Beer Sessions Radio (TM)

Jimmy caps off a wonderful year of amazing guests with Tim McKirdy, co-founder of The Coaster - an independent podcast network. On this episode, the duo talk about Tim's early work as a writer/editor at VinePair, the meaning of "splitting the G", Mezcal, the negative impacts of monoculture, and the announcement of Sauced- a new show on The Coaster with HRN's own, Sother Teague!-The CoasterThe Coaster is an independent podcast network founded by Tim McKirdy, former Managing Editor of VinePair and creator/host of the Cocktail College podcast; JP Watson, founder of UK-based independent publisher The Pound Project; and Gabriela Marchand, a veteran drinks publicist and PR strategist.Based in Brooklyn, NY, The Coaster creates podcasts that explore culture through the lens of what we drink. Each show focuses on a different and specific aspect of culture — from food and film to music, literature, and history — revealing the role alcohol plays in shaping the stories we tell and the lives we live. The network’s flagship show, Sauced, launches January 8, 2026.SaucedSauced is a weekly podcast about cooking with booze and drinking with food, co-hosted by Tim McKirdy, a drinks journalist and former VinePair editor, and Sother Teague, a noted bartender, bar owner (Amor y Amargo), and author. Both hosts began their careers in professional kitchens before shifting into the drinks world; Sauced brings those paths back together.Each episode spotlights a classic dish prepared with alcohol, a recipe elevated by booze, or an iconic food-and-drink pairing. The goal is simple: connect what’s on the plate and in the pan to what’s in the glass, and explore how alcohol shapes the flavor, story, and culture of the dishes we love.Additional LinksMezcal Podcast Miniseries:  Episodes 1, 2, and 3Sauced Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sauced.pod/ Sauced Website: https://saucedpodcast.com/ The Coaster Website: https://the-coaster.com/Sother Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativedrunk/ Tim Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timmckirdy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy takes a call from Jeremy Benson - GM of Crave Fishbar Upper West Side in NYC and Chris DiOrio- Senior Brand Manager for Blue Point Brewing Co. Today's chat is all about oysters. We learn about the history of oysters in NY, beer pairings, oyster farming and competitive shucking! _Jeremy Benson is the General Manager of Crave Fishbar on the Upper West Side. He is an Oyster Master Guild Certified Specialist and currently in the inaugural class to become a certified Oyster Sommelier. He grew up north of Boston and has been in the NYC restaurant business for over 12 years. While always liking oysters, he really fell in love with them slurping back dozens with his wife Channing. He’s greatest accomplishment is his daughter Evan.Christopher DiOrio is a seasoned brand management professional with extensive experience in the brewing industry, currently serving as Senior Brand Manager for Blue Point Brewing Co. and Montauk Brewing Co. at Tilray Brands, Inc. Previously, Christopher held several roles at Anheuser-Busch, Cisco Brewers and Blue Point Brewing Co. Christopher’s career also includes experience as a Police Officer with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and work as a Researcher at CoStar Group. Christopher has a Master's of Arts in Teaching from Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Binghamton University.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy speaks with Alex Gill, Cider-maker at Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, NY (Albany County). Alex shares how he got his start at Indian Ladder, falling in love with cider/cider-making, the history of the farm, and the latest batches he's hyped on. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy holds court with three judges of Sauce King NYC- Nick Bandouveris and brothers Paul and Anthony Ramirez. The group talk a bit about the Bronx Beer Hall (owned by Paul and Anthony), what they look for when judging, sauces that stood out over the years, making the best Coquito, and announcement of the winners of this year's Sauce King NYC!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy takes a call with longtime friend and beer/whiskey writer Lew Bryson. Lew takes us back to his early days as a writer and his affection for beer, the publications he's worked for, cyclical trends that have come and gone, Doppelbocks, Boilermakers, and much more!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy takes his talents to Times Square, NYC to have some drinks at BXL Cafe. There, he is joined by BXL owner Yves Michaels, Kyler Pollick from Brewery Ommegang, and frequent guest and brand developer, James Tai. Today's chat is focused on Belgian beer, how to maintain authenticity abroad, the popularity of Duvel, and exceptional mussel preparation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy returns to Bushwick, this time visiting Curious Elixirs, aka Club Curious. There, he meets with Gidon Coll of Original Sin Cider, J.W. Wiseman of Curious Elixirs, Lars and Alex of Momentum Brewery. The fellas share their reasons behind exploring non-alcoholic beer/cider, incorporating ingredients that have actual health benefits, and creating a final product that tastes as good, if not better than the real thing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy posts up at the Beer Table in Penn Station once more with Noah Levin, this time, with special guest Ryan James Burk from Occam Cider Co. Ryan is a longtime Cider-maker and notable legend in the scene. He shares a bit about his industry beginnings in Chicago, wild fermentation at Virtue, working internationally with Tom Oliver to make the annual "Gold Rush" Cider, joining up with Angry Orchard, and of course, starting Occam Cider Co. on the concept of quality and simplicity.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy gets Josh Bernstein on the line for this week's podcast. Josh is an accomplished beer writer with numerous titles dating back to the early 2000s. The duo discuss Josh's Home Brew tours in the mid-2000s, New York's "Golden Age" of beer, the history of Can Jam at Threes Brewing, and how to get patronage back for breweries. