Season 3

We’re back for Season 3 and in the first episode, we’re tackling the beer-adjacent Cider & Perry. Do you enjoy a cider? Do you (gasp) put ice in yours? How do we classify these fruit based drinks and how would you make one? Listen along as Thandi, Katie and Christina break it down, as well as chatting a bit about the history of Cider and Perry.

This week Thandi and Christina are talking to Crew Brew Co. and they’re the Irish brewery you never knew you wanted to visit. Born just before the pandemic hit, and a real testament to community support and resilience, they’re not just a uplifting story - they make damn good beer while being the coolest kids on the block. Jono makes the beer, Emma serves it while doing design work for the brewery. They’re the poster brewery for inclusivity, employee wellbeing and co-operation - have a listen and start planning your trip to Limerick today. 

The full set of hosts are in your ears this week, and they’re looking at Homebrewing. Have you tried it before? Listen to the good, bad, and ugly stories of brewing your own, while picking up a few tips on getting started and entering competitions.  

Did you know that brewing in the home was not just for family consumption? Did you know that passing on recipes for and using ale/beer was a practice not only documented through letters and books but also tells us a whole bunch about women’s roles in the home as well as the broader economy? Listen up as Christina, Lisa, Katie, and Thandi go through housewives and brewing through the early Modern era, and why it’s so damn fascinating.  

Did you know that the style of Berliner Weisse nearly died out? Meet one of the brewers who are keeping it - in its most historically accurate form -alive: Ulrike Genz from Schneeeule brewery in Berlin. She tells Lisa, Katie, and Thandi all about how Berliner Weisse should actually contain Brettanomyces, why kettle souring isn’t “the way” and takes us through her own fascinating journey from Civil Engineering to brewing.

Katie and Lisa are out in the wild and donning their Dirndl for Oktoberfest in Athlone, Ireland. They chat to Liam and Petra from Dead Centre about organising an Oktoberfest celebration, the beers and festivities involved, as well as hearing about Dead Centre’s history and how they’re going as a small brewery in the centre of Ireland. 

We’re going back to the land for another installment in our Ingredient Series, and this one will make you want to get your fingers in the soil. We’re chatting to Maurice Deasy from Canvas Brewing about Heritage Grains and malting - and why Canvas has chosen to make beers from farm to glass. Lisa and Christina are at the helm this week as we dive deeper into tall and short grain, sorting the wheat from the chaff and how to brew saisonly… ahem, seasonally.

Have you ever mixed your beer with stock from a rooster to make a cocktail? 👀 Well, if not you could be missing out. This week Thandi, Lisa, and Christina are talking beer cocktails, from the simple shandy to the Porter Cup, Lambs Wool, and Michelada. One thing is for sure, mixology is not a new art. Have you got any creative bee cocktails that we should try? Tell us on the socials!

It’s the spooky season, and this week we’re chatting with Cian from Wide Atlantic Weird about ghost stories! Check out some local as well as international tales in this crossover episode - wishing you all a haunty Halloween! 

Ever wonder why Bocks are associated with goats? Or what is the difference between a Doppelbock and a Maibock? We’ve got you covered, mostly. Lisa, Christina, and Thandi go through some style characteristics, how they’re brewed and what to expect from the different Bocks in this style family. 

Do you know your “dank” from your “damp” or what “stone fruit” tastes like compared to “tropical”? In this episode, the first of our new Lingo Series, we go through a few common flavour and aroma descriptors trying to simplify them, so that we can all use these terms with confidence. 

This episode we have a special guest joining us - John, the Beer Nut. John is a staple in the Irish beer scene, and is the 2022 Beer Writer of the year! We chat to him about his journey through beer, his involvement with Beoir and get his thoughts on the industry at large. Check out his blog and social links below.

Blog - https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/Twitter - https://twitter.com/thebeernut

Heard of the Late Late Toy Show? Well, we’re doing it beer-style. In this episode, we’re going through our very own beer-themed wishlists and gift guides - from cheap and cheerful to investment pieces. We highly recommend watching this one as there’s screen sharing involved, but fear not - all the links to the gifts are here.

This week we’re speaking to Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela - the first black woman in South Africa to own a brewery, and with a CV that would make almost any brewer look like an amateur. She’s had a very interesting journey into and through the beer world, with loads of ups and downs - today we talk about her brand Tolokazi, her NPO Brew4Change as well as her personal adventures all over the world judging and talking about beer. 

Have you seen or tried a Christmas Beer? What is that anyway? Are Christmas beers always winter warmers? Find out what makes these beers persist over the festive season, and learn why they’re not as old as you may think. Katie, Lisa and Thandi examine these beers and give you the low down. 

It’s our last episode of the year and the birth of a new annual tradition - the Beer Ladies Pub Quiz! We each take turns asking some beer/Christmas trivia and the rest fight for the prize, including the coveted Wrong Answers Only round! See if you can beat our local quiz whiz - post your scores and answers to our socials. See you in 2023!

