Craft Beer Radio

We did Imperial stouts a few shows ago, and we decided to go for round two. This show has a pair of GABF gold medal winners, and a pair of spoiled beers. Enjoy!

Beer:

• Siberian Night - Thirsty Dog Brewing (OH)
• B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher - Hoppin Frog (OH)
• Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout (England)
• Storm King - Victory Brewing (PA)
• Raven's Eye - Eel River Brewing (CA)
• Bell's Expedition Imperial Stout (MI)

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. Siberian Night, 2. Boris, 3. Eel River, 4. Victory, 5. Sam Smith, 6. Bells
• Jeff: 1. Boris, 2. Siberian Night, 3. Victory, 4. Eel River, 5. Sam Smith, 6. Bells

Extras

• Preshow
• Postshow

A quickie this time. Consider it a flashlight instead of a spotlight. Boulevard sent us two of their recent Smokestack beers and if they keep making beer like this, I'm moving to Kansas City.

Beer:

• Boulevard - Bourbon Barrel Quad
• Boulevard - Saison Brett

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. Quad, 2. Saison
• Jeff: 1. Quad, 2. Saison

Extras

• Preshow
• Postshow

Nothing suits the day after a horrible windstorm like oatmeal stouts. We taste four beers of this increasingly popular style. Wilford Brimley would be proud!

Beer:

• Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout
• New Holland The Poet
• Stoudt's Fat Dog Stout
• Terrapin Wake and Bake Coffee Oatmeal Stout

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. Wake and Bake, 2. The Poet, 3. Stoudts, 4. Breckenridge
• Jeff: 1. Wake and Bake, 2. The Poet, 3. Stoudts, 4. Breckenridge

Extras

• Preshow
• Postshow

This show is short and sweet, much like the chocolate in these beers, and this description.

Beer:

• Rogue Chocolate Stout
• Terrapin Side Project #4 Dos Cocos
• Southern Tier Choklat

Rankings:

Greg: 1. Choklat, 2. Rogue, 3. Dos Cocas
• Jeff: 1. Choklat, 2. Rogue, 3. Dos Cocas

Extras

• Preshow
• Postshow

Lew Bryson and Gen. Lafayette brewer Russ Czajka explore the world of full-flavored, low-alcohol beers.

I have a quick interview with Tom Peters, the owner of Monks Cafe. We talk about the events that Monks is hosting during Philly Beer Week as well as some insider tips about visiting monks.

Interviews of participants of the Brewers Plate fundraiser for Fair Food.

An interview with the owners of Jose Pistolas. We discuss their Philly beer week events as well as what their bar is like the other 51 weeks of the year.

Interview with Joel Armato, Beer Ambassador for New Holland Brewing Company. We find out what they did for Philly Beer Week as well as what new things the brewery is working on.

On Thursday night I was able to attend the Anchor Brewing Dinner with Fritz Maytag at the Four Seasons. It was my first chance to meet Fritz. Be warned, I wasn't allowed to leave my seat to record so the quality on this one is not the best.

Patrick Jones talks about making beer to mostly college students, and the Culinary class makes foot to pair with Triumph beers.

I spent the morning at Dock Street Brewing attending the Randy Mosher Beer Training Class. The class had some great content. I recorded the Intro, and History chapters for the show. This course is available at the Siebel Institute and on the road on occasion.

Rob Tod talks about barrel aging, spontaneous fermentation, and other things Allagash.

The put on a Founders Beer Dinner. It was a 9 course feast each paired with a founders beer, many of them rare, and hard to obtain. Simply Delicious, and I would like to thank the South Philly Tap Room for having us for the dinner.

Before the Beer and Cheese Tasting Patrick Jones gives us a tour of the brewery. If you listened to him at Drexel you will hear much the same story, but This is more detailed.

8 Triumph beers paired with 8 wonderful cheeses. I've been to a few beer and cheese tastings in my time but this one had the best cheese out of all of them. It was a great tasting and Patrick Jones the brewer is an interesting guy to talk to.

