It's Mead Week in New York City, and Jimmy Carbone is celebrating the occasion on this week's Beer Sessions Radio! Jimmy is joined in the studio by Michael Fairbrother and Berniece Van Der Berg of Moonlight Meadery. Tune in to hear Michael and Bernice talk about their love affair with mead, and how Michael changed his life to focus on Moonlight Meadery's fruition. Raphael Lyon joins Jimmy to talk about Enlightenment Wines, and what constitutes a mead in the eyes of the government. Chris Cuzme of HRN's Fuhmentaboudit! and 508 Gastrobrewery stops by to promote the newly-dubbed NYC Mead Week! Learn some mead-making history, and how mead in the past used to have psychotropic qualities. How has the modern food landscape prepared the way for mead? Learn more about bee populations, and how their decline affects local economies. Thanks to our sponsor, GreatBrewers.com, and thanks to Four Lincolns for today's music.

"If you look at the history of New York State and what it produces, a lot of it is apples and honey." [3:50]

"It's not about if it's good necessarily, but whether or not it's interesting." [38:10]

-- Raphael Lyon on Beer Sessions Radio

"We've taken an ancient beverage and refined it." [11:00]

-- Berniece Van Der Berg on Beer Sessions Radio

This week is Cutting the Curd's 100th episode! Congratulations to Anne Saxelby, Sophie Slesinger, and everyone else who has either been a guest or supported Cutting the Curd thus far! For this very special episode, Brian Keyser, Dimitri Saad, and Leigh Friend of Casellula Cheese & Wine Café are in the studio for a seven-course cheese tasting! More specifically, Anne and Sophie are taking a lesson in cheese pairing from everyone at Casellula. Hear about some of the cheese condiments at Casellula, as well as how to do your own cheese pairing with food from your pantry. Learn some general basics in terms of complimentary and contrasting tastes and textures. Sit down with a plate of cheese and some of your favorite snacks to pair, and listen to the 100th episode of Cutting the Curd! This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

"There are no rules to pairing- that's something I like to make clear. Whatever you like to eat together is what goes well together... But two rules of thumb are that you either want to compliment or contrast." -- Brian Keyser on Cutting the Curd

"I believe that it's easier for us sometimes to go for something that's going to compliment, but the fun part about what we do at Casellula is that we taste everything. So sometimes you're going to get that experience from something that is completely unexpected." -- Leigh Friend on Cutting the Curd

On this week's At the Root of it Erin spoke to Ryan Ibsen, Wine Director at the much lauded Pasanella. Tune in to get the scoop on why a subtle sense of the dirt and rocks of a farm can mean major nose ecstasy during a sip of wine.