Radio Oedipus

This week on Radio Oedipus, we’re taking the road less travelled and taking a trip to Riga, in Latvia. After exploring closer to home, the obvious places to go were America and the UK but by concentrating on well travelled roads you ignore so many other places as possibilities, like Latvia and Labietis. A craft brewery in Latvia that makes familiar favourites like IPAs but also offers more intriguing local styles like sour braggots, meads, chestnut bocks.Co-founder and brewer Reinis Pļaviņš is our tour guide around Latvia and tells us what being a Northern European craft brewery is all about.Useful LinksLabietishttps://labietis.lv/lv/

This week on Radio Oedipus we head to the Netherlands’ newest food hotspot: Nijmegen. Chefs Do Bongers (Basic Theory Ferments) and Emile van der Staak (Restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel) are passionate advocates of local, plant-forward food. Could they be shaping the future of gastronomy? Michelin certainly thinks so, as it’s just awarded Restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel one star for the quality of its food, and a green star for its sustainable way of working. Tune into find out what’s cooking in Nijmegen. Useful LinksRestaurant De Nieuwe Winkelhttps://denieuwewinkel.com/Basic Theory Fermentshttps://www.basictheoryferments.nl/

When Rozebunker first started they dreamt of making sodas that championed local ingredients and Dutch water (which as any Dutchie will proudly tell you is the best in the world). But now their mission is much bigger: to eliminate food waste and replace the bloated soda industry. On their fruit farm near Utrecht, Emile and Tom create new flavour worlds by telling stories to our taste buds. They turn the fruit they grow and rescue from other suppliers into syrup, and the leftovers from their syrup making into jam - but ultimately they want to develop anything and everything that tingles your tastes buds and sparks conversation about sustainability. Emile and Tom join us straight from the farm to tell us how they’re going to take down Coke and categorise the different flavours of seaweed, including pineapple?!Useful LinksRozebunkerhttps://rozebunker.nl/ Omnipollo's Karolina (Hard Seltzer)https://omnipollo.com/collections/store/products/karolina-paloma-sour-hard-seltzerOmnipollo's Neophresco (Hard Seltzer)https://omnipollo.com/collections/store/products/neophresco-karpologi

This week we traverse the boundaries of American craft beer. When the craft beer movement kicked off stateside in the 1960s, it was led by outsiders searching for flavours big beer couldn’t offer. Now craft has become so popular that it’s the number one choice for beer in the US. Our guide through modern American beer is Alex Ganum, founder of Upright Brewing, a small craft brewery in Portland. Alex expresses himself as a brewer using all the world around him has to offer, from Oregon’s abundant hops and herbs to its thriving music scene. Is this local direction the way forward for craft beer or is Alex now an outsider? Closer to home, we meet a group working hard to start another revolution within beer. Liz and Linda from Pink Boots Society talk us through their fight to make sure women are given fair opportunities within the beer industry.Useful LinksUpright Brewing, Portlandhttp://www.uprightbrewing.com/Pink Boots Society Beneluxhttps://www.instagram.com/pbsbenelux/Pink Boots Societyhttps://www.pinkbootssociety.org/Beer drank on the show (Alex's choice);De Ranke XX-Bitterhttp://www.deranke.be/en/bier/xx-bitterSchlenkerla Oak Smoke Doppelbockhttps://www.schlenkerla.de/rauchbier/sorten/schlenkerlaeichee.html

This week we immerse ourselves into the art of tea. It’s the most popular drink in the world after water, but perhaps the most misunderstood one too. Every country has its own tea culture and rituals, from intricate ceremonies in Japan to drowning tea bags in milk in Britain. But once people find their favourite brew, they stick to it, missing out on an amazing range of flavours from the tropical fruits of oolong to the smoky notes of lapsang souchong and the floral flavours of jasmine. The owner of Formocha Tea, Amanda Yiu, is part of a family who has been working with tea for over 800 years. Tune in to find out why we should pay more attention to how we drink tea. Useful LinksFormocha Premium Teahttps://www.formocha.nl/

This week we jump into the world of Kimchi: the spicy, tangy and smelly fermented cabbage dish originating from Korea. Only a few years ago it was almost unheard of in Amsterdam, but nowadays everyone’s piling it on everything from burgers to beer. To find out why kimchi is so hot right now (or if it’s a dish best served cold) we met Alex from Oh Na Mi Kimchi. He makes kimchi based on a traditional family recipe, but just like his dad, the inventor of the kimchi hotdog, Alex isn’t afraid to spice things up either. In the second part of the show, we chat to Abel from Funk Gilde. His kimchi krokets are a big hit, but what’s his kimchi homebrew like? Is it a taste of tomorrow, or something that should be thrown straight down the sink? Useful LinksOh Na Mi Kimchihttps://www.ohnami.kim/Funk Gildehttps://www.funkgilde.com/

When you think of these beers, the first country that springs to mind is Belgium, not England. But perhaps it's time to think again, as this style has long (if not strong) roots in the UK. Our first guest is Jeremy Stull, Head of Barrels & Blending Buxton Brewery, who shares his international perspective on the wild side of brewing. Secondly, Jan from Butchers Tears gives a practical lesson in British barrel-aging history via their new version of a classic English beer: Aruspex, an Old Burton Ale. Useful linksBuxton Breweryhttps://www.buxtonbrewery.co.uk/Butchers Tearshttps://butchers-tears.com/

This week we have not one, but two guests. First up, Victor Brangolo, creator of the visual world that graces Oedipus labels, taprooms and apparently quite a few Tinder profile pics. He discusses how colour can make you feel sexy, thirsty, playful or philosophical. Guest #2 is Lien, the lady making the comfort food the world needs right now: soup, glorious, soup. Her soup is nutritious, sustainable and last, but not least, value for money. Catch it while it’s hot. Useful linksVictor Brangolohttp://www.victorbrangolo.com/De Soepkeuken Van Lienhttps://www.instagram.com/desoepkeukenvanlien/