I ran into Shaun O'Sullivan from 21st Amendment at Nodding Head Brewing before the Brett Pack Reception. He wanted to know when I was going to have him on CBR. There is no time better than the present. We found a nearly quiet table in the back and tried the canned offerings from 21st Amendment.

Sam Adams Beer Dinner at the Field House, a fantastic leg of lamb and the Launch of the Sam Adams Imperial Series. Jim Koch really sticks it to me in the interview.

Phd's G. Michael Weiss and J. Scott Bearer graciously present their expert palates to introduce you to the emerging art and science of zymervinologee, the wonderful pairing of beer with wine.

Uncut Version.

Our first idea for the April 1st show. A DVDesque commentary track on one of our podcasts. It turned out be more interesting and fun and pompous navel gazing. Good stuff for the extras, but not good enough for our annual April 1st show.

The uncut version of of this podcast. See what fun we had in recording this nonsense.

Interviews from the Brett Pack Reception at Nodding Head. I had some good questions, but I also seem to have had a lot to drink and wasn't at the top of my game.

Australian Listener Geoff hand delivered some pretty good Australian Beers. . There are no bad aussie accents, we promise.

Beer:

• 3 Ravens 55
• Northern Rivers Migration Dark Ale
• Murray's Sassy Blonde
• Moa Harvest
• Barons ESB

Rankings:

Greg: 1. Migration, 2.Moa, 3. Barons, 4. Bling, 5. 3 Ravens, 6. Murray's
• Jeff: 1. Migration, 2. Barons, 3. Moa, 4. Bling, 5. 3 Ravens, 6. Murray's

Extras

• Preshow - Bling IPA Bridge Road Brewers
• Postshow - Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout.

Belgian style ales, made in America. Did we mention they're Belgian? And made in America? Good.

Beer:

• Great Divide Hades Ale (CO)
• North Coast Brother Thelonious (CA)
• Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel (MD)
• Green Flash Le Freak (CA)
• Weyerbacher Prophecy (PA)

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. Kerberos, 2. Brother Thelonious, 3. Hades, 4. Le Freak, 5. Prophecy
• Jeff: 1. Kerberos, 2. Hades, 3. Prophecy, 4. Le Freak, 5. Brother Thelonious

Extras

• Preshow - Goose Island Mild Winter Rye Ale
• Postshow - Cleanup

We decide to clean out Jeff's beer fridge and do a little spring cleaning with 4 beers from all over the country.

Beer:

• Karl Strauss Tower 10 IPA (CA)
• New Holland Red Tulip Ale (MI)
• Weyerbacher Slam Dunkel (PA)
• Long Trail Hibernator (VT)

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. Slam Dunkel, 2. Tower 10 IPA, 3. Hibernator, 4. Red Tulip Ale
• Jeff: 1. Tower 10 IPA, 2. Red Tulip Ale, 3. Slam Dunkel, 4. Hibernator

Extras

• Preshow
• Postshow

Join Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head for a outspoken presentation where he eviscerates the Reinheitsgebot and presents several ales based on beers concocucted long before the Bavarian Purity Law ever came into existence.

Back again, because this salon received so much attention and mention in 2008, but with a twist! This year, audience participants are asked to judge their favorite pairing choice from two very prominent beverage journalists and two legendary craft brewers as they compete head to head for your vote. Join Lauren Buzzeo of Wine Enthusiast magazine; Christian DeBenedetti, food and beverage journalist; Greg Koch, CEO and co-founder of Stone Brewing Company; Eric Wallace, President of Left Hand Brewing Company; and salon moderator, Julia Herz of the Brewers Association. This salon is an educational, memorable and thought-provoking hour chalk full of insights and tips on pairing beer and food.

Join Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company for a Big Beer & Food pairing and discuss the evolution of Extreme Beer. Jim will discuss bold culinary pairings with the big beers in the Samuel Adams Imperial Series. Jim also talks about brewing the original extreme beer, Samuel Adams Triple Bock, featuring an edition aged in the brewery's barrel room in Boston since 1993. The tasting concludes at the farthest end of the extreme flavor spectrum with the world's strongest beer, Samuel Adams Utopias.