🌟2023 has kicked off with a bang - we did a live recording at Rascals in Inchicore, a first for both us and Rascals. We chatted January traditions (from dry to try as well as Nollaig na mban (Women’s Christmas) as well as expectations and resolutions for the new year in beer. Thank you so much to everyone who joined us in the crowd, and we hope you listening at home feel as if you were there with us. And a final huge thanks to Rascals for inviting us and handling all the sound and advertising, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

We’re back in the Style Guide territory with Wild Ales. Learn your Brett from your Pedio, why funky beers take time and which ones really should have that “horseblanket” flavour. 

Lisa, Thandi, Katie and Christina go through their varied opinions on wild beers while doing a 101 on what this family of beers involves. 

Another in our Lingo Series, and this time it’s all about off-flavours - those aromas and flavours that do not belong in beer. However, they’re not all bad equally - have a listen and see if you recognise any of them. 

This week we welcome renowned Whiskey writer Lew Bryson to take us on a journey through Whiskey for Beer Lovers - listen along for the 101 of terminology, tasting notes, and how to appreciate Whiskey. Another beer-adjacent episode for you to expand your palette.

This week we welcome Liz Garibay from the Chicago Brewseum. Liz is an archaeologist and beer historian who keeps the world’s only agnostic Beer Museum. Listen in for what the Brewseum does, and how it keeps the stories of beer alive through exhibitions, events, and collab brews.

What makes a perfect pub? Is it the beer, the music, the vibes or something else entirely? Lisa, Katie and Christina go through their top categories of pub-makers and share thoughts and experiences of pubs in Ireland and internationally. Share your thoughts about what makes a great pub on our socials!

This week we welcome Dr. Jennifer Jordan, Professor of Sociology and Urban Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and author who studies plants and their relationship to human settlement. She has authored “Edible Memory” and is currently working on a book about hop farming in Wisconsin and how women were critical to the practice. Christina and Katie chat to Jennifer about these women, their contributions, and their lives as determined by the hop seasons. 

No video on this one, but enjoy the feast for your ears!

What beers do we like as the seasons change? Are some good year-round, while others are just for special occasions? Where does this leave saisons? We chat all things beer and seasons, holidays and moods.

What beers do you reserve for specific seasons, let us know!

This week we have the pleasure of chatting with Martyn Cornell, award-winning author, and beer historian. We get stories from his past: how he got into beer and writing about it, his journey as a beer-focused journalist and writer, and some about his new book on the history of Porter and Stout which comes out in late 2023/early 2024. 

P.S - we know the sound quality on this one isn't the best - but it's worth it and we'll do better next time!

This week we reminisce and share stories about our recent travels and how beer plays a role in both work and leisure trips. Thandi is back from South Africa, Lisa has been over to Belfast and LA while Katie popped over to London and they share their observations and musings about drinking in different lands.  

We’ve brought you beer and star signs, and even beer and food pairing - but what beer would you pair with your favourite music? This week we explore what beer styles ChatGPT pairs with music genres and speak about our own experiences with beer and music.

This week we are delighted to speak to Theresa McCulla, Beer Historian at the Smithsonian. We chat to Theresa about her path into beer history, about her upcoming book and learn a whole bunch about her current project at the Smithsonian. 

This week we're catching up after our Easter break - what have Thandi, Katie, and Lisa been up to? Hint - 2 of us were at the Irish NHC National Homebrew competition. We chat about judging, organising, and how comps work. We also look ahead as spring brings us a few festivals and pub changes. 

The good ol’ oxymoronic Black IPA is our topic this week, or the Cascadian Dark Ale if you will. We chat about what makes them, what sets them apart, and how much we love them. Do you remember your first black IPA? Is it a style you enjoy?

It’s the most extra time of the year - EUROVISION! This year we go through our combined top 10 (16..) while commenting on a few other entries as well as making some predictions. Follow along for our loves, loathes, and all the “meh” in between. 

*SPOILER ALERT* This episode contains snippets of the entries.

We’re back with our Lingo Series and this time we’re covering some brewing terms; especially the ones that have us cackling or clutching our pearls ;) Join us as we decode some common brew day jargon and do send us a pic of how you listen/watch the pod on our socials - we love to see it! 

This week we’re trying something new - a mock BJCP evaluation of two West Coat (American) IPAs. Learn what beer judges look for when judging beers at a competition and how the scoresheet works from your resident BJCP Judges Lisa, Thandi, and Christina.

This week we’re doing a shallow and broad overview of the variety of beer styles from Belgium. Belgian Beers are some of the most coveted in the world; we talk about the different style, what makes them taste so distinct from other styles, whether glassware matters.

After the intro to Belgian beers last week, we’re tackling a big one this week: Saison. What it is, how it’s brewed, what it tastes like.. And if it should even be considered one style at all ;) What’s your fave saison? Let us know in the comments!