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This week on Beer Sessions Radio™, host Jimmy Carbone welcomed Laguitas Brewing Company to the show, which meant co-owner and “warlord” Tony Magee was available for a very candid—and musical—discussion. Tony not only pretty much invented the American IPA (Lagunitas launched their IPA in 1995 as a seasonal, 100th brew, at a time when only a handful of IPAs were on the market), but he also is a music school drop-out (he was studying composing). Thus, his colorful metaphors of how beer is simply another form of composition, with its own “themes, restatement of themes, new developments and returns to a theme in a different key.”

The 20 year story of Lagunitas is fascinating, how it went from a small-town brewery that clogged the sewer lines to a national brand that will be opening its midwest (Chicago) operations during its anniversary year in 2013. Tony’s language is artful, and Lagunitas definitely has the best titles in the craft beer industry (Beer Weasel—that would be brewer Ron Lindenbusch’s title, Pony Ride Attendant, etc.). Tony is joined by New York Marketing Manager for Lagunitas, Mark Slujkic.

You can listen to this very cool episode (#144) here.

What’s going on in the beer world, both home and abroad? On Episode #143 (listen here) of Beer Sessions Radio™, host Jimmy Carbone welcomes an international group of guests, including Leonardo DiVicecenzo and Luciana Squadrill from Italian craft brewery Birra Del Borgo, Patrick Rue and Tyler King from The Bruery (calling in from California), Tony Forder of Ale Street News, Chris Saxman of Private Tap, and Chris Shonberger and Ross Scarano from the newly formed First We Feast on Complex.com.

Find out the cool things happening in the Italian craft beer scene, and if you’re apocalypse (Mayan version) ready by checking in on the 100 Beers to Try Before You Die and The United States of Beer (50 beers from 50 states).

 

 

In the Swiss category, BFM’s very own Jérôme Rebetez was pouring five of his beers, with the BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien 2011 taking both the judges and People’s Choice wins.

The Belgian category was very deep (25 different offerings), so there emerged no clear winner. Standouts included last year’s overall winner from Vanberg & Dewulf, Brasserie Dupont La Bière de Beloeil; Alvinne Cuvee d’Erpigny, which got its unique flavor from mustard seeds and being aged in wine barrels; Hanssens Scarenbecca Kriek; and People’s Choice winner in the Belgian category, Brouwerij Van Steenberge’s Monk’s Cafe.

The judges—Chris O’Leary from Brew York New York, Mary Izett (My Life on Craft), and Jimmy Carbone (host of Beer Sessions Radio™)—tallied their final scorecards and awarded the following:

• Honorable mention—to Hanssens Scarenbecca Kriek
• 3rd place—to Ommegang for it’s Gnomegang beer
• 2nd place—to Alvinne Cuvee d’Erpigny
• And 1st place (may I have a drum roll, please?)—went to Jérôme Rebetez of BFM for his Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien.

Even if you missed out on the amazing event last week, you can live (or relive) some amazing Belgians still available a la carte, including: Ommegang 3 Philosophers, Stillwater Folklore, Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour, Brouwerij de Dolle Brouwers “Dulle Teve” Triple, Duvel Single, Chimay Triple, Jolly Pumpkin’s, Alvinne Melchior and others.

What’s the difference between contract brewing and gypsy brewing? What is “Tenant Brewing”? Join a colorful cast for Beer Sessions Radio™ Episode 142, where host Jimmy Carbone is joined by contract brewer Jeremy Cowan (Shmaltz), with phone-ins by Pretty Things tenant brewer Dann Paquette and just plain ole brewer John Liegey of Greenport Harbor. Jen Schwertman and Chris O’Leary are also in the studio along with Greenport’s Greg Doroski.

It’s a colorful topic where pretty much everyone in the beer business has a strong opinion. One thing we all agree on? Great beer is the best outcome, regardless of how or where it’s brewed. We also update current Hurricane Sandy relief events. Plus, you’ll get a preview of NYC Beer Week, which the newly formed NYC Brewers Guild is running this year and features NYC Brewer’s Choice (tickets on sale now!)