Adam Avery of Avery Brewing Company and Greg Koch of Stone Brewing Company share a few really cool archived and rare beers from their cellars while telling with stories and tall tales of their experiences and friendship in craft brewing. They promise the beers are special enough that their stories don't really matter.

Rob Tod of Allagash Brewing Company pours Confluence Ale and Interlude, the first 2 two releases in Allagash's "Serie D'origine" line of beers fermented with a house Brettanomyces yeast strain. Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium Brewing Company will be pours Bière de Mars and Dark Kriek, a cherry blast of love brewed to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Managing partner in New Holland Brewing Company and Past President of the Michigan Brewers Guild, Fred Bueltmann is an avid home cook and expert at pairing beers. He is an ardent advocate for quality food and craft beer's place at the table. Fred also authors "Beer and Food with the Beervangelist, "a regular column in "Food for Thought Magazine" in SW Michigan. Fred presents a number of beer and chocolate parings, compares flavor profiles and teaches you how to explore the world of beer and chocolate on your own.

Marty Jones of Oskar Blues Brewery discusses and serves the gourmet canned craft beers of his pioneering brewery, including: Dale's Pale Ale, Gordon, Old Chub and other special beers from Oskar Blues and Colorado. Beers are matched with small-batch culinary treats from Colorado's growing list of food artisans.

Join Hugh Sisson of Clipper City Brewing and his friends, chocolate makers Kim Rigby and Brenda Nelson of Parfections, for a lively tasting of Clipper City beers used in making some of the chocolates being tasted. Hugh pours Peg Leg Stout, Loose Cannon Ale and Below Decks Barley Wine, plus a few special selections paired with various chocolates. Kim and Brenda give you insight into the thought process used to come up with the recipes and why they work.

Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey Brewing Company and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company digg deep into their cellars for beers to present at this special SAVOR tasting. Vinnie pours Beatification and Toronado 20th Anniversary Ale. Tomme completes the other side of the equation with a vintage pouring of Cable Car and Cuvee de Tomme.

Fermented from honey, not cereal grains, Meads are technically not beers. But like beers, they have a long and proud brewing history. We taste 3 meads from Rabbit's Foot Meadery in Sunnyvale California, appreciating that not all brews need barley to be delicious.

We scour the beer fridge to find some interesting friends to join a few of Lagunitas Brewing Company's Frank Zappa anniversary beers, made in honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of his albums.

Beer:

• Shiner 100 Commemorator (TX)
• Ninkasi Believer (OR)
• Lagunitas We're Only In It For The Money (CA)
• Lagunitas Ruben & The Jets (CA)

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. We're Only In It For The Money, 2. Believer, 3. Ruben & The Jets, 4. Nut Brown Ale, 5. 100 Commemorator
• Jeff: 1. We're Only In It For The Money, 2. Ruben & The Jets, 3. Nut Brown Ale, 4. Believer, 5. 100 Commemorator

Extras

• Preshow [Bluegrass Nut Brown Ale (KY)]
• Postshow

Time for another spotlight! This time, the Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery in North Carolina, which just recently became available in our area.

Beer:

• Amber Ale
• Brown Ale
• Porter
• Milk Stout
• Barleywine
• Rabid Duck

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. Amber Ale, 2. Brown Ale, 3. Porter, 4. Barleywine, 5. Rabid Duck, 6. Milk Stout
• Jeff: 1. Milk Stout, 2. Porter, 3. Amber Ale, 4. Barleywine, 5. Brown Ale, 6. Rabid Duck

Extras

• Preshow [East End LOAF (PA)]
• Postshow

Going for broke, we decide to make the blind part literal in our third blind tasting show. Former Beer Drinker of the Year Tom Schmidlin sent us a collection of Washington state beers to enjoy. Listen as we feebly try to describe what we are tasting and smelling without any visual cues.

