Beer Sessions Radio (TM)

Jimmy talks with Ori Zohar, co-founder of Burlap & Barrel, and Ari Miller, Executive Chef at Post Haste Restaurant and Cocktail Bar. In this episode, we learn a bit about Ori's Sharktank experience, making spice origins more transparent, the art of blending spices, and fighting the tariff ordeal. - Ori Zohar is the co-founder & co-CEO of Burlap & Barrel, the first comprehensive single...

Jimmy invites Jeff Bloem - founder of Murphy & Rude Malting Co. and Aaron Goss- founder of Carolina Malt House, to a chat for Craft Malt Month. The trio discuss what's changed since last year, this year's popular malts, regional sourcing of barley and wheat, and plenty more! ABOUT MURPHY & RUDE MALTING CO. Murphy & Rude Malting is Virginia’s first and only maltster creating radical mal...

Jimmy welcomes Sauce King 2025 winner Eric Janzen (Jax Sauce) and head judge Nick Bandouveris (Food Karma). Eric won last year's Sauce King with his Jax Alabama White Sauce. We learn more about the Jax Sauce history, the magic of Eric's award-winning Alabama White, using beer for marinating / sauce pairing, and Sauce King 2026! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pr...

Jimmy celebrates episode 800 at The Pony Bar - esteemed craft beer bar located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NY. For this special epsiode, he's gathered Dan McLaughlin (owner of Pony Bar), Chris O'Leary ( Brew York beer writer), Max Bookman (attorney for the NYC hospitality alliance), Kyler Pollick (Ommegang representative), and beloved frequent guest James Tai (craft beer extraordinaire)....

Jimmy dials up Geoff and Marcy Larson of Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau, Alaska. The Larsons share their inspiring backstory, moving to Alaska from the East Coast in 1986, the basis for their early beers and starting with the Amber, ideal food pairings/recipes, and so much more!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-s...

Jimmy takes a call with Pedro Aliperti, owner of Culto Bar in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Pedro walks us through his first bar, which opened in 2014 and closed due to Covid, operating on a popular block, upgrading the menu for Culto, and Brazilian food/drink culture.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Jimmy connects with June Russell (Director, Glynwood Grains and Staples program), Brigid Meints (Barley Breeder at Oregon State University), and Lane Selman ( Professor of Practice at Oregon State University, Founder of the Culinary Breeding Network). The crew come together to discuss the Naked Barley Project, the Variety Showcase, regional grains, barley's place in history, Mendelian genetics, an...

Jimmy speaks with Max Finnance of Max Beverage Consulting and James Tai (Beer Sessions frequent wingman and self-proclaimed "Bar fly"). Max fills us in on his super interesting background as a Nuclear Electrician for submarines in the US Navy, realizing his passion for beer and following a new path, working for Captain Lawrence Brewery and Sixpoint, and sharing his vast expertise in the business....

Jimmy hauls North to Sacred Profane Brewing in Biddeford, Maine, to meet with Woody Mott (Tributary Brewing) and Brienne Allen (Sacred Profane Brewing). In this episode, we learn about Brienne and Woody's first encounter, Woody's ascension in Tributary, the lack of government support for small businesses in Biddeford, Czech beer, experimenting with PH levels, and a deep dive into the science of it...

Jimmy travels down to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to meet with Spencer Schnorbus, Lead Brewer at Talea Beer. In this episode, we learn about Spencer's start in Southern California, creating George Washington's original homebrew recipe in collaboration with the New York Public Library, the reason for heavy molasses usage in the 1700's, and Talea's other core beers.  See Privacy Policy at https://a...

Jimmy speaks with JP Houchens and Emily Richard of Simple Brewing Company in NYC. Both are worker/owners but Emily handles lead sales and the taproom while JP does lead brewing and production. The entrepreneurs share how they utilize "old world brewing techniques", using almost all raw materials from New York State, moving all their equipment from Long Island to Brooklyn, the process of creating t...

Jimmy connects with Veronica Meewes, author of "Texas BBQ - The Art of Low and Slow" . Veronica regales us with the process of writing the book, meeting with pit-masters across the state, oak and smoker types, rotisserie pits, the sustainability of brisket, Texas trinity, and so much more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...

