Season 2

Kweza is Rwanda's first craft brewery, and it's owned and run by women! They've recently got their liquor and trading licenses and are now on a mission to get their brewpub launched.

They've been on a number of fundraising drives for the last year, and are now launching a Kickstarter in collaboration with a bunch of breweries in several other countries. The idea is that each brewery has to showcase Sorghum as an ingredient for the collab brew, since sorghum is a native grain of Rwanda and makes up a large part of Kweza recipes.

What makes a red ale? Perhaps it’s the colour? Maybe it's low levels of bitterness and hop aromas? Maybe it is slightly creamier, roastier, and fuller-bodied with a hint of fruit than others?

Maybe it’s all made up, and the points don’t matter. We’ll fight about it anyway. Game on!

It’s time once again for Oktoberfest and Festbiers!

Lisa, Carolyn, Erica and Katie talk lederhosen and drindl, and survey the autumn beer festival scene across London, Belfast, Texas, Palestine, Ukraine, Seattle, Cork, and Dublin. They’ve got pro tips - pockets and extra toilet roll - and a bit of style discussion and historical trivia. Can you name the big six brands of Oktoberfest beers before our hosts do?

Grab your dubiously acquired glassware and elbow your way in. Prost!

Thandi, Erica, and Bean talk hops, or Humulus lupulus if you prefer, as our ingredients series continues.

What are hops? How are they used? What are their flavours? How long have we been using them?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year...autumn/ fall! It’s safe to say that Halloween is a favourite holiday for many of us Beer Ladies. So, we’re kicking off our new series, “Spooky Season”.

Carolyn, Christina, Bean, and Lisa share some ghost stories set in pubs. Equal parts history, culture, and fun, this episode has it all!

Thandi, Christina, Lisa, and Carolyn unpack some examples of medievally maligned alewives in 1400s art and literature. Where did tropes about alewives and demons come from? What can we tease out of carvings and paintings in churches? Who was writing those poems? Join the ladies in wishing for heavenly lakes of cask ale, with or without old-timey adjuncts.

The falling leaves are changing colours, there’s a crispness in the air, and the days are getting shorter. It’s time to crack open a seasonal beer from our very first sponsor, McHugh’s Off-License of Dublin 5!

Because we couldn’t fit this topic into one episode, Lisa, Thandi, and Christina exchange more ghost stories set in pubs and breweries, including mysterious sights, sounds, smells, and feelings at places like The Brazen Head, Gravediggers, and Mulligan’s (Poolbeg Street).

Happy Halloween weekend to our listeners!

Spooky Season is winding down...Thandi, Christina, and Erica speak about beer in relation to rituals, baptisms, offerings, sacrifices, and witchcraft. This episode covers both historical perspectives (goddesses and Hildegarde von Bingen) and modern-day research (possible health benefits).

It’s the pumpkin ale episode of 2021. Erica, Lisa, Carolyn, and Bean crack open the pumpkin flavoured, and pumpkin-based brews. We talk Halloween history, pumpkin ale ingredients, growing tips, potential adjuncts, and pairings. Join us for the fireside chats of the Hallowtide season.

This week, Thandi, Lisa, Katie, and Carolyn cover what exactly Brown Ales are, their history, their sub-styles, how to brew them, and some of our favourites.

Whether English, Belgian, or American, these beers may be dark amber to (you guessed it) brown in colour. When smelling and tasting them, you may detect hints of chocolate, caramel, nuts, or malt. Now doesn’t that sound like a lovely style for a chilly November evening?

Lisa, Christina, and Bean visit the physical Rye River brewery in Celbridge, County Kildare just outside of Dublin, Ireland, for an interview with Head Brewer Bill Laukitis. 

We talk about all the brands that Rye River produce (McGargles, Grafters, Solas, Crafty Brewing Co.), as well as Rye River’s core range and their experimental seasonal releases. We sample a brown ale with a special story, and we sample a seasonal brew with an even more barrel-aged story, because we are lucky ducks. We talk a little about Bill’s approach to quality control, his backstory, and who works in the rest of the brewery too! 

A huge thank you goes out to past Beer Ladies Podcast host Sarah for organising behind the scenes to make this episode possible.

Lisa, Christina, and Erica had the pleasure of interviewing E-Commerce & Marketing Manager and Beer Specialist Caoimhe O’Brien of The Beer Club. 

They discuss everything from Caoimhe’s education and experience to the impacts of COVID-19 and Brexit on the off-license industry to beer advent calendars and virtual tastings. 