Beer:

• Skagit River Scullers IPA
• Trade Route Pandan Brown Ale
• Silver City Fat Scotch Style Ale
• Pike XXXXX Stout
• Lazy Boy Porter

Rankings:

• No Rankings for this show.

Extras

• Preshow [Elysian Bête Blanche]
• Postshow

After letting them sit a few weeks, we finish off our flight of Australian beers generously brought to us by listener Geoff. As it turns out, it was mostly a Mountain Goat vertical, but Red Angus Pilsener made its presence known!

Beers:
Red Angus Pilsener
Mountian Goat Hightail Ale
Mountian Goat Ipa
Mountian Goat Surefoot Stout
Mountian Goat Pale Ale

Rankings:

• Jeff: Hightail Ale, Red Angus, Ipa, Pale Ale, Surefoot Stout
• Greg: Hightail Ale, Red Angus, Ipa, Pale Ale, Surefoot Stout

Preshow [Russian River Toronado]
Postshow

What can you say about Texas? Don't mess with it! We certainly hope it doesn't secede from the Union, because then we'd have to pay import taxes on some very good beers.

Beers:
Southern Star Bombshell Blonde
Southern Star Pine Belt Pale Ale
Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #7
Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #6
Real Ale Brewing Company Sisyphus (2007, 2008)

Rankings:

• Jeff: St. Arnold Reserve #6, Bombshell, Sisyphus 07, St. Arnold Reserve #7, Pine Belt, Sisyphus 08
• Greg: Bombshell, St. Arnold Reserve #6, Pine Belt, Sisyphus 07, St. Arnold Reserve #7, Sisyphus 08

Preshow
Postshow [ Jupiter ]

A few weeks ago Jeff was in Durham Northa Carolina and had dinner and beers with Daniel Bradford from All About Beer Magazine at Tylers Taproom. We chat about many things beer.

Jeff interviews Sean Wilson from Fullsteam Brewery in Durham North Carolina. Fullsteam is planning on doing some pretty interesting beers using southern ingredients. We talk about what it takes to open a brewery and how Fullsteam is going at it.

A listener from the wilds of Kentucky visited the Craft Beer Radio studios armed with a trunk load of beers from the Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan area. We attempt to break out some special beers from the cellar but that didn't carry favor with the beer gods. In hopes to change our fortunes we finish up with a couple Three Floyds beers that Rick brought.

Beers:

• Maui CoCoNut Porter
• Hitichino Next XH
• Monk's Café Flemish Sour Red Ale
• Three Floyds Gumball Head
• Three Floyds Fantabulous Resplendence XI Anniversary Ale

Ranking:

• Greg: 1. Maui, 2. Resplendence, 3. Monk's, 4. Gumballhead
• Jeff: 1. Maui, 2. Resplendence, 3. Gumballhead, 4. Monk's, 5. Hitichino Nest
• Rick: 1. Maui, 2. Resplendence, 3. Gumballhead, 4. Hitichino Nest, 5. Monk's

Extras:

• Preshow
• Posthow

We do a Virginia vertical show, almost getting it right. We learned at publishing that one of our beers actually came from South Carolina. But what matters is the beer, right? Let's call it a northern-southern corridor show.

Beers:

• Williamsburg AleWerks Rapadou Porter
• Williamsburg AleWerks Ironbound Ale
• Williamsburg AleWerks Springhouse Ale
• Blue Mountain Brewery's Evil 8° Belgian-Style Dubbel Ale
• R J Rockers Brewing Company Bell Ringer [SC]

Rankings

• Jeff: rapadou, ironbound, evil 8, Bell Ringer, springhouse
• Greg: evil 8, rapadou, ironbound, bell ringer, springhouse

• Preshow [Clay Pipe Hop-Ocalypse]
• Postshow

Greg made several interviews during SAVOR with the aspirations of editing them into a NPR type story about the small brewers tax differential and the brewers association qualifications to be a craft brewer. The idea never came to fruition, but he wanted to share the interviews none the less. Enjoy the Lost SAVOR Interviews.

