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Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

479 episodes — Page 4 of 10

Ep 329329: Best in Beer 2023 Editor's Picks and Readers' Choice with Jamie Bogner and Joe Stange

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It’s been another year of great beers—and we’ve tasted thousands—but they can’t all be “the Best.” What sets certain beers apart, to not only light up our palates and our senses, but also our brains and our conversations? Winnowed down by a year of our review panel’s blind judging, and then selected by more blind judging among our editors and top writers, our Best 20 Beers in 2023 represent the highest levels of excellence, character, and drinkability. In this special once-per-year episode, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® cofounder and editorial director Jamie Bogner convenes with managing editor Joe Stange to share results of the annual Readers’ Choice poll—including your Top 25 beers and favorite breweries—as well as their Best 20 Beers in 2023, discussing each beer in turn and what made them shine at the table and in the glass. And, as they do every year, these results represent a snapshot of the best of the craft today—whether we’re brewing them, drinking them, or some of both. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): FermCap™ Eco from Kerry increases fermenter capacity by reducing foam height to improve beer foam stability and enhance hop utilization. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com or contact your BSG Sales Rep to get started. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. The Perfect Purée (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): The Perfect Purée is offering a free sample box of their frozen fruit purees, concentrates and blends to professional brewers. Choose from 40 plus flavors and build a free sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Complimentary to professionals only. Yakima Chief Hops (https://www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend): The 7th Annual Pink Boots Blend is now available for pre-order! $3 of every pound of the Pink Boots Blend purchased will be donated to the Pink Boots Society, a nonprofit organization that support women and non-binary individuals in the fermented and alcoholic industry through education. Learn more at www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend

Nov 9, 20231h 52m

Ep 328328: Art History Brewing is Finding Innovation in Its Focus on Tradition

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In Geneva, Illinois, Art History Brewing doesn’t want to be everything to everyone, but they’re committed to brewing traditional styles well, while also making them relevant to today’s drinkers. That message has resonated in the broader Chicago beer world, winning them fans among some of the most influential bars and retailers in the city. For head brewer Greg Browne, it’s the logical outcome of a career spent brewing these beers in smaller ways at other breweries. And for co-owner Tom Rau, it’s a way to focus on beers about which they’re personally passionate, meanwhile offering something different and beer-focused to the broad community of Chicago drinkers. In this episode, they discuss: innovation through focusing on traditional styles achieving the flavor results of decoction through other brewing means building color in Czech-style pale lager using the Hochkurz mash and an oversized lauter tun ingredient selection for Northern German-style pils and Czech-style dark lager designing and brewing smoked lagers choosing yeasts for specific, regionally-inspired English-style ales And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): BSG and their partners HVG bring you the very best in German hops, including Amira. With its classic hoppy, slightly herbal, and zesty lemon aromas it’s the ideal hop for those looking to capture the traditional flavor of a classic German lager. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. ZBiotics (https://zbiotics.com/pages/beerandbrewing) We all have busy lives these days and can’t afford to waste a day stuck on the couch because of a few drinks the night before. ZBiotics is the answer we’ve all been looking for. ZBiotics is the world’s first genetically engineered probiotic invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Give ZBiotics a try for yourself. Go to zbiotics.com/BEERANDBREWING to get 15% off your first order when you use BEERANDBREWING at checkout. ZBiotics is backed with 100% money back guarantee so if you’re unsatisfied for any reason, they’ll refund your money, no questions asked. The Perfect Purée (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): The Perfect Purée is offering a free sample box of their frozen fruit purees, concentrates and blends to professional brewers. Choose from 40 plus flavors and build a free sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Complimentary to professionals only. Yakima Chief Hops (https://www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend): The 7th Annual Pink Boots Blend is now available for pre-order! $3 of every pound of the Pink Boots Blend purchased will be donated to the Pink Boots Society, a nonprofit organization that support women and non-binary individuals in the fermented and alcoholic industry through education. Learn more at www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend

Nov 4, 20231h 14m

Ep 327327: GABF Gold! Rob Malad of Metazoa Doubles Down on Decocted Scottish-Style Ale

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In this GABF Gold! edition of the podcast, the last of our 2023 focus on GABF gold medal winners, Jamie is joined by Rob Malad, director of brewing operations for Metazoa in Indianapolis, Indiana. Metazoa recently won gold for William Walrus, a Scottish-style ale and product of necessity, that employed brewing techniques to overcome ingredient challenges while staying true to the spirit of the style. In this episode, he touches on: brewing beers meant to be consumed more than once using double decoction to build malt character in lieu of a broad range of speciality malt building a recipe with pale malt, Munich malt, and small amounts of low-Lovibond speciality malts but no English malts using English ale yeast typically employed in their hazy IPA brewing with minimal hops but balancing with carbonation their medal-winning approach to saison the mouthfeel impression of high Saaz loads elements that set beers apart in competition And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): BSG invites you to experience one of the newest hops from their Hop Solutions line, HS Grove™. Developed for hop-forward beer styles, HS Grove boasts incredible biotransformation qualities, giving you the power to transform your next IPA into a stone fruit powerhouse. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. ZBiotics (https://zbiotics.com/pages/beerandbrewing) We all have busy lives these days and can’t afford to waste a day stuck on the couch because of a few drinks the night before. ZBiotics is the answer we’ve all been looking for. ZBiotics is the world’s first genetically engineered probiotic invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Give ZBiotics a try for yourself. Go to zbiotics.com/BEERANDBREWING to get 15% off your first order when you use BEERANDBREWING at checkout. ZBiotics is backed with 100% money back guarantee so if you’re unsatisfied for any reason, they’ll refund your money, no questions asked. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. The Perfect Purée (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): The Perfect Purée is offering a free sample box of their frozen fruit purees, concentrates and blends to professional brewers. Choose from 40 plus flavors and build a free sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Complimentary to professionals only. Yakima Chief Hops (https://www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend): The 7th Annual Pink Boots Blend is now available for pre-order! $3 of every pound of the Pink Boots Blend purchased will be donated to the Pink Boots Society, a nonprofit organization that support women and non-binary individuals in the fermented and alcoholic industry through education. Learn more at www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend

Nov 1, 20231h 1m

Ep 326326: GABF Gold! Saison Mega-Episode with Ratio and Protagonist on Traditional and Carrot-Infused Saison

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In this GABF Gold! episode, we dive into the saison category. First up is Jason zumBrunnen, cofounder of Denver's Ratio Beerworks, recent gold medal winner for their King of Carrot Flowers carrot saison (and 2020 silver medal winner in American-Belgo style ale for their Dear You saison dry hopped with Citra, upon which King of Carrot Flowers is based). He dives into saison standards, like building body despite fermenting with diastaticus saison yeast, single infusion mashing in saison, before drilling down on the particulars of using carrot juice—processing, addition timing, maintaining color and haze, and even the secret ingredient that helps promote the idea of sweetness in the very dry beer. Next is Jeremy Claeys, head brewer for Charlotte's Protagonist Beer, recent gold medal winner for the Kal-El classic saison (and 2022 gold medal winner in American-Belgo style ale for the dry hopped saison Bizarro, as well as 2021 gold medal winner in Specialty Saison for Air is Beautiful). He talks through their philosophy of brewing classic styles with small twists that make traditional beers their own, building character through grain, simplified step mashing, the benefits of high temperature fermentation, blending saison yeasts, bottle conditioning, and lagering both bottled and kegged saison for a cleaner and smoother beer. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): BSG are distributors of Gambrinus Malting, Canada’s original small-batch, artisanal malthouse. They combine European-influenced malting practices with the finest barley, wheat, and rye to produce some of the finest Canadian malts available. Visit BSGCraftBrewing.com/Gambrinus to explore their full line. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. The Perfect Purée (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): The Perfect Purée is offering a free sample box of their frozen fruit purees, concentrates and blends to professional brewers. Choose from 40 plus flavors and build a free sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Complimentary to professionals only. Yakima Chief Hops (https://www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend): This episode is brought to you by Yakima Chief Hops. The 7th Annual Pink Boots Blend is now available for pre-order! $3 of every pound of the Pink Boots Blend purchased will be donated to the Pink Boots Society, a nonprofit organization that support women and non-binary individuals in the fermented and alcoholic industry through education. Learn more at www.yakimachief.com/pink-boots-blend

Oct 23, 20231h 43m

Ep 325325: Live From the Brewery Accelerator: Westbound & Down, Cerebral, and Odell Dissect Hazy and Clear IPA Today

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e recorded this episode of the podcast live from Odell Brewing on Sloan’s Lake as part of our recent Brewery Workshop: New Brewery Accelerator event in Denver. The three panel guests—Jake Gardner, director of brewing operations at Westbound & Down; Marni Wahlquist, head brewer at Odell Sloan’s Lake; and Sean Buchan, owner and head brewer at Cerebral—represent a compelling cross-section of IPA from Denver and the Rocky Mountain region. All three are Great American Beer Festival medal winners, and Westbound & Down is fresh off GABF 2023 gold in West Coast–Style IPA and silver in New Zealand IPA (not to mention a bronze for their Coloradan Mexican-style lager). In this episode, these three panelists cover the gamut of IPA, from hazy to clear, as they discuss the ingredients, techniques, and general approaches that define their IPA brewing programs. Over the course of the discussion, they touch on: the impact of hazy IPA on West Coast IPA selecting hop lots to span different IPA styles maximizing hop saturation with modern hop products designing malt support in contemporary IPA drying out West Coast IPA without sacrificing body avoiding the trap of sweet-on-sweet in hazy IPA choosing bittering hops for smoothness maximizing hop quality without participating in hop selection the reversion to the mean of drinkability in hop-forward styles And more. While brewing cutting-edge IPA might not be the most profitable thing for a brewery to do, it speaks to why so many brewers and consumers are attracted to craft beer in general. As Gardner says, “Westbound & Down’s history is not a good one to show how hop product can make you more money. They’re just a way we light money on fire to have tons of fun. But that being said, there’s a business strategy in that too. Our customer base is along for the ride.” This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/):BSG is North America’s exclusive distributor of Weyermann® Specialty Malts. For over 140 years Weyermann® Specialty Malts has been helping brewers around the world bring authentic German flavor to their brewhouses. Bring a taste of Bavaria to your brewhouse and explore Weyermann’s complete portfolio at BSGCraftBrewing.com/Weyermann Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. The Perfect Purée (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): The Perfect Purée is offering a free sample box of their frozen fruit purees, concentrates and blends to professional brewers. Choose from 40 plus flavors and build a free sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Complimentary to professionals only. Yakima Chief Hops Varietees (https://varietees.com): Yakima Chief Hops launched VarieTees Supply Co, their own brand of hop apparel inspired by hop varieties, art and community. Shop designs from various artists inspired by your favorite varieties including Citra, Simcoe, Sabro, and Mosaic! **Use promo code CBB20 **for 20% off at varietees.com

Oct 16, 20231h 12m

Ep 324324: GABF Gold! Barrique and 1840 Brewing Discuss 2023 Gold Medal-Winning Wood-Aged Sour Beers

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In this special episode, two 2023 gold-medal-winning breweries discuss their methods and approaches to making wood-aged sour beer. First up is Kyle Vetter, founder of 1840 Brewing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose kriek-inspired "I Don't Want To Wait" won gold in the fruited wood- and barrel-aged sour beer category. He hits on the details behind how the beer was made, including: using oak as an ingredient not just a vessel building body with alternative brewing grains selecting barrel stock to best support fruit preparing fruit and aging over six months selecting Brettanomyces strains And more. Then, we're joined by Joel Stickrod and Spencer Longhurst of Nashville's Barrique, who talk through the methods behind their gold-winning Wet Hop Strata 2023, including: open-top fermentation in wooden barrels building a blending library with four schools of wood-aged beer using high loads of unmalted Tennessee wheat brewing with aged Cascade hops long-term aging on wet hops building compelling blends of old and young beer And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): BSG and their partners HVG bring you the very best in German hops, including Amira. With its classic hoppy, slightly herbal, and zesty lemon aromas it’s the ideal hop for those looking to capture the traditional flavor of a classic German lager. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Roberts PolyPro (https://go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod): Try Roberts PolyPro's multipack can handles, designed for sustainability and cost savings. Grip-Pak rings are biodegradable and average $0.05 cents per unit. Craft-Pak carriers are recyclable and designed with 30% less plastic. Visit go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod to request free samples and start saving today!) ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Oct 11, 20231h 32m