Katie, Lisa, Thandi, and Erica haul the microphones to Slattery’s to bring you the ambiance of an Early House in Dublin. It’s full of bustling energy on a Saturday morning. We chat about different kinds of pubs and how they addressed a niche in society, and the way they can be physically set up. Slip into the snug with the shebeen queens, and enjoy our experimental sounds. 

Kate O’D is here, and she’s cooking with beer. Meet Kate O’Driscoll, Instagram sensation and maker of Kate O’D’s goodies, as she chats to Katie, Christina, and Bean. Hear about her take on gluten-free baking, homebrewing, supporting local producers, and how she pivoted from passionate home cook to catering whirlwind, plus some of her cooking collaborations with different beers and brewers. 

Thandi, Carolyn, and Erica got the inside scoop on this beer gear business…from their subscription plans to their most popular merchandise to their busiest seasons. Each month, First Sip features a different brewery and builds a box with all sorts of merch and beer-infused products (think t-shirts, glassware, stickers, BBQ sauce, etc). 

Lisa, Christina, Thandi, and Bean head to the fertile crescent to chat about how beer might have been made in ancient Sumer. Christina spent the summer researching and even made a small batch of beer inspired by translations of cuneiform tablets from thousands of years ago. She documented the process on her blog and talked about it today on the show. And the beer was even pretty good!

Whether you prefer Brown, Robust, or Baltic Porters, our co-hosts (Lisa, Katie, Thandi, and Erica) have got you covered. We continue our style series by chatting about the history of Porters, how they are brewed, and how they might be different from Stouts. 

Happy Valentine’s Day! What better way to celebrate than with beer and chocolate: an IPA + spiced or salted dark chocolate, a fruited sour + white chocolate, and a stout + milk chocolate. 

In this episode, Thandi, Lisa, and Katie participate in a guided pairing by Joanne Love, the Beer School Lady. Joanne has a beer tasting course, A Woman’s Brew Podcast, and an Etsy store with beer printables. Equal parts culture and fun, listen as they chat about her background and how she became a beer expert.

What’s your zodiac sign? Do you read your horoscope? Whether you’re a fan or a skeptic of astrology, this episode is a bit of craic (enjoyment), as we say in Ireland! 

Thandi, Christina, and Carolyn discuss the 12 signs, traits associated with people born under them, and what sort of beer might suit them! For any fellow Cancerians, we’re meant to be loyal, good listeners who enjoy the comfort of home and Session IPAs ;)

Christina and Erica had the joy of chatting with Mirella Amato, a Master Cicerone, National Level BJCP Judge, and Doemens Bier Sommelier based in Canada. Mirella is a craft beer and sensory consultant and has written the book “Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer…Even More”. 

Her most recent endeavour is teaching an online course on how to pair beer with food. Some topics that came up included whether we are born with sensory abilities or if we can learn them, how having COVID-19 might impact our aroma and taste, and what resources budding beer enthusiasts can access in order to practice their tasting skills.
We’re also joining Mirella’s campaign to celebrate women in beer on St Brigids day ;)

If you’ve ever been on a brewery tour, it’s highly likely that you’ve been told that the Reinheitsgebot is the centuries-old German purity law regarding the only ingredients permitted for a beverage to be called “beer”. Carolyn, Katie, Lisa, and Thandi talk about the history of this law in Germany: what it is, when it was active, where exactly, and why.
They discuss the possible role of religion in the law, myths and interpretations of the law in other countries, German breweries using other ingredients, and what their favourite German beer styles are. 

Christina and Erica sat down with two members of the Women’s Craft Fermentation Alliance Board of Directors: Melissa McCann (Executive Director) and Michele Wonder (Web, Marketing, & Media Director); they discussed their backgrounds, all things beer-y, and their upcoming summit! 

The Women’s International Beer Summit will take place 22-24 April via Crowdcast, with early bird registration pricing of $40 until 15 March ($50 from 16 March). Check out their website and social media channels below for the schedule and information on watch parties, giveaways, scholarships, sponsors, and their nearly 60 speakers (including Christina!). 

One of the most iconic names associated with Ireland is that of “Guinness”. Christina, Katie, Lisa, and Thandi may not be drinking the Black Stuff in this episode, but they certainly delved into the historical archives of several breweries and their technological advances and scientific discoveries. There was a shift from local beer made in homes to the machine-driven mass production of beer (which could now be shipped), and this change had an impact on rural communities. 

