Beer Sessions Radio (TM)

The day after the 9th Annual NYC Brewers Choice, a.k.a. the Slow Grains edition, Jimmy sat down with some of the Northeast’s leaders in the regional grain market. Maltster Andrea Stanley of Valley Malt , June Russell of GrowNYC Grains , Barry Labendz of working-farm brewery Kent Falls, and Evan Watson of Plan Bee Farm Brewery tell the backstory on reviving regional grains in the Northeast with mal...

Jimmy’s got a full studio, with seven guests from across New York City’s craft beer scene: Mickey Alexander of Taproom 307, Kaitlyn LeLoup of Interboro, Chris Maestro of Bier Wax, Alex Munoz of Harlem Hops, Matt Negron of Uptown Beer Society, Juan Perez of Bar 180 and Bar 177, and Joel Suarez of The Sampler. They talk with Jimmy about Not My Pres, the third in their Pres series collaboration, whic...

Joel Shelton of Shelton Brothers Imports , Pete Lengyel of KCBC brewing , and brewer Ulrike Genz of Berlin’s Brauerei Schneeeule (Snowy Owl Brewery) join Jimmy to compare notes. Tune in to hear their conversation about American versus German beers, kettle versus slow sours, ugly fruit versus fruit puree, and Ulrike’s work reviving traditional 200-year-old methods for making Berliner Weißes or, as...

This week, Jimmy turns from the art of brewing to the art of...art. He’s joined by author and writer Joshua M. Bernstein , AJ Keirans of the 16 Oz. Canvas podcast , and graphic designers Earl Holloway of KCBC and Daniel Birch of Barrier and Alewife Brewing . They talk about the expanding market for beer label art, the difference between designing for 750 ml bottles and for cans, their artistic ins...

This week, Jimmy checks in with two of New York’s new breweries. Co-founder John Dantzler and sales director Keith Sansone of Torch & Crown Brewing Company join Jimmy to talk about how they got started. John explains how he and his co-founder went from childhood friends to homebrewers to business partners, their flagship beers, and learning the skills (chemistry know-how, business savvy) they...

This week, Jimmy crunches the numbers with Ted Kenny of Top Hops, Gage Siegel of Beer Menus and Nonsequitur Brewing Project, David Steinman of Craft Brew News, and Ethan Siegler, author of a recent study on Los Angeles beer consumer choice. They talk about what kind of beer data they’re interested in, the dominance of the “hazy IPA,” the geographic differences in craft beer offerings, highlights f...

Jimmy talks malt with Jeff Lyons of Keg and Lantern and Max Ocean and Zane Coffey, co-founders of Catskill, NY’s Subversive Malting and Brewing. Tune in for a preview of NYC Brewer’s Choice 2019 and to learn more about the rise of New York’s malt industry, brewing tasty ingredient-driven beers, sourcing up-and-coming hop varieties, and the surprising smells of malting. Beer List: Subversive’s Drin...

This, week, Jimmy talks about the Good Beer Seal all-stars with the owners of three NYC beer bars: Andreina Uribe of The Bronx Beer Hall , Chris Maestro of BierWax in Prospect Heights, and Joel Suarez of The Sampler in Bushwick. They talk about bar and brewery collaboration, the important role of Good Beer retailers and bars in the craft scene, and taste a special early sneak peak of Sierra Nevada...

The teams behind Marz Community Brewing in Chicago and Mash Tun journal stopped by the studio on June 20 to talk with Jimmy before heading off to Mash Tun’s Issue #13 release party at KCBC . Joining Jimmy on air were founder of Marz Brewing and Mash Tun journal Ed Marszewski, Marz head brewer Tim Lange, former editor of BeerAdvocate and summer 2015 Beer Sessions co-host Ben Keene, KCBC’s Pete Leng...

Jimmy finds out more new beer and cider distributors in town with Lars Dahlhaus of Baldor Specialty Goods , Brown's Brewery of Troy, NY, Lisa and Rich Costagna from Bridge and Tunnel Brewery , and Jahil from Descendant Cider . It's HRN's annual summer fund drive, this is when we turn to our listeners and ask that you make a donation to help ensure a bright future for food radio. Help us keep broad...

It's HRN's annual summer fund drive, this is when we turn to our listeners and ask that you make a donation to help ensure a bright future for food radio. Help us keep broadcasting the most thought provoking, entertaining, and educational conversations happening in the world of food and beverage. Become a member today! To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we have brand new member gifts available. So...

Aaron Burr Cidery ’s founder, farmer, and fermenter Andy Brennan joins Jimmy to talk about his new book, Uncultivated: Wild Apples, Real Cider, and the Complicated Art of Making a Living. Also in the studio are the book’s editor Ben Watson of Chelsea Green Publishing and the annual CiderDays celebration in Franklin County, Massachusetts, and Ron Sansone of Connecticut’s Spoke and Spy Ciderworks ....

