This week on Beer Sessions Radio (TM) marks a special landmark in beer literature: the launch of Garret Oliver's Oxford Companion to Beer. To supplement the celebration Horst Dornbusch, also a contributor to The Companion, Jen Schwertman (Blind Tiger), Peter Kennedy (SimplyBeer.com), and Christian DeBenedetti (beer author) join the conversation. They talk about other essential beer reads, from homebrewing classics such as Charlie Papazian and Michael Jackson to Christian's new book The Great American Ale Trail. Later on in the shows Rob Tod from Allagash Brewery calls in to join the revelry and to about how craft brewers deal with expansion and the science behind beer microbes. Tune for a special listing of NYC Craft Beer Events and where you can catch all your favorite brewers! This episode is sponsored by GreatBrewers.com.

On this week's Beer Sessions Radio, host Jimmy Carbone is talking about hops and alternative bittering agents in brewing. Ben Grainger of Bierkraft and Peter Kennedy of SimplyBeer.com are in the studio, talking about the hops that they grow at home, and how they incorporate them into their brewing processes. Joe and Dennis Fisher are also on the show discussing their book, The Homebrewer's Garden. Tune in to hear about bittering herbs that you can grow right in your yard. Are you interested in brewing botanicals? Then this is the show for you! This show was sponsored by GreatBrewers.com.

"[Gruits and grodziskies] are brewed without hops; they're brewed with other bittering spices. Classic gruit is horehound, mugwort, heather- there can be sorts of stuff inside of it." -- Ben Grainger on Beer Sessions Radio

"When hops came over, they were not universally embraced immediately. The was kind of a culture war, and the ones who favored hops ultimately won." -- Joe and Dennis Fisher on Beer Sessions Radio