Living in the city of champions has it's privileges. One being anytime someone challenges us to one of those playoff wagers we tend to win. In June Craig from the The Brew Bubbas challenged us a sixpack of Pennsylvania Beer vs Michigan beer on the outcome of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings. Craig went above and beyond securing way more than a six pack from breweries. Not to mention several limited releases.

Thanks Craig, as well as Mario, Sydney, Evegeni, and Marc-Andre. This show is to you!

Beers:

• Michagan Brewing Company - Mackinac Pale Ale
• Dragonmead - Crown Jewels IPA
• Founders Porter
• Big Rock Chop House - Saison St. Clair
• Dark Horse Brewing - 3 Guys Off The Scale Barleywine

Rankings

• Jeff: 1. Founders Porter, 2. Mackinac Pale Ale, 3. St. Clair, 4. Off the Scale, 5. Crown Jewels
• Greg: 1. St. Clair, 2. Mackinac Pale Ale, 3. Founders Porter, 4. Off the Scale, 5. Crown Jewels

• Preshow - Big Rock Chop House - Maple Road
• Postshow

When we were out in Colorado for the Great American Beer Festival we toured Odell Brewing in Fort Collins Colorado.

The beers have been stored, the glasses have been washed and the hangovers are a distant memory. We share our thoughts on the Big Daddy of American beer fests, the GABF.

On Wednesday we toured New Belgium Brewing Company with the staff from The Bruery. Eric Salazar the namesake of Eric's Ale and manager of the wood cellar was our tour guide.

Free State Brewing Company Executive Chef Rick Martin describes the benefits of eating and drinking local with Head Brewer Steve Bradt. Rick and Steve will provide handy tips on how to match local produce, meats and cheeses with the local craft beer in your town while preparing some delicious samples for the audience.

Sean Paxton, The Homebrew Chef; Will Meyers, Cambridge Brewing Company; and Ron Jeffries, Jolly Pumpkin Brewing Co. will focus on cooking and pairing food with Belgian and Sour ales. Flavor profiles will be discussed with food and beer samples for seated attendees. Experience the variety of flavors that can be brought out by cooking and pairing with beer!

We did Michigan last time, but had some beers left to do. So to wrap the state up for now, we decide to go hop happy. Enjoy the hoppier side of the Great Lakes State.

Beers:

• Dragonmead Sir William's ESB
• Founders Pale Ale
• Michigan Brewing High Seas India Pale Ale
• Dark Horse Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA
• Bell's HopSlam Ale

Rankings:

• Jeff: Founders, Bell's, Michigan, Dark Horse, Dragonmead
• Greg: Michigan, Dark Horse, Founders, Bell's, Dragonmead

• Preshow - [Dragonmead Erik the Red]
• Postshow

Beer and cheese can be humble farmhouse companions, but they can also offer some very intense and luxurious experiences. Tasting Beer author Randy Mosher presents four pairings of richly-flavored beers and cheeses, showing how delicious and sophisticated they can be together. Participants will also get a lesson in the basics of beer and cheese and leave with a list of can't-fail pairings that will amaze and astound.

Chef Teddy Folkman (Granville Moore's Gastropub and Food Network) shares ideas on cooking with beer and its numerous uses from brining to making sauces. Moules Fromage Bleu, featuring Ommegang Hennepin and Hook's Blue Cheese will be featured. Taste this dish he created to beat Chef Bobby Flay in Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Steve Cardello from Brewery Ommegang will also join in the conversation.

Sean Paxton, The Homebrew Chef; Matt Brynildson, Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Barnaby Struve, Three Floyds Brewing Co. focus on cooking and pairing with malty and hoppy beers in the kitchen and at the table. Attendees will learn about how to showcase a beer's profile and work a recipe to highlight the beer as an ingredient in the final dish.

This time Jeff brought back some beers from one of his business trips to North Carolina. We did hit a bit of a problem where the French Broad beers didn't travel / age well. But it did make for way too many puns that we kept stepping into.