 

We’ve had some amazing guest on Beer Sessions Radio™ over the past three years, and now we’ve gathered a sort of “best media” list for ease of shopping. You can find a full list of books (and one film) mentioned on the show, and if you buy through The Good Beer Seal Shop, you’ll be directly supporting Beer Sessions Radio™! Just click on the link and you’ll be redirected to Amazon. Load up your cart with some beery good books and spread cheer as you support our programming.

Beer Sessions Radio™ and The Good Beer Seal welcome Belgian Beer weekend at several Good Beer Seal Bars, including the return of Battle of the Belgians on Saturday, December 1st, from noon-3 p.m., at Jimmy’s No. 43 (43 East 7th Street, East Village). This year’s “you be the judge” event will feature imports from B. United. Then throughout the week Jimmy’s No. 43 will be featuring classics from Duvel/Ommegang, Vanberg & Dewulf, Shelton Brothers and 12% Imports. Plus! Breaking News!! Jérôme Rebetez of BFM in Switzerland will be pouring five of his beers. Meet and greet at Belgium v. BFM!

Also on Saturday, December 1st at noon, Spuyten Duyvil (359 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg) will open early for Celebration of Cantillon’s 2012 Zwanze. This year’s Zwanze, a recreation of the very first Zwanze, is a rhubarb lambic and will be tapped promptly at 9 p.m. Brussels Time (that’s 3 p.m. Brooklyn time). And rumor has it that Jérôme may be heading over here after his stop in the East Village, so be a groupie and tag along.

Also in Williamsburg this coming weekend will be Mug’s Ale House’s 7th annual Belgium 2 Brooklyn event, featuring two days (December 1st-2nd) of amazing Belgian beers (e.g. DeStruise, St. Feullian) and Belgian-style Americans (e.g. Goose Island, Stone). They’ll be pouring an extensive list for two days.

Finally, the Belgian Beer weekend wraps up back where it started. On Monday, December 3rd, Jimmy’s No. 43 will be hosting another of their famous Vegetarian Nonsense Prix Fixe Dinners, this one featuring Belgians from Shelton Brothers. Jimmy’s No. 43 will continue to run special Belgian offerings throughout the first two weeks of December as well.

 

Beer Sessions Radio™ Episode 141 is a specially pre-recorded session that took place at Jimmy’s No. 43 a couple months ago just as Tim Webb (Good Beer Guide Belgium) and Stephen Beaumont (Ale Street News) were launching their book tour for The World Atlas of Beer. They join host Jimmy Carbone and Luc “Bobo” Van Mechelen of Chimay in a geeky and extensive discussion of beer throughout the world. The episode was supposed to air 10/30 but was bumped due to Hurricane Sandy. Now you can find out what you missed.

How did Chimay become the “launch” model for craft brewing in the US? (Hint: Chimay is celebrating their 150th Anniversary this year!) How did Michael Jackson’s legacy lead to Tim and Stephen’s trek around the world to find best beer practices? What’s happening to the beer industry in China, South America, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and beyond? What’s the future of craft beer around the globe? Tune in and find out!

Listen to the whole episode here.

Adobe Blues bar manager Ryan Barker knows a thing or two about good beer. He also knows he’s never going to compete with the East Village for good beer drinkers. But that’s okay, because Adobe Blues may be NYC’s best kept secret… to everyone who doesn’t live on Staten Island.

“People just can’t wrap their heads around the ferry,” Ryan admits, knowing that the schlep from Manhattan is a deterrent to checking out the borough’s very first Good Beer Seal bar (they were inducted this past July along with Killmeyer’s). For those who do want a great excuse to visit Staten Island, Adobe Blues has five interesting taps (a recent visit yielded both Farnum Hill Cider and Great Divide Titan IPA on draught) and more than 200 bottles.