For farmers in New York State, how does hemp stack up against hops? Laura Ten Eyck of Indian Ladder Farms and Dietrich Gehring of Indian Ladder Farms Cidery and Brewery—who grow hemps and hops are co-authors of The Hop Grower’s Handbook —join Jimmy to weigh in. Attorney Max Bookman tells the story of New York state’s slow trek towards adult-use marijuana legalization, and whether we might . They t...

Tonight Jimmy uses the upcoming Rib King (May 30th) to talk BBQ! With guests including Blake Crawford of New Jersey’s The Alementary , Rob Cho of Kimchi Smoke in NJ, and Cenobio, Eric, and Penny from Morgan’s BBQ right here in Brooklyn. Together they tackle the supremacy of Texas-style BBQ, the value of "burnt ends," the New Jersey brewing scene, and how smoke affects beer / food pairings. Beer Li...

Tonight on Beer Sessions Jimmy talks about exporting New York State beer with guests Qurban Walia and Peter McNulty of Crafted Exports , Dave Lopez of Gun Hill , Kelly Taylor of KelSo , and Keith Fekete of Captain Lawrence . They discuss the separation of duties between exporters and brewers, the intricacies of exporting to particular countries, and how to care for the quality of beer shipped over...

Jeff Alworth , author of The Beer Bible and the Beer Tasting Tool Kit, joins Jimmy to talk about craft brewing in Portland, Oregon. His latest book, The Widmer Way: How Two Brothers Led Portland’s Craft Beer Revolution, chronicles Kurt and Rob Widmer’s journey from humble homebrewers to craft beer pioneers and purveyors of the iconic Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen. Jeff and Jimmy also talk with New Yo...

Jimmy checks in on the future of beer in the state of New York with Paul Leone of the New York State Brewers Association , Stefan Fleming of Empire State Development , and Jason Sahler of Brooklyn’s Strong Rope Brewery . They talk about the challenges and benefits of owning a brewery in New York City, how fast the industry has grown in recent decades, the long-term outlook for craft in New York, a...

This week, Jimmy and his guests talk about the pernicious Instagram phenomenon known as the #BossPour, where a glass is filled to the rim without any head, at the expense of taste and aromatics, and all for the sake of a good pic. In the studio weighing in are Dan Lamonaca of bar and bottle shop Beer Karma in Williamsburg, James Tai of Beer Acolyte , and Joel Suarez and Matt Negron of The Sampler...

On this special episode of Beer Sessions Radio, recorded during NYC Beer Week 2019 at Brooklyn craft beer stronghold The Gate, Jimmy and Curator of Beer Sean McCain sat down with some of the earliest brewers, bar owners and beer shop founders in New York’s craft beer scene. They talk about their hidden talents, their communities, old-school beer bars, and how and why how why they got into craft be...

Description: This week, Jimmy sits down with Jon Kielty from Big Alice Brewing , Christian Weber from Common Roots Brewing , and Melanie Fronhofer from brew system design company Fronhofer Design . In late March, a fire destroyed much of Common Roots’ father-son brewery in South Glens Falls, New York. Right away, Jon and others from the craft brewing community got together to figure out to help Ch...

What do you drink when you smoke...brisket? Tune in for a preview of Jimmy’s annual Brisket King NYC competition! Three of this year’s competitors, John Gower, John Patterson, and Matt Abdoo, join Jimmy to talk about spice rubs, pig breeds, HACCP plans, and what drinks pair best with BBQ. John Gower of Quiet Waters Farm in North Devon in the UK will team up again this year with Michigan’s John Pat...

Jimmy talks (and drinks) lagers with Svend Lindbaek from Millerton’s Svendale Brewing Co., Pete Lengyel from Bushwick’s KCBC Brewing , and Jeff Lyons and Alex Biedermann of Greenpoint’s Keg & Lantern Brewing . They cover New York state malts and hops, secret German brewing methods, the virtues and vices of Rolling Rock, Danish beer culture, and who’s putting lagers in barrels. Beer List: Keg &...

Hear about what makes New York cider special, the question of canning, the truth about dryness, and the definition of endangered apples while Jimmy checks in on the state of New York cider. Jennifer Smith talks about the New York Cider Association’s new label for ciders brewed in New York state with New York-grown apples; Jordan Werner Barry describes the language we use to talk about cider; Dan P...

This week on Beer Sessions, Jimmy checks in with beer importers BR Rolya and Joel Shelton to talk about their latest venture, Shelton Brothers Insider Tours. Alex Zolli, general manager of Spuyten Duyvil bar in Williamsburg, also joined them to talk about Péché Mortel (French for “mortal sin”), the Imperial Coffee Stout from venerable Montreal brewpub, Dieu du Ciel! Each year, the brewery celebrat...

This week on Beer Sessions Radio, Jimmy explores the phenomenon sweeping Brooklyn: Rothaus Pilsner . He is joined by Tobias Holler of Black Forest Brooklyn , Josh Van Horn of Gold Star Brewing , Kim Mercado from Brouwerij Lane , and Aaron Goldfarb , a writer from Punch. Rothaus Pilsner is an unpasteurized beer imported fresh and cold from Germany. Tobias is originally from the Black Forest region...