Beer Sessions Radio (TM)

Today’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio is live from the Belgium Comes to Cooperstown beer festival in Cooperstown, New York. Tune in to get a feel for the atmosphere of the festival, and check it out next year! First up, Jimmy Carbone talks with Michael Saklad, the Eastern Regional Sales Manager for Stone Brewery. Hear about the beers that Stone brought to the festival, and what goes down in the Stone tent in Cooperstown. Next, Jimmy’s chatting with Chad Rich, the owner of a new brew pub in Waterbury, Vermont called Prohibition Pig. Tune in to learn the rich history of Vermont craft beer, and hear about how Hurricane Irene affected the old Alchemist brew pub. Daniel Lanigan, a Massachusetts beer bar pioneer, talks with Jimmy about his introduction to craft beer. Hear about how Daniel started the iconic beer bar in Amherst, The Moan and Dove. He expanded to Northampton with another bar, The Dirty Truth, and finally settled in Boston with his new bar, Lord Hobo. Tune in to hear more antics from Belgium Comes to Cooperstown on this week’s Beer Sessions Radio! This episode has been brought to you by GreatBrewers.com. “The Heady Topper is a very drinkable IPA. For an 8 percent beer, it goes down smooth. It’s so easy to drink, just like a lot of the Stone beers.” — Chad Rich on Beer Sessions Radio “I knew I was going to lost 100% of the clientele [of the previous bar]. When you have a clientele with a fairly successful small-scale business, it’s tough to go in and wipe out your entire clientele and start from scratch.” — Daniel Lanigan on starting The Moan and Dove, Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy Carbone returns from the Belgium Comes to Cooperstown Festival for another week of Beer Sessions Radio. Jimmy’s joined by Mike Lovullo, the Specialty Brands Manager from Union Beer, to talk about some of their favorite beers from Cooperstown. Later, resident “hophead” Ed Berestecki of Mugs Ale House joins the conversation, along with Dennis Flynn, of Stone Brewery. Tune in to hear the crew taste and comment on beers such as the Stone 10th Anniversary Ruination, the Stone/Dogfish Head Saison Du BUFF, and the Alchemist/Ninkasi More Brown Than Black IPA. Hear about hops from Down Under, aging kegs, and Norwegian brewing. This episode has been brought to you by GreatBrewers.com. “With aging beer, I like to experiment. And I have to be honest, I don’t think I’ve had anything come out bad.” — Ed Berestecki on Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How does a microbrewery get on tap at beer bars across New York City? We’re here to find out on this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio! Our host Jimmy Carbone is joined by guests from all across the craft beer spectrum. Sarah and Giancarlo Annese are co-founders of BeerUnion.net, and they recently visited all of the Good Beer Seal bars in New York City. Hear about how Sarah and Giancarlo learned a new appreciation for the city through their experience. Ryan Barker, manager of Adobe Blues in Staten Island, is also in the studio talking about the beer on tap at his bar and some of his local favorites. Ed Bevostecki is the owner of Mugs Ale House, and he’s in the house to share his thoughts on contract brewing and beer distribution. Finally, we’ve got Ethan Long and Marcus Burnett of Rockaway Brewing Company sharing two of their very new beers with Jimmy and company. Tune in to hear about how an upstart like Rockaway Brewing can get their beer into bars without a huge distributor. Other topics include the seasonality of beer, and the prices of some of the equipment needed to start a brewery. This program has been brought to you by GreatBrewers.com. “It was a really great way to see the city… just going to the outer boroughs and seeing what’s going on there in the craft beer scene.” — Sarah Annese on Beer Sessions Radio “As a bar manager, that’s a lot of what it’s about- getting people to keep brewing, support local breweries, getting people to drink the new breweries and know where they’re from. A new local brewery- that’s awesome, that’s something I can talk about in the bar.” — Ryan Barker on Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is the overlap between brewing and distilling? We’re here to find out on this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio. Our host Jimmy Carbone is joined once again by Jen Schwertman of Blind Tiger, and by a bunch of awesome booze guests. Michael Kinstlick of Coppersea Distillery is in the studio to talk about his recently licensed distillery, as well as the spirit-making process. Hear Michael talk about the progress of the craft spirit movement, and how he believes that home-distilling will one day no longer be associated with illegal moonshine. Matt Barclay and Justin Israelson from Sycamore Bar and Flowershop are also in the house to talk about some of their favorite craft spirits, as well as some of the artisanal liquors in