Beer Sessions Radio (TM)

Jimmy takes his talents to Times Square, NYC to have some drinks at BXL Cafe. There, he is joined by BXL owner Yves Michaels, Kyler Pollick from Brewery Ommegang, and frequent guest and brand developer, James Tai. Today's chat is focused on Belgian beer, how to maintain authenticity abroad, the popularity of Duvel, and exceptional mussel preparation.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...

Jimmy returns to Bushwick, this time visiting Curious Elixirs , aka Club Curious. There, he meets with Gidon Coll of Original Sin Cider , J.W. Wiseman of Curious Elixirs , Lars and Alex of Momentum Brewery . The fellas share their reasons behind exploring non-alcoholic beer/cider, incorporating ingredients that have actual health benefits, and creating a final product that tastes as good, if not b...

Jimmy posts up at the Beer Table in Penn Station once more with Noah Levin, this time, with special guest Ryan James Burk from Occam Cider Co. Ryan is a longtime Cider-maker and notable legend in the scene. He shares a bit about his industry beginnings in Chicago, wild fermentation at Virtue, working internationally with Tom Oliver to make the annual "Gold Rush" Cider, joining up with Angry Orchar...

Jimmy gets Josh Bernstein on the line for this week's podcast. Josh is an accomplished beer writer with numerous titles dating back to the early 2000s. The duo discuss Josh's Home Brew tours in the mid-2000s, New York's "Golden Age" of beer, the history of Can Jam at Threes Brewing, and how to get patronage back for breweries.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pr...

Jimmy gathers once more at Threes Brewing in Gowanus, Brooklyn. This time with Author- Peter Kaminsky and Chef/Restaurateur- Alex Raij. Our guests share with us their backgrounds and long-time friendships while dining on local tacos and discussing cooking, fly fishing, and more.  Alex Raij is a first generation Argentine-American who grew up in the Midwest, attended culinary school, and lived...

Jimmy calls up to Maine for the final episode of Craft Malt Month. Here we meet Joe Rinaldo, Director of Sales at Blue Ox Malt and Katie Miller, Head Brewer of Good Fire Brewing . We learn a bit about the relationship between Blue Ox Malt and Good Fire Brewing, making grisette with "cool corns", the legal and scientific limits of using corn, and how to get creative with smoking malts. See Privacy...

Jimmy gathers at the Penn Station Concourse in Manhattan with BR Rolya (Beer Consultant), Noah Levin, Phil Laurelli, and Justin Phillips of Beer Table. In this episode, we learn a bit more about the start of Beer Table, all the Belgian beers that they offer, how their beers (and tin fish) are selected, and we even get a few words from some loyal patrons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...

Jimmy invites Scott Ramsey and Adrian Luna to a gainful discussion about Cider season in the Empire State. Scott is the Executive Director, and Adrian is the Membership and Communications Coordinator for the New York Cider Association. The conversation starts with the impact of the pandemic on the small business Cider Industry, then moves to the evolution of Cider Week over the years, the diversit...

Jimmy hops a train to Gowanus, Brooklyn, to visit Josh Penney of Threes Brewing. The duo discuss Josh's new role as head brewer, the modern IPA, intentional brewing, and winning awards! - Josh Penney, the newly appointed, award-winning Head Brewer at Threes Brewing, the beloved Brooklyn-based brewery and community space. With his extensive background in the craft beer space and his current positio...

Jimmy's second episode for Craft Malt Month has us meeting Jeff Bloem from Murphy & Rude Malting Company and longtime friend of the show, Emily Hutto, with RadCraft. Right from the get, we learn a little something about the origins of Craft Malt Month, Virginia malt farms, estate beer, and challenging the industry norms. Please visit https://craftmaltmonth.com/ to learn more about how to suppo...

Jimmy dials up Hillary Barile, farmer/maltster at Rabbit Hill Farm Malt , and Sean Towers, Co-Founder of The Seed: A Living Beer Project . With both businesses based in New Jersey, the chat begins by comparing local malts with mainstream malts, then develops into a conversation about barley malt varieties, Atlantic City's resurgence, smoked malts, and more! This episode marks the 1st of 3 malt-foc...

Jimmy heads down South to the Jersey Shore to meet with Dave Gill and Jessie Chase at Wildwoods BBQ . Dave is the co-owner of Wildwoods and Jessie is the founder of The Social Medium - a communications agency based in Paris and New York. Dave shares how he got his start at Hometown BBQ , incorporating Australian BBQ techniques, consulting in Bogota, and what it takes to win Brisket King NYC. ...

