Good Beer Seal

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.

We’re inviting all listeners and Good Beer Seal bars to live stream Heritage Radio Network this Tuesday starting at 5 p.m. with Beer Sessions Radio™. Host Jimmy Carbone will welcome Steve Hindy and Chris O’Leary (with additional guests TBA) to discuss the politics of craft beer. From 7-10 p.m. Jimmy will join Mike Edison of The Mike & Judy Show for live election night coverage.

Oh, and we may mention a certain hurricane and its impact on local breweries and bars.

You can stop by one of our Good Beer Seal bars, Idle Hands at 25 Avenue B, today from 1-8 p.m. for a Candlelight Happy Hour to benefit The Greater New York Region Red Cross. They’ll be bringing some relief to the city by bringing some relief to the local cabin fever. The bar will be open with as many cold drinks as we can serve thanks to an ice & candle delivery from Speakeasy Ales & Lagers and Omer Traditional Blond.

50% of all proceeds from our candlelight happy hour will go to benefit  and efforts to repair the damage brought on by Hurricane Sandy.

Can’t make it to the fund raiser? Here are some other ways in which you can help relief efforts

VOLUNTEER:

• NYC – Email nycservice@cityhall.nyc.gov with your name, email address, and borough.
• Red Cross – Visit and sign up at nyredcross.org
• USBGNY: The United States Bartenders Guild of New York is looking for and organizing volunteers and or bars in need of help to clean up their establishments. Sign up at http://bit.ly/USBGNYVolunteer

DONATE:

• salvationarmyusa.org
• redcross.org
• aidmatrixnetwork.org
• humanesociety.org
• Txt REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10

Hope you can make it.

It’s not Toxic Sludge… It’s Jimmy’s “Beer of the Week”! Host Jimmy Carbone welcomes Blue Point Brewing Company’s Mark Burford and Curt Potter, who bring both their Black and White IPAs for everyone to try. And back from the Great American Beer Festival is Blind Tiger’s Jen Schwertman, who gives a rundown of what she feels was the best GABF to date. Brian Ewing from 12 Percent Imports is also in the studio, talking about his roster of small, European brews.

And our beer experts are doing the can-can over cans, with a prediction that 12-oz bottles may be going the way of the fax machine. You can catch the entire episode (#137) here.

Cider apples always want you to see them sweat! It’s Cider Week NY, and host Jimmy Carbone puts down the beer pint to sample some amazing brews from local cider makers, including phone-in guests Steve Wood’s Farnum Hill and Dan Wilson’s Slyboro. In the studio, Sara Grady is in the house from Glynwood, and she’s talking about The Apple Project, the Cider Week initiative, and the differences between French and American ciders. Plus, Dave Brodrick of Blind Tiger and Worthy Burger shares some cider-making experiences, and homebrew cider-producers Joy Doumis and Jeremy Hammond of Proper Cider discuss making your own cider from apples purchase at the GrowNYC Greenmarket.

Find out why blends are better and the intricacies of making cider on both large and small-scale operations. It’s Cider Week on Episode #136 of Beer Sessions Radio™.

Day two at the GABF was a four brewery tour. We visited Great Divide, Renegade, Hogshead and Prost. Denver has one of the fastest craft brewing areas in the country, and part of this is niche marketing. Great Divide has been around for almost 20 years and is expanding to meet nation-wide demand. However, Renegade prides itself on “experimental big beers,” such as its Avalanche, a Triple IPA (11% ABV). Hogshead’s “English Steve” is a British transplant recreating traditional English cask-conditioned beers. And Prost is trying to market itself as a craft beer for the non-craft drinkers of Colorado, following strict German purity standards and brewing in old-world copper. See the pictures below for your own mini-tour of what is happening in craft in Colorado!

The Great American Beer Festival officially opened last night, and The Good Beer Seal was there, checking out all the action. First up? The Farm to Table Pavilion, an intimate food and beer pairing featuring 24 special craft beers paired with dishes by renown chefs from the Denver area and beyond.

Best of the pairings was  tie between Michigan’s Arcadia Ales partnered with Wildwood Restaurant out of Portland, OR. The Arcadia sky High Rye was paired with Hawaiian Ahi tuna, pickled calabrian chiles, crispy shallots, and creme fraiche. The Arcadia XV was paired with slow-cooked pork and tarbais bean ragout, anchovy anchovy oregano breadcrumbs, and remolata.

Right next door was Denver Beer Co. and Denver restaurant LOLA, which paired Pumpkin Beer from a growler with sage duck confit, duck fat fried potato, and a habenero carrot reduction. Their dessert option was the Graham Cracker Porter paired with oyster and Spanish chorizo fried bred pudding, ancho chile, lemon creme fraiche with a reduction syrup made from the Porter.

On episode #135 of Beer Sessions Radio™, host Jimmy Carbone welcomed Justin “Squigs” Robertson (Illustrator), Brian Strumke, (Stillwater), Larry Goldstein and Paul Kretzer from Spider Bite Beer Co., Jimmy Ludwig (The Happy Hour Guys), and fellow Good Beer Seal bar owner Rev. David Ciancio (Idle Hands). The beer boys talked about everything from choosing a personal “Beer Disneyland” to the best states for beer. Radio guys talking about television? Check! East Coast brewers talking about West Coast beers? Check. Love it or leave it holiday beer discussion? Check! Everyone drinking some amazing beers and having a great time on the show? Double check, and you can check out the entire episode here.