me!). The traditional styles of Britain are embraced, so no need to defend them!
This week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™ could be called “Getting by with a Little Help from my Friends, Westchester Edition,” as host Jimmy Carbone welcomes three beer aficionados with ties to our northerly neighbor: James Tai, a Certified Cicerone® and BJCP Beer Judge, who is the Beer Program Manager for Pinch American Grill at the Empire City Casino in Yonkers; brewmaster Kelly Taylor of Kelso Brooklyn and Heartland Brewery, who calls Westchester County home; and beer writer Michael J. Malone, who both lives and works in the WC, his latest book being Notes from the Captain Lawrence Tasting Room.
James discusses the challenge of curating more than 100 draught lines all dedicated to New York State craft beers, and previews net week’s (12/11) two-hour “tap attack” with five different breweries, including Kelly’s. Kelly talks about helping out new Brooklyn brewery The Other Half and how the Kelso operation works now with an added canning line.
And ’tis the season for Christmas beers, so everyone weighs in on their favorite libation for celebration, whether its the typical spiced brews or “last bottles,” as Jimmy likes to call them: those cellar beers you’ve been saving for a special occasion. So crack open one of your favorites, and listen to the entire episode here (or download on iTunes).
Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø at last year’s Brewers Choice. Tickets for Brewers Choice 2014 are on sale now.
This week on Beer Sessions Radio™, we’re giving thanks for great craft beer and deciding what to pair with a Thanksgiving meal as host Jimmy Carbone welcomes Evil Twin Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of Brooklyn bar Tørst and Sarah Monroe, Beer Director at Eleven Madison Park. When it comes to pairing alcohol with high-end food offerings, it’s long been an oenophile’s world. However, more and more servers and restaurants are going the high-end beer route these days, offering some amazing beers at a fraction of wine’s cost.
So what are our esteemed guests’ favorite beer and food pairings. Sarah mentions EMP’s foie gras paired with Gale’s Old Ale (’97 or ’98) or an impromptu pairing of smoked fish with a Captain Lawrence Smoked Porter Black Velvet. Jeppe discusses some of the wrongly conceived ideas about beer and food (“You don’t put wine in food, but everyone things you cook with beer.”) and his food-centric offerings at Luksus, where Chef Dan Burns creates a Scandinavian-influenced menu with (optional) beer pairings.
Jeppe talks about his gypsy brewing experience, ranging from South Carolina (Westbrook) to Connecticut (Two Roads) to Scotland (BrewDog), while Sarah talks about the deep cellar and unique beers available at EMP.
Finally, we attempt a phone-in with the Dickinson brothers, Luke and Walt, from Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville, NC. Fortunately, our own Justin Kennedy is there to help tell their story about the year-old brewery and their ambitious craft beer offerings. You can listen to the entire episode here.
Welcome to the German episode of Beer Sessions Radio™! We’re going international (and if you speak German, you’ll love this week’s episode) as we welcome Father Valentin from Klosterbrauerei Andechs, along with Lars Dalhaus (our happy translator) from St. Killians Importing and Sylvester Schneider from Zum Schneider in the East Village/Alphabet City.
Come hear about the journey to bring Andechs to the U.S. and why Germans don’t play around with flavors the way Americans do, preferring to create beer “Enjoyment for Body and Soul,” as the Andechs’ label proclaims.
On the American side, we have Dan Hitchcock and Nikki Cavanaugh from one of NY State’s youngest breweries, Rushing Duck. Hear about the brewery’s amazing growth and what beers they’re working on.
Plus, host Jimmy Carbone gets schooled in beer data terms by Girl’s Pint Out’s Jenn Litz, whose side job is writing for Craft Business Daily. So get the facts, just the facts, and nothing but the facts (nah, we’ll add in a lot of great beer) all on this week’s episode (listen here).
We’ve got your afternoon beer events covered for the weekend, as two Good Beer Seal bars host some of their favorite events of the year.
First up, Jimmy’s No. 43 is hosting Battle of the Belgians from 1-4 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, November 16th. Your ticket (get it here) entitles you to three hours of walk-around beer tasting, featuring the best of Belgium (from 12% Imports, Vanberg & Dewulf, Shelton Brothers, B. United) alongside American-made Belgian-style beers. Among the features:
20+ beers to sample and vote on: you choose the winner! Americans and Belgians.
Beers from Merchant du Vin, Duval/Ommegang, and Vanberg & DeWulf will compete with American-brewed draught and bottle offerings.
FOOD! We’ll have brunch-style offerings including our favorite Belgian beer pairing: bacon! Plus, our award-winning biscuits, chocolate, small bites/tapas.
Special guest: Brewer Rich Castagna of Bridge & Tunnel, one of our favorite local breweries, will be premiering some of his beers.
1-4 p.m. walk-around tasting features small batch, one-off, and classic Belgian-style beers.