Jimmy takes a call with heritage hog farmer/ pit master Tank Jackson, chef and livestock instructor, Mike Lapi, and Jesse Hirsch, food and agriculture journalist at Offrange. The fellas get into how they got to where they are, the passion involved in hog farming, the teaching process of butchery, and the importance of finding a use for the whole animal.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...

Jimmy welcomes David and Sarah Martell of JMASH Cider and Hilltop Orchards, as well as Ronald Sansone of the Connecticut Cider Association and Spoke & Spy Ciderworks. During this discussion, we learn a ton about owning/operating a three-in-one orchard, cidery and winery business, sustainable agriculture in New England, Apfelkorn, and the importance of relationships and networking among cider m...

Jimmy speaks with Steve Garwood of Ragged Hill Cider in West Brookfield, Massachusetts. Steve shares stories of growing up in Massachusetts, including his first cider as a teenager, and why cider is the wine of New England. They also discuss New England cider traditions, Italian ancestrale methods, and the difference between apples you want to eat and ones that are good for aging. See Privacy Poli...

 Jimmy takes a day trip up North to Kittery, Maine. There, he meets with Tod Mott and Jerard Fagerberg at Tributary Brewing. Tod is the Co-owner/Brewer at Tributary, and Jerard is a freelance beer writer. The three chat about how Tributary got started/where they are going, how scale can ruin a good product, and of course, enjoy some of Tributary's finest brews. See Privacy Policy at https://a...

Marzae is Massachusetts’ first & only natural winery, founded by husband & wife team Eliot Martin & Katie Luczai in 2023 with the vision to build community and bring the production of great, approachable wines & other local ferments to the Greater Boston Area. We produce wine with 100% local fruit in Acton, are working on an urban tasting room, run MA’s natural wine fair (MASSerati...

Jimmy calls in to Longmont, Colorado to chat with Leslie and Steve Kaczeus of Boot Strap Brewing. The husband-and-wife duo discuss how they got started as brewers, the importance of community, international distribution, and what it takes to keep a brewery alive for so long. Bootstrap was founded by Leslie and Steve Kaczeus in 2012, who left the high-tech industry to follow their dream of creating...

Jimmy goes on-site at the PM Spirits offices in Bushwick, NY, with Geriz Ramirez of Other Half Beer and Leonardo Comercio of PM Spirits. The boys enjoy some quality Mezcal/Beers/Armagnac and discuss what makes a beer "hazy", the importance of talking to the customers and educating them about the spirits/beer they are drinking, and of course, creating the ultimate boilermaker! See Privacy Policy at...

WildEdge Brewing Collective opened on April 11th, 2017 in downtown Cortez after a 7 month renovation of a vacant warehouse. Our concept is that great beer builds great community. Our central location in Cortez, one block north of Main Street in the Central Business District, provides a great space to pursue this goal. ​Between our ever changing tap list of house made beers, our rotating hard cider...

In 2010, Jimmy sat down to record the very first episode of Beer Sessions Radio. 750 episodes later, he returns to the Bushwick restaurant where he made most of his shows. Friends from the neighborhood and beyond, many who’ve been involved since the beginning, gather around the table to taste, talk, and soak in the vibe. Belgian beer, skateboarding, fresh local sake, and why small batch spirits ar...

Jimmy heads down to Kato Sake Works on Troutman St. in Bushwick, NY. There, he's joined by Shinobu Kato, James Tai, Kaori Eda, Yuki and Yumi. The group shares a lot of laughs as they talk about the growing popularity of sakes in the US, the differences between Junmai and Nigori sake, the cultural differences of operating in Japan vs the U.S. and much more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...

Todd loves great sake--making it, drinking it, and introducing people to it. Once upon a time, Todd lived in Japan, visited izakaya, worked as a sword maker's apprentice, was an English teacher, and fell in love with sake. He is an experienced sake brewer with certifications as a Cicerone and Sake Advisor.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://ar...

Brett Taylor- Co-founder and Head Brewer at Wild East Brewing    Jason Hicks - of Jones Wood Foundry,  executive chef La Goulue & Orsay restaurants since 1996   James Tai-  Cask Marque Assessor for the region.   Kevin Kain @casketbeer Instagram - Writer for Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine, Pellicle Magazine and VinePair See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Not...

Justin Koury - A wine and spirits expert with over 25 years of hospitality industry experience. Justin has spent decades teaching culinary techniques whiskey pairings and consulting in the spirits and cider Industries. Todd Godbout -Todd has been exploring the world of wineries, breweries, distilleries, and cideries since 2003, the same year he created WineCompass.com, a tasting room compendium th...