Our Podcasts
Basic Brewing Radio™:
Annual Disaster Show
RSS | iTunes | Stream MP3
Basic Brewing Video™:
Starter Pilsner
RSS | iTunes | Streaming
Need Help? Learn more
Basic Brewing Radio™ 2006
December 28, 2006 - Belgian Sugar Experiment
James, Andy Sparks and Steve Wilkes collaborate to taste home brewer Michael Tonsmeire's experiment comparing six different sugars in Belgian Beers. Tough work, but someone has to do it.
December 21, 2006 - Brewing American Pilsner
Chris Colby, editor of Brew Your Own magazine walks us through the hoops and hurdles home brewers have to go through to brew American Pilsner, the most maligned of all styles.
December 14, 2006 - Beer Judge Certification Program
Ed Westemeier, communications director of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), gives us the history behind the organization and talks about its role in brewing today.
December 7, 2006 - Ambitious Brew Part Two
We continue our discussion about the history of beer in the USA with Maureen Ogle, author of "Ambitious Brew - The Story of American Beer."
November 30, 2006 - Ambitious Brew Part One
We learn about the history of beer in the USA from Maureen Ogle, author of "Ambitious Brew - The Story of American Beer."
November 23, 2006 - Decoction Mashing
Chris Colby of Brew Your Own Magazine walks us through the age-old process of decoction mashing.
November 16, 2006 - Brewing FAQs with John Palmer
John Palmer, author of How to Brew, joins us to answer frequently asked questions on home brewing. John also tells us the causes of common off flavors.
November 9, 2006 - Adam Avery of Avery Brewing
Andy, Brian and James spend some time chatting with Adam Avery of Avery brewing. Adam talks about making the move from home brewer to brewery owner, dry hopping and making big beers at home.
November 2, 2006 - HSA Experiment: Final Chapter
Andy Sparks and James Spencer join Brian Warren and John Holder in Denver to taste the last round of samples in the Hot Side Aeration experiment. We also get feedback about the experiment from John Palmer.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
October 26, 2006 - Queen of Beers and Recirculating Systems
Rick Sellers of Pacific Brew News radio gives us a report on a California brewing competition for women only. Also, Chris Colby of Brew Your Own magazine explains high-end RIMS and HERMS brewing systems.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
October 19, 2006 - New Belgium Brewing
We travel to Fort Collins, Colorado to speak with two of the people responsible for the beers at New Belgium brewing. Eric Salazar is part of the team that produces La Folie, and Peter Bouckaert is the brewmaster. Peter shares his opinion about beer styles and gives us advice on how to brew like a Belgian.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
October 12, 2006 - GABF Beer Judging Demonstration
Thanks to a demonstration hosted by the Brewers Association, we see what happens behind the scenes in the judging of the Great American Beer Festival competition.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
October 5, 2006 - Homebrewing Contests at GABF
We cover two homebrewing competitions in connection with the Great American Beer Festival: the GABF Pro Am and the Long Shot competition from the Boston Beer Comany.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
September 28, 2006 - Our Chat with Charlie Papazian
We join Charlie Papazian near a beautiful stream at his house to share his homebrew and his thoughts on the hobby. We talk about yeast, hot side aeration, decoction mashing and other fun stuff.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
September 21, 2006 - Fruit Beers with Randy Mosher
Randy Mosher, author of Radical brewing, talks to us about fruit beers and how to get the most out of them. Randy also give us his favorite approach to pumpkin beers.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
September 14, 2006 - Making Ciders & Countertop Mashing
Ben Watson, author of Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own, joins us to introduce us to the world of homemade ciders. Also, Chris Colby of Brew Your Own magazine lets us in on his method of partial mashing using an unmodified two-gallon drinking cooler.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
September 7, 2006 - Single-Hop Small Batch Experiment
Andy Sparks and Steve Wilkes join James to taste the results of homebrewer Michael Tonsmeire's single-hop small batch experiment. Five American hops are put to the test.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
August 31, 2006 - Brewing with the Ginger Beer Plant
Homebrewer Raj Apte lets us in on the long lost process of brewing with the Ginger Beer plant. This way of brewing soft drinks at home was commonplace decades ago.
