Terrible customer service from the brewing network!

509inc,

It sounds like the BN isn't your cup of tea, but to say "I expected a homebrewing show with people who are at the forefront and are knowledgeable and experienced in the topic of their show" is a bit of a misstatement in my opinion. The BN isn't just Justin(AHA governing member), its Jamil Zainasheff (AHA governing committee member, Heretic Brewing company owner, 2 time Ninkasi winner, co-author of Brewing Classic styles, Yeast: A Practical Guide to Fermentation), John Palmer (Author of How To Brew and co author of Brewing Classic Styles), Mike McDole , Dr. Scott, Nathan Smith, Chad Mosher and JP. All who have won multiple gold medals at NHC. Well.... maybe not JP. Sorry Jip.

I believe between the guys above and the different shows they do, they're not only knowledgeable and very experienced in homebrewing, but some of them are driving the future of this hobby. Not trying to start a pissing contest, but it sounded like you made judgement by only listening to a few shows and watched BrewingTV.

NTabb said:

Not trying to start a pissing contest, but it sounded like you made a statement by only listening to a few shows and watched BrewingTV.

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Yes, I based my assumption on 4 or 5 shows that I heard. So I may not have been exposed to all that the program has to offer or to what causeses most people to enjoy it so much.

To clarify when I saw the guy from BN on BrewingTV he is not what I expected. Whether it was the beer drinking and party atmosphere during the filming or the way it was edited, but what I took from it was here is this guy who knows how to make a podcast and has some friends who happen to be respected brewers.

No pissing contest intended just voicing my opinion.

NTabb said:

509inc,

The BN isn't just Justin(AHA governing member), its Jamil Zainasheff (AHA governing committee member, Heretic Brewing company owner, 2 time Ninkasi winner, co-author of Brewing Classic styles, Yeast: A Practical Guide to Fermentation), John Palmer (Author of How To Brew and co author of Brewing Classic Styles), Mike McDole , Dr. Scott, Nathan Smith, Chad Mosher and JP. All who have won multiple gold medals at NHC. Well.... maybe not JP. Sorry Jip.

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Not to mention the guests like Dr. Chris White ( White Labs ), Dr. Charlie Bamforth, Ralph Olsen, numerous professional brewers, etc.

I'd say it would be comparable to signing up for Homebrewtalk and seeing the first 5-6 posts about how to batch sparge and determining it is to rudimentary to be taken as a serious homebrew forum.

Thankfully I didn't do that because there is a lot of great brewing information here.

Glad I found this thread.

I subscribed to the BN podcast just today and listened to about half of the most recent episode. They (Justin? The really loudmouthed one) were going on about "broads," "whores," and how hot Portland strippers are, with their tattoos. I wasn't patient enough to see whether they would get around to talking about brewing.

Is that more or less representative of this show?

tonyolympia said:

Glad I found this thread.

I subscribed to the BN podcast just today and listened to about half of the most recent episode. They (Justin? The really loudmouthed one) were going on about "broads," "whores," and how hot Portland strippers are, with their tattoos. I wasn't patient enough to see whether they would get around to talking about brewing.

Is that more or less representative of this show?

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Well all that and brewing talk with the best home brewers in the country as well as some of the best craft brewers.

You can skip the guy talk if you're that offended by it but it's pretty much the best media outlet for brewing there is.

Seamus said:

You can skip the guy talk if you're that offended by it but it's pretty much the best media outlet for brewing there is.

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Well, I wasn't offended by it, so much as I was bored. My first impression was that the guys just really seemed pathetic. If I was a lady brewer I definitely wouldn't stick it out while some dude insulted me, wondering when the beer geek stuff would start.

But I really want to listen to some homebrewing radio, and if they have guys like Jamil and Palmer on BN, maybe I'll give it another try.

Does anybody have other podcasts to recommend, ones that are moderated by grownups?

tonyolympia said:

Well, I wasn't offended by it, so much as I was bored. My first impression was that the guys just really seemed pathetic. If I was a lady brewer I definitely wouldn't stick it out while some dude insulted me, wondering when the beer geek stuff would start.

But I really want to listen to some homebrewing radio, and if they have guys like Jamil and Palmer on BN, maybe I'll give it another try.

Does anybody have other podcasts to recommend, ones that are moderated by grownups?

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Look for the Brew Strong show with Jamil and John Palmer. It has a much more serious atmosphere, and information is the focus.

I haven't listened to this yet, but Basic Brewing has a podcast (http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio). I do like their videos.

All I can say is without the BN I would be a very lonely person on my commute to work. The Brewing Network is simply awesome. Sure if you want to be serious and grumpy all the time then the humor might not be for you, but they've been around a while now so obviously someone is enjoying it. And the information they provide is top notch.

Not to mention...i've been building a brew system this past month or so and have been ordering from a lot of different websites. I'm not going to mention names, but a lot of "well respected" websites out there aren't the quickest out there either. In more than one ocassion I have been told my product is being shipped and then had to contact the company a second time to find out it indeed had not been shipped. Its just how it is, and I understand it so I don't get my panties in a knot over it. What is Justin supposed to do, take down his store because a couple shirts aren't going to be in stock for a week or two? I admit, it would be nice to have a notice, but i'm sure if you contact them directly they would be more than willing to give you an answer. I think the OP summed it up good when he mentioned that he was an impatient person to begin with. Come on guys, whether you like the BN or not, lets at least be thankful there are a few other people out there like us, weird enough to spend the majority of their day either brewing or thinking about that next brew.

ryandlf said:

Sure if you want to be serious and grumpy all the time then the humor might not be for you, but they've been around a while now so obviously someone is enjoying it.

