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Full Disclosure – I write (on occasion) for the print edition of Beer Paper LA and I might even be heard in a future podcast. That being said, this is a perfect pairing with the paper and with an LA beer. Now there is only a podcast, singular, but in talking with Kip Barnes about it, they are trying to make this podcast different from the rest and highly local. And to make it easy to listen to time-wise.
Check out the first episode and get your bonus Beer Paper LA content.
The Brewing Network isn’t just one podcast though. It is a few. Home brewers get the expertise of Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer and Sean Z. Paxton has a great show on beer and cooking. The most general leaning podcast is the Sunday/Monday Session that speaks to brewers each brewers and has featured L.A. newcomers like Three Weavers and MacLeod’s.
But the most interesting choice is the Sour Hour hosted by Jay Goodwin the former Bruery and now Rare Barrel founder. It is all about sour. And the podcast started off with a bang. Bringing in Michael Tonsmeire, the author of American Sour Beers. I like this show because it is low key, letting the information be the draw and not the sometimes juvenile humor in other podcasts. Plus the episodes are in the hour range which is a much lower time investment.
The other cool thing is you get a look at the thought process of the Rare Barrel beers. Which I now, really, really want to try.
For 2015, I will be reviewing beer-centric podcasts that you should either add to your playlist or not, and our first review is of 4 Brewers.
Here is the description of 4 Brewers podcast from the website:
“Well, in short, we are Four Brewers with a microphone. If you are a person interested in listening to people talk about brewing, tasting blind, guessing beers by reading crappy reviews, brewer interviews, recipe formulation and other fun stuff, this is a perfect match for your ear buds. We’ll be releasing weekly episodes for your listen pleasure. Grab a beer and drink along with us.”
If the two podcasts that I listened to were any indication, then they should also add that it is mostly in-jokes and people talking over each other. I am sure it is a blast to make. All the participants seem to be having a grand old time. But this “old-man” found it to be a bunch of noise and not a lot of information to be found. Not that I need staid news readers informing me brusquely about how to formulate a recipe but it would be nice for the lead host to have a modicum of control and for the podcast to stay on point. Instead of 45 minutes to an hour, it could be a tightly edited 20 minutes?
Maybe other shows are different. Interviews with pro brewers sounds good. But I will be waiting for other people to tell me to tune in.
Every day I am pleased to find more beer information on the web, today is no different. The Brewing Network is a great resource for brew information. Based in San Francisco, but not afraid to venture further afield. They have a great website, radio show and home brew show. Anyone who enjoys beer will find something great here.
You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
If you want to get interviews with important Oregon brewers, get excellent beer reviews or just listen to a fellow beer geek then I urge you to take a listen to Lisa Morrison and her Beer O’Clock radio show / podcast.
I personally think that every part of the country should have someone broadcasting the great things that are going on in each area’s brewing scene. Be it Portland or Asheville.