Month: September 2013

What does a bio-chemist who doesn’t want to work for a pharmaceutical company do these days? Why, buy a defunct brewery and make it his own, of course!

That’s the background of Tommy Keegan of Keegan Ales, one of the many dynamic guests Beer Sessions Radio™ host Jimmy Carbone welcomes to this week’s show (listen to the full episode here). Also in the studio are former frequent co-host and Blind Tiger owner Dave Brodrick, who made the trip from Vermont to talk about his new restaurant, Worthy Kitchen, in Woodstock, VT.

Tommy is accompanied by brewer Geoff Wenzel, but they aren’t the only Hudson Valley brew team in the house. John Rubbo, Nick Califano, and Sharif Taleb from Yonkers Brewing talk about their beginnings in winemaking and why they still need to defend their their contract brewing operation.

Learn about how Tommy took over the former Woodstock Brewing Company after a stint brewing for Blue Point Brewing (hint: he got by with a little help from his friends, or—in his words—”There aren’t too many industries where we all play nice together.”

Plus, Chase Healey of Prairie Artisan Ales calls in to talk about the Oklahoma craft beer scene, where “People (are) really thirsty for creative beer.” And much closer to home, Event Director Rosemary Jorda calls in to talk about next month’s Brooklyn Pour.

Catch up with friends both old and new on this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™!

Call this our east meets west episode. Or, perhaps, David walks into a bar with Goliath (but since beer’s involved, no one had to pull out a slingshot). We’ve got breweries big and small, and old and new on this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio™ as host Jimmy Carbone welcomes Robbie Crafton, Kyle Hurst, and Scott Berger of Big Alice Brewing, which brewed 53 different beers this year from its 1/3-barrel system in Long Island City. Across the table is one of the world’s largest brewers, Pilsner Urquel, in the form of Václav Berka, Zee Bartos, and Hospoda bartender and Master Bartender Competition winner Frantisek Stastka. Also in the studio is Good Beer Seal bar owner Ben Sandler from The Queens Kickshaw.

Whether discovering the first Pilsner by happenstance (it happened on October 5th, 1842, in case you were wondering) or carefully planning out a micro-micro brewery (and how to keep supply up with demand), pretty much everyone on the show could agree with Václav when he says, “Behind each barrel of beer is the heart of a brewmaster.”

And is NYC at a saturation point for new breweries? Unlikely. Thad Fisco from Portland Kettle Works (a maker of handcrafted professional brewing equipment in Oregon) weighs in on the Portland beer scene. As it turns out, per capita Portland has 40 times the number of breweries that NYC has (mainly because, you know, NYC is 14 times more populous than Portland), but most of these are brewpubs pouring to their own customers.

So, can a small pub in NYC create a brewpub space in the back of their restaurant? It’s legal now, and Thad is happy to talk you through the process. Listen in to here more.

“Daddy only drinks Peekskill Eastern Standard IPA!” Thus jokes author Josh Bernstein, making fun of host Jimmy Carbone’s beer choices while talking about craft beer across the country.

On this week’s Beer Sessions Radio™, Jimmy and Josh are joined by one of the show’s interns (himself a beer writer) Justin Kennedy to discuss the breweries they visited this summer and what makes for good “beer tourism.” You’ll hear about Josh’s second book, the recently released The Complete Beer Course, which he wrote with the lofty mission of getting everyone to talk in common terms about craft beer to make it approachable to all beer drinkers.

Plus, Enlightenment Wines’ winemaker Raphael Lyon discusses the definition of wine (hint: it may or may not include grapes) and how artistry in alcohol needs to include a business model. Hear about his hopped black currant mead plus his maple wine!

How did you spend your summer vacation? Find out where Beer Sessions Radio™ was (and listen to this week’s episode) here.