Beer Sessions Radio (tm)

All hail the golden age of beer! Today there are nearly nine thousand breweries in the US alone, brewing an enormous range of styles from imperial stouts to double India pale ales, golden pilsners, briny melon goses, and much more. But while this breadth can delight the taste buds all year, how does one choose what to drink without feeling overwhelmed or defaulting to the same brews again and again? Acclaimed beer expert Tom Acitelli presents a fifty-two week guide to choosing the perfect beer to complement every week of the year. With tasting notes, brand recommendations, a guide to how to best serve, sip, and savor, plus fascinating backstories and trivia, Acitelli unearths what beer lovers actually care about and reveals how to appreciate the best that the golden age of beer has to offer.You can get a copy of the book HERERecorded at Notch Brewing - Brighton( Boston) March 5, 2025  

Andy Farrell is the brewmaster of Bell’s Brewery, overseeing innovation and recipe development at both the Comstock Brewery. Andy has helped bring dozens of brands to life, including Hazy Hearted, Light Hearted, and Oberon Eclipse. He has represented Bell’s at several conferences and numerous industry associations.Born and raised in Kalamazoo, Andy first started working at Bell’s in 2000, working in brewing, cellar operations, as well as leadership roles, serving as Head Brewer, Brewing Innovation Manager, and his current role as Brewmaster.  Andy leads a great team of brewers who manage specialty brewing, including new product development, barrel aged beers, portfolio optimization, and raw material assessment, as well as research and development brewing trials at both the Comstock, and Kalamazoo breweries. Andy has been influential in building the innovation brewery, which has allowed Bell’s to quickly take new ideas to market. 

Jimmy has a conversation with Jon Green from Stay Green Brewing and Jeff Lyons from Endless Life Brewing in anticipation of NYC Beer week, Reflecting on their histories and Beer Flavored Beer! https://www.endlesslifebrewing.com/https://www.instagram.com/stay_green_brewing/reels/

Jimmy meets with the team behind Eckhart Brewery at their in progress location to discuss their processes and plans!  They discuss the process of their creations as well as what to expect from the new site. They talk all things beer and brewing from the latest trends to up and coming recipes, as well as the process of food pairings and inspirations of their favorite establishments. Justin Sirois is the Operations Manager at Eckhart Beer Co, and he combines his experiences in the brewing, film and television and hospitality industries in his approach to operations and logistics at Eckhart Beer Co. Nick Meyer is a 20-year veteran of restaurant kitchens in New York and San Francisco, and the former owner of Some Good Beer, a craft-beer store in Manhattan. Rachel Wood has been in the craft beer and brewery industry starting in Florida over 15 years ago (6 in NYC!) and is a proud leadership member of Pink Boots NYC chapter. Adam Wolfe has worked over 10 years in the brewing industry. Most of that spent brewing abr

For this season’s first on-site interview, we’re headed to Massachusetts! Travelling to Deep Ellum Bar in Waltham, Jimmy sat down with Max Toste, owner of Deep Ellum, and Jackie Cain, Boston food writer, to talk food and beer in Boston. Learn everything you wanted to know about cask ale, new twists on pozole, and where to look for the best bites in Beantown, all on Beer Sessions Radio!

It’s a HRN crossover on today’s episode of Beer Sessions Radio! Jimmy sits down with Peter Reinhart, renowned baker, educator, author, and host of Pizza Quest on HRN. Peter, like many people, loves pizza, but his passion doesn’t stop at eating it. Inspired by his deep knowledge of bread-making, Peter is on a life-long quest to find the perfect pizza. In this pursuit, he travels around the world, writes books, and, as the host of Pizza Quest, interviews experts and fellow pizza-lovers to learn about their journeys. Join us as Jimmy and Peter talk about what makes great pizza, upcoming trends in the pizza world, and how the art of fermentation links this Italian classic to the world of beer.

Sit back and crack open a can of Legendary Dry. On today’s episode, we’re taking a breather from beer to talk cider! Today’s guest is Shannon Edgar, founder of Stormalong Cider, a MA-based cidery that’s been operating for over 10 years. Jimmy and Shannon chat about how to make a good cider, what makes Stormalong special, and why this long-standing American tradition continues to rise in popularity.

Before the dawn of the railroad, New York State was the nation’s top beer producer for over 120 years. To break down the state’s rich history of brewing, Jimmy talks with Carlo DeVito and Don Cazentre, highly acclaimed writers and historians of beer (among other libations). Don and Carlo make up half the team behind EMPIRE BEER, an upcoming book about the history of beer in New York. Listen and learn about the state’s 400 years of brewing, from foraging to “suds buckets" to the craft beers of today!

For the past few years, draft beer sales have declined across the US. To figure out why, Jimmy sat down with Kate Bernot, Missoula-based reporter on beer, alcohol, and food, and former director of the North American Guild of Beer Writers; and Zach Mack, food writer and owner of Alphabet City Beer Co. in NYC. The three talk about how draft lost its popularity, their own memories of draft beer, and how to bring it back in style. Read Kate’s full article on the decline of draft beer here!

Brian Alberts is a historian, writer, and consultant specializing in beer history and culture. He connects with Jimmy and tells tales of historic moments that centered around the love of beer!

Jimmy sits down for a spirited conversation with Joel shelton of inner circle beer tours, Christa from beer witch Brooklyn, Alan from city swiggers and BR who is a beer expert.Relax as this crew tastes special beers sharing cheers along the way while discussing the detailed aspects of underrepresented tastes of refined beers, the beer industry and more!

Jimmy sits down with Phil Neumann, an environmental scientist and water resources manager by training with a lifelong passion for landscapes and agriculture, located in Walla Walla Washington. He founded Mainstem Malt in 2015 with his wife Alyssa, as an approach to supporting conservation work on grain farms in the Pacific Northwest through the power of craft beer and spirits. He also invests time in the future of the craft malt movement at large via the Craft Maltsters Guild board of directors.

This Weeks Guests:Martha Lowry of Woodfolk CiderJenna Boucher of Two Blokes cider, a passionate cider maker who has experience from the hospitality and brewing industry.Damin Sawyer, New York based Hard Cider and Chicken Wing enthusiast & reviewer. PT Sales Manager for Original Sin Cider

On this Episode, Jimmy Carbone has a "Spirited" conversation with a special collection of guests!Arik Torren of Lot 1 BrandsCourtenay Greenleaf Torren who is a hospitality and cocktail consultantGabriel Velazquez Zazueta, a Creative & Design Professional with  20+ years of experience in Brand, Design, Culture and much more, as well as the cofounder of the confounder of Tuyo.NYCMichael Yarmark, a Spirits specialist from PM Spirits

Today we’re talking malt. From historical British styles to the future, Jimmy and Co. trace the practice of malting grains through time!To dive deep into this germinative topic, Jimmy has brought on three experts: Ron Silberstein, Co-Founder and Director of Sales at Admiral Maltings; Tim Decker, Sales and Marketing Manager at Admiral Maltings; and Josh Wurzbacher, North American Technical Sales Manager for Crisp Malt.This episode has everything you need to know about historical and modern craft malt, so make sure to be taking notes! Plus, get the scoop on Admiral Maltings and Crisp Malt’s new collab! Photo Courtesy of Tim Decker.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Beer Sessions Radio by becoming a member!Beer Sessions Radio is Powered by Simplecast.

Today we’re talking corn! From American heritage to ancient traditions, historical recipes to the modern barbecue, there’s a lot to shuck and boil down here.Two of Jimmy’s favorite minds weigh in on the subject: Amy Halloran is a flour ambassador, a true grains enthusiast, and a writer and advocate for regional grain systems; Ellie Markovitch is a multimedia storyteller, lecturer at the University of Maine, and a recipe expert. She uses food as a tool for community building.Corn is a key crop in our food systems - regionally and beyond. Learn about the significance of corn here! Plus, what’s Jimmy’s corn story? Tune in! Photo Courtesy of Ellie Markovitch.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Beer Sessions Radio by becoming a member!Beer Sessions Radio is Powered by Simplecast.

Joe Carrol, Justin Phillips and Justin's daughter join Jimmy on this weeks episode!Joe Carroll, an nyc restauranteur and early pioneer of boutique indie beer bar, owner of Spuyten duyvil,  Fette Sau and St. Anselms Justin Phillips, Owner of Beer Table, a boutique speciality Beer/bottle store innovated to owning a specialty beer store in grand central station, with Beer Table and Coffee Table, and Soon to open a new Beer Table store at the revived Penn Station councourse in Manhattan  

Jimmy goes on the road with RJ from Amuse News to Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway, Having a spirited conversation at the Finger Lakes Cider House to discuss how amazing (and misunderstood) cider wines are, the various wineries, the on-site farm, the local breweries, the gorges- and so much more!Big thanks to Finger lakes cider house, Hosmer Winery, Bet The Farm, The Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway team, and most importantly the Visit Ithaca team.Instagrams:The Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway!@cayuga_tourism@cayugascenicbywayFinger Lakes Cider House- Hannah & Garrett@flxciderhouse@discoverseneca@visitithacaHosmer Winery - Brooke, GMBet The Farm - Kit Kalfs, co-owner 

This week Jimmy is broadcasting live from Roberta’s with some very talented people to talk about Mexico in NYC.In the studio today are Noah Arenstein from The Cabinet Mezcal Bar in the East Village; Mariana Pelaez, food photographer and former restaurateur in Mexico; and Julia Cuthbertson, owner of Las Chingonas Imports and returning guest.Listen in as this room full of experts share their knowledge on authentic Mexican spirits, cuisine, and more! Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Beer Sessions Radio by becoming a member!Beer Sessions Radio is Powered by Simplecast.

As the temperature drops with the leaves, so too do we fall further into harvest season. And with the harvest comes apples. And with apples… Well, you know where this is going.It’s another juicy cidercast on BSR, with ambassadors from several cider states here to dish out what to expect this cider season. In the studio today is Middletown, CT’s Ronald Sansone of Spoke + Spy Ciderworks and president of the Cider Institute of North America; Jonathan Oakes of Medina, New York, President of the New York Cider Association, and proprietor of Steampunk Cider; Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm in Adams County, Pennsylvania, and current board president of the Pennsylvania Cider Guild; and finally Scott Ramsey of Beacon, NY, and executive director of the New York Cider Association.Different state cider associations, competitions, and festivals have grown and changed quite a bit over the past 15 years. Tune in to catch up on the state of cider! Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network.