Ep 323323: Vermont’s Wunderkammer Tells Mixed Culture Stories Beyond the Barnyard

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Over the course of his decade-and-a-half, bicoastal brewing career, Vasili Gletsos has brewed a wide range of beer styles on an equal wide range of brewing systems. But after launching Wunderkammer as a personal brand while serving as head brewer for Hill Farmstead, he ultimately decided to make it his focus, building out a simple brewery with an old dairy tank mash tun and a wood-fired copper kettle to make mixed culture beers that tell stories. Through foraging and engaging with the landscape around him, he continues to make beer that feels not just rooted and local, but thoughtfully considered and artful. He’s particular about ingredients and fermentation, searching for mixed culture expressions that don’t simply lean on clichés of the genre. “Part of the power of mixed culture beer is that I find it very transportive,” he says. “It brings you to a time and place—but I don’t always want that time and place to be a barnyard.” In this episode, Gletsos discusses his mixed culture process, including: differentiating Wunderkammer from Hill Farmstead’s mixed culture program choosing Brettanomyces strains for more favorable flavors brewing on a very simple wood-fired brewhouse working in layers blending stainless fermentation and wood puncheon aging using foraged ingredients like yarrow cold side versus hot side additions of foraged ingredients And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Developed as a part of part of Kerry’s Eco Brewing range, FermCap™ Eco is a plant-based alternative to traditional silicon-based products. FermCap™ Eco increases fermenter capacity by reducing foam height to improve beer foam stability and enhance hop utilization. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com or contact your BSG Sales Rep to get started. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Roberts PolyPro (https://go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod): Try Roberts PolyPro's multipack can handles, designed for sustainability and cost savings. Grip-Pak rings are biodegradable and average $0.05 cents per unit. Craft-Pak carriers are recyclable and designed with 30% less plastic. Visit go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod to request free samples and start saving today!) Yakima Chief Hops (https://yakimachief.com/return-growers): Yakima Chief Hops is proud to have an established Return-To-Grower program, which redistributes an average of 75% of their business earnings back to the family farms who grow the hops in your beer. Where you buy your ingredients matters and with Yakima Chief Hops, it’s more than a box of hops. Learn more at YAKIMACHIEF.COM/RETURN-GROWERS

Oct 2, 20231h 8m

Ep 322322: Nat West of Reverend Nat's Cider Takes a Craft Brewer's Approach to Cider Making

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Reverend Nat’s Cider has helped change peoples’ assumptions about craft cider in the Pacific Northwest, over their past 12 years of operation. The iconoclastic cider maker has adopted a flavor-forward, reverential-but-forward-looking approach to cider making that has ruffled some feathers and changed default narratives, but one thing it’s never been is boring or cautious. A few weeks ago, West announced that he was winding down operations of Reverend Nat’s Cider. Rather than let that experience and perspective fade into the ether, we engaged with Nat to capture his creative approach to cider making in a way that could be preserved for perpetuity. In this episode, West discusses: his beer-centric approach to cider making flavor and innovation within the very locally-focused cider sector making cider with beer yeast and selecting yeasts that work with the flavors of cider using hazy IPA yeast in cider making filtration and stability in cider achievements and regrets after a dozen years of making cider commercially approaching the closure with intention and passion And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Developed as a part of part of Kerry’s Eco Brewing range, FermCap™ Eco is a plant-based alternative to traditional silicon-based products. FermCap™ Eco increases fermenter capacity by reducing foam height to improve beer foam stability and enhance hop utilization. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com or contact your BSG Sales Rep to get started. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Roberts PolyPro (https://go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod): Try Roberts PolyPro's multipack can handles, designed for sustainability and cost savings. Grip-Pak rings are biodegradable and average $0.05 cents per unit. Craft-Pak carriers are recyclable and designed with 30% less plastic. Visit go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod to request free samples and start saving today!) ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Sep 22, 20231h 22m

Ep 321321: Chris Baum of Varietal is Hyperfocused on Hops

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When you live and work in Yakima Valley, hops become a way of life. They’re second nature, omnipresent, and a constant topic of conversation—after all, many of the patrons of craft breweries in the Yakima Valley are the same folks who grow, process, study, and sell them. As such, Varietal Beer’s focus on brewing with hops has picked up momentum as fans flock to their taproom—about 30 minutes south of the city of Yakima—to drink their subtle, nuanced, and beautiful IPAs and fresh hop beers. The industry has noticed, too, with two recent GABF silver medals in juicy strong pale and fresh hop categories circa ’21 and ’22. In this episode, Baum discusses: designing hoppy beers that aren’t confrontational brewing IPA with 100% craft malt, and barley varieties that complement certain styles balancing and achieving bitterness and structure in IPA manipulating pH to soften bitterness balancing cryo hops with “American Noble” low-alpha hops the beauty of Comet hops differences in brewing with fresh-kilned hops and pelletized T-90’s fresh hop brewing process And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): BSG and their partners HVG bring you the very best in German hops, including Amira, with its classic hoppy, slightly herbal, and zesty lemon aromas. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. RMS Roller-Grinder (https://rmsroller-grinder.com): Our industry leading mills deliver optimal grind consistency, unlocking the full potential of your grain. Say goodbye to uneven grinds and hello to exceptional flavor extraction. Visit rmsroller-grinder.com to discover how RMS can transform your brewing experience. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Roberts PolyPro (https://go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod): Try Roberts PolyPro's multipack can handles, designed for sustainability and cost savings. Grip-Pak rings are biodegradable and average $0.05 cents per unit. Craft-Pak carriers are recyclable and designed with 30% less plastic. Visit go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod to request free samples and start saving today!) ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Sep 17, 20231h 16m

Ep 320320: Sam Zermeño of Brujos Is Casting Liquid Spells

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Based in Portland, Oregon, Sam Zermeño is the brewer behind Brujos—a nomadic brand that’s given him the opportunity to make some intensely flavored, highly regarded beers with friends and favorite brewers from around the country. Yet behind the acclaim and heavy-metal imagery is a mind of real technical know-how and experience. Previously an R&D brewer at Portland’s Great Notion, his accomplishment there include a GABF gold medal last year for their Feniks grodziskie. Nor was that his first GABF gold; in 2018, he won for a hazy double IPA brewed while at Black Market in Temecula, California. Now, Zermeño is embarking on the next phase of Brujos, taking over a now-closed brewhouse which he's transforming into a dark church worthy of the heavy brand. In this episode, he talks about brewing hazy IPA, with glimpses into his process that include: building inefficient grain bills with more wheat and oats than barley brewing with a thick mash, treated gently finishing gravities that pull the most out of heavy hop loads boosting calcium chloride drying out triple IPA for balance managing giant hop loads And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): BSG invites you to experience one of the newest hops from their Hop Solutions line, HS Grove™. Developed for hop-forward beer styles, HS Grove boasts incredible biotransformation qualities, giving you the power to transform your next IPA into a stone fruit powerhouse. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. RMS Roller-Grinder (https://rmsroller-grinder.com): Our industry leading mills deliver optimal grind consistency, unlocking the full potential of your grain. Say goodbye to uneven grinds and hello to exceptional flavor extraction. Visit rmsroller-grinder.com to discover how RMS can transform your brewing experience. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Roberts PolyPro (https://go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod): Try Roberts PolyPro's multipack can handles, designed for sustainability and cost savings. Grip-Pak rings are biodegradable and average $0.05 cents per unit. Craft-Pak carriers are recyclable and designed with 30% less plastic. Visit go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod to request free samples and start saving today!) ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Sep 14, 20231h 3m

Ep 319319: Upslope’s Alex Meyer Thrives in the High Pressure World of Craft Lager Brewing

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Boulder’s Upslope has been brewing Craft Lager since long before lager brewing was “cool,” and today the small brewery has built a production methodology for the longtime core offering that optimizes both quality and production efficiency. In this episode, head brewer Alex Meyer discusses the way the brewery makes their signature lager with a litany of unconventional ingredients and processes, and shares how they employ similar iconoclastic approaches with their Japanese-style rice lager, and 4-year-barrel-aged Grand Reserve. Along the way, Meyer discusses: brewing lager with standard two row malt and white wheat lager fermentation under pressure managing sulfur production in pressure fermentation cropping and repitching yeast using exogenous enzymes to facilitate rice lager fermentation with 55% flaked rice American lager hop varieties like Sterling and Contessa feeding healthy high gravity fermentations managing long-term oxidation in extended barrel aging And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Located in Armstrong, BC, Gambrinus Malting️ combines European-influenced malting practices with the finest barley, wheat, and rye to produce some of the finest Canadian malts available. Visit BSGCraftBrewing.com/Gambrinus to explore their full line of traditionally crafted malts.. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. RMS Roller-Grinder (https://rmsroller-grinder.com): Our industry leading mills deliver optimal grind consistency, unlocking the full potential of your grain. Say goodbye to uneven grinds and hello to exceptional flavor extraction. Visit rmsroller-grinder.com to discover how RMS can transform your brewing experience. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Roberts PolyPro (https://go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod): Try Roberts PolyPro's multipack can handles, designed for sustainability and cost savings. Grip-Pak rings are biodegradable and average $0.05 cents per unit. Craft-Pak carriers are recyclable and designed with 30% less plastic. Visit go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod to request free samples and start saving today!) ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Sep 4, 20231h 5m

Ep 318318: Ex Novo’s Dave Chichura Reflects on the Dynamic Decades of a Brewing Career in Motion

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Dave Chichura loves brewing, and loves to work. He's always lived simply, and maintained a lifestyle that allows him to move around. And move he has, from breweries in the Midwest as well as up and down the Rocky Mountains. Now, as Director of Brewing Operations at Ex Novo in Corrales, New Mexico, he's putting in practice all the lessons he's learned, building and managing the brewing team as they make beers that have brought home four GABF and World Beer Cup medals over the past two and a half years. In this episode, Chichura recounts: The challenges in making beer in rural environments Scaling medaling-winning Melvin beers from 3bbl to 20bbl Developing his recipe-writing skill set Selecting and using hops in West Coast IPA Dry hopping techniques that do and don't work Managing hop creep Asking for help with problems outside of his expertise Becoming a better manager And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Want a natural and economical clarification aid that doesn’t impact beer flavor? Then you need Kerry Biofine™ Eco—a plant-based fining agent. Available exclusively from BSG, visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. RMS Roller-Grinder (https://rmsroller-grinder.com): Our industry leading mills deliver optimal grind consistency, unlocking the full potential of your grain. Say goodbye to uneven grinds and hello to exceptional flavor extraction. Visit rmsroller-grinder.com to discover how RMS can transform your brewing experience. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Roberts PolyPro (https://go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod): Try Roberts PolyPro's multipack can handles, designed for sustainability and cost savings. Grip-Pak rings are biodegradable and average $0.05 cents per unit. Craft-Pak carriers are recyclable and designed with 30% less plastic. Visit go.robertspolypro.com/CBBPod to request free samples and start saving today!) ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Aug 28, 20231h 21m

