Basic Brewing Radio

Homebrewer Scott Housel shares his latest answer to the Mash Your Luck challenge - a low ABV, balanced bitterness, amber sour with Australasian influences.

Author Mika Laitinen talks to James and to Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing about Taari, a Nordic beer whose mash is fermented after baking in an oven.

Matt Giovanisci of Brew Cabin and Swim University shares three beers, one with a bunch of homegrown hops and two brewed with basic techniques.

John O'Donnell and Tim Webb from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) answer homebrewer Omar Al-Nidawi's cask serving questions.

The gang samples beers made with three delicious and juicy American hops.

Homebrewer Ron Miller shares a delicious country wine made with rhubarb. Steve Wilkes helps taste and adds his experience.

Most of the usual suspects gather to read brewing disaster stories from listeners and to sample Scott Housel's homebrew.

Author Peter Symons joins us to talk about his fifth book of brewing history and homebrew recipes and his use of AI to help put it together.

Matt Giovanisci of Brew Cabin heads to the mountains to go back to his roots of home brewing.

For the 27th Hop Sampler, the usual suspects compare three deliciously fruity hops: NZ Pacific Sunrise, Strata, and Comet.

Homebrewer Detlef Koertge is inspired to brew German lager style beers after a visit with a professional lager brewer in his home country.

Josh Secaur of Gambit Brewing in St. Paul, Minnesota, answers the Mash Your Luck challenge with a Black IPA nod to the Star Wars universe.

Homebrewer Scott Housel answers the Mash Your Luck challenge with a Graf, a cider/beer hybrid inspired by author Stephen King.

Dr. Scott Lafontaine from the University of Arkansas joins James along with Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing and author Chris Colby to sample James' rice lager and talk about the role of rice in brewing and its future.

Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing shares the second half of a tasting round featuring beers that are big and flavorful.

Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing shares a flight of three beers that are light in character and quick to produce.

Homebrewer Mitchel Jensen shares some of his hop freezer bounty as we compare Zappa, Bergamot, and Experimental 25.

We dig into the archives to find excerpts of shows that featured Jack McAuliffe, the founder of modern craft beer, who passed away this past month.

James heads to Tulsa to taste the results of the Mash Your Luck challenge with members of the Fellowship of Oklahoma Ale Makers.

Homebrewer Scott Housel answers the Mash Your Luck challenge with three beers that share common ingredients - two share the same yeast, and two share the same mash.

The usual suspects sample single-hop beers brewed with Crystal, US Delta, and Zythos hops.

The cast of characters from this past week sticks around to sample James' Canada Maple Lager and his Mash Your Luck UK Triple IPL.

After a long hiatus, James and Steve share a Hop Sampler (Nugget, Harlequin, Cryo Pop) with regulars from the Recipe Development and Mash Your Luck shows.

Steve Wilkes joins Detlef Koertge and James to evaluate the results of their experiment comparing different equipment and mash schedules to brew a Helles.

James is joined by Greig McGill of Brewaucracy and Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing as they share their thoughts about the Craft Brewers Conference.

James heads to Tulsa for a meeting of the Fellowship of Oklahoma Ale Makers (FOAM) as they spin the wheel for Mash Your Luck.

Homebrewer Detlef Koertge enlists James' help to design an experiment testing whether his elaborate step mashes are worth the effort.

Scott Housel meets the Mash Your Luck challenge with a big, hoppy American Amber Ale. He also rolls the dice again for another round.

James heads to his hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, to sample sake at a national gathering of sake brewers.

Homebrewer Allan Debertin talks to us about brewing a beer with maple sap and how he uses low-tech brewing techniques to deal with the chilly Canadian temps.

Chris Colby joins James to suggest some deliciously drinkable beer styles to take us into warmer weather.

James seeks help from Matt Giovanisci of Brew Cabin and Swim University and Josh Secaur from Gambit Brewing to formulate two lagers - one small and refreshing, the other giant and hoppy.

Dr. Scott Lafontaine and Dr. Christian Schubert from the University of Arkansas talk about their research using rice to improve the character and efficiency of non-alcohol beers.

James is joined by Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing and author Chris Colby as they taste a delicious bock and roll the next Mash Your Luck challenge.

Rob Brennan from Supermoon Beer Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, joins James and Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing to talk about mixed fermentation in barrels.

Gary Glass returns to talk about his job as head brewer at Left Hand Brewing in Longmont, Colorado, and founding board member of the newly-independent American Homebrewers Association.

Our good friend, Desiree Knott, introduces us to her new boss – Alex Long of Dancing Skeleton Meadery in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. We sample two of their delicious traditional meads.

Scott Housel shares his dark, tart, rhubarb and cherry beer with a bit of something extra. He also takes the Mash Your Luck challenge for another round.

James, Adam Ross from Twin Span, homebrewer Scott Housel, and author Chris Colby taste a tart Brown Forest Light and formulate the recipe for a big, malty Bock.

James and Steve finally get to sample delicious beers from Two Mile Brewing in Leadville, Colorado, with brewer Sean Terrill - including his Mash Your Luck challenge.

Our good friend, Bob Stempski, has a spirited conversation with James about taking his brewing to the next level.

James and Steve share beers and conversation with brewer Brian Brennfoerder, who comes to professional brewing having only started homebrewing less than a year ago.

Chris Colby helps James formulate the recipe for a small, brown beer with German influences.

Matt Giovanisci of Brew Cabin shares two dark and delicious beers on opposite ends of the ABV scale.

James and Steve read letters of brewing gone wrong by listeners from around the world.

Homebrewer Scott Housel shares a series of tart and tasty hybrid beers made with wine kit must as an ingredient.

Adam Ross of Twin Span Brewing shares a tart historical American beer style as his response to the Mash Your Luck challenge.