August 24, 2006 - Going Big: Life After 1.064
Bob Hansen, technical services manager of Briess Malt and Ingredients Company, shares thoughts on his presentation from NHC on making big beers.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
August 17, 2006 - Extract Brewing Strategies
Chris Colby of Brew Your Own magazine joins us to share his favorite strategies for getting the best beer out of a split-boil extract brewing session.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
August 10, 2006 - First Wort Hopping and Dry Hopping
The last interview from Orlando: James talks to Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker brewing and John Mallet of Bell's Brewery about first wort hopping and dry hopping.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
August 3, 2006 - NHC Coverage Part Three
Advanced homebrewing topics are on tap for our continuing coverage of the National Homebrewers Conference. James talks to homebrewer Raj Apte about his "one-dollar homebrew barrel" and John Palmer on wort fermentability and insight into what happens at certain mash rest temperatures.
July 27, 2006 - NHC Coverage Part Two
NHC coverage continues as James and Steve interview professional brewers and other professionals connected with the brewing industry.
John Pinkerton, Moon River brewing - Boiling wort
David Logsdon, Wyeast - Yeast strains and beer styles
Greg Koch, Stone brewing - Serve only good beer
Lyn Kruger, Siebel Institute - Ester production
iTunes | Streaming mp3
July 20, 2006 - NHC Coverage Part One
Steve Wilkes joins James as they play interviews with six homebrewers recorded at the National Homebrewers Conference in Orlando. Great tips and interesting information.
Butch Luxemberger and Dave Morgan - Chili beers
Patrick Paine - Braggots
Matt Ruddell - brewing in Florida
John Peed - Filtering beer
Chris Bible - Temperature in the life of beer
Steve Hamburg - Session beers
iTunes | Streaming mp3
July 13, 2006 - Pairing Beer with Food
Randy Mosher, author of "Radical brewing," talks with Steve Wilkes about pairing beer with food and cooking with beer. Randy says beer is a much better partner with food than wine.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
July 3, 2006 - Ray Daniels' "Hot Scotchie"
James sneaks away from the family for a couple of minutes to post a very short interview that Steve Wilkes did with Ray Daniels at the NHC. Ray lets us in on the recipe for a treat to taste while brewing.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
June 25, 2006 - NHC Preview
This episode is a preview of the coverage from the National Homebrewers Conference in Orlando, Florida. Steve and James recorded more than a dozen audio interviews with brewing experts, authors, professional brewers and knowledgeable homebrewers.
June 22, 2006 - Two Homebrew Experiments
We hear from two homebrew experiments: William Tope, a high school student from Houston, Texas, delves into whether alpha acid levels of hops affect fermentation rates, and the Hot Side Aeration experiment continues with Brian Warren and John Holder.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
June 15, 2006 - Water with Greg Noonan
Greg Noonan shares his knowledge of brewing water quality and how to treat it. Greg is author of "New brewing Lager Beer," "Scotch Ale," the eighth title in the Brewers' Publications' Classic Beer Style Series, and "Seven Barrel Brewery Brewers' Handbook." He's also the owner and brewmaster at the Vermont Pub and Brewery in Burlington, Vermont.
June 8, 2006 - Homebrewers Conference Preview
We preview the National Homebrewers Conference coming up in Orlando, Florida, with Gary Glass, Director of the American Homebrewers Association. We get a peek at the wealth of information that will be available there.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
June 1, 2006 - Mead Experiment Update and Listener Mail
Steve Wilkes joins James at a local jazzy-sounding coffee shop to talk about flavoring the Great Mead Experiment from the video side of Basic Brewing. The guys also join forces to answer some listener e-mail.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
May 25, 2006 - Basic Equipment Pt. 2
We continue with our look at the foundation of good home brewing: basic equipment. In this episode, Andy Sparks of The Home Brewery in Fayetteville, Arkansas rejoins James to talk about gear that goes beyond the absolutely necessary.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
May 18, 2006 - Basic Equipment Pt. 1
We get back to basics to look at the foundation of good home brewing: basic equipment. In this episode, Andy Sparks of The Home Brewery in Fayetteville, Arkansas walks us through what is absolutely necessary to brew an extract batch.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
May 11, 2006 - Hop Varieties and Schedules
Tess and Mark Szamatulski, authors of "Clone Brews"
iTunes | Streaming mp3
May 4, 2006 - Poor Richard's Ale
Tony Simmons of Pagosa brewing Company, creator of Poor Richard's Ale takes us through the process of writing his historic recipe. Also, Tony talks about the challenges of opening a new brewery.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
April 27, 2006 - Brewing Like a Monk
Stan Hieronymus, author of Brew Like a Monk - Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales and How to Brew Them
iTunes | Streaming mp3
April 20, 2006 - Speed Brewing
From grain to glass in a week? Chris Colby, editor of Brew Your Own magazine, says it can be done, and he steps us through how we can get good beer in seven days from brew day.