Ep 317317: Averie Swanson of Keeping Together is Envisioning Our Saison Future

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If Averie Swanson had her way, saison would outsell IPA among craft beer aficionados. The longtime saison brewer hopes to move beyond stereotypes and romanticized history and show (through beautifully designed and constructed beers) that saison provides a broad palette for brewers to explore flavor. With her Keeping Together brand, now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she hopes to write a new chapter for saison brewed in the United States. In this episode, she tackles both the theoretical and the practical, discussing: building characterful grain bases for saison with everything from smoked malt to oats designing within constraints downplaying Brettanomyces in mixed culture fermentation isolating Saccharomyces and rebuilding a culture around it testing how new ingredients work in saison using acidity as an element of structure And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Want a natural and economical clarification aid that doesn’t impact beer flavor? Then you need Kerry Biofine™ Eco—a plant-based fining agent. Available exclusively from BSG, visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. RMS Roller-Grinder (https://rmsroller-grinder.com): Our industry leading mills deliver optimal grind consistency, unlocking the full potential of your grain. Say goodbye to uneven grinds and hello to exceptional flavor extraction. Visit rmsroller-grinder.com to discover how RMS can transform your brewing experience. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Keep your brewery running smoothly with Five Star Chemicals. Our cleaning solutions are specifically formulated to meet the unique needs of breweries, ensuring that your equipment stays clean and free of harmful bacteria and contaminants. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Aug 18, 20231h 28m

Ep 316316: Mark Hastings of Überbrew and By All Means Continues to Elevate Black IPA and American Wheat

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Montana is known for its grain, and Mark Hastings of Überbrew and By All Means is in the thick of it. Wheat is the most-grown crop statewide while barley is third; despite their ubiquity, Hastings steered clear of Montana’s brewing grains for the first two decades of his brewing career. Primarily grown for the needs of macro brewers, these grains never quite nailed the flavor and technical performance he sought. However, recent strides in equipment for craft maltsters have opened the door for higher-quality malt at a smaller scale, and he’s slowly been making shifts. It’s one thing to change malt in a beer with few expectations, and it’s another to do that in a beer with a long medal-winning pedigree, but that’s exactly what he did with the malt in Überbrew’s White Noise, a American-style wheat beer that’s won two silvers and two golds at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup from 2014 through 2022. He’s won a similar number of accolades for the black IPA Alpha Force Double Tap—GABF golds, bronze, silver, as well as top honors at Alpha King. In this episode, Hastings discusses: avoiding darker malt flavors in black IPA shifting base malts from Maris Otter and Golden Promise to pilsner and Vienna dialing in recipes using local craft malt building hop combos using spider plots of flavors and aromas fermenting everything from wheat to clear IPA with London Ale III avoiding the “donut effect” in hoppy beers selecting malt for grassiness in wheat beer building a stable haze And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Looking for a sustainable way to increase fermenter capacity? Try FermCap™ Eco from Kerry. Developed as a part of part of Kerry’s Eco Brewing range, FermCap™ Eco is a plant-based alternative to traditional silicon-based products. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. RMS Roller-Grinder (https://rmsroller-grinder.com): Our industry leading mills deliver optimal grind consistency, unlocking the full potential of your grain. Say goodbye to uneven grinds and hello to exceptional flavor extraction. Visit rmsroller-grinder.com to discover how RMS can transform your brewing experience. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Keep your brewery running smoothly with Five Star Chemicals. Our cleaning solutions are specifically formulated to meet the unique needs of breweries, ensuring that your equipment stays clean and free of harmful bacteria and contaminants. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Aug 11, 20231h 24m

Ep 315315: Jess & Rich Fierro of Atrevida Put Their Values Into Action as They Overcome Trauma and Make Beer for Everyone

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This week’s podcast is different from most. A couple weeks ago, I drove down to Colorado Springs to catch up with Jess and Rich Fierro of Atrevida Beer. Jess was the winner of Season One of the Vice TV show Beerland, and they went on to open their small community-focused brewery in 2018. From the start, Atrevida proudly embraced the slogan “Diversity, it’s what’s on tap,” and over the past five years they’ve lived it—women brewers have outnumbered men in their brewhouse by a ratio of about four-to-one. Atrevida would make an interesting case study all on its own, but the night of November 19, 2022, brought them national attention for completely different reasons. Jess, Rich, their daughter Kassy, her longtime boyfriend Raymond, and other friends were celebrating a birthday at Club Q in Colorado Springs when a gunman attacked the club, killing five and injuring another 19 before Rich—who retired with the rank of major after 15 years in the Army—charged, disarmed, and subdued the gunman. Raymond was one of the five people killed. That incident isn’t what this podcast is about. In this episode, we discuss what’s happened since then. Jess, Rich, and Kassy all still work at the brewery. It’s a small business, and they’re isn’t any magical mechanism that automatically keeps the brewery going when an unthinkable tragedy strikes. The outpouring of support for them was intense, and the backlash was also intense. Suddenly, they were thrust into a national spotlight while also having to process such a traumatic personal event. Even now, a few who ostensibly wanted to show support have been harassing them over something as trivial as a delay in shipping T-shirts. However, as you’ll hear in this conversation, Jess and Rich are special people. We cover a range of subjects, from making creative beers that connect through diverse flavors, to running a values-centered business, and on to managing a business through trauma with all the ups and downs that come with it. Their story is an inspiring one. —Jamie This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): BSG and their partners HVG bring you Amira, the latest from their hop Breeding Program. With its classic hoppy, slightly herbal, and zesty lemon aromas it’s the ideal hop for those looking to capture the traditional flavor of a classic German lager. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Tabski (https://tabski.com): Tabski QR Code Ordering is the future of brewery ordering! With Tabski, your customers can order and pay for their beers right from their phones by scanning a QR Code on the table. Get rid of lengthy lines and increase check size by up to 30%! Learn how you can get started today at tabski.com. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Keep your brewery running smoothly with Five Star Chemicals. Our cleaning solutions are specifically formulated to meet the unique needs of breweries, ensuring that your equipment stays clean and free of harmful bacteria and contaminants. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Aug 7, 20231h 43m

Ep 314314: Pinthouse, Cloudburst, and Single Hill Join For a Fresh Hop Brewing Roundtable

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The Northern hemisphere hop harvest is just weeks away, and that means one of our favorite times of the year—fresh hop beer season. To help add to the excitement, we invited three experts in the field of brewing with wet and fresh hops—Joe Mohrfeld of Pinthouse, Steve Luke of Cloudburst, and Zach Turner of Single Hill—to join in on a panel discussion on the subject. Over the course of the podcast, they share thoughts on: the evolution of fresh hop brewing over the past decade and a half telling the agricultural and growers' stories through beer riding the fine line between hops' grassy/vegetal flaors and brighter fruit flavors choosing specific varieties for different brews, and hops that work best in fresh and wet form using fresh dried hops for dry hopping layering multiple forms—IQF, 301 Trial, wet, and fresh dried—for more flavor complexity fermenting with yeast that provides the right sulfur lift managing the pH increase from fresh hops through varied acid additions longevity in fresh hop beers And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/Cancraft): BSG invite you to experience one of the newest hops from their Hop Solutions line, HS Grove™. Developed for hop-forward beer styles, HS Grove boasts incredible biotransformation qualities, giving you the power to transform your next IPA into a stone fruit powerhouse. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Tabski (https://tabski.com): Tabski QR Code Ordering is the future of brewery ordering! With Tabski, your customers can order and pay for their beers right from their phones by scanning a QR Code on the table. Get rid of lengthy lines and increase check size by up to 30%! Learn how you can get started today at tabski.com. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Keep your brewery running smoothly with Five Star Chemicals. Our cleaning solutions are specifically formulated to meet the unique needs of breweries, ensuring that your equipment stays clean and free of harmful bacteria and contaminants. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Jul 30, 20231h 32m

Ep 313313: Kevin Templin of Templin Family Brewing is Shaving the Edges of Award-Winning Lagers and IPAs

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Utah’s beer laws are some of the most anomalous in the country—the state does everything it can to make life hard on brewers—but one byproduct of the laws restricting the sale of beers based on ABV is that Utah brewers have had the commercial incentive to hone their low gravity brewing techniques. Today, at Templin Family Brewing in the granary district of Salt Lake City, you’ll find a dozen or so beers at 5% ABV (or less) on tap at any given time—because anything they make over 5% must be poured from a can. But ask Kevin Templin about it, and he won’t complain—he loves making and drinking low ABV beers, and the beers on their board are perfect for the social focus of their taproom. Come with friends, drink a few, and still get home safely. That discipline with low gravity beers is paying off—Templin’s Granary Pils, a kellerbier, has won GABF bronze and silver medals every year for the past three years, and recently nabbed a top score of 99 from Craft Beer & Brewing’s blind judging panel. In this episode, Templin discusses his approach to lager brewing, how they lager IPAs, mashing thin and cool for maximum attenuation, shaving the beers each time they’re brewed through a cooperative sensory-driven process, reducing hop matter and contact time for greater hop impact, the importance of a clean brewery, and more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/Cancraft): The best beers start with the best ingredients. All BSG Hops are hand selected for quality by their expert staff, so you can trust you are getting the very best hops from the very best growers in the U.S. and around the world. Discover BSG’s extensive range of domestic and imported hops at BSGCraftBrewing.com/hops Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Tabski (https://tabski.com): Tabski QR Code Ordering is the future of brewery ordering! With Tabski, your customers can order and pay for their beers right from their phones by scanning a QR Code on the table. Get rid of lengthy lines and increase check size by up to 30%! Learn how you can get started today at tabski.com. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Keep your brewery running smoothly with Five Star Chemicals. Our cleaning solutions are specifically formulated to meet the unique needs of breweries, ensuring that your equipment stays clean and free of harmful bacteria and contaminants. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Jul 24, 20231h 19m

Ep 312312: Pure Project’s Winslow Sawyer Brews With Style, Not to Style

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When Winslow Sawyer and his partners launched San Diego’s Pure Project in the middle of the last decade, they weren’t focused on brewing particular styles. Instead, they began with the tenet of building a brewery focused on sustainability, using natural ingredients from small farmers wherever possible, and lowering their environmental impact while also giving back through the 1% for the Planet program. IPA wasn’t the initial focus—San Diego already had plenty of great IPAs—but as the hazy IPA trend caught on Sawyer quickly found a way to explore his love of New Zealand hops despite the constraint Pure Project placed on themselves—no reverse osmosis, only municipal water built up, not stripped down. Now, they don’t define their hazy IPAs as “New England-style,” but have coined the term “murky” instead. In this episode, Sawyer discusses their approach to a range of beers, from IPA to pale lager and even spontaneously fermented acid-forward beer. Along the way, he covers: consciously choosing single infusion over decoction in their pale lager balancing flavor intensity with drinkability altering their approach to hoppy beers over the past number of years using Mosaic as a base for experimentation with new hops reducing dankness as beers increase in ABV brewing spontaneous beers with wet hops And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/Cancraft): Stressed about packaging and can supply? Don’t worry, CanCraft’s team of design & aluminum specialists are here to make things easy by supporting you every step of the way. Visit Bsgcraftbrewing.com/Cancraft to get started Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard's new brewing customers often mention discovering Old Orchard through the word-of-mouth recommendation of another brewer. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Tabski (https://tabski.com): Tabski QR Code Ordering is the future of brewery ordering! With Tabski, your customers can order and pay for their beers right from their phones by scanning a QR Code on the table. Get rid of lengthy lines and increase check size by up to 30%! Learn how you can get started today at tabski.com. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Keep your brewery running smoothly with Five Star Chemicals. Our cleaning solutions are specifically formulated to meet the unique needs of breweries, ensuring that your equipment stays clean and free of harmful bacteria and contaminants. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Jul 16, 20231h 9m

Ep 311311: Shawn McIlhenney is Rebrewing the Family Legacy

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Ask most American brewers about their first experience with New Zealand hops, and nine out of ten will probably name one single beer—Alpine Beer’s Nelson. Alpine founder Pat McIlhenney was one of the early ones to import southern hemisphere hops, and it’s hard to speak about the hop now without acknowledging the importance of that singular beer. Son Shawn McIlhenney inherited his dad’s love of hops and experimentation, and today continues to push the limits of ingredients and techniques through McIlhenney Brewing. In this episode, McIlhenney touches on: the evolution of San Diego IPA using enzymes to manage a flaked rye mash combining Nelson Sauvin and Nectaron hops for maximum effect first wort hopping for less aggressive bite blending whole leaf hops with advanced hop products like Incognito pushing the fine line between enough and too much selecting Southern hemisphere hops recipe considerations when scaling up to double and triple IPA avoiding the flavor effects of over-aeration rediscovering the personal joy of making beer And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): BSG is a proud distributor of New Zealand Hops Ltd. and invites you to experience Nectaron®, an aromatic New Zealand hop, drenched by tropical waterfalls of grapefruit, passionfruit, pineapple, and peach. Contact your BSG sales rep with any questions or visit BSGCraftbrewing.com/Hops to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Tabski (https://tabski.com): Tabski QR Code Ordering is the future of brewery ordering! With Tabski, your customers can order and pay for their beers right from their phones by scanning a QR Code on the table. Get rid of lengthy lines and increase check size by up to 30%! Learn how you can get started today at tabski.com. Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability. Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Keep your brewery running smoothly with Five Star Chemicals. Our cleaning solutions are specifically formulated to meet the unique needs of breweries, ensuring that your equipment stays clean and free of harmful bacteria and contaminants. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Jul 9, 20231h 8m