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Great, to each his own. But for the record, I have a great sense of humor.

If the latest stuff bugs you, download the first podcasts. They are very informative, and each show is about a single topic. The Sunday Session is less about homebrewing anymore, and more about commercial brewing... and boobies.

tonyolympia said:

They (Justin? The really loudmouthed one) were going on about "broads," "whores," and how hot Portland strippers are, with their tattoos. I wasn't patient enough to see whether they would get around to talking about brewing.

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Ah...the Oregon Brewer's Festival recap show. :cross:

tonyolympia said:

Well, I wasn't offended by it, so much as I was bored. My first impression was that the guys just really seemed pathetic. If I was a lady brewer I definitely wouldn't stick it out while some dude insulted me, wondering when the beer geek stuff would start.

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Just in case you were questioning your ability to speak for all women, my wife is a woman and she likes TBN.

Other than that, this bashing one forum on the other stuff isn't productive. And frankly it is silly to have people here bashing Nathan and Tasty and Doc etc because most of us aren't as accomplished as them (neither are most of the people who post on their forum). If you have issues with what they are doing and want to talk about it, try their forum. They have changed the format and the tone of the Sunday Session slowly over the years so they do respond to listener feedback when it is productive and reasonable.

tonyolympia said:

Great, to each his own. But for the record, I have a great sense of humor.

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I would recommend what someone else stated - Go to the Brewstrong and Jamil show archives back from 2006-2007 and start listening. Great information. They do loosen up over time and crack a few jokes. The sunday session is a lot longer and generally more of a talk show rather than a structured information session on something brewing related.

I have always enjoyed the brewing network. I can't speak regarding their customer service . My only criticism is that the language and humor at times has made it impossible to listen to the show with my family roaming about nearby. Not a big deal I just listen when I'm by myself .

Thanks for the recommendations, everyone. I finally discovered The Jamil Show and Brew Strong on TBN's web site. It looks like you can just listen to the latest show through your browser, and don't have to subscribe through iTunes, which is a plus. Happy listening and brewing!

brettwasbtd said:

I would recommend what someone else stated - Go to the Brewstrong and Jamil show archives back from 2006-2007 and start listening. Great information. They do loosen up over time and crack a few jokes. The sunday session is a lot longer and generally more of a talk show rather than a structured information session on something brewing related.

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Brewstrong is the only thing on The Brewing Network I bother listening to. Even then I end up skipping through the first 'commercial break' because it's generally useless banter that doesn't pertain to anything I care about. Once you get past that and Jamil's 'airline pilot over a planes loudspeaker' delivery, it's a very useful listen.

brettwasbtd said:

I would recommend what someone else stated - Go to the Brewstrong and Jamil show archives back from 2006-2007 and start listening. Great information. They do loosen up over time and crack a few jokes. The sunday session is a lot longer and generally more of a talk show rather than a structured information session on something brewing related.

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Yup yup yup yup yup,

I really enjoy all the shows from TBN and tons of the 2006-2007 Sunday Shows have great information. Yes they are long and yes there is a lot of grab ass stuff. But FFS peeps loosen up a bit. Were brewing beer here not making cures for cancer. If your brow is bigger than mine then so be it but don't tell people 5 years worth of a talk show is useless.

As someone stated earlier bashing other forums or resources is not helping anyone.

In response to the person asking for other podcasts, the Brewing TV video podcast is another excellent choice.

I listen to all the Brewing Network shows (except Lunchmeet, because JP isn't as funny as he thinks he is). In order of decreasing focus and seriousness, it probably runs The Homebrewed Chef -> Brew Strong -> Jamil Show -> Can You Brew It -> The Sunday Session -> Lunchmeet. I do get tired of the people talking over each other and racist jokes on the Sunday Session, but sometimes the humor is really funny and some of the interviews are among the most insightful in brewing media. I believe they'll have an interview with someone from Cantillon on this upcoming Sunday! Until about the time that Daniela left (March 2007), the Session was much more focused than it is today.

I've been listening to the archives of the session and Im up to mid 07. 70% of the show is blabber but there is some useful info mixed in. It helps kill time for me while I work. Right now the show really misses the German chick. The new moderator is lame and definitely not as funny as he thinks.

If you read every post in this forum aloud and made a podcast of it, it would also suck.

I gather that the OP is settling this issue directly now?

I'm giving one more listener endorsement for the Jamil show. I'm not big on podcasts because I mostly listen to music, but these podcasts are great to listen to. What I really like is that they focus on a style and really pick at it giving the listener all the details they need to brew that style. It makes you a better brewer and gives you better insight on why things are done certain ways, instead of just following instructions.

Anyone bashing the BN because of their humor is a big ole tard.

motlekj06 said:

Anyone bashing the BN because of their humor is a big ole tard.

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Resurrection a year and a half old thread!