Month: November 2015

In the words of the late Jerry Garcia, what a long strange trip it’s been! Beer Sessions Radio™ is the longest running show on Heritage Radio Network and we’re celebrating cider on our 300th episode. Host Jimmy Carbone welcomes a full studio, including guest co-host Stephen Valand (as co-founder of Brooklyn Brew Shop, Stephen has included a cider-making kit in his lineup of beer making kits).

Eric West of Cider Guide starts the Cider Session with perry from Farnum Hill (one of our favorite cider makers!) and discusses his national newsletter and annual cider festival in Grand Rapids, MI.

Also in the studio are Yoni Rabino of Neversink Spirits, Jade Brown-Godfrey of Wassail, Bianca Miraglia of Uncouth Vermouth, and Darlene Hayes of All Into Cider.

Darlene is in town as part of her book tour for Cider Cocktails: Another Bite of the Apple, and the panel is sampling cider cocktails on the show. Fruit-based spirits are a new entry to the potent potables world.

The panel talks about the great new and emerging ciders in Massachusetts, Finger Lakes and the Pacific Northwest. Hear about the latest cider trends (all-crab-apple cider!) and the small-batch ciders that are tempting us this week! Listen to the full episode here.

And be sure to check out all the cider-related programming on Heritage Radio Network celebrating Cider Week NYC 2015.

Beer Sessions Radio™ loves cider almost as much as we love beer. Now that Cider Week NYC is upon us, we’re in the mood for real cider featured on some of our recent shows. We regularly have cider makers on the show as part of our on-going Cider Sessions series. In the past few months we’ve featured the following cider-related guests and topics:

On Episode #271, we hosted a St. Patrick’s Day get-together with two of Ireland’s best cider makers, along with guest from the United States of Cider and Rowan Imports in a lively discussion about how terroir and tradition affect the uniquely Irish spin on the traditional apple beverage.

On Episode #286, we welcomed Louisa (Loulou) Spencer of Farnum Hill Ciders and Field Maloney, a second-generation cider maker at West County Cider.

Episode #299 welcomed back the United States of Cider team and a cider maker we’ve come to know and love over the years, Polly Giragosian from Aaron Burr Cidery (Wutsboro, NY), who is joined by Ellen Cavalli of Tilted Shed Ciderworks (Sonoma, CA).

Most recently, on Episode #290, we welcomed author Ben Watson for an in-depth conversation on cider production, history, tasting notes and more.

And if you are interested in taking your listening pleasure the text step and doing some actual drinking of great real ciders during Cider Week NY, Good Beer Seal bar Jimmy’s No. 43 will be celebrating all week long with a full line-up of programming to include:

• John Reynolds Sidra Cask Kick off Party for Cider Week NYC on Friday, November 6th
• Foggy Ridge + Pig with Friends – a butchering demo with J. Fox plus a Cider 101 Class with Foggy Ridge Cider Maker Diane Flynt on Saturday, November 7th
• Cider Week NYC Cask Night and Meet the Cider Maker with Eden Ice Cider’s Eleanor Leger on Wednesday, November 11th
• From the West Coast Nat West will lead Reverend Nat’s Cider Seminary on Friday, November 13th
• The Cider Salon on Saturday, November 14th, offers a full-day of programming from the likes of Aaron Burr Ciders, Farnum Hill, Embark, EZ Orchards and more, with a cheese tasting and talks by some of the country’s best cider and wine writers; the event is already listed as Cider Journal’s #1 Must Attend Event of Cider Week

We hope you’ll join a Good Beer Seal bar during Cider Week NYC, and enjoy all the Cider Sessions on Beer Sessions Radio™.