Ep 310310: Ghost Town’s Justin Burdt Boosts Hop Contrast in West Coast IPA and Pils

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Justin Burdt loves hops, and has developed a unique and somewhat counter-intuitive approach to selecting them for Ghost Town’s award-winning West coast IPAs. His focus on tight and lean intensity relies on boosting expression through embracing some hop aroma notes that give other brewers fits, but it’s the push and pull that gives the IPAs such compelling dynamic range. In this episode, Burdt dives deep into hops for the first hour of the podcast, before walking through the rest of their IPA brewing process, and finishing on the subject of West coast pils. Along the way, he discusses: What makes for “good” hops Searching for the stinging physical sensation in intense hops How Citra with “cat pee” notes can make better IPAs Focusing on hop oil quality over quantity Using certain hops in more concentrated forms like cryo The unique characteristics of HBC586 Choosing lager or ale yeast for fermentation based on a beer’s hop profile Brewing specific competition batches to increase win percentage And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): If you’ve been searching for the perfect malt that’s not quite Pale and not Munich, you’re in luck. Gambrinus Vienna is the malt you’ve been looking for. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Tabski (https://tabski.com): Tabski QR Code Ordering is the future of brewery ordering! With Tabski, your customers can order and pay for their beers right from their phones by scanning a QR Code on the table. Get rid of lengthy lines and increase check size by up to 30%! Learn how you can get started today at tabski.com. Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Discover a whole SafLager™ range by Fermentis, covering from traditional to modern-style lagers: SafLager™ S-189, for the elegant lagers with floral notes, SafLager™ S-23, for fruity and hoppy ones, and SafLager™ W-34/70 for your neutral beers. Want to know more about SafLager™ yeasts? Visit www.fermentis.com! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Jun 30, 20231h 37m

Ep 309309: Firestone Walker, Lawsons, and Breakside Discuss Brewing Modern West Coast-Style IPAs at the Brewer's Retreat

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As part of the recent Craft Beer & Brewing Brewer’s Retreat, hosted by Russian River in late May 2023, Jamie moderated panel discussions before a live audience of attendees and featured brewers. This episode is a recording of one such panel on West coast-style IPA, featuring Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker, Ben Edmunds of Breakside, and Sean Lawson of Lawson’s Finest. Over the course of the discussion, the brewers cover: using advanced hop products for more hop punch tucking in small amounts of character-building malts dry hopping with dosing vessels mid-fermentation dry hopping with cryo hops for less hop creep and more flavor stability using ALDC to manage hop creep top noting in the dry hop with Southern hemisphere hops managing pH in dry hopping controlling FAN through dry hopping for longevity And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): As distributors of quality domestic malts like Rahr and Gambrinus, BSG gives you the freedom to explore a world of flavors but at local prices. So, you can cut costs but not quality. Start exploring at BSGCraftbrewing.com Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. US Water Systems (https://USWaterSystems.com): US Water Systems.com has been at the forefront of the craft brewing industry and created American made water treatment systems with brewers in mind. Whether you're a hobbyist or a pro, head on over to US Water Systems.com to learn more. Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Discover a whole SafLager™ range by Fermentis, covering from traditional to modern-style lagers: SafLager™ S-189, for the elegant lagers with floral notes, SafLager™ S-23, for fruity and hoppy ones, and SafLager™ W-34/70 for your neutral beers. Want to know more about SafLager™ yeasts? Visit www.fermentis.com! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Jun 26, 20231h 1m

Ep 308308: Brewer’s Retreat Panel on Wine-Beer Hybrids with Russian River, Side Project, and Hanabi

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As part of the recent Craft Beer & Brewing Brewer’s Retreat, hosted by Russian River in late May 2023, Jamie moderated panel discussions before a live audience of attendees and featured brewers. This episode is a recording of one such panel on wine-beer hybrids, featuring two of the leading brewers in that space—Cory King of Side Project and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River—alongside inspiring winemaker and brewer (and Napa Valley proponent) Nick Gislason of Hanabi Lager. Over the course of the discussion, the brewers cover: understanding grapes and tannins pick timing’s impact on grapes structuring acids and balancing tannins with acidity grape pressing methodology and skin contact time selecting grapes and beers that complement each other in the blend using Brettanomyces strains to boost flavor characteristics building harmony in complex beers finishing and carbonation in wine-beer hybrids And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): Is your Pilsner looking flat? Wishing you could show off a mousse like foam stand or looking to boost mouthfeel in a hazy? Then look no further because Rahr Dextrin Malt is here to improve your beer. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. US Water Systems (https://USWaterSystems.com): US Water Systems.com has been at the forefront of the craft brewing industry and created American made water treatment systems with brewers in mind. Whether you're a hobbyist or a pro, head on over to US Water Systems.com to learn more. Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Discover a whole SafLager™ range by Fermentis, covering from traditional to modern-style lagers: SafLager™ S-189, for the elegant lagers with floral notes, SafLager™ S-23, for fruity and hoppy ones, and SafLager™ W-34/70 for your neutral beers. Want to know more about SafLager™ yeasts? Visit www.fermentis.com! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Jun 18, 202355 min

Ep 307307: Brewer’s Retreat Panel on Hazy IPA with Monkish, Trillium, and Weldwerks

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As part of the recent Craft Beer & Brewing Brewer’s Retreat, hosted by Russian River in late May 2023, Jamie moderated panel discussions before a live audience of attendees and featured brewers. This episode is a recording of one such panel on hazy IPA, featuring some of the most inspiring brewers in that space—Henry Nguyen of Monkish, JC Tetreault of Trillium, and Neil Fisher of Weldwerks. Over the course of the discussion, the brewers cover: the evolution of yeast in hazy IPA applying Belgian brewing techniques to hazy IPA building a common thread in beer families where hop combos change controlling biotransformation and thiol production building complexity through different lots of the same hop variety using specific lots for texture as well as flavor negative hop selection and bench trialing before selection dry hopping process and managing hop creep And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): BSG Hops are sourced directly from growers and processed at their FSSC-certified facility. Giving you access to high-quality and unique varieties like Cashmere, Comet, Triumph, El Dorado, plus many more. Discover a whole universe of hop sensory at BSGCraftBrewing.com/hops Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) The AccuBrew system is designed to give you unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Monitor gravity, fermentation activity, clarity, and temperature, schedule reminders, and receive alerts anywhere, anytime. To learn more about AccuBrew head over to AccuBrew.io ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. US Water Systems (https://USWaterSystems.com): Some brewers want their water profile to be that of their city and that sounds great... except for one factor: Depending upon the city and day, the water quality can vary 40 to 50%. The best method is to start with the same water every time and Reverse Osmosis gives you that power. Visit USWaterSystems.com for a free expert analysis. Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Discover a whole SafLager™ range by Fermentis, covering from traditional to modern-style lagers: SafLager™ S-189, for the elegant lagers with floral notes, SafLager™ S-23, for fruity and hoppy ones, and SafLager™ W-34/70 for your neutral beers. Want to know more about SafLager™ yeasts? Visit www.fermentis.com! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Jun 12, 20231h 9m

Ep 306306: Celebrated Hop Breeder Ron Beatson Discusses the Unique Characteristics of New Zealand Hops

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New Zealand’s climate, latitude, and singular terroir offers the right environment for hops of unique expression, but it’s their longstanding breeding program that has made possible so many of the signatures aromas and flavors we’ve grown to love. Ron Beatson of NZ Hops is the plant geneticist behind many of these beloved varieties, and on this episode recorded at the Craft Brewers Conference, he discusses the complex genetics and processes behind developing hops like Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka, Nectarine, Superdelic, and more. Beatson covers: The impact of triploid genetics The evolution of hop breeding with a focus on aroma and flavor Using a California-grown Late Cluster parent for many popular crosses Effects of terroir on popular New Zealand hop varieties Developing new cultivars for early and late season harvest Impacts of high UV energy on New Zealand hop crops And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): BSG is a proud partner of global hop breeder and merchant Hopsteiner, which has been connecting brewers with the choicest hops and hop products available since 1845. Explore Hopsteiner’s unique and exciting hop varieties at BSGCraftbrewing.com/Hops Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind. Visit AccuBrew.io to learn more! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. US Water Systems (https://USWaterSystems.com): Some brewers want their water profile to be that of their city and that sounds great... except for one factor: Depending upon the city and day, the water quality can vary 40 to 50%. The best method is to start with the same water every time and Reverse Osmosis gives you that power. Visit USWaterSystems.com for a free expert analysis. Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Discover a whole SafLager™ range by Fermentis, covering from traditional to modern-style lagers: SafLager™ S-189, for the elegant lagers with floral notes, SafLager™ S-23, for fruity and hoppy ones, and SafLager™ W-34/70 for your neutral beers. Want to know more about SafLager™ yeasts? Visit www.fermentis.com! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Jun 2, 20231h 7m

Ep 305305: Matthias Trum of Schlenkerla Isn't Preserving the Ashes, He's Keeping the Rauchbier Fire Burning

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Matthias Trum is the sixth-generation brewer at Bamberg’s Heller-Trum Bräu—better known as Schlenkerla—and he is as obsessed with local history as he is with producing world-class smoked lagers via their old-fashioned methods. Bamberg has a long history of brewing, and Trum is a great student of that history—and his family has played an important role in it. In this episode, he immerses us in that story, discussing: old family brewing logs that detail strong beers as well as lower-strength ones made from second runnings the true story of rauchbier, and Schlenkerla’s role in preserving its legacy details on Schlenkerla’s own wood-fired malting process, and the old practice of using different types of wood the non-linear intensity of the smoky character in Schlenkerla’s beers the importance of decoction to fermentation and flavor the flavor contribution of their direct-fire copper kettles the trick of balancing smoke and malt with evident hop bitterness experimenting with malts smoked by different woods and paired with different aroma hops balancing the non-smoked yet subtly smoky Helles Lagerbier how hyper-inflation led to the development of the Helles And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): BSG is a proud partner of global hop breeder and merchant Hopsteiner, which has been connecting brewers with the choicest hops and hop products available since 1845. Explore Hopsteiner’s unique and exciting hop varieties at BSGCraftbrewing.com/Hops Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind. Visit AccuBrew.io to learn more! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. US Water Systems (https://USWaterSystems.com): Some brewers want their water profile to be that of their city and that sounds great... except for one factor: Depending upon the city and day, the water quality can vary 40 to 50%. The best method is to start with the same water every time and Reverse Osmosis gives you that power. Visit USWaterSystems.com for a free expert analysis. Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Discover a whole SafLager™ range by Fermentis, covering from traditional to modern-style lagers: SafLager™ S-189, for the elegant lagers with floral notes, SafLager™ S-23, for fruity and hoppy ones, and SafLager™ W-34/70 for your neutral beers. Want to know more about SafLager™ yeasts? Visit www.fermentis.com! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

May 27, 20231h 26m

Ep 304304: Adam Brož of Budějovický Budvar Loves Talking About and Brewing Great Lager

