The Brewing Network Presents - The Session

Ralph Olsen, President of Hopunion, and Ian Ward, President of Brewers Supply Group, join us on The Session to talk about the current Hop and Malt shortages in the beer industry. They both give a great perspective and explanation of the state of the industry and what to expect in the future. From hop varieties and availablity, to the reasons malt has become so expensive,we cover it all and dispell the myths of this controversial topic

We seperated this portion of the Session because the interview portion was so good that this part just did not fit. Do not download this, do not listen at work, do not have kids in the room...you get the point. Move along. Nothing to see here. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Alan Pugsley, Master Brewer of Shipyard Brewing Company, joins us in the studio to talk about his extensive brewing history and the beers of shipyard. Don't miss out on the Hop Percolator and Ringwood yeast info here. Plus, a new game from JP, and of course, fun had by the cast...can you say Eiffel Tower?

Simon Pesch from Pyramid Breweries joins us in the studio to talk about Pyramid's new Imperial Heffeweizen and their winter seasonal Snow Cap. We talk about the Weizen beers of Pyramid and how the Imperial Hef came to be. Also, we learn more about new chat mod Beevo, Mike McDole joins the show, and a Danish listener brings it strong and wins drunk of the week.

Hugh Sisson from Clipper City Brewing of Baltimore, Maryland join us to talk about the beers and the deep history of the brewery in Maryland. We get to taste a variety of their Heavy Seas high gravity beers, and they are great! We also talk to Jamil about his book signings and have a great time with aweful tunes at the end.

Fred and Jerry of Laughing Dog Brewing join us for a lot of fun and brew info! We have a great time with these guys who embody the spirit of craft brewing and really cut loose with us as we talk brewing and the business of beer. We cover winter ales, imperial heff's and lots more. Sully also joins us later and we have some good ol' fasioned BN fun as the night goes on.

Our third live broadcast from the Great American Beer Festival features three fantastic guests from around the U.S. including Jaimi Floyd from Ninkasi Brewing Company, Kevin Reed from Rock Bottom and Garrett Marrero from Maui Brewing Co. It's a rowdy one done during the Saturday afternoon session of the GABF, but gives you a feel for what it's like as the GABF wraps up.

Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker, Florian Kuplent of Anhueser Busch and Jim Koch of The Boston Beer Co. all join this all star broadcast from the main stage of the Great American Beer Festival. We talk about festival participation, great beer only available at the GABF and get a little Beer Jeopardy in too.

Our first of three live shows from the 2007 Great American Beer Festival features Greg Koch, CEO of Stone Brewing Company and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head as well as beer jeopardy at it's finest! Not to mention Jamil Zainasheff co-hosting and the lovely Courtney helping to "Vanna" our gameshow!

Colin Kaminski, the Mad Scientist of brewing joins us in the studio to talk about brewing with wet hops and how to formulate recipes to do it ourselves. The Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton also joins in with his knowledge of growing hops at home. We also talk to Mike McDole about his Sam Adams Long Shot win and we wrap up our GABF trip during a great show back in the studio.

Todd Haire of Magic Hat Brewing Company joins us on this show to discuss the wild world of Magic Hat. We discuss brewing with non-traditional ingredients, kreusening, top-cropping ale yeast, hop backing, and much more. He's a great guest who's a lot of fun! We also participate in a worldwide toast to the late and truly great beer writer Michael Jackson.

John Maier, Brewmaster of Rogue Brewing Co. joins us on the show to talk about homebrewing, pro brewing, recipe formulation and the fabulous beers of Rogue. We also discuss how to build a kegerator with Doc and Shat the Producer, and have a great time tasting various beers. Plus a cameo by the great John Palmer!

Drew Beechum of the Maltose Falcons and Beer Advocate Magazine joins us in the studio to share his beer and homebrew knowledge. We discuss his famous champagne beer, oat malt, brew setups and experimental brewing.

This is our GABF giveaway show. Plus we are joined by Rock Bottom Brewmaster Dave Peacock who talks to us about recipe formulation and cask conditioning. Oh and also it turns out to be our 100th show and the BN Army surprises us with a special tribute that makes Brewcaster J cry like a sissy.

Jamil Zainasheff, John Palmer, Doc and Mike McDole give their tips and tricks of temp control from mashing to serving and everything in between in this fun all star episode of The Session. We also combine some fun and games, sad listener brewing mishaps and fun with producer Shat.