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

Learn how to make mead on this week's episode of Beer Sessions Radio! Jimmy Carbone is joined in the studio by 2nd place Beer Drinker of the Year, Jen Schwertman! Also in the studio are Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø of Evil Twin Brewing, and Roger Repohl, beekeeper and mead homebrewer. Is mead wine? Or is it beer? Listen in to hear how Roger got involved in beekeeping, and how legal beekeeping has changed New York City. Michael Fairbrother of Moonlight Meadery calls in and talks about sweetness and dryness in mead, and why he has to source honey from all over the country to make mead in New Hampshire. How does season affect the flavor of honey? Hear about Michael's experience judging Homebrew Alley VII, Jeppe shares some strong Evil Twin brews, talks about the popularity of mead in Denmark, and talks about complex draft systems. Learn about the legality of homebrewing in Mississippi! This episode has been sponsored by GreatBrewers.com.

"I do small-batch harvesting of honey. During the honey season, I'll harvest it as it's ready. It's sort of like 'boutique' honey." [41:00] -- Roger Repohl on Beer Sessions Radio

'The Big Little' - big flavor, little alcohol! This week on Fuhmentaboudit!, Chris Cuzme and Mary Izett are talking about sessionable table beers with homebrewers Kyler Serfass and Jamie Stafford-Hill. Hear how Jamie enhances flavors in low-alcohol beers, despite scaling down hops and malt. Kyler talks about brewing a Scotch ale with a low ABV, and what ingredients he used to brew his beer. Learn some techniques to get more flavor out of session beers! Mary shares her one-gallon, sixty-hour table beer, and shares how ingredients like aniseed can help increase a beer's bitterness without adding more hops. Are table beers safe for mothers who are lactating? Find out on this week's episode of Fuhmentaboudit! Thanks to our sponsor, Cain Vineyard & Winery.

"Because you're using less malt, you have to be careful of your temperatures because you don't have a big thermal mass." [8:45] -- Kyler Serfass on Fuhmentaboudit!

"You want to mash high so you don't get a lot of sugars that leave a 'wort-y' taste." [20:00] -- Jamie Stafford-Hill on Fumentaboudit!