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The town of České Budějovice in South Bohemia may be better known to North Americans as Budweis, the German name that’s been appropriated by a couple of famous beers. The real Czech pale lager from here is known as Budvar—sold as Czechvar in the United States, for legal reasons. It’s an easygoing showcase of light, pure malt flavors and soft, balancing bitterness, nearer in profile to a Bavarian helles than a typical Czech světlý ležák. Joining us to tell this iconic beer’s story and talk about how it’s made is brewmaster Adam Brož, who is contagiously passionate about all the little details that make a pale lager into something that both tastes great and is addictively drinkable. Along the way, he discusses: Budvar Original’s unique place in the pale lager spectrum the importance of soft water to the beer’s profile why he insists on sticking with whole-cone Saaz hops how the barley variety and crop matter to the brewing process why decoction matters, from deeper color and flavor to greater consistency the benefits of long maturation of at least 90 days in horizontal tanks a new variety of Budvar with higher bitterness how the dark lager came to be and what sets it apart And more. "Our product is not the beer, but the joy from the beer," says Broz. "And without drinkability, it’s half of the joy." This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): All BSG Hops are hand selected for quality by their expert staff, so you can trust you are getting the very best hops from the very best growers in the U.S. and around the world. Discover BSG’s extensive range of domestic and imported hops at BSGCraftBrewing.com/hops Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind. Visit AccuBrew.io to learn more! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. US Water Systems (https://USWaterSystems.com): Some brewers want their water profile to be that of their city and that sounds great... except for one factor: Depending upon the city and day, the water quality can vary 40 to 50%. The best method is to start with the same water every time and Reverse Osmosis gives you that power. Visit USWaterSystems.com for a free expert analysis. Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Discover a whole SafLager™ range by Fermentis, covering from traditional to modern-style lagers: SafLager™ S-189, for the elegant lagers with floral notes, SafLager™ S-23, for fruity and hoppy ones, and SafLager™ W-34/70 for your neutral beers. Want to know more about SafLager™ yeasts? Visit www.fermentis.com! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

May 20, 202359 min

Ep 303303: Peter Kiley of Monday Night Brewing Is Creating A Framework That Supports Innovation

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Monday Night Brewing has grown from their Atlanta roots into taprooms and breweries in major southern US centers—Birmingham, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee are two, with Charlotte, North Carolina opening soon. The regional powerhouse has grown on the strength of quality beer, measured risk-taking, and a simultaneous embrace of both modern and classic styles. In this episode, brewmaster Peter Kiley shares his unvarnished and thoughtful approach to brewing, touching on: moving to high-gravity brewing to make life easier on the brewing staff kettle souring high-gravity brews homogenizing kettle soured component brews pre-fermentation managing ionic concentration in high-gravity brews troubleshooting excessive attenuation understanding acids like succinic acid in kettle-soured beer the trouble with biotransformation in hoppy beers extensive cold conditioning to reduce hop burn the challenge in creating a framework for innovation the trouble in democratizing creativity And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): Experience Nectaron®, an aromatic New Zealand hop, drenched by tropical waterfalls of grapefruit, passionfruit, pineapple, and peach. Nectaron® is in stock and ready to ship—visit BSGCraftbrewing.com/Hops to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind. Visit AccuBrew.io to learn more! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com/podcast): Indie’s unique varieties—Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, and Meridian—are trusted by brewers worldwide to modernize, brighten and diversify their beer lineup. Visit indiehops.com/podcast to discover what’s new in hop flavors. Indie Hops — Life is short, let’s make it flavorful! Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Fermentis' beer yeast strain line-up is designed to answer the requirements of all brewers, so release your creativity! Visit www.fermentis.com or explore our app to discover more about yeast behavior and characterization. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

May 13, 20231h 17m

Ep 302302: Jared Welch of Southern Grist Balances Progression and Intention

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Finding space for personality and authenticity in hazy IPA and tart fruit beer these days can pose a challenge for brewers, but for Jared Welch, Cofounder and Production Director for Nashville, Tennessee’s Southern Grist, that’s no reason to stop pushing. It’s why their popular quick-soured fruit beers are now acidified with a locally-caught Lactobacillus strain, and why they’ve tweaked and increased bitterness in their hazy IPAs while eschewing active fermentation dry hopping. Southern Grist is going to make the beers that customers want from them, but they stand out by making them their way. In this episode, Welch focuses on hazy IPA and tart fruit beers, covering: First-wort hopping with Vic’s Secret Whirlpooling very cool as low as 160°F Tweaking the grist for hazy IPA to ramp up oats Building the lightest color via Pilsner malt Driving London Ale III to a dozen generations through careful fermentation management Dialing in acidity for specific fruits And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): Gambrinus Malting is Canada’s original small-batch, artisanal malthouse. If you’ve been searching for the perfect malt that’s not quite Pale and not Munich, you’re in luck. Gambrinus Vienna is the malt you’ve been looking for. This mellow-kilned malt has a balanced bready character with notes of honey, toffee, and caramel baked in. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind! Visit with the developers at booth (#2935) at the 2023 CBC BrewExpo America! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has always been a dedicated and trusted partner to breweries, especially when they make the leap to canning their product. That is why they only sell rotary can fillers, which significantly reduce product waste and produce higher quality product than an inline can filler. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com/podcast): Indie’s unique varieties—Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, and Meridian—are trusted by brewers worldwide to modernize, brighten and diversify their beer lineup. Indie also offers classics that thrive in Oregon terroir such as Chinook, Crystal and Sterling. Visit indiehops.com/podcast and stop by their booth#2131at CBC to discover what’s new in hop flavors. Indie Hops — Life is short, let’s make it flavorful! Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Their canning lines are affordable, made in the USA, and engineered to grow alongside the needs of your business. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Brett is wild, its unpredictable, gives funky notes to beer, evolves in time. Historically it was used without control, but Fermentis harnessed it… Discover SafBrew™ BR-8, the first dry Brett by Fermentis, now available in 100g and 5g. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial has been a full-service brewery outfitter for over 10 years. We are proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. Going to the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville? Stop by their booth to connect with our brewery consultants and enter for a chance to win a Keg Viking Keg Washer! ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

May 6, 20231h 22m

Ep 301301: Zdeněk Rosa of Bohemia Hop Is Bullish on the Future of Czech Hops

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When brewers think of Czech hops, they naturally think of Saaz, whose delicate and ethereal character is nearly synonmyous with lager itself. Yet while craft brewers around the world have developed an obsession with punchy New World hops and the character of specific varieties, they often know relatively litle about the hops from this region that’s been growing them for more than a millennium. In this episode, we sit down in Žatec—the home of Saaz—with Zdeněk Rosa, chairman of Bohemia Hop, the collective of all Bohemian hop growers. Here, Rosa digs into: the promising overall trajectory of Saaz growth in recent years, despite the disastrous harvest of 2022 how agronomy and growing operations differ in Bohemia compared to the Pacific Northwest the unlikely specifics of how weather impacted the 2022 harvest the development of other varieties that offer similar character to Saaz but with better yield and sustainability newer, more expressive Czech aroma varieties such as Saaz Shine and Saaz Comfort, which offer enticing possibilities for lager and other kinds of beer leaning into a Czech take on cold IPA using more characterful Czech aroma hops And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): BSG are the exclusive distributors of Rahr Malting Co., producers of quality malt since 1847. Is your Pilsner looking flat? Wishing you could show off a mousse-like foam stand or looking to boost mouthfeel in a hazy? Then look no further because Rahr Dextrin Malt is here to improve your beer. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind! Visit with the developers at booth (#2935) at the 2023 CBC BrewExpo America! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has always been a dedicated and trusted partner to breweries, especially when they make the leap to canning their product. That is why they only sell rotary can fillers, which significantly reduce product waste and produce higher quality product than an inline can filler. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com/podcast): Indie’s unique varieties—Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, and Meridian—are trusted by brewers worldwide to modernize, brighten and diversify their beer lineup. Indie also offers classics that thrive in Oregon terroir such as Chinook, Crystal and Sterling. Visit indiehops.com/podcast and stop by their booth#2131at CBC to discover what’s new in hop flavors. Indie Hops — Life is short, let’s make it flavorful! Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Their canning lines are affordable, made in the USA, and engineered to grow alongside the needs of your business. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Brett is wild, its unpredictable, gives funky notes to beer, evolves in time. Historically it was used without control, but Fermentis harnessed it… Discover SafBrew™ BR-8, the first dry Brett by Fermentis, now available in 100g and 5g. Want to know more? Don’t miss the Fermentis Academy 2023 program in Minneapolis April 11th or Portland April 13th, or meet Fermentis experts at CBC in the BSG Village to answer all your questions. We will also host a SafBrew™ BR-8 barnyard bash on Monday May 8th from 2:00 - 4:30pm. You are cordially invited, don’t miss it! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial has been a full-service brewery outfitter for over 10 years. We are proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. Going to the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville? Stop by their booth to connect with our brewery consultants and enter for a chance to win a

Apr 30, 202355 min

Ep 300300: Direct Fire! West Coast IPA Now, Revisited

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To celebrate this milestone—the 300th episode of the Craft Beer & Brewing Podcast—we reassembled three leading voices in West coast IPA to discuss questions spurred on by the original panel discussion, and this time they answered your audio questions, Direct Fire!-style. Kelsey McNair of North Park in San Diego, Evan Price of Green Cheek in Orange and Costa Mesa, and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River in Santa Rosa and Windsor dive back into of one their and your favorite subjects—brewing West Coast IPA—and answer your questions along the way. In this episode, they discuss: further research into the way that thin and thick mashes impact attenuation balancing beers in a way that pleases both competition judges and customers techniques to speed up and control hop creep more benefits of “shaving the cone” early in fermentation timing dry hopping to eliminate acetaldehyde hop variety-specific changes to dry hopping regimens hop pellet density reducing dissolved oxygen through the cold side process Evan’s hot take on Centennial achieving consistency in hop selection layering T-90 pellets with advanced hop products cool pooling whirlpool times and temperatures using hop extracts for buttering And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): BSG are the exclusive distributors of Rahr Malting Co., producers of quality malt since 1847. Is your Pilsner looking flat? Wishing you could show off a mousse-like foam stand or looking to boost mouthfeel in a hazy? Then look no further because Rahr Dextrin Malt is here to improve your beer. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind! Visit with the developers at booth (#2935) at the 2023 CBC BrewExpo America! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has always been a dedicated and trusted partner to breweries, especially when they make the leap to canning their product. That is why they only sell rotary can fillers, which significantly reduce product waste and produce higher quality product than an inline can filler. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com/podcast): Indie’s unique varieties—Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, and Meridian—are trusted by brewers worldwide to modernize, brighten and diversify their beer lineup. Indie also offers classics that thrive in Oregon terroir such as Chinook, Crystal and Sterling. Visit indiehops.com/podcast and stop by their booth#2131at CBC to discover what’s new in hop flavors. Indie Hops — Life is short, let’s make it flavorful! Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Their canning lines are affordable, made in the USA, and engineered to grow alongside the needs of your business. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Brett is wild, its unpredictable, gives funky notes to beer, evolves in time. Historically it was used without control, but Fermentis harnessed it… Discover SafBrew™ BR-8, the first dry Brett by Fermentis, now available in 100g and 5g. Want to know more? Don’t miss the Fermentis Academy 2023 program in Minneapolis April 11th or Portland April 13th, or meet Fermentis experts at CBC in the BSG Village to answer all your questions. We will also host a SafBrew™ BR-8 barnyard bash on Monday May 8th from 2:00 - 4:30pm. You are cordially invited, don’t miss it! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial has been a full-service brewery outfitter for over 10 years. We are proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. Going to the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville? Stop by their booth to connect with our brewe

Apr 23, 20231h 56m

Ep 299299: Lukáš Tomsa of Dva Kohouti Brews the Beer, but the Bartender Makes the Beer

