The Brewing Network Presents - The Session

This week on The Session, we welcome Philipsburg Brewing Company from Philipsburg, MT to the studio! We are joined by Ben Johnson, Head Taproom Brewer, who brought us a TON of beer to taste. We learn about the many different styles they create, as well as their brand new small batch/barrel aged/sour series and get to be some of the first to taste the beer. We also learn about their many efforts to support their local community and their innovative packaging approach.

This week on The Session we are very proud to welcome the legendary Sierra Nevada Brewing Company into the studio with us! We are joined by Beer Content Manager Terrence Sullivan and Head Innovative Brewer James Conery. Terrence has a hand in just about everything with Sierra Nevada and James is in charge of new product development. We discuss the rise of Sierra Nevada and its legendary history in craft beer, as well some of the very cool new offerings from Sierra. Always at the forefront of American Craft Beer, Sierra Nevada holds a special place in the hearts of long time beer fans and we get to hear about all the ways the brewery has, and continues, to impact craft beer globally.

This week on The Session, Justin travels back to Fort Collins for another live webcast from The Hop Grenade Taproom. Jeffrey Callaway from the Colorado State University Fermentation Science and Technology program joins the show to talk about their professional brewing studies. Also on the program, we speak to Adam \"The Instigator\" about his project, Beer Fight Club.

This week on The Session we feature Seismic Brewing Company. Brewmaster Andy Hooper joins us on the show to talk about classic styles of beer and sustainability practices that will lead the future of Craft Beer. Tune in and find out about Seismic\'s unique position in the industry to further research in sustainable brewing, as well as the wonderful styles of beer the brewery produces.We discuss Andy\'s take on dry hopping, which spans across a couple different philosophies and also learn about a couple hop varieties we haven\'t discussed before. Finally, just to cover it all, we talk about barrel aging and the affects it can have on beer. Andy has a unique take on that and shares it all with us.

Hazy beers are a touchy subject on The Session as of late. Love 'em or hate 'em, someone on this show has an opinion on this crazy movement, and we strive to get to the bottom of it all with Noah Bissell of Bissell Brothers brewing! Noah got his start as a homebrewer listening to The Brewing Network, and graduated up to professional status soon after. He gave some great insight into why he makes hazy beer, what yeast he uses, and even a couple of recipes!

Matt Fox, the head brewer and co-owner of Alameda Island Brewing came by the studio for this episode of The Session. A local favorite, Matt is making a name for himself in the Bay Area with well-balanced beers across many styles, which is something of a rarity in this market. We taste four of his beers, including the uber-popular NEIPA style. Yes, both Warren and JP survived and are recovering nicely.

The Session is back in Fort Collins this week at The Hop Grenade Taproom! This time we welcome Peter Bouckaert from New Belgium and the all new Purpose Brewing and Cellars. Peter is a legend in the industry and shares his very unique take on beer making, as well as life. He's a master of his craft and has spent his career making world class craft beer. Learn about his time building New Belgium into one of the top breweries in the U.S. and about how his new project, Purpose Brewing, is completely different. We also speak with Andrew Fitzgibbon from local taphouse Tap and Handle about how he got his start in the Fort Collins beer scene, as well as Chris Lazzery from local bottle shop Craft Beer Cellar.

This week on The Session we speak to Luke Shropshire and Garrett Hickey of Streetside Brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Streetside has made a name for themselves with great sours and kettle sours, as well as fresh New England IPA's. Tune in and hear about what makes Streetside so popular and their love local beer and community. We also taste a new version of Beardy's Vienna Lager that he's brave enough to bring in after Doc ripped him apart last time. Let's see how the classic lager stands up this time.

This week on The Session we welcome Chris Hodge from Oregon Specialty Fruit to talk to us about using fruit in beer. Oregon Specialty Fruit is the premier provider of aseptic fruit purees to brewers and Chris walks us through what makes their purees ideal for brewing. We are also joined by Gary Glass of the American Homebrewers Association to talk to us about the recent homebrew survey conducted by the AHA.

The Session welcomes Ry Beville, publisher of the Japan Beer Times, back to the show. This time we are discussing the continuing trend of acquisitions of craft breweries in America, now by large Asian breweries. We are also joined by Robin Ottaway, president of Brooklyn Brewing Company. We discuss the recent acquisition of San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Company by Sapporo, a distribution merger between Kirin, Brooklyn Brewery, 21st Amendment and Funkwerks, and what we can expect to see next as the trend continues. Ry explains the interest of Asian breweries in American craft beer, and how some of them are claiming to be craft as well.

This week on The Session we welcome Mother Earth Brew Co to the show. Joined by Vice President Kevin Hopkins, we explore the stellar and balanced beers of Mother Earth including a ginger infused blonde ale, a bourbon barrel blended Russian Imperial Stout and a beautifully balanced Mosaic IPA. Kevin tells us about brewing at two different facilities in two different states and how consistency is achieved, as well as how classic styles dictate a brewers chops. We also taste a homebrewed Vienna Lager (or is it?) from JP and find out how much Justin loves Beevo. All this and more on this episode of The Session!

We've done Brewing on the Cheap a few times now, but not in a long time. On this episode of The Session, we invite Chris Graham from MoreBeer! back into the studio to catch us up on all the new ways we can build a basic homebrew system on the cheap. It seems the homebrew world has exploded in recent years, bringing an influx of great equipment at a reasonable price - something unheard of 10 years ago. Then, on the other side of the equipment coin, Chris takes us through the price-is-no-object equipment we can buy once we all hit the lotto. In the middle there we chat with Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Company about their Sonoma Pride foundation, and Steve Doty from Shady Oak Barrel House about how those two companies are raising money to help their community rebuild from the devastating wildfires we are experiencing here in NorCal.

On our first live Session from The Hop Grenade in Fort Collins, Justin, Beevo and Beardy welcome Joyride Brewing to the show. Hailing from Edgewater, Colorado, Joyride makes some stellar brews and shares their story with us. We get to taste several of their beers and learn about how Joyride came to be from founder Dave Bergen. We also get a surprise visit from our old friend Will Kemper from Chuckanut Brewery and learn about what's new with our favorite lager brewer.

Tonight on The Session we welcome Gowan's Heirloom Ciders to the show to talk about their California ciders. Established in 1876, Gowan's has been producing quality cider from their orchards in California's Anderson Valley for well over a century. We talk to cider maker Sharron Gowan about the family business and she teaches us a few things about how to make cider.

This week on The Session we welcome Upland Brewing Co. to the show. We are joined by Pete Batule (Head of Brewing Operations), Matt Wisley (Innovation Lead Brewer) and Adam Covey (Quality Manager) as they teach us about sour beer in Indiana. Tune in and learn about the Indy beer scene and how they are working with local microbial's to build a sour program that is second to none. We also get to try a few of their amazing beers, so that makes us happy!