their bar. Gregg Glaser briefly calls in to talk about some of his favorite brewery/distillery combinations, and the gang talks about some of their favorite craft beer from Green Flash, Captain Lawrence, and Firestone Walker! This episode has been brought to you by GreatBrewers.com. “So if you’re going to make any kind of grain-based distilled product – vodka, gin, whiskey – you have to make a beer first. So you make a fermented grain at about 5% alcohol, and that goes into your stills.” — Michael Kinstlick on Beer Sessions Radio “Being a brewery and a distillery- once you start making all of these products, you get to start aging your beers. There’s a lot more you can play around with.” — Justin Israelson on Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s Beer Sessions Radio, Jimmy Carbone is talking about beer in the U.K. and in China. Beer writer John Holl is in the studio, talking about the culture of low ABV beers in the U.K. Jeff Cioletti, Editor-In-Chief at Beverage World, is also in the studio to talk about the stigma associated with cask ales across the pond. Patrick Donagher of GetRealPresents.com and Alewife NYC discusses his recent cask festival, and how beer lovers of all ages were enjoying cask beer. Later, Jimmy and company talk with Teddy Gowan of Dr. Beer in Shanghai, China. Teddy talks about beer trends in Shanghai and Beijing, and how the beer scene there resembles that of the United States before the craft brew movement. The studio guests talk about their favorite English and Scottish beers, and why so many beer bars in NYC tend feature macrobrews on tap and leave their lines dirty. This episode has been brought to you by GreatBrewers.com. “I think that in the U.K., there’s more of a sessionable beer culture. You’re finding more beers that are in the 3-4% range pretty much everywhere that you go, so you can have more of them.” — John Holl on Beer Sessions Radio “A lot of the thinking among some of the younger drinkers is, ‘Cask is my father or grandfather’s drink.’ Now you’re starting to see a lot more beer based on American craft beers- draft, but not hand-pumped.” —Jeff Cioletti on Beer Sessions Radio “The Chinese market is huge, and they’re just now getting excited about beer.” —Teddy Gowan on Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio, Jimmy Carbone is talking beer books and blogs with a handful of awesome guests. Christian DeBenedetti is in the house, talking about his beer travels for The Great American Ale Trail, as well as his new venture, The Weekly Pint. The Weekly Pint is an e-newsletter that goes out to inform beer-drinkers around the country about amazing craft beer and events. Erica Shea and Stephen Valand from the Brooklyn Brew Shop are in the studio promoting their new book called the Beer Making Book. Hear about some of their wild recipes, including the Peach Cobbler Ale, the Lobster Saison, and the Jalapeño Saison Spicy! Seth Wright of Beer Nation joins the crew to talk about beer on TV, macrobeer and Anthony Bourdain, as well as a little bit of history of alcohol on television. To learn more about all of these wonderful guests, tune in to this week’s Beer Sessions Radio! This episode has been brought to you by GreatBrewers.com. “We focus on flavors more than production. This beer [jalapeño saison] has fresh jalapeños, agave, candy sugar- things that if you were doing it on a brewery level are going to cost you a whole lot, but if you’re doing it on a one gallon scale, a little agave from your kitchen isn’t going to increase costs by that much.” — Erica Shea on Beer Sessions Radio “I think making craft beer at home influence is taking on more inspiration from food by using real ingredients.” — Stephen Valand on Beer Sessions Radio “Beer drinking is about community, and there’s a certain soulfulness that isn’t present in everything that you can do with your time.” — Christian DeBenedetti on Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s Beer Sessions Radio, Jimmy Carbone and company are talking about the future of New York State beer, and legislation surrounding beer. Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery’s brewmaster, is in the studio along with Brian Strumke of Stillwater Artisanal Ales. Also, Dave Katleski and Olivia Cerio from Empire Brewing are in the house, along with Jen Schwertman of Blind Tiger. First, Jimmy asks Garrett and Brian about their beer collaborations and where they draw their inspiration. Later, Dave, who is also the President of the New York State Brewer’s Association, talks about some legislation that will hopefully improve the market for New York beer within the state and beyond. Topics include the excise tax, the Shelton Bros. lawsuit, and brand label registration fees. Finally, tune in to hear about hop and barley production within New York State. This episode has been brought to you by GreatBrewers.com. “I started looking at a brewery as a studio because I was using [recording] studios all over the