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In the trendy Karlín neighborhood of central Prague, the brewpub called Dva Kohouti embodies the merger of the two key elements of Czech beer culture: the brewing and—no less important—the pouring and service. The side-pull taps attached directly to the serving tanks behind the bar are only part of the story. In this episode recorded at the brewery, head brewer Lukaš Tomsa explains the ideas behind Dva Kohouti, how they brew their traditional lagers and more internationally inspired ales, and how they ensure that the service end completes the job of creating a great beer. Among other topics, he discusses: the importance of pouring and service that respects the product a brewery-taproom concept that gives production and service equal emphasis comparing single- and double-decocted pale lagers fermenting a bit warmer than traditional Czech brewers, to keep diacetyl in check getting natural carbonation by capping the tank during fermentation using decoctions for tart fruit beers and American-style pale ales and IPAs using decoction and raw barley to promote foam in a quick-soured fruit beer paying attention to glassware and draft lines to ensure perfect pours And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): BSG's mission is simple—to help brewers craft the best beer possible. This is why BSG Hops are sourced directly from growers and processed at their FSSC-certified facility, giving you access to high-quality and unique varieties like Cashmere, Comet, Triumph, El Dorado, plus many more. Discover a whole universe of hop sensory at BSGCraftBrewing.com/hops Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind! Visit with the developers at booth (#2935) at the 2023 CBC BrewExpo America! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has always been a dedicated and trusted partner to breweries, especially when they make the leap to canning their product. That is why they only sell rotary can fillers, which significantly reduce product waste and produce higher quality product than an inline can filler. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com/podcast): Indie’s unique varieties—Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, and Meridian—are trusted by brewers worldwide to modernize, brighten and diversify their beer lineup. Indie also offers classics that thrive in Oregon terroir such as Chinook, Crystal and Sterling. Visit indiehops.com/podcast and stop by their booth#2131at CBC to discover what’s new in hop flavors. Indie Hops — Life is short, let’s make it flavorful! Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Their canning lines are affordable, made in the USA, and engineered to grow alongside the needs of your business. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Brett is wild, its unpredictable, gives funky notes to beer, evolves in time. Historically it was used without control, but Fermentis harnessed it… Discover SafBrew™ BR-8, the first dry Brett by Fermentis, now available in 100g and 5g. Want to know more? Don’t miss the Fermentis Academy 2023 program in Minneapolis April 11th or Portland April 13th, or meet Fermentis experts at CBC in the BSG Village to answer all your questions. We will also host a SafBrew™ BR-8 barnyard bash on Monday May 8th from 2:00 - 4:30pm. You are cordially invited, don’t miss it! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial has been a full-service brewery outfitter for over 10 years. We are proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. Going to the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville? Stop by their booth to connect with our brewery consu

Apr 16, 20231h 16m

Ep 298298: Aleš Potěšil of Prague’s Břevnov Monastery Brewery Is Perpetually Pushing for Pitelnost

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Documents show a brewery at the Břevnov monastery in Prague as early as 993. There have been interruptions over the centuries, but the current Břevnov Monastery Brewery of St. Adalbert is the third incarnation, founded in 2011. This one has gained local and international fans for aromatic and highly drinkable pale lager, Benedict 12°, a well as for its other beers, including an imperial stout, a monastic IPA, and a 9 percent ABV imperial lager beloved by the Břevnov’s own Benedictine monks. In this episode, Břevnov brewmaster Aleš Potěšil discusses their approach to these exceptional beers, including: leaning into Saaz hops and whirlpool additions for distinctive aroma the meaning of pitelnost, and aiming for great drinkability the importance of malt specs and protein content in ensuring sufficient body the benefits of decoction mashing, including both body and higher attenuation the Břevnov double-decoction process, step by step adjusting the mash steps and times depending on malt specs reducing and managing diacetyl to accentuate body bringing Czech-style drinkability to an IPA And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing CanCraft (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): When planning your next brewing journey, consider travelling domestically with your malt choice. As distributors of quality domestic malts like Rahr and Gambrinus, BSG gives you the freedom to explore a world of flavors but at local prices. So, you can cut costs but not quality. Start exploring at BSGCraftbrewing.com Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind! Visit with the developers at booth (#2935) at the 2023 CBC BrewExpo America! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has always been a dedicated and trusted partner to breweries, especially when they make the leap to canning their product. That is why they only sell rotary can fillers, which significantly reduce product waste and produce higher quality product than an inline can filler. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com/podcast): Indie’s unique varieties—Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, and Meridian—are trusted by brewers worldwide to modernize, brighten and diversify their beer lineup. Indie also offers classics that thrive in Oregon terroir such as Chinook, Crystal and Sterling. Visit indiehops.com/podcast and stop by their booth#2131at CBC to discover what’s new in hop flavors. Indie Hops — Life is short, let’s make it flavorful! Twin Monkeys (https://TwinMonkeys.net): Are you ready to start canning your craft beverages? Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems is here to help. This troop of engineers, service techs, and microbrew fanatics offers customizable packaging solutions for every craft. Their canning lines are affordable, made in the USA, and engineered to grow alongside the needs of your business. Visit TwinMonkeys.net today. Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Brett is wild, its unpredictable, gives funky notes to beer, evolves in time. Historically it was used without control, but Fermentis harnessed it… Discover SafBrew™ BR-8, the first dry Brett by Fermentis, now available in 100g and 5g. Want to know more? Don’t miss the Fermentis Academy 2023 program in Minneapolis April 11th or Portland April 13th, or meet Fermentis experts at CBC in the BSG Village to answer all your questions. We will also host a SafBrew™ BR-8 barnyard bash on Monday May 8th from 2:00 - 4:30pm. You are cordially invited, don’t miss it! ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial has been a full-service brewery outfitter for over 10 years. We are proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and small parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact us today at [email protected] to discuss your customized brewery needs. Going to the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville? Stop by their booth to connect with our brewery consultants and enter for a chance to win a Keg Viking Keg Washer! ABS Commercial. We are brewers.

Apr 9, 202357 min

Ep 297Episode 297: Pivovar Proud Brewmaster Lenka Straková Has a Place to Play in Plzeň

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Tucked into a corner of the sprawling grounds at Pilsner Urquell in Plzeň, Czechia—the birthplace of pilsner—a new chapter in that story is developing. Now in its third year, Pivovar Proud is Pilsner Urquell’s experimental playground—a beautifully equipped 30-hectoliter kit producing a range of both ales and lagers and other creations less easily categorized. Its head brewmaster Lenka Straková has access to Pilsner Urquell’s resources—including malt from its own maltings—but she also has creative license to dabble in New World hops, various yeasts, barrel-aging, and more. In this episode, Straková tells us more about what she and her team are up to at Proud, including: how Pilsner Urquell’s owner, Asahi, agreed to go along with a substantial experimental brewery focused on craft beer how Proud’s own flagship pale lager, Ventill, is based on Pilsner Urquell and yet markedly its own beer her approach to diacetyl reduction in Czech lager brewing with 34/70 yeast—the same used at Gambrinus—and her trials with various new Czech hop varieties combined with traditional lager-brewing methods brewing ales and craft styles for a Czech audience, with their own spin adjusting Plzeň’s famously soft water happy accidents and barrel-aged imperial brut IPAs And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing CanCraft (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): With overtones of honey and sweet bread, flavor and aroma notes of hay and nutty character. Rahr North Star Pils™ is a base malt you can set your compass by! Set a course for BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind! Visit with the developers at booth (#2935) at the 2023 CBC BrewExpo America! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has always been a dedicated and trusted partner to breweries, especially when they make the leap to canning their product. That is why they only sell rotary can fillers, which significantly reduce product waste and produce higher quality product than an inline can filler. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. PakTech (http://resources.paktech-opi.com/beer-and-brewing-inquiry): 100% recycled, 100% recyclable, and reusable—PakTech handles are the sustainable solution to handle your craft beer. PakTech has been a leading producer of secondary packaging for the craft beer industry for over 30 years. Order your free samples today! Call 541.461.5000. Berkeley Yeast (https://berkeleyyeast.com): The creators of Tropics yeast, which produces massive notes of guava and passionfruit, now bring you Thiol Boost. Berkeley Yeast’s Thiol Boost is pure liquid thiol precursors that take Tropics to the next level. Mention this podcast and get 15% off your next order.

Mar 31, 202354 min

Ep 296296: Pilsner Urquell’s Václav Berka Tells the Story of Pilsner and Preaches Excellence in Lager Brewing

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The sandstone cellars of Plzeňský Prazdroj—better known to us as Pilsner Urquell—may be the ideal place to wallow in the history of the world’s most popular beer style with brewmaster emeritus Václav Berka. As the brewery’s 13th brewmaster in a line that stretches back to Josef Groll, there are few people better qualified to recount the story of pilsner, discuss the details of how it’s brewed at its birthplace in Plzeň, and offer suggestions on how to brew an excellent and addictive one in your own brewery. Among other topics, Berka discusses: Pilsner Urquell’s pivotal role in the history of modern beer the elements of Pilsner Urquell, from malting their own barley and the city’s famously soft water to generous hopping with Saaz and the house lager yeast how control over the malting is directly related to the brewery’s traditional triple-decoction mash about the Pilsner Urquell that is still fermented and matured on oak, to compare to the large-scale commercial batches (and to share on the popular tours) the overarching importance of drinkability to pilsner and to Czech beer, and thoughts on purusing excellence in lager brewing And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing CanCraft (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com/CanCraft): Need Aluminum Cans? Lids or PakTech Can Carriers? Design Help? Don’t know where to start? Thankfully Cancraft is nearby and ready to deliver your complete packaging solution. Visit bsgcraftbrewing.com/CanCraft to get started. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Scheduling freight carriers should be the last thing on a brewer's mind, so why not trust the experts to handle freight for your ingredients? Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your flavored craft concentrate blends. When you order two pails or more from Old Orchard, you qualify for freight quotes. To get started, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind! Visit with the developers at booth (#2935) at the 2023 CBC BrewExpo America! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has always been a dedicated and trusted partner to breweries, especially when they make the leap to canning their product. That is why they only sell rotary can fillers, which significantly reduce product waste and produce higher quality product than an inline can filler. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. PakTech (http://resources.paktech-opi.com/beer-and-brewing-inquiry): 100% recycled, 100% recyclable, and reusable—PakTech handles are the sustainable solution to handle your craft beer. PakTech has been a leading producer of secondary packaging for the craft beer industry for over 30 years. Order your free samples today! Call 541.461.5000. Berkeley Yeast (https://berkeleyyeast.com): The creators of Tropics yeast, which produces massive notes of guava and passionfruit, now bring you Thiol Boost. Berkeley Yeast’s Thiol Boost is pure liquid thiol precursors that take Tropics to the next level. Mention this podcast and get 15% off your next order.

Mar 24, 20231h 0m

Ep 295295: Barn Town Enjoys Making Hazy IPA and Tart Fruit Beers That People Enjoy

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Barn Town popped up on our radar in 2022, with a number of beers across styles that scored well with our blind panel of judges, but the best of the bunch was Neon hazy IPA with an impressive score of 98. In our upcoming IPA issue, they did it again with another 98 for hazy double IPA Stink, Stank, Stunk, so naturally we felt the need to ask some questions and understand how they’re making consistently impressive beers. In this episode, founder Pete Faber, head brewer Grant Brower, and brewer Cody Guyer cover a list of topics, including: updating beer recipes over the past half decade to adapt to changing customer tastes building stability in hazy IPA with malted oats, wheat, and Pilsner malt why Citra is “the bacon”—good with everything chilling the whirlpool and optimizing for survivable dry hopping after crashing to minimize less desirable flavors consistency and variability in hop varieties from lot to lot brewing fruited sour beers without gluten-containing grains the impacts of thickness and gravity on batch pasteurizing And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): Looking for a way to save on freight, reduce waste, all while improving beer quality? Then change your brewing game with TNS Hop Oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how TNS Hop Oils can make your beer (and your margins) better. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew announces the addition of Specific Gravity to our suite of brewing tools! AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. Join the AccuBrew community today and experience 24/7 peace of mind! Visit with the developers at booth (#2935) at the 2023 CBC BrewExpo America! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has always been a dedicated and trusted partner to breweries, especially when they make the leap to canning their product. That is why they only sell rotary can fillers, which significantly reduce product waste and produce higher quality product than an inline can filler. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. PakTech (http://resources.paktech-opi.com/beer-and-brewing-inquiry): 100% recycled, 100% recyclable, and reusable—PakTech handles are the sustainable solution to handle your craft beer. PakTech has been a leading producer of secondary packaging for the craft beer industry for over 30 years. Order your free samples today! Call 541.461.5000. Berkeley Yeast (https://berkeleyyeast.com): The creators of Tropics yeast, which produces massive notes of guava and passionfruit, now bring you Thiol Boost. Berkeley Yeast’s Thiol Boost is pure liquid thiol precursors that take Tropics to the next level. Mention this podcast and get 15% off your next order.