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy gathers once more at Threes Brewing in Gowanus, Brooklyn. This time with Author- Peter Kaminsky and Chef/Restaurateur- Alex Raij. Our guests share with us their backgrounds and long-time friendships while dining on local tacos and discussing cooking, fly fishing, and more. Alex Raij is a first generation Argentine-American who grew up in the Midwest, attended culinary school, and lived in Milan and the Pacific Northwest before falling in love with Basque chef Eder Montero. Together, they have opened five restaurants. Alex distinguishes herself by creating dishes that capture a sense of place without giving up a sense of personal intimacy. What emerges are stories of connection and intersection across landscapes and timelines that are delicious, inimitable, and authentic on all levels. Peter Kaminsky’s writing career began at National Lampoon where he was managing editor in the mid 1970’s. As a food author and journalist, he is a frequent contributor to Food and Wine magazine. He wrote Underground Gourmet for New York Magazine for 4 years and his culinary work has appeared in the Food section of the New York Times over the last 25 years. He has co-authored 20 cookbooks including 7 Fires with Francis Mallmann, The Elements of Taste with Gray Kunz, Ultimate Tailgating with John Madden and, due in 2026, On Goose Cove: Recipes From The Heart of Maine with Devin Finigan. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy calls up to Maine for the final episode of Craft Malt Month. Here we meet Joe Rinaldo, Director of Sales at Blue Ox Malt and Katie Miller, Head Brewer of Good Fire Brewing. We learn a bit about the relationship between Blue Ox Malt and Good Fire Brewing, making grisette with "cool corns", the legal and scientific limits of using corn, and how to get creative with smoking malts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy gathers at the Penn Station Concourse in Manhattan with BR Rolya (Beer Consultant), Noah Levin, Phil Laurelli, and Justin Phillips of Beer Table. In this episode, we learn a bit more about the start of Beer Table, all the Belgian beers that they offer, how their beers (and tin fish) are selected, and we even get a few words from some loyal patrons.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy invites Scott Ramsey and Adrian Luna to a gainful discussion about Cider season in the Empire State. Scott is the Executive Director, and Adrian is the Membership and Communications Coordinator for the New York Cider Association. The conversation starts with the impact of the pandemic on the small business Cider Industry, then moves to the evolution of Cider Week over the years, the diversity of ciders, Cider Feast and plenty more!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy hops a train to Gowanus, Brooklyn, to visit Josh Penney of Threes Brewing. The duo discuss Josh's new role as head brewer, the modern IPA, intentional brewing, and winning awards!-Josh Penney, the newly appointed, award-winning Head Brewer at Threes Brewing, the beloved Brooklyn-based brewery and community space. With his extensive background in the craft beer space and his current position at the helm of one of New York’s most respected craft breweries, Josh can provide a unique perspective into the evolution of the industry over the years, and what he’s most excited to bring to the taps at Threes today. Josh’s tenure at Threes is defined by innovation, intentionality, and an unwavering commitment to quality. He joins the team after an acclaimed run as Head Brewer at Highland Park Brewery in Los Angeles, where he helped lead the brewery to multiple World Beer Cup awards and four gold medals at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival. Highland Park also took home the coveted “Brewery Group Brewery and Brewer of the Year” title under his leadership.His inspired approach to brewing is on full display in Threes most recent releases, which includes the West Coast Pilsner Don’t Blink, an aromatic hop-driven brew with notes of tropical fruit, and the Luger Lager, a Bavarian brew launched in collaboration with New York’s iconic Peter Luger Steakhouse. The brewery even expanded into hard seltzers and NA options like their Plot Twist hop water – another indication of exciting innovations to comeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy's second episode for Craft Malt Month has us meeting Jeff Bloem from Murphy & Rude Malting Company and longtime friend of the show, Emily Hutto, with RadCraft. Right from the get, we learn a little something about the origins of Craft Malt Month, Virginia malt farms, estate beer, and challenging the industry norms.Please visit https://craftmaltmonth.com/ to learn more about how to support your local grain supply chain.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy dials up Hillary Barile, farmer/maltster at Rabbit Hill Farm Malt, and Sean Towers, Co-Founder of The Seed: A Living Beer Project. With both businesses based in New Jersey, the chat begins by comparing local malts with mainstream malts, then develops into a conversation about barley malt varieties, Atlantic City's resurgence, smoked malts, and more! This episode marks the 1st of 3 malt-focused shows for September as Craft Malt Month.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy heads down South to the Jersey Shore to meet with Dave Gill and Jessie Chase at Wildwoods BBQ. Dave is the co-owner of Wildwoods and Jessie is the founder of The Social Medium- a communications agency based in Paris and New York. Dave shares how he got his start at Hometown BBQ, incorporating Australian BBQ techniques, consulting in Bogota, and what it takes to win Brisket King NYC. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy takes a call with heritage hog farmer/ pit master Tank Jackson, chef and livestock instructor, Mike Lapi, and Jesse Hirsch, food and agriculture journalist at Offrange. The fellas get into how they got to where they are, the passion involved in hog farming, the teaching process of butchery, and the importance of finding a use for the whole animal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy welcomes David and Sarah Martell of JMASH Cider and Hilltop Orchards, as well as Ronald Sansone of the Connecticut Cider Association and Spoke & Spy Ciderworks. During this discussion, we learn a ton about owning/operating a three-in-one orchard, cidery and winery business, sustainable agriculture in New England, Apfelkorn, and the importance of relationships and networking among cider makers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jimmy speaks with Steve Garwood of Ragged Hill Cider in West Brookfield, Massachusetts. Steve shares stories of growing up in Massachusetts, including his first cider as a teenager, and why cider is the wine of New England. They also discuss New England cider traditions, Italian ancestrale methods, and the difference between apples you want to eat and ones that are good for aging.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.