Also mentioned: AussieHomeBrewer.com
iTunes | Streaming mp3
April 13, 2006 - Mini-mashing or Partial Mashing
Kevin DeLange from The Brew Hut and Drydock brewing Company helps us understand mini-mashing or partial mashing and what makes the process different from just plain steeping with an extract batch.
Also mentioned: A Plus Hops in the UK
iTunes | Streaming mp3
April 6, 2006 - Growing Hops at Home
Dave Wills of Freshops joins us to tell us how to plant, grow, and harvest our own hoppy goodness at home.
March 30, 2006 - "Too Much!"
We get help from Gary Glass, director of the American Homebrewers Association, to answer a listener's questions about putting "too much" of good things into our brews.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
March 23, 2006 - National Homebrew Competition
Gary Glass, director of the American Homebrewers Association, joins us to talk about the National Homebrew Competition coming up very soon. Gary talks about how to enter and why it's worth the effort.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
March 16, 2006 - Hot Side Aeration
We travel to Austin Homebrew Supply in Austin, Texas to taste the results of Brian Warren's experiment in Hot Side Aeration. The experiment produced some very surprising and interesting results.
March 9, 2006 - Brewing Clones
Tess and Mark Szamatulski, authors of "Clone Brews"
and "Beer Captured" join us to talk about making copies of our favorite beers. Along with being authors, Mark and Tess are owners of Maltose Express Homebrew and Wine Supplies in Monroe, Connecticut.iTunes | Streaming mp3
March 2, 2006 - Adjuncts with Andy
Andy Sparks of The Home Brewery in Fayetteville, Arkansas joins us to talk about adjuncts - the "other" ingredients of beer. These are the ingredients that go beyond the big four of water, barley malt, hops, and yeast.
February 23, 2006 - International Mead Festival Recap
Our man in the field, Brian Warren, brings us a recap of the International Mead Festival in Boulder, Colorado, including interviews with professional mead makers.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
February 16, 2006 - Bad Beer Tasting - Pt. 2
The bad beer tasting continues! We dive into the second half of our evening with the FlavorActiv "Enthusiast" beer taste troubleshooting kit. We taste the bad beer so you don't have to.
February 9, 2006 - American Pale Ales
Chris Colby of Brew Your Own magazine joins us to talk about a favorite: American Pale Ales. This style is great tasting and easy to brew.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
February 2, 2006 - Mead with David Myers
David Myers, Chairman of the Mead for Redstone Meadery, joins us to talk about his meadery, the International Mead Festival, and making mead at home.
January 26, 2006 - Bad Beer Tasting - Pt. 1
Andy Sparks, Steve Wilkes, and Chris Milum join James and take the FlavorActiv "Enthusiast" beer taste troubleshooting kit for a test run. The group tastes off flavors that could be found in homebrew and talks about how to prevent them.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
January 19, 2006 - John Palmer on Lagering
John Palmer, author of How to Brew takes us through the lagering process at home. He also gives us his take on why aluminum is a good material for brewpots.
iTunes | Streaming mp3
January 12, 2006 - A Six Pack of IPA
In our second audio/video episode, Steve Wilkes joins James as they play with beer. The guys try an experiment and brew a six pack's worth of extract IPA on the stove.
Video version: Right-click (or control-click on Macs) on the link below and save it to your hard drive. This will save on bandwidth and keep you from having to wait to download more than once. You may have to install QuickTime to see it.
January 5, 2006 - Hop Bitterness
Hop bitterness takes the spotlight as Ray Daniels, author of Designing Great Beers joins us to discuss the factors of brewing that affect hop bitterness. We even get a bit into how to calculate IBUs.
iTunes | Streaming mp3