Episode 186: Jessie “JABS” Birschbach, Managing Editor, The Somm Journal
This week we are chatting with The Somm Journal’s Managing Editor, Jessie Birschbach, known as JABS. She is also the Senior Wine Editor at both The Tasting Panel and The Clever Root publications. JABS joins us from LA, and brings wit from her comedy background, knowledge from her sommelier days, and her pups Ripley and Coyote. We talk everything from beer and Cicerone training to the emerging cannabis scene, to busting a move with Beyoncé and JayZ … while pouring Champagne.
Jessie “JABS” Birschbach
Jessie “JABS” Birschbach, Managing Editor at The SOMM Journal magazine, is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers with a background in fine dining (Spago, Beverly Hills; Mastro’s Steakhouse, Beverly Hills), creative marketing (Signature Creative, Protagonist), and comedy (iO West, UCB LA, National Comedy Theatre). An avid beer enthusiast, JABS is an active homebrewer and belongs to the Pacific Gravity Homebrew Club. Her most recent enterprise involves pairing cannabis strains (and their respective terpenes) with wine and beer. Although she is from the island of Kauai, spending the first six years of her life on the islands, JABS grew up in San Diego, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from San Diego State University. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her wife and son.
Welcome (0:50)
We bid a fair welcome to JABS and her pups, one of which passes gas to get things started. That’s how we roll, people! After the proper intro, she shares how she moved to LA to write comedy while working her way up through the fine dining scene. From writing sketches for “Mr. Worm” to writing for wine and spirits trade publications – we see similarities, yes? (We seriously do!)
Pub Talk (4:54)
JABS tells us what is special about each of the publications, and what they offer to their respective audiences. The Somm Journal and The Tasting Panel, wine and spirits focused respectively, are mostly sent to the trade. They are educational in nature, yet they consistently make Steph and Val thirsty and inspire beverage selections or ideas for this show! Also, members of the trade can subscribe for free. If wine and beverage is your day job, please click here.
The Clever Root is for the consumer and offers a mature approach to cannabis, as well as chef and foodie interests on all things grown from the ground.
Coyote chimes in with a hearty endorsement here. Dogs like cannabis too, people.
Mark your calendars (9:00)
Now, JABS doesn’t just sit in her office writing and tasting samples with farting, weed-endorsing dogs at her feet. The staff are out and about, and you can expect to see them at about 10 Somm Camps a year, as well as SOMM CON this month in San Diego. Val met her in Denver back in July at Cru Artisan College (Shoutout to Episode 176!), and it was the staff at The Somm Journal that made this connection happen!
But JABS recently returned from the Stag’s Leap district and was so inspired by it. Of course you can read about it (and Cru Artisan College’s three-city tour) in the latest edition of The Somm Journal.
Beer here (11:36)
JABS is fresh off the study train from taking her Cicerone exam. So when she’s not writing about wine, spirits, and cannabis, she’s drinking beer. We were fascinated by the depth and breadth of what is covered in this exam, by the way. We seriously had no idea how comparable this was to higher level wine exams.
You heard it here first. JABS is going to come back on the show, hopefully in 2019, to school us on beer and the intricacies of beer education and certification.
“Tonight I’m not takin’ no calls ’cause I’ll be dancing” (Lady Gaga & Beyoncé) (15:38)
It all comes back to wine and (eh hem) service, and JABS does not disappoint, y’all. We warm up with a sassy, satisfying Spago service story. Then we boogie on over to a story from Mastro’s third floor “penthouse” in Beverly Hills where JABS worked as a server somm. And serve she did … on the dance floor with Beyoncé and JayZ.
Another first for the W25 podcast, a guest busting a move while serving Ace of Spades Champagne from the middle of a dance circle. Boom. No pressure on the next guest at all.
Contact JABS:
Reach out to The Somm Journal to subscribe to any of the publications, or email JABS.
She also gave us permission to link up her IG account, which is so cute: @jessie_birschbach.
Big Shoutouts! (22:30)
Thank you to JABS, Ripley, and Coyote for sharing part of your afternoon with us!
Also, this came in the form of a Five Star iTunes review titled, “Tried a new wine!” Jvk1229 said:
“I love your show and purchased a weekly tasting after hearing you mention it. It opened my palette up to a brand new French white – Picpoul and I loved it!! Thank you!!”
Weekly Tasting from WTSO is our Podcast Sponsor! (24:45)
There’s a world of wine to explore and Weekly Tasting gets it organized for you! Whether it’s Treasures of France, Classic Pinot Noirs, Italian Bubbly or the all new tasting Nebbiolo vs Barolo, Weekly Tasting is a smart way to learn wine. (See above, right?)
Meanwhile, our listeners have their very own listener page at: weeklytasting.com/W25 to sign up and get started!
Or just click on the WTSO logo on the top right of this web page.
Follow them on Instagram, FaceBook (where they recently gave us a lovely shoutout!) and Twitter and see what’s new and good!
Big Patreon Love (25:55)
Thank you to our patrons who support us on our Patreon crowdfunding platform!
*We do read all the names on the show, and feature the list on our Support page.*
Connect (28:24)
Between each weekly chat you can find us on the social spaces @WineTwoFive, and play in our private FaceBook group called Wine Two Five Community!
Connect with Val on Twitter @WineGalUnboxed and everywhere else as @VinoWithVal.
Steph is in all the social spaces as @TheWineHeroine.
Reminders
- Remember you can always leave us a question or comment via Speakpipe. We’ll be doing an entire show on Burning Wine Questions next month.
- You can also find us on the My Wine Society App. There are also channels on travel, wellness, events, wineries and more.