Beers:

• Big Boss - Angry Angel Raleigh, NC
• French Broad - Gateway Kolsch Asheville, NC
• French Broad - Altbier Asheville, NC
• Highland - Cattail Peak Wheat Asheville, NC
• Highland - Black Mocha Stout Asheville, NC
• Highland - Kashmir IPA Ashville, NC
• Big Boss - Aces and Ates Raleigh, NC

Rankings:

• Jeff: 1. Cattail Peak, 2. Aces and Ates, 3. Mocha Stout, 4. Kashmir IPA, 5. Angry Angel
• Greg: 1. Kashmir IPA, 2. Mocha Stout, 3, Cattail Peak, 4. Aces and Ates, 5. Angry Angel

• Preshow DragonMead - Eric the Red
• Postshow

We cull the fridge and cellar for a style show and came up with Scotch Ales and Wee Heavies. Greg finds that he's not a huge fan of the style.

Beers:

• Dark Horse Brewing - Scotty Karate
• Dragonmead - Under the Kilt
• Founders - Dirty Bastard
• Sly Fox - Gang Aft Agley

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. Scotty Karate, 2. Gang Aft Agley, 3. Dirty Bastard, 4. Dragmead
• Jeff: 1. Scotty Karate, 2. Gang Aft Agley, 3. Dirty Bastard, 4. Dragmead

• Preshow
• Postshow

At the GABF we interviewed Dr. Patrick Mc Govern. He is the professor who worked with Dogfish Head to make beers like Midas Touch, Chateau Jaihu, Theobrama, and Chicha. Dr. McGovern's book is Uncorking the Past. and you can get it on Amazon.

Coffee Beer, Chocolate Beer and Chocolate Coffee Beer. Oh yeah.

Beers:

• Ommegang - Chocolate Indulgence
• Arcadia - Coco Loco
• Southern Tier - Choklat
• Southern Tier - Mokah
• Real Ale - Coffee Porter
• Terrapin - Wake and Bake Imperial Oatmeal Stout

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. Choklat, 2. Real Ale, 3: Terrapin, 4. Arcadia, 5. Ommegang, 6. Mokah
• Jeff: 1. Choklat, 2. Terrapin, 3. Arcadia, 4.Real Ale, 5. Mokah, 6. Ommegang

• Preshow
• Postshow

Beer is food according to Rogue Advocate, Sebbie Buhler. Some of our favorite comfort foods (and haute cuisine) are best enjoyed with ales, lagers, stouts and porters. This tasting experience will touch on the versatility of beer as the ultimate beverage for sweet, salty, bitter and sour along with the fifth sense, Umami. Explore the flavors of Rogue Creamery Cheese, Nueske's Bacon, and Tcho chocolate; paired with a selection of beer from Rogue Ales and Issaquah Brewhouse.

I went to the Pittsburgh Whiskey Fest to learn about the world of whiskey. Here are 3 interviews that I collected from the fest.

150 numbered episodes. 4 and a half years. I think this calls for some limited release beers. Thanks everyone for your continued support.

Beers:

• Sierra Nevada / Dogfish Head - Life and Limb
• Flying Fish - Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout
• Three Floyds / Mikkeller - Oatgoop

Rankings:

• Greg: 1. Oatgoop, 2. Exit 1, 3. Life and Limb
• Jeff: 1. Exit 1 2. Life and Limb 3. Oatgoop

• Preshow - Saranac Black Lager
• Postshow

Tis' the season for holiday beers. We would like to thank listener Bill for the Texas beers that were on this show. Both Greg and Jeff were surprised by the top ranked beer this show.

Beers:

• Shiner Holiday Cheer
• St. Arnold's Christmas Ale
• Lancaster Winter Warmer
• Troegs Mad Elf

Rankings:

• Jeff: 1. Shiner Holiday Cheer, 2. Mad Elf, 3. St. Arnold's Christmas, 4. Lancaster Winter Warmer.
• Greg: 1. Shiner Holiday Cheer, 2. Lancaster Winter Warmer, 3. . St. Arnold's 4. Mad Elf

• Preshow - Laughing Dog - CSB
• Postshow