Jasper Hill Farm is one of the most respected names in American artisan cheese, and in today’s episode, Jonathan & Eli talk with Zoe Brickley — Jasper Hill’s “Minister of Culture” — about how a struggling Vermont dairy made a big gamble that grew into an award-winning operation. We dig into the 9,000-year history of cheesemaking; the science and craft of “affinage”; and why caves, microbes, and even lard are central to great cheese. Zoe also makes the case for seeking out real artisan cheese and why food this good can be so great for local communities and local farms.

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Jasper Hill

TOPICS & TIMES:

North East Kingdom (2:00)

Zoe Background, Minister of Culture (3:51)

Cheese Terminology and Mongers (6:09)

Jasper Hill Origin Story (11:05)

History of Cheese (14:18)

Recent Fascination of Cheese (19:11)

Cloth Bound Cheddar and Cave Aging (29:42)

Cultures and Inoculation (35:30)

Preservation Techniques: Dehydrate, Salt, and Acidify (38:19)

Getting Started in the Cheese Industry (45:14)

Which Styles are Difficult to Make (50:31)

Blooming Rind (52:32)

A Pitch for Cheese (58:19)

Current State of Cheese (1:03:43)

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Jonathan Gagné is producing some of the best work in the world in terms of increasing our understanding and appreciation of coffee. And his new book, The Physics of Espresso, is incredibly smart, impressively easy to understand, and…fun! So it was an honor to have Jonathan on to talk about astrophysics, boulders, dust, soup, crema, headspace, and more.

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The Physics of Espresso

The Physics of Filter Coffee

Instagram: Jonathan’s Gagné

Jonathan’s site: coffeeadastra.com

TOPICS & TIMES:

Jonathan’s Work in Astrophysics (2:54)

Brown Dwarfs (4:54)

Origins of His Interest in Coffee (12:07)

Filter Coffee & Espresso: His 2 Books (17:29)

Is This the Most Interesting Time in Espresso? (26:45)

Soup & Low-Pressure Espresso (28:00)

Crema (34:02)

Grinders (Weber EG-1 & Turin DF83 v2) (38:28)

Burr Size: Is Bigger Always Better? 50:14)

Boulders (58:26)

Headspace (1:03:23)

Puck Screens & Other Variables (1:08:19)

Baskets & Bed Depth: 49mm vs 58mm (1:14:21)

Jonathan’s website: Coffee ad Astra (1:16:33)

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With all the economic & cultural shifts swirling about these days, we wanted to get a handle on the state of craft beer: what does the current landscape look like, what are the biggest challenges, and what are the most interesting opportunities? Eli Brown and I discuss all of the above with New Image Brewing founder, Brandon Capps.

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New Image Brewing

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Brandon on Running the Leadville 100 (4:38)

Backstory of New Image Brewing (6:19)

Defining Craft Beer (14:07)

State of the Union (27:47)

What are People Drinking Today? (34:16)

Contract Brewing (44:14)

What Counts as “Craft” Beer? (55:10)

What’s Going on at New Image? (1:06:37)

Where to find New Image (1:15:53)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

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