Mar 20, 20231h 0m

Ep 294294: Jeremy Kosmicki of Founders and Mahou Can Talk About Brewing All Day Long

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When Jeremy Kosmicki was promoted off the Founders packaging line to the brewhouse in the early 2000’s, he relished the opportunity to jump from homebrewing to their 30bbl brewhouse. Over the past two decades, he’s overseen the brewing program while the brewery experienced remarkable growth—launching pivotal brands like All Day IPA, scaling production by orders of magnitude—and since Founders was fully acquired and merged into Spanish brewer Mahou San Miguel in early 2023, he’s taken on an even larger role working with the brewing team at Avery. In this episode, Kosmicki discusses the beers important to Founders, and how they make them. The conversation touches on: brewing concerns for packaged beers stored in a variety of conditions developing All Day IPA and building body and expression in a small hoppy beer implying body and sweetness with strategic use of adjuncts mash hopping for additional nuance dry hopping All Day IPA during active fermentation resisting, then developing a hazy iteration in the All Day family coming late to Citra hops balancing flavors in big barrel-aged beers using coffee in beer testing advanced hop products piloting again on a new 1bbl system And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): TNS Hop Oils are a revolutionary hop product that gives your beer all the hop intensity with none of the astringency. Make better beer and get more from each turn with less work. Change your brewing game with TNS Hop oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. PakTech (http://resources.paktech-opi.com/beer-and-brewing-inquiry): 100% recycled, 100% recyclable, and reusable—PakTech handles are the sustainable solution to handle your craft beer. PakTech has been a leading producer of secondary packaging for the craft beer industry for over 30 years. Order your free samples today! Call 541.461.5000. Berkeley Yeast (https://berkeleyyeast.com): The creators of Tropics yeast, which produces massive notes of guava and passionfruit, now bring you Thiol Boost. Berkeley Yeast’s Thiol Boost is pure liquid thiol precursors that take Tropics to the next level. Mention this podcast and get 15% off your next order.

Mar 11, 202356 min

Ep 293293: Old Nation’s Travis Fritts Applies German Training and Precision to Hazy IPA

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Travis Fritts didn’t set out to brew hazy IPA. In fact, the initial plan for Old Nation was far more conventional—brew traditional American craft beer styles like stout and pale ale, with some European standards like altbier and weizenbock, make the beers good, slap some cool branding on them, and wait for the sales to come. But it was 2015, and craft beer consumers had other ideas. To survive, Old Nation starting looking at new and evolving styles, while trying to understand (from a technical perspective) how they worked. The project ultimately led to the beer M-43, a hazy IPA that is now a mainstay of Old Nation’s production and which now sees distribution to upwards of twenty states. In this episode, Fritts recounts that process of reverse engineering as they set out to understand what makes hazy IPA tick, and later touches on his approach to brewing helles. Along the way, he discusses: why biotransformation isn’t all that important to the style how the lipids in oats provide an important building block for haze stability the contribution of London Ale III yeast to mouthfeel dialing in the perfect water chemistry nailing a pH of 4.4 for longer stability and to underscore fruit flavors in hops building just the right “snap” from bitterness giving each hazy beer small amounts of eccentricity through smaller left-field hop additions helles passing the "sauf test" And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): Navigating the seas of brewing can be a treacherous affair, so let Rahr North Star Pils™ be your guide. With overtones of honey and sweet bread, flavor and aroma notes of hay and nutty character, Rahr North Star Pils™ is a base malt you can set your compass by! Set a course for BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how. Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. PakTech (http://resources.paktech-opi.com/beer-and-brewing-inquiry): 100% recycled, 100% recyclable, and reusable—PakTech handles are the sustainable solution to handle your craft beer. PakTech has been a leading producer of secondary packaging for the craft beer industry for over 30 years. Order your free samples today! Call 541.461.5000. Berkeley Yeast (https://berkeleyyeast.com): The creators of Tropics yeast, which produces massive notes of guava and passionfruit, now bring you Thiol Boost. Berkeley Yeast’s Thiol Boost is pure liquid thiol precursors that take Tropics to the next level. Mention this podcast and get 15% off your next order.

Mar 5, 20231h 16m

Ep 292292: David Ringler of Cedar Springs is Focused on the “Original” Hazy Beer

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There’s more to German-style beer than just lager, and Cedar Springs Brewing Co. is out to preach the gospel of weissbier to anyone who will listen. Their Kusterer Original Weissbier has a couple GABF medals to its name, and their dedication to foundational brewing methods—step mashing, open fermentation—along with a knack for storytelling that’s necessitated by their focus on the weissbier family (they generally have two or three different weissbiers on tap at any given moment) makes for a brewery experience far different from today’s norm. In this episode, founder David Ringler discusses the Cedar Springs approach to weissbier, from the historical roots of the beer style to the choices they’ve made in process and recipe. Along the way, he touches on: building balance and subtlety step mashing everything designing open fermenters for softer fermentation working through different weissbier yeasts tracking down and brewing historical iterations of weissbier brewing the all-barley take, called dampfbier adjusting fermentation temperatures for ester production And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): Need Aluminum Cans? Lids or PakTech Can Carriers? Design Help? Don’t know where to start? Thankfully Cancraft is nearby and ready to deliver your complete packaging solution. Visit bsgcraftbrewing.com/CanCraft to get started. Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. PakTech (http://resources.paktech-opi.com/beer-and-brewing-inquiry): 100% recycled, 100% recyclable, and reusable—PakTech handles are the sustainable solution to handle your craft beer. PakTech has been a leading producer of secondary packaging for the craft beer industry for over 30 years. Order your free samples today! Call 541.461.5000. Berkeley Yeast (https://berkeleyyeast.com): The creators of Tropics yeast, which produces massive notes of guava and passionfruit, now bring you Thiol Boost. Berkeley Yeast’s Thiol Boost is pure liquid thiol precursors that take Tropics to the next level. Mention this podcast and get 15% off your next order.

Feb 26, 20231h 0m

Ep 291291: Edwin Collazo of City Built is Evolving Creatively to Meet the Needs of the Business

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Edwin Collazo is a natural born salesperson. Yes, he’s a brewer and brewery owner, but the bridge in City Built Brewing’s logo isn’t just a graphic element—connecting customers with beer they love is the entire point of this Grand Rapids, Michigan brewery. But the focus of the brewery has changed over the years, and COVID presented the crisis that precipitated the brewery rethinking their approach to beer. Now, they’ve embraced progressive styles, from hazy IPA to pastry stout and fruited quick sour beer, and have recently ramped up lager production to feed a growing interest in the taproom. Nothing is off limits, and City Built is watching and listening as their own customers tell them what they want the brewery to be. In this episode, Collazo recounts the challenges the brewery has encountered along the way, and the ways they’ve addressed them, from an intellectual property issue with hip hop group Run the Jewels through helping staff better explain and sell beer to taproom customers. Building the right team, and managing change in a way that doesn’t create chaos, has presented its challenges, but Collazo is here for this evolution of the beer program and the business itself. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): TNS Hop Oils are a revolutionary hop product that gives your beer all the hop intensity with none of the astringency. Make better beer and get more from each turn with less work. Change your brewing game with TNS Hop oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. PakTech (http://resources.paktech-opi.com/beer-and-brewing-inquiry): 100% recycled, 100% recyclable, and reusable—PakTech handles are the sustainable solution to handle your craft beer. PakTech has been a leading producer of secondary packaging for the craft beer industry for over 30 years. Order your free samples today! Call 541.461.5000. Berkeley Yeast (https://berkeleyyeast.com): The creators of Tropics yeast, which produces massive notes of guava and passionfruit, now bring you Thiol Boost. Berkeley Yeast’s Thiol Boost is pure liquid thiol precursors that take Tropics to the next level. Mention this podcast and get 15% off your next order.

Feb 18, 20231h 12m

Ep 290290: Jason Spaulding of Brewery Vivant and Broad Leaf is Getting Comfortable With Less

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Jason Spaulding, cofounder of Brewery Vivant and Broad Leaf Brewery, has been around the block. He cofounded his first brewery, New Holland, in the mid-90’s, and after exiting that brewery and spending time away from the brewing industry, launched Brewery Vivant with his wife Kris about twelve years ago. Operating a brewery with a niche focus comes with benefits as well as challenges, but Vivant has always focused on beer, food, and hospitality with a particular bit of Wallonian-like flair. Their take on Belgian-style beers is a bit more earthy and a touch more subdued than the American norm, but their audience has followed along. There’s a temptation in every business to chase growth, no matter the cost, and Brewery Vivant followed the same book that everyone followed through the early 2010’s. They put beer into grocery stores through distributors, and when distributors told them which beers to make more of, or make less of, they had no choice but to listen. Rather than dilute the Brewery Vivant brand with styles that didn’t feel germane, they launched a second brewpub out in the ‘burbs (Broad Leaf) dedicated to progressive styles like hazy IPA and fruited kettle sours. Then, through COVID, the bottom all but dropped out. They made it through, but the broader conditions were an existence-level threat. Now, the Spauldings are rethinking why, and how, they make beer. The larger 60bbl tanks that required three turns on their 20bbl brewhouse, have gone and are being replaced by a pair of 20bbl tanks. Rather than feeding the distribution beast, they’re refocusing on making the beer their customers want in the quantity they want it, and packaging any extra that isn’t earmarked for their own locations. It’s been a tough to scale back the earlier aspirations, but the health of the business requires it, and the ability to be dynamic and creative at this smaller scale is creating a new excitement. This isn’t a typical episode of the podcast, more business than brewing, but it’s honest look at how this long-time craft brewer is taking on the challenge of the beer business, now. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): TNS Hop Oils are a revolutionary hop product that gives your beer all the hop intensity with none of the astringency. Make better beer and get more from each turn with less work. Change your brewing game with TNS Hop oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. Christian Hansen (https://www.chr-hansen.com): Christian Hansen are now bringing their knowledge of microbes to brewers with their SmartBev range of frozen liquid yeast and freeze-dried bacteria. Reimagine what your beer can be. Go to Chr-Hansen.com to learn more on the SmartBev line of products. California Craft Beer Summit (http://cacraftbeersummit.com): Join the craft beer community in Sacramento March 19-22 for the California Craft Beer Summit. Access educational sessions on business and technical skills and network with industry leaders all under one roof. Early bird discounts end January 20 visit cacraftbeersummit.com to register.

Feb 12, 20231h 5m

Ep 289289: Schramm's Mead is Making Quality Their Legacy

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Ken Schramm wants to prove it’s possible to make mead that’s every bit as fine as the finest wine, and over the past decade his eponymously named meadery has pioneered a number of new processes and approaches to help achieve that goal. From shortening the honey supply chain and eliminating intervention and heat degradation, to hand picking fruit for ripeness from their own estate orchard, Schramm’s has found ways to elevate the production process behind mead while also making rich, developed, and nuanced fruit meads. In this episode, Schramm and son-in-law James Naeger discuss how the Ferndale, Michigan meadery has elevated the technical processes behind mead making while also searching for the most exquisite and flavorful expression of fruit in their meads. Along the way, they discuss: mead’s quality problem pumps versus pails building a foundation to understand the components of honey, including sugars and acids how to sample and evaluate honey carefully managing yeast assimilable nitrogen to end fermentations without sulfites or sorbets understanding the difference in fruit formats, from fresh to frozen the ways varietal differences in fruit affect certain meads harvesting fruit with the same kind of focus and timing and decision making of fine winemakers what corks do and don’t do And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): Navigating the seas of brewing can be a treacherous affair, so let Rahr North Star Pils™ be your guide. With overtones of honey and sweet bread, flavor and aroma notes of hay and nutty character, Rahr North Star Pils™ is a base malt you can set your compass by! Set a course for BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. Christian Hansen (https://www.chr-hansen.com): Christian Hansen are now bringing their knowledge of microbes to brewers with their SmartBev range of frozen liquid yeast and freeze-dried bacteria. Reimagine what your beer can be. Go to Chr-Hansen.com to learn more on the SmartBev line of products. California Craft Beer Summit (http://cacraftbeersummit.com): Join the craft beer community in Sacramento March 19-22 for the California Craft Beer Summit. Access educational sessions on business and technical skills and network with industry leaders all under one roof. Early bird discounts end January 20 visit cacraftbeersummit.com to register.

