Basic Brewing Radio
James Spencer
Basic Brewing Radio is a weekly chat about homebrewing - brewing the best beer and mead in the world in your own home.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 3, 2025 • 51min
12-04-25 - Brewing Wild and High
Matt Giovanisci of Brew Cabin heads to the mountains to go back to his roots of home brewing.
Nov 27, 2025 • 1h 2min
11-27-25 - Hop Sampler, NZ Pacific Sunrise, Strata, Comet
For the 27th Hop Sampler, the usual suspects compare three deliciously fruity hops: NZ Pacific Sunrise, Strata, and Comet.
Nov 12, 2025 • 56min
11-13-25 - German Lager Quest
Homebrewer Detlef Koertge is inspired to brew German lager style beers after a visit with a professional lager brewer in his home country.
Oct 29, 2025 • 1h 7min
10-30-25 - Save the Purrgils
Josh Secaur of Gambit Brewing in St. Paul, Minnesota, answers the Mash Your Luck challenge with a Black IPA nod to the Star Wars universe.
Oct 15, 2025 • 1h
10-16-25 - The Dark Flower
Homebrewer Scott Housel answers the Mash Your Luck challenge with a Graf, a cider/beer hybrid inspired by author Stephen King.
Oct 1, 2025 • 55min
10-02-25 - Broken Rice Japanese Lager
Dr. Scott Lafontaine from the University of Arkansas joins James along with Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing and author Chris Colby to sample James' rice lager and talk about the role of rice in brewing and its future.
Sep 17, 2025 • 59min
09-18-25 - Big and Complex
Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing shares the second half of a tasting round featuring beers that are big and flavorful.
Sep 3, 2025 • 59min
09-04-25 - Light and Fast
Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing shares a flight of three beers that are light in character and quick to produce.
Aug 20, 2025 • 55min
08-21-25 - Hop Sampler 26
Homebrewer Mitchel Jensen shares some of his hop freezer bounty as we compare Zappa, Bergamot, and Experimental 25.
Aug 6, 2025 • 56min
08-07-25 - Remembering Jack McAuliffe
We dig into the archives to find excerpts of shows that featured Jack McAuliffe, the founder of modern craft beer, who passed away this past month.
