BeerBorg

For the past month I've been listening to three different brewing podcasts.
The Beersmith podcasts, Dr Homebrew, and Brew Strong.

I find Brad's Beersmith podcast the best of the lot. He does a short ad for his software and gets down to business. His interviewing style is clear.

I have a harder time listening to the other two. I know Jamil is a master brewer and has lot of great information to share but the " entertaining " banter with John Palmer seems to on for ever. The content is fantastic once they actually start to discuss the subject of the day.

Dr. Homebrew seems to built in the premise of two guys hanging out in a pub/ bar knocking back some home brew. Once again I'm glad there is a fast forward button because the actual content doesn't start untl 30 minutes into the show.

I'm glad these shows are available because they all have good information and I know they are trying to be entertaining so I shouldn't complain.

Thanks to Brad Smith for his show. I really like the BeerSmith podcast.

I've always found Beersmith's podcast to be direct and to the point but sometimes, a bit too long. Brad won't win any points for his style but it gets the job done and he seems to have some great guests.

Beer-lord wrote:I've always found Beersmith's podcast to be direct and to the point but sometimes, a bit too long. Brad won't win any points for his style but it gets the job done and he seems to have some great guests.

It reminds me of the old TV show " Dragnet " "... just the facts mame, just the facts"

I like that more than endless un-funny babbling.

I think the Brewing Network shows, in general, try to be "entertainingly informative" and that is what drives the amount of banter and off-topic discussion. Some people probably appreciate it, and others don't. It's just the niche they've chosen to fill.

I listen to Brew Strong and Jamil's other Brewing Network show (which changes format a lot, but is usually style-based, where they discuss one style of beer per episode). I also listen to BeerSmith. I appreciate them both for what they are, and get great information from both sources.

One annoyance with the Brewing Network shows is the commercials. They take a lot of breaks (luckily I'm listening on my iPod and can fast-forward through them). And there's usually two or three "live reads" (ads where the hosts read the copy during the show), which often account for a lot of the off-topic banter.

The third podcast I listen to is Basic Brewing Radio. The host does voice-over work, so he's definitely got a "voice for radio" and is more polished sounding than the typical home-brewer-turned-podcaster. The topics covered are generally interesting -- don't be put off by the word "basic" in the title. He's got archives going back to 2006, I think, so there's tons of topics out there to choose from.

I got the same problem with pod casts as I do with most online media. hearing issues, the reason I don't watch much tv. yeah I know tv got cc but I get tired of reading and missing action. just gets to where it ain't worth the trouble. also, fwiw, the cc is not always accurate. sometimes it's wildly off in both content and timing, and it's on-line cousin is worse. on the + side, sometimes the conversations I hear are a lot funnier than the real ones. it's easier for me to hear one person a conversation can confuse my ears.

Count me in the camp that likes the banter between Jamil and John. I find in very entertaining and for me it's a lot less 'dry' than just talking about yeast attenuation (for example) for 60 minutes. What I find hilarious is when Jamil reads the live ads for Adam and Eve. The first few I didn't think he would even get through!

I actually listen to it more for entertainment than education, though - so maybe it's how you at it that makes the difference. don't get me wrong, I've learned PLENTY from listening to them for sure.

Maybe it's because the information is new to me and you know most of what they are discussing.
I just feel like all right, enough already.
Most people probably like the banter.
I'm really glad the podcasts exist. I've learned a lot from Jamil and John.

I don't know if I'd go as far as saying I know most of what they are talking about....

I think it really comes down to how you approach it. As you said, if you are there intent on gathering information then I can see how the back and forth could get annoying. For me, I listen on my 90-minute commute home so I NEED the entertainment factor to keep the road rage levels in check

I have listen to Basic Brewing Radio, BeerSmith, and the Jamil show.

I used to listen to Brew Strong and another one of the Brewing Network shows when I had more down time at work but most of the stuff on the Brewing Network doesn't work well if you keep pausing it in the middle and then coming back in a few minutes and resuming. I think the banter makes it hard to remember what they were talking about. They were entertaining but I don't have the longer periods to sit down and listen to it now.

I listen to Basic Brewing Radio, Beersmith, and the two Jamil BN shows while I'm commuting, and am inclined to recommend Basic Brewing Radio and Beersmith the most. However, as I study for the BJCP exam, I am getting a lot out of Jamil's older series of Brewing With Style shows about details of different styles. One issue I have with the Jamil shows is that they get a bit too crass sometimes. I actually find his commercials amusing, although after I've heard them a few times they get old.