From factories and using brine in cooling to the Student’s t-test and developments in transportation routes, this episode is brimming with pub quiz-worthy knowledge.

We wrap up the basics of our ingredient series with the unsung hero: H2O! Despite it covering most of Earth’s surface and making up most of our own bodies, we often take water for granted. We need this precious liquid to survive- on its own and in other drinks/ foods. Along with malted grain, hops, and yeast…water completes a beer recipe. It can come from many sources, be hard or soft, and be treated in various ways. 

Additionally, it is used in cleaning and waste removal. Our hosts Katie and Thandi chatted with friend-of-the-pod Chelsea Merrick, a Senior Process Engineer specialising in water treatment.

And now for something beer-adjacent. Lisa, Christina, and Erica chat about honey, their first encounters with meads at renaissance festivals and mediaeval restaurants, and how they even made their own meads and braggots. Having participated in a virtual tour and tasting with Kinsale Co and done plenty of research, they cover the history, brewing processes, and Christina’s own experiment!

Do you know your Gueze from your Gose? Carolyn and Erica pick Thandi’s brain about the Beer Judge Certification Program; some topics that come up include the style guide, how to study, the test format, and homebrew competitions. The trio also discuss the other paths to becoming a beer judge: the Cicerone Certification Program and Beer Sommelier- as well as evaluating beer in general. 

This week, we have something new and fun for you…Katie, Lisa, and Thandi gathered craft beer-related questions submitted by you via email and social media and answered them on air. Thank you to everyone who participated! You are an inquisitive bunch and we loved answering your questions!

After a 2-year hiatus, in-person beer festivals are back! Katie and Erica got the low-down from Shane (Franciscan Well) and Leah (Fidelity) about all the behind-the scenes logistics that go into organising these events. 

Some of the subjects they covered include: venue, breweries, safety, music, food, draught dispense management, and non-beer options. Both of these festivals promise to be loads of fun and will feature top-notch craft beer…so if you’ll be attending, please say hello to us Beer Ladies :)

The regulatory affairs concerning alcoholic beverages can be very different, depending on where the drink is sold or imbibed. Most places have basic laws regarding labelling requirements, minimum age of consumer, trading hours, and drunk driving.
These past 4 years in Ireland have seen legislative changes concerning alcohol being sold on Good Friday, whether breweries and distilleries may sell alcohol on their own premises, the banning of loyalty cards and promotions in off-licences, minimum pricing on alcohol, and a separate alcohol section in supermarkets.
Our hosts Bean, Katie, and Lisa wanted to learn more about alcohol laws in other countries, so they did some digging…prepare to hear about laws that are quirky, funny, and downright strange!

Our Eurovision Song Contest episode in Season 1 was so wildly popular that we couldn’t help but record another! Carolyn, Katie, Lisa, & Thandi had a blast sharing their thoughts and feelings on this year’s lineup as well as the debut of the American Song Contest. 

Play along by watching the Semi-Finals (10 May & 12 May) and Final (14 May). Some things to look and listen for: aliens in wolf costumes, 70s throwbacks, Ethno-techno, sad boy ballads, feathers, accordions, and hypnotic booties!

Many of us here on the pod are partial to a clean, crisp lager! On the surface, this style may seem simple, but these bottom-fermented beers make it very difficult to hide faults. They must be cellared at a cool temperature and take a considerable amount of time to produce. There is even a special verb for this process: “lagering”. 

Thandi, Katie, and Bean discuss the history of lagers, what makes them different from ales, and how to brew them. Gone are the days of the light, fizzy beer; roll-on, variety…from Pilsner to Bock, Märzen to Dunkel.

This week is all about adjuncts: what they are, their history, which ones are common, how they are used, and some popular beers made with them. We also chat about how adjuncts were initially perceived in the craft beer industry and how that view has changed. You’ll see us enjoying such ingredients as gooseberry, rye, oats, and wheat! 

Lisa, Christina, and Erica have been busy researching the best books and online sources (as well as a documentary) to help you build your very own beer library.
While most of their suggestions are academic, historic, and technical, there are a few fun ones too! Some points of consideration they mentioned include bibliographies, budget, ethics, space, and sustainability.

It's our SEASON FINALE! We'll be enjoying a summer break and will be back in your ears/screen in August. In the meantime... What is the oldest pub in Ireland? Christina, Lisa, Katie, and Erica look into the history, defining “pubs”, defining the question itself, raising issues of archaeology, and sifting through myths vs. facts.