The Tex-Mex bar has been open for over 20 years, and its owners were former theater set designers who chose every piece of the colorfully decorated restaurant from a long-ago trip to New Mexico. While the bar’s original menu focused on region (with many imports), today’s menu is broken down by beer style (they have 24 different styles, including “other”). In fact, the Adobe Blues Beer Club rewards drinkers who try every beer style on the menu (three down: a Rogue pale ale, the Tital IPA, and—what Ryan says is probably their most unusual beer—Baladin Xyuayu Copper from 2004, an Italian Barleywine).

This Sunday, November 25th, from 12-4 p.m., Adobe Blues will host its second annual Brewery Appreciation Day. It’s a chance for the bar to look back over the year and bring back favorite beers, along with some big rare beers (last year’s breweries included Mikkeller, Allagash, Oskar Blues, North Coast, and Nøgne Ø, among others). This year’s confirmed breweries/beers include:

 

• J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (2010);
• Yeastie Boys, from New Zealand, with their Rex Attitude, a golden ale using 100% smoked malts;
• De Struise, from Belgium, with their very rare and sought-after Rio Reserva, a Quadrupel brewed in 2008, barrel-aged for four years, and then bottle conditioned;
• Mahr’s Bräu Ungespundet;
• Harviestoun, from Scotland, with a cask of Old Engine Oil;
• Flying Dog, from Maryland, with a cask of their Belgian IPA, Raging Bitch, infused with habanero peppers;
• Other confirmed breweries include Green Flash, Great Divide, and Weyerbacher, with more TBA.

A $50 ticket price includes a 5oz tasting glass, unlimited tastes of delicious beer, plus an all-you-can-eat steak, chicken, and vegetable fajita bar.

Although Adobe Blues was largely unaffected by Hurricane Sandy, the bar is very aware of all the destruction that has taken place on their island. In many ways, Staten Island is like one big family. For those that can wrap their heads around the idea of a water commute (“They serve beer on the ferry,” Ryan coaxes.), the reward of Adobe Blues is totally worth the trip. Or make an afternoon of it (the bar is a 20 minute walk or take the S40 bus from the ferry terminal) and explore nearby Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. See what you’ve been missing on Staten Island at Adobe Blues!

One of our favorite Good Beer Seal bars (okay, they’re all our favorite; hence why they’re Good Beer Seal bars!), Mission Dolores—who just happen to be having a Captain Lawrence Brewing Night tonight from 7-10 p.m.—were recently profiled on one of our favorite beer shows, Beer Nation with Seth Wright.

See how Mission Dolores came to be here!

On this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™, guests were still weighing in on Hurricane Sandy and its impact on the craft beer scene. Wendy Littlefield of Vanberg & Dewulf weighed in on the importer’s decision to postpone tonight’s (11/15) Coast-to-Coast Toast party in NYC (other cities will still be toasting!).V&D’s NYC distributor, Union Beer, was severely damaged by the storm, as were our friends over at Barrier Brewing and down at Shmaltz/He’brew. All the reports are still trickling in (most of the NJ brewers merely lost power and were allowing some natural fermentation to occur), but Brooklyn Brewery, which was largely spared from the hurricane’s effects, has a running commentary on their blog about who needs what and how people can help out our beer friends.

In the meantime, many Good Beer Seal bars were either without power or have gathered to support members of their communities that lost everything in the storm. For a good rundown of the bars that were affected, check out the Brew York, New York post-hurricane summary. You can also check in at your local Good Beer Seal bar and support them by purchasing gift certificates for the upcoming holiday season. Host Jimmy Carbone is also joined in the studio by beer enthusiast Julie Barnard, who has been working tirelessly with Team Stroller Patrol out of Park Slope (support their efforts by e-mailing here).

Transitioning from ways to help the hurricane relief effort, the second half of Episode 139 welcomed a lively discussion of the burgeoning Spanish beer scene. Johnny Brilliant of Iberian Beer United‘s Johnny Brilliant and Jessica Garcia Agullo discuss how they came about importing Spanish beers, and regular guest Jen Scwertman also weighs in on what the Barcelona beer scene have to offer the craft beer community in Europe and beyond. Favorite pours from Iberian’s collection? Porters from Gisberga Brewing and the Juliet from L’anjub!

Catch the entire episode here.