world to make remixes and original productions. That’s just a bunch of gadgets and synthesizers, and the brewery is a bunch of stainless steel and equipment, as well.” — Brian Strumke on Beer Sessions Radio “As long as New York State is focused on local, and they certainly are, I think New York State beer is going to continue to thrive. As long as we continue making great award-winning beer, I think the future is bright.” — Dave Katleski on Beer Sessions Radio “We have an opportunity to reconnect beer to the land in the mind of the public. Things that have always been true will simply be apparent to everyone: beer is grown, and does not just come out of a factory made by machines.” — Garrett Oliver on Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’ve got another packed house this week on Beer Sessions Radio. Host Jimmy Carbone is joined by frequent guests Dave Brodrick and Jen Schwertman from Blind Tiger. Also in the studio is David Yarrington, director of brewing operations from Smuttynose. The Shelton Bros. importers are represented by Joel Shelton and BR Royla, and Sebastian Sauer and Peter Essel are here from Germany for Freigeist. Finally, we’ve got Ted Kenny, owner of Top Hops bottle shop in the Lower East Side. Tune in to hear discussions about the state of German beer. Freigeist has been experimenting with all sorts of styles, from Belgian to American, creating something completely unique. David Yarrington talks about his start in the beer industry, as well as the upcoming move for Smuttynose’s brewery. We’ve got call-in questions and inquiries from Twitter, so tune in! This episode has been brought to you by GreatBrewers.com. “There’s a lot of dying out of the breweries in Germany. Germany used to have a lot of breweries, and nowadays they all produce less than they did years ago. But they don’t understand why they’re losing so much. They see themselves as the victim.” — Sebastian Sauer on Beer Sessions Radio “The brewers in Germany don’t seem to get that people want something different, something that’s not being offered to them. We were just talking about how the same thing happened here [in the U.S.]. It had boiled down to a few suppliers that were brewing basically the same beer.” — Ted Kenny on Beer Sessions Radio “You can be creative and be unique and people will respond.” — David Yarrington on Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to another week of Beer Sessions Radio with your host, Jimmy Carbone. Today, Jimmy’s got some New Jersey craft brewers and beer connoisseurs in the house. Michael Kane from Kane Brewing is in the studio with Kane’s Single Fin and the Head High IPA. Augie Carton and Jesse Ferguson from Carton bring by their 0077XX and Boat Beer for some beer sessions. Os Cruz from NewJerseryCraftBeer.com is also in the studio, while Mike Kivowitz calls in to the show. Finally, John Kleinchester of Beertography.com is in the studio, and talking about taking photos of beer. Everyone is drinking New Jersey craft beer! Tune in to hear about the burgeoning beer scene in Northern New Jersey, as well as some of the upcoming beer events that are being organized by NewJerseyCraftBeer.com. Hear about how Kane and Carton blend styles to create unique beers that cannot be categorized. All this and more on this week’s Beer Sessions Radio! This episode has been brought to you by GreatBrewers.com. “You don’t necessarily have to go to New York to find good beer, we have great brewers and great beer bars here [in New Jersey], and we want to be at the forefront of it all.” — Os Cruz on Beer Sessions Radio “It’s the right of America, being the great melting pot, to steal inspiration from the entire world, and that’s what we do with our beer. If you’re holding to the strictures of definition, you can’t.” — Augie Carton on Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to another episode of Beer Sessions Radio, hosted by Jimmy Carbone. Tony Forder and Jack Babbin from Ale Street News are here to celebrate the beer magazine’s 20th Anniversary. Tune in to hear about the first few issues of Ale Street News, some of the events they have covered over the years, and the role of homebrewing in the success of their publication. Sam Barbieri of Waterfront Ale House is also in the studio talking about some of the beers on tap at Waterfront and the capacity of California craft brewers. The guys from Ale Street News bring over a biodegradable “Crafty Carton”, an alternative to a growler for bringing craft beer home from the bar. Tune in as everyone tastes some delicious pilsners and IPAs! Thanks to our sponsor, GreatBrewers.com. “This whole beer movement started because of homebrewers. There were so many cookie-cutter beers that tasted the same, and these guys were making beer that tasted great.” — Sam Barbieri on Beer Sessions Radio “Quality has to be the focus, but passion is the main ingredient.” — Jack Babbin on Beer Sessions Radio See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.