For a list of last year’s beers and updates, check out Jimmy’s No. 43’s events listing.
Then on Sunday, Staten Island’s favorite craft beer bar, Adobe Blues, hosts its 3rd Annual Brewery Appreciation Day (November 17th, from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.)! The line-up includes:
Scotland’s Harviestoun, who will be pouring their very rare Ola Dubh 21 Year, a strong dark ale that has been aged in barrels that previously held Highland Park scotch for 21 years!
Smuttynose, from New Hampshire, with their Short Batch #21, a strawberry-rhubarb Berliner Weiss. Only 27 barrels of this were produced, making this one pretty hard to come by…
Weyerbacher, from Pennsylvania, with Aries, a blend of two incredible beers: their Old Heathen Imperial Stout, and our old favorite Imperial Pumpkin Ale.
Bree and Jimmy at this year’s BCTC at Brewery Ommegang, getting ready to record together for the final time.
On this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™ (listen here), we bid adieu to one of our own, co-founding producer Bree O’Connor, who was with us when we launched our podcast four years ago. It gives host Jimmy Carbone a chance to walk down memory lane (and memory loss lane – Penny Pink is from Portneuf Valley Brewing was in the studio on 6/28/11; the Seattle pub mentioned at 12:50 is Latona, who phoned in to the studio on 9/27/11). Bree also breaks out, “Guests I keep in my fridge,” for one last toast in the studio.
Plus, Ed Berestecki of Mugs Alehouse is back. What have been their favorite beers this year? For Jimmy, it’s Hitachino’s Dai Dai (which will be among the beers featured at this Saturday’s Battle of the Belgians at Jimmy’s No. 43); for Ed it’s a toss-up between Smuttynose’s Rye IPA and Barrier Brewing’s Bumble; Bree goes for a beer she hasn’t had in awhile: Surly Brewing Company’s Hells (which might unite her homes as it’s made in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota… coincidence? hmm…).
Bree’s takeaway from all these years: “One of the great things I’ve learned from being involved with the show is how much more I love the product after I meet the person. Because after I meet the person, I understand the product. You understand why that guy made that beer.”
For the second half of the show, Farnum Hill Cider’s Steve Wood calls in and talks about his childhood in the apple orchard, and how he came to start making hard ciders (hint: the financial future of the apple farm was involved). Why does Steve prefer still to sparkling ciders? (Answer: fortuitous connections to U.K. cider makers). Find out what differentiates industrial cider production from the techniques and methods used by Farnum Hill Ciders. Find out how Steve uses tannic apples to produce elegant cider! Tune into this program to hear Steve diagnose the problems with Ed’s apple trees, and listen to Steve talk about pruning practices and his distaste for pesticides. And say goodbye to Bree (we’ll miss you)!
This week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™ is bound to make you salivate! We’re talking about our favorite beer and food pairings as host Jimmy Carbone welcomes Jimmy Ludwig from The Happy Hour Guys, beer writer John Holl, Anne (loves beer!) from The Gingerman, and Tony Forder of Ales Street News.
So what are a few of the group’s favorite beer pairings?
Jimmy Ludwig talks about drinking a New Holland Dragon’s Milk beer float with vanilla ice cream. John revels in oppositional parings, such as oysters and stout (an oyster stout, perhaps?). Anne talks about how they introduce Gingerman patrons to various craft beer options by pairing with cheese.
Is beer better for the table than wine? This panel sure seems to think so. John Holl (who is co-hosting a dinner at Jimmy’s No. 43 next week) notes that one of the goals of his new book, The American Craft Beer Cookbook, was to show how craft beer is mimicking the local food movement. He wants craft beer drinkers (and brewers) to couch beer in food terms, to make craft beer more accessible to the the majority of non-beer drinkers in the US.
Speaking of beer and food, this year’s Coast to Coast Toast (CTCT3) takes place next Thursday, November 14th, and Vanberg & Dewulf’s Wendy Littlefield calls in to talk about the nationwide event that this year is focusing on pairing craft beer and quality food. Tune in to hear about both oppositional (savory-sweet) and complimentary beer pairings and what bars around the country have planned for the CTCT3.
Plus, Tony is talking about his recent European beer tour, and everyone on the panel talks about how the US is now a leader in the European beer scene. Plus, find out where John thinks every craft beer drinker should go before s/he dies (hint, it’s in Milwaukee). All this and lots of cool beer on this week’s Beer Sessions Radio™ (full episode here).
This week on Beer Sessions Radio™, host Jimmy Carbone welcomes Ben Keene, author of The Great Northeast Brewery Tour, who is discussing his new book and the very cool breweries he visited while writing it. Among those: Weyerbacher, also in the studio (Bob Fateaux and Yixi Villar) pouring “small” beers like Merry Monks (at 9.3% ABV); and Kelso of Brooklyn (represented by brewmaster Kelly Taylor).
