Good Beer Seal

Don’t worry, bee happy could be the theme to this week’s Beer Sessions Radio™ episode (#155, listen here), as one of our favorite co-hosts, Jen Schwertman, joins us in the studio along with Evil Twin’s Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø. We’re talking about Mead—is it a wine? a beer? turns out, it’s both (or either, depending on how you run your facility)—with homebrewer and beekeeper Roger Repohl and phone-in guest Michael Fairbrother of Moonlight Meadery in New Hampshire. After you hear everyone wax rhapsodic over the Desire and Apple Pie meads, you’ll wish you were in Alaska (no, really, because they’ll ship there but not to NY!!!, although you may be able to score some at Top Hops). Michael plays up the romance in his branding because “80 percent of (his) customers are women.” And Jimmy reminisces on his first mead homebrew.

On the non-mead front, Jen discusses her “place” (i.e. she came in second) at the Beer Drinker of the Year competition last month in Colorado. And Jeppe talks about his favorite brewery (hint, it’s all about the sour!). And speaking of homebrew, we’re celebrating with Craig Hendry of Raise Your Pints, whose five-year mission came to a close this week as Mississippi became the 49th state to legalize homebrewing (Alabama remains the soul holdout). Plus Gary Glass, Director of the American Homebrewers Association, weighs in on the new law and the state of homebrewing in America.

So pour yourself a pint and enjoy a honey of a great show.

It may just be coincidence, but the state of Mississippi has legalized homebrewing this week, just as we’re remembering Beer Sessions Radio™ former co-host Ray Deter on what would have been his 56th birthday. We’re pretty sure that Ray would approve, and we invite you to raise your glass and remember Ray today. We have some of his most memorable moments on Heritage Radio Network here.

On a related note, Sixpoint’s Pete Dickson has tried The Ray Deter Robust Porter that we brewed a few weeks ago for Beer for Beasts. Pete reports that the beer has good flavor and is a bit lighter in color than expect. Can’t wait to try it ourselves.

It’s our first ever all-Queens (County, that is!) show on this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™. Okay, so maybe we’re fibbing just a bit along side Queens Kickshaw‘s Ben Sandler (in the studio with co-owner and wife Jennifer Lim), because we do have a special drop in guest in the person of Gus Anton of Inwood Local (afterall, where else would any reasonable Queens resident do the Harlem Shake other than Harlem?).

From Long Island City to Astoria to Far Rockaway, Queens is catching up with its Kings neighbor, as several new brewers come online, including Bridge & Tunnel Brewery (owner Rich Castagna is in the studio, talking about the hazards of working in a 150 square foot brewery, not to mention the hazards of looking for a larger space along the L line), Singlecut Beersmiths, Rockaway Brewing Company, Beyond Kombucha (yep, they’re a brewery!), and the soon-to-open Big Alice Brewing Company.

Of course, it’s not just brewers who have to capture the imagination of craft beer drinkers. Ben and Jen have a unique plan never to repeat a beer they’ve served (well, kinda sorta, see above), along with offering interesting beer-pairing menus (one recent offering was White Bean and Beer Stew that incorporated Rockaway Brewing Co. Scotch Ale wort).

Finally, Time Out New York’s Gloria Dawson is with us to tell us about her favorite haunts on the Queens beer scene. Listen to the episode (#154) and feel like a Queen(s’ craft beer drinker).

Hear the letters IPA, and you probably have a pretty clear notion what your beer is going to taste like. But what if there were an actual Indian Pale Ale? This week on Beer Sessions Radio™ we welcome some of the team behind India’s biggest craft beer initiative, Independence Brewing Company in Pune, India. James Tai returns to discuss his involvement in India’s sixth largest city and the state of craft beer in a country of 1.2 billion. He’s joined (from telephone call-in) by his partner, Avanish Vellanki, who is working alongside Stone Brewing’s Greg Koch to try and change the beer culture of India from a lager-guzzling outlet to true craft beer connoisseurs.