Jimmy gathers cider professionals Ron Sansone (Spoke + Spy Ciderworks /President of the CT Cider Association), Jeff Rogers (Rogers Orchards/Longview Ciderhouse), and Swapna Subramanian (Wild Yeast Evolutionary Biologist). The crew let us in on their working relationships, the over 200-year history of Rogers Orchards, and Swapna's fascinating scientific insight into wild yeasts and how it applies t...

Jimmy returns to NYC to grab a drink and talk with Jeff Lyons at ABC Beer Co, in Alphabet City. Jeff is the Owner/Brewer at Endless Life Brewing in Industry City. The pair delves into Jeff's movement around the 5 boroughs, brewing with New York ingredients, the issue with over-fruiting beers, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c...

Jimmy takes a call with first-time guest, Randy Mosher, as well as longtime friend of the show, Beer Writer/International Beer Judge, James Tai. Randy is a creative professional who spent most of his years in graphic design and has since pivoted to brewing and writing. In this episode, we learn about Randy's budding interest in beer, his early inspirations, the science of smell, the success of his...

Jimmy continues his CiderFeast conversation with Matthias Kamin, Owner of BonVent cider up in Hancock, Maine. In this part 2 episode, we learn from Matthias about using your senses in the brewing process, splash-racking, growing up in the Finger Lakes, and finding comfort among fellow "apple nerds". See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/...

Jimmy rides up to Portland, Maine, for this year's CiderFeast and has a chat with Gene Cartwright of Whaleback Cider (Lincolnville) and Matthias Kamin of BonVent Cider (Hancock). This will be part 1 of 2 episodes, where Gene and Matthias fill us in on their backgrounds, their love for Cider at an early age, wild apple sourcing, and gearing up for CiderFeast! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com...

Jimmy dials up Michael Roper, Owner/Founder of Hopleaf in Chicago, IL. Michael brings us back to his days working at bars in Detroit, buying one of the roughest bars in the city, moving to Chicago in the 80's, and eventually opening up the renowned Hopleaf .  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Jimmy dives deep in conversation with Henry Preiss of Preiss Imports. Henry shares the storied past of Preiss, working with his father, living in Germany, helping to build brands, and much more!  - How do your favorite international drinks get to the United States? In a lot of cases (pun intended), by way of Preiss Imports. In 1961, the Preiss family immigrated to Los Angeles from Germany and...

Jimmy returns to Penn Station to hang at Beer Table with longtime buds Justin Phillips (Beer Table), Noah Levin (Beer Table), and Brandon Hoy of Roberta's . This episode focuses on the importance of water in all things, from beer to pizza dough to our own nutrition. We even have a taste test with multiple water brands. Note: We had some technical difficulties in this recording, so apologies if som...

Jimmy travels out West to Lone Tree, Colorado, to visit Jerry Siote of Lone Tree Brewing . We had Jerry on the show in years past, but this is the first time meeting at Lone Tree in person. In this episode, we learn about how they source their high-quality ingredients, water consumption concerns for brewers and farmers alike, the process of training staff, and much more! - Jerry Siote is the Co-Ow...

Jimmy gets in touch with Ashleigh Carter, Chris Rippe, and Phil Joyce of Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, CO. Ashleigh and Chris are co-owners of Bierstadt, and Phil also owns his own Brewery called Amalgam Brewing, though he contributes to Bierstadt as an assistant brewer. In this episode, we learn about the beginnings of both breweries, the roles of each person behind the scenes, all the work that...

Jimmy reaches out to Ian Goering- Director of Operations at Blue Ox Malthouse in Lisbon Falls, Maine, as well as Matt Hamill- Co-Founder of Red Shed Malting in Alberta, Canada. Fresh off the 8th Craft Malt Cup Awards, Red Shed took home first place this year, as Blue Ox had done in the previous year. In this episode, we learn a ton about both malt houses, including the award-winning malts that the...

Jimmy takes a call with David Brodrick, founder of Blind Tiger Ale House, and Robert Hodson of Brooklyn Brewery. David and Robert regale us with stories of NYC's craft beer past, including The Riverrun, d.b.a., The Gingerman, and of course, The Blind Tiger. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Jimmy returns to Kato Sake in Bushwick, NY to chat a bit more with owner Shinobu Kato and also Cory Bonfiglio of Beer Street South. The crew talk about the evolution of New York City Beer Week, Hazey Nigori Sake, drinking abroad, and much more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .