Beer Sessions Radio (TM)

Jimmy has a chat with Jorge Gaviria- founder of Masienda and author of " Masa". They discuss all things corn, including corn beers that Jorge has collaborated on at Peekskill Brewing and Roberta's.Jorge Gaviria is the founder of Masienda, the fastest-growing masa brand in the country. Before founding his company in 2014, Jorge trained at top restaurants, including Danny Meyer's Maialino and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. He has been recognized by top international press outlets for his work and was awarded Forbes “30 Under 30” for food and wine and named one of Food & Wine’s “Game Changers” of the culinary industry. His James Beard-nominated, bestselling cookbook MASA: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple has been praised as a best cookbook of 2022 by Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, The Washington Post, NPR and more. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, daughters, and dog, Reuben.

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 abroad in Australia and Europe. He’s helped multiple breweries start from the ground up, and loves all things lagerFred Maurer is a chef and charcutier, formerly of Dickson's Farmstand Meats and BKLYN Larder, and forever your Hot Dog Boyfriend. 

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!