

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

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.

Jul 16, 2025 • 57min
07-17-25 - FOAM Mash Your Luck Tasting
James heads to Tulsa to taste the results of the Mash Your Luck challenge with members of the Fellowship of Oklahoma Ale Makers.

Jul 9, 2025 • 1h 8min
07-10-25 - Doctor Bishop 12 Percent Lager
Homebrewer Scott Housel answers the Mash Your Luck challenge with three beers that share common ingredients - two share the same yeast, and two share the same mash.

Jun 26, 2025 • 51min
06-26-25 - Hop Sampler - Crystal, US Delta, Zythos
The usual suspects sample single-hop beers brewed with Crystal, US Delta, and Zythos hops.

Jun 18, 2025 • 50min
06-19-25 - Tasting Maple Lager and Triple IPL
The cast of characters from this past week sticks around to sample James' Canada Maple Lager and his Mash Your Luck UK Triple IPL.

Jun 11, 2025 • 59min
06-12-25 - Hop Sampler - Nugget, Harlequin, Cryo Pop
After a long hiatus, James and Steve share a Hop Sampler (Nugget, Harlequin, Cryo Pop) with regulars from the Recipe Development and Mash Your Luck shows.

May 28, 2025 • 51min
05-29-25 - Detlef Helles Experiment, Part 2
Steve Wilkes joins Detlef Koertge and James to evaluate the results of their experiment comparing different equipment and mash schedules to brew a Helles.

May 21, 2025 • 52min
05-22-25 - CBC 2025 Wrapup
James is joined by Greig McGill of Brewaucracy and Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing as they share their thoughts about the Craft Brewers Conference.

May 14, 2025 • 34min
05-15-25 - FOAM Mash Your Luck
James heads to Tulsa for a meeting of the Fellowship of Oklahoma Ale Makers (FOAM) as they spin the wheel for Mash Your Luck.

May 7, 2025 • 43min
05-08-25 - Detlef Helles Experiment, Part 1
Homebrewer Detlef Koertge enlists James' help to design an experiment testing whether his elaborate step mashes are worth the effort.