John Conzella of Condzella's Farm and T.J. Smolka of the Chelsea Brewing Company are in the studio talking beer farming and science! Mary Izett and Chris Cuzme are back on this week's Fuhmentaboudit! to talk about the New York state hop industry. Tune in to hear about John's recent successful Kickstarter campaign, and what it means for hop harvesting on Long Island. Learn about New York's history as a major hop producer! Later, T.J. explains how to harvest yeast from homebrews! What is the difference between washing and rinsing yeast? And how many times can you re-use yeast? Extract yeast from your homemade beers, and brew long and prosper! This episode has been sponsored by Fairway Market.

"About 100 years ago, hops were king in New York. New York produced 80% of the nation's hops" [5:15]

"Homebrewing is where it starts. It's the root of beer culture out here in New York. It's important to me to get hops in the hands of homebrewers." [9:45]

-- John Condzella on Fuhmentaboudit!

"The thing you want to move your yeast into should be a de-oxignated and nutrient-free material." [25:30]

-- T.J. Smolka on Fuhmentaboudit!

Toaday's Beer Sessions Radio is all about yeast. Our host Jimmy Carbone is joined in the studio by Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery), Tony Forder (Ale Street News), Jason Rodriguez (Columbia University), B. R. Rolya (The Shelton Brothers), and Charlie Bamforth (UC Davis) joins us over the phone. Tune in to hear about wild yeast, and yeast's importance in adding to flavor and head retention. This episode was brought to you by GreatBrewers.com.

"There's a lot of different ways to find a yeast that works for you, but the best way is pure serendipity."

"The more bitterness in the beer, the more stable the beer will be." -- Charlie Bamforth on Beer Sessions Radio

If you want to make beer, you're going to need yeast. But what is yeast? This week on Fuhmentaboudit! Mary Izett and Chris Cuzme are joined in the studio by Chris Lovrich of Brooklyn Homebrew to demystify the fungus. Listen in to hear how Chris harvests yeasts from the air, and its role in the brewing process. How can you ensure that you're "pitching" properly? Chris gives you the ABC's of lagering, and the importance of consistent temperature in making a good lager. How do dry yeast and liquid yeast compare? Find out how yeast is affected by temperature, and how heat can alter your homebrew. This episode has been sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

"Even though I've been brewing for a long time, it took me a while to realize all the bad things about my beer came from not using enough yeast." [10:15]

"If you increase the amount of water, you're going to slow your temperature change." [26:00]

-- Chris Lovrich on Fuhmentaboudit!