The Brewing Network podcasts can be pretty good, but keep in mind that those have their ideas of what makes good beer and what doesn't, and that the rest of the world does not always agree with those ideas. Don't get me wrong and think that I do not respect their ideas. Jamil, McDole, and some of the other folks on those podcasts are excellent brewers and know their stuff inside and out. I would love to sit and chat with them for awhile, and I enjoy The Jamil Show. However, many newer brewers look at Jamil as if he were some sort of homebrewing prophet, and that just isn't healthy for creativity. While the relevant Jamil Show episode certainly is someplace I look for information when I want to brew a particular style (or something close to it), it is not the only place I will look.
And, I can't stand the Sunday Session. I've tried. O, I've tried, but it is just too much banter and fluff. If I need a vicarious buzz, I'll listen to the Sunday Session, but I've never needed one. It is a shame, too, because what isn't banter is usually very interesting. There are just too few needles in too large of a haystack, though. They could distill those few hours into about 45 minutes and have a very solid.
I've only listened to a couple episodes of Brew Strong, but it seems pretty solid. Much of it is rehashing what has already been covered in the common brewing literature, as well as past Jamil Show episodes. It seems they feel they need to keep something going, though. I'll keep an eye on the topics, but I pick and choose which episodes I want to hear.
Brewcrazy (or however they want to make it look) also is pretty good for the most part. They have been on hiatus since Ike came through, but I hear that are about to come back on. They also go off the rails from time to time, but it certainly is no worse than the Sunday Session.
Basic Brewing is solid, but I agree it isn't always engaging. I pick and choose what I want to hear from them, too.
TL