Also in the studio is Bierkraft’s Ben Granger, helping do a round-up of Brewer’s Choice and NYC Beer Week. Bierkraft’s recently obtained Restaurant Brewers license has enabled the bar to brew small batches of beer to be consumed on premises, offering yet one more nano-brew experience for craft beer lovers in NYC. And Møsefund Mangalitsa’s Heidi Norman discusses the perfect pork-beer pairing options with host Jimmy Carbone in an effort to answer the age-old question, you want bacon with that? Finally, a pre-recorded conversation with Norman Sinclair of Orkney Brewery in Scotland sums up what is happening in the northern U.K. beer scene. Listen to the full episode here.

Beer Sessions Radio™ host Jimmy Carbone was at Sixpoint yesterday where he made our annual Beer for Beasts entry. He was joined by brewer Pete Dickson (pictured at right), Beverage World Magazine‘s Jeff Ciolettis, Justin Richardson of The Happy Hour Guys, and James Tai (@beeracolyte on Twitter). The beer is named in honor of former Beer Sessions Radio™ co-host and dba bar owner Ray Deter.

Our good friend Anna Zivarts put together a video of Wednesday’s NYC Brewers Choice at City Winery. It was a blast. Relive it or see what you missed below!

We coulda been a contendah! Oh, wait! We are. Welcome to NYC Beer Week, which witnesses the growth of craft beer in NYC and the state over the past five years since NY Craft Beer week was launched by one of this week’s Beer Sessions Radio™ guests, Josh Schaffner. This week’s episode (listen here) celebrates our 3rd Anniversary broadcasting on the Heritage Radio Network while discussing the evolution of craft beer in NYC with a couple Good Beer Seal bar owners (Dave Brodrick of Blind Tiger Ale House and Ed Berestecki from Mug’s Ale House), Josh and James Tai (“That Chinese guy at the bar you’ve seen before!”).

Speaking of that guy at the bar you’ve seen before, James shouts out to Wynkoop’s 2013 Beer Drinker of the Year, Warren Monteiro, who beat out regular Beer Sessions Radio™ guest host Jen Shwertman in the finals this past week in Denver.

While the group discusses how to participate in NYC Beer Week, they also want to promote NY beers and brewers at NYC Brewers Choice, which will feature a Keynote by Captain Lawrence Brewing’s Scott Vaccarro. They look forward to the day when NYC Beer Week offers a full week of NY-only beers.

So many Good Beer Seal bars, so little time. While we think every day is a craft beer day in NYC, the official NYC Beer Week is here, and we’re offering suggestions on where to go and what to do. The big event for today is at 61 Local, where they will be celebrating their 2nd anniversary with a party, raffle and general great community vibe from 5-9 p.m. (and beyond, we’re guessing).

The first thing you’ll probably notice about 61 Local upon entering it is ALL. THAT. SPACE. Even though it’s in Brooklyn (very conveniently located, too, because those in the “know” know the G Train is the best kept north-to-south Brooklyn secret, and 61 Local is steps away from the Bergen Subway stop on the G Train), the high ceilings and clean open floor plan gives a new name to spaciousness. In fact, the space continues to a second floor, where 61 Local often hosts film screenings, book readings and other community-centric events.

61 Local also defies definition. Have a teetotaler in your life? No worries at 61 Local, which has a full coffee bar to complement its many local draft beer offerings. They were among three bars city-wide to get a keg of Blue Point Barrier Brewing relief beer, Surge Protector, for example. They also offer a clever array of “sandwiches” and “non-sandwiches” to nosh on (their chili is to die for!).

Among their community partnerships are BK Farmyards, Brooklyn Soda Works, and Cut Brooklyn, all of which will be featured at tonight’s 2nd anniversary celebration. In fact, the bar/coffee shop/community hang-out will be serving up Brooklyn Soda Works shandies, raffling off a one-of-a-kind knife (Cut Brooklyn is the exclusive provider of cutlery at 61 Local), with all proceeds going to BK Farmyards.

Without a doubt, 61 Local is everything a quintessential Good Beer Seal bar should be. And NYC Beer Week dovetails nicely with their 2nd anniversary party, so be sure to check them out!

What can we say other than Good Beer Seal bars represent! We’re just blown away by the new Thrillist flowchart for making your way through NYC Beer Week, which officially launches tomorrow. If you follow any of the options, chances are you’ll end up at a GBS bar. You can see the interactive (click on any of the black boxes and you’ll find out more details) Thrillist flowchart here.