Feb 5, 20231h 44m

Ep 288288: BKS Artisan Ales Softens the Edges of Hazy IPA by Pushing Beyond Common Practice

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BKS Artisan Ales (Kansas City, Missouri) is the result of husband-and-wife team Brian and Mary Rooney’s attempt to bring taproom-based rapid innovation to brewing in their hometown, and their GABF silver medal in 2021 for Clouds hazy double IPA, GABF gold in 2022 for Rockhill & Locust dark mild, and great scores from the Craft Beer & Brewing blind judging panel have confirmed that they’ve been able to achieve it. They started small and still remain small relative to may breweries of similar volume, choosing to brew more batches more often into more fermenters so that they can keep the taproom lineup fresh and constantly evolving. In this episode, they discuss the brewery background and philosophy, before diving into hazy beer approaches that include: developing soft processes for soft beers that aren’t blocky, angular, or harsh using the “terroir” of local water while still achieving very low total dissolved solids numbers taking a conscious approach to pre-boil, kettle, and knockout pH for softer hop character selecting hops and hop formats for softer bitterness evaluating hop COAs to ballpark desirable (and undesirable) hop oil content in lots aging Mosaic for better expression in hazy IPA fermenting with Conan yeast in an unconventional way And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): Need Aluminum Cans? Lids or PakTech Can Carriers? Design Help? Thankfully Cancraft is nearby and ready to deliver your complete packaging solution. Plus, with low minimums and full-service support from design through delivery, reaching your brand potential has never been easier. Visit [BSGCraftbrewing.com/CanCraft](bsgcraftbrewing.com/CanCraft) to learn how. Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. Christian Hansen (https://www.chr-hansen.com): Christian Hansen are now bringing their knowledge of microbes to brewers with their SmartBev range of frozen liquid yeast and freeze-dried bacteria. Reimagine what your beer can be. Go to Chr-Hansen.com to learn more on the SmartBev line of products.

Jan 29, 20231h 10m

Ep 287287: Revolution’s Doug Veliky Predicts the Future of Craft Beer

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You may be more familiar with Doug Veliky through his BeerAficionado social presence, but through his Beercrunchers.com blog and his work as chief financial officer, chief strategy officer, and now chief marketing officer for Chicago’s Revolution Brewing, he’s gained a reputation for smart, strategic, and data-driven takes on what’s happening and what will happen in craft beer’s near term. In this episode, Doug walks us through the current craft beer landscape, offering thoughts on everything from New Belgium’s reformulation of Fat Tire, their success with imperial IPA, the rise of retro lagers, the slow-growth nature of fruited sour beer, the plateau of session IPA, the promise of cold IPA, building and extending brand families, the uptick in churn within this increasingly hospitality-driven industry, and the opportunities presented by the dynamic year ahead. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Want to maximize efficiency in your chiller? G&D’s Micro-Channel Condensers are designed for less power draw. They have a lighter weight, and a more compact design using up to 70% less refrigerant means a lower GWP and lower operating costs. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): TNS Hop Oils are a revolutionary hop product that gives your beer all the hop intensity with none of the astringency. Make better beer and get more from each turn with less work. Change your brewing game with TNS Hop oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how. Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. Christian Hansen (https://www.chr-hansen.com): Christian Hansen are now bringing their knowledge of microbes to brewers with their SmartBev range of frozen liquid yeast and freeze-dried bacteria. Reimagine what your beer can be. Go to Chr-Hansen.com to learn more on the SmartBev line of products.

Jan 22, 20231h 18m

Ep 286286: West Coast IPA Now! with North Park, Green Cheek, and Russian River

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This week’s podcast is a roundtable discussion with three leading voices in West Coast IPA—Kelsey McNair of North Park, Evan Price of Green Cheek, and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River. Over the course of two hours, these three discuss the ins and outs of brewing modern West Coast IPA today, including: simplifying malt bills to pilsner or two row pale building body with water chemistry to support hop flavor despite the light malt bill lower starting and finishing gravities to reflect a more dry modern approach adjust liquor to grain ratios to boost attenuation using ALDC as well as new yeasts to reduce hop creep and diacetyl production lowering knockout and fermentation temperatures for cleaner fermentations with ale yeast managing pH through the hot and cold side for better technical performance and hop expression the impact of lower-pressure and open-top fermentation on imperial IPA fermentation in Pliny the Younger rethinking hop blends with each new crop year cold side hop strategies for quality extraction and clarity in hop flavor and aroma using modern hop products on the cold side for greater hop intensity And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Want to maximize efficiency in your chiller? G&D’s Micro-Channel Condensers are designed for less power draw. They have a lighter weight, and a more compact design using up to 70% less refrigerant means a lower GWP and lower operating costs. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): TNS Hop Oils are a revolutionary hop product that gives your beer all the hop intensity with none of the astringency. Make better beer and get more from each turn with less work. Change your brewing game with TNS Hop oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how. Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew is a game changing fermentation monitoring system that gives you unprecedented insight into your yeast’s health and activity. The AccuBrew sensor, mounted through your tank’s sample port, creates a record of sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature for every batch run. Something BIG is coming, find out more at accubrew.io. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you need a central source for fruit flavor, Old Orchard has you covered. Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. Christian Hansen (https://www.chr-hansen.com): Christian Hansen are now bringing their knowledge of microbes to brewers with their SmartBev range of frozen liquid yeast and freeze-dried bacteria. Reimagine what your beer can be. Go to Chr-Hansen.com to learn more on the SmartBev line of products.

Jan 20, 20231h 58m

Ep 285285: Little Fish Brew Mixed Culture Beers With Subtlety and Grace

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Sean White, cofounder of Athens, Ohio’s Little Fish, is committed to mixed culture sour beer. It’s not the only thing that they brew, but it’s part of the soul of the brewery and a founding pillar that they’ve continued to develop (and improve) over the past eight years. Over those years, they’ve been recognized a number of times for the beers from this program—gold and bronze World Beer Cup medals in 2016 and 2018, silver and gold GABF medals in 2020 and 2022—but if you ask White, he’ll tell you that they’re still figuring it out. They haven’t settled, and they’re still learning. In this episode, White discusses how they brew these compelling beers, from timing ingredient additions to parameters around their spontaneous beer program. Along the way, he discusses: maintaining multiple cultures via solera and brink minimizing beer waste to promote sustainability by reducing failure balancing acidity in award-winning beers neutralizing aged hops to manage funky flavor components sourcing and processing local fruit fruiting in the barrel bottle conditioning with an acid shock starter to reduce yeast stress topping up barrels to prevent the development of off flavors not drinking beer for the past eight months, while still brewing it And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country. They know brewing doesn’t stop at 5 o’clock and nor do they. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com. BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): Let Rahr North Star Pils™ be your guide. With overtones of honey and sweet bread, flavor and aroma notes of hay and nutty character. Rahr North Star Pils™ is a base malt you can set your compass by! Set a course for BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how Accubrew (https://accubrew.io) AccuBrew gives brewers, like you, unprecedented insight into your fermentation process. You can remotely monitor sugar conversion, temperature, and clarity to ensure consistency by quickly detecting out-of-range conditions. AccuBrew helps you monitor, document, and manage your fermentation process in real-time. ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) At ProBrew, we believe that your brewery deserves equipment as unique as the drinks that you craft. ProBrew’s customizable equipment empowers breweries to expand operations at their own pace. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email [email protected]. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): If you hear Old Orchard mentioned in the brewing community, don't be surprised: the flavored craft juice concentrate blends from Old Orchard have shipped to over 46 states. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com. Christian Hansen (https://www.chr-hansen.com): Christian Hansen are now bringing their knowledge of microbes to brewers with their SmartBev range of frozen liquid yeast and freeze-dried bacteria. Reimagine what your beer can be. Go to Chr-Hansen.com to learn more on the SmartBev line of products. California Craft Beer Summit (http://cacraftbeersummit.com): Join the craft beer community in Sacramento March 19-22 for the California Craft Beer Summit. Access educational sessions on business and technical skills and network with industry leaders all under one roof. Early bird discounts end January 20 visit cacraftbeersummit.com to register.

Jan 7, 20231h 19m

Ep 284284: Atlanta’s Inner Voice Embraces Modern Hop Flavors and Formats

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Over the past decade of working professionally in beer, Inner Voice cofounders Rhett Caseman and Josh Johnson have brewed beers of every style, on systems of very different scales. But when they envisioned a brewery of their own, they knew they wanted to keep it small and taproom focused, with a balance between thoughtfully executed classic beer styles, and leading edge experimentation in hop-driven hazy and juicy styles. The brewery, now fifteen months old, has been turning heads in the metro Atlanta market with both, offering everything from helles and Kölsch to hazy double IPA with high finishing gravities (alongside some of the best pizza in town from Glide located right in the taproom). In this episode, Caseman and Johnson discuss the steps that brought them here, and how they construct beers on the front edge. Along the way, they cover: understanding the hyperlocality of specific styles and the way they sell achieving maximum hop flavor density through advanced hop products such as Spectrum for dry hopping dialing in the lighted possible color with Pilsner malt and kettle tweaks eliminating boil hops and using minimal whirlpool hops to manage bitterness mixing Incognito and T-90 pellets to improve extraction using sea salt in water adjustments for body and punch maximizing thiol expression with thiolized yeasts brewing with new-ish hops like Nectaron And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D’s Micro Channel Condensers are highly efficient in hotter regions and use a fraction of the refrigerant over traditional chillers which provides less opportunity for leaks along with lower global warming potential. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has the equipment, systems, and technology to take your brewery to the next level. Check out www.probrew.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your craft concentrate blends. To get started on a freight quote for craft concentrates today, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at [email protected] to discuss your brewery project. Twin Monkeys (https://twinmonkeys.net): Twin Monkeys has helped hundreds of breweries around the world tailor packaging solutions that meet the unique needs of each brewery. Find out more at www.twinmonkeys.net. Financing options are available.

Dec 31, 20221h 0m

Ep 283283: Your Favorite Craft Beer & Brewing Podcast Episodes of 2022

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In this year-end episode, we look back at the past year of podcasts, and count down your favorites, with excerpts that include: Sapwood Cellars on dry hopping technique, lowering temperature for dry hopping, using an aggressive rousing regimen, and the masking effect of other dry hop flavors on thiols Sam Tierney of the Firestone Walker Propagator and Bob Kunz of Highland Park on selecting malt for West coast pils Raf Souvereyns of Bokke discussing the challenges that new blenders face, as well as his research on the toxicity off apricot and peach stones (both sources of the chemical that gives almond its flavor, Benzaldehyde) Jean Van Roy of Cantillon on brewing with aged hops Barrett Tillman of Blackman Brewing on his career-defining DUI and changing gears for healthier living as a brewer Kyle Harrop of Horus Aged Ales on technique for getting the best results with coffee Zach Frasher of Slice on selecting different pilsner base malts depending on the hop focus of a specific beer Eric Toft of Schönramer on selecting and defining noble hops Kelsey McNair of North Park on using hazy IPA techniques to make better west coast IPA (as well as dry hopping with Incognito) And Ben Smith of Surly on building a malt bill for thiol-forward IPA, thinking about bitterness beyond IBU, and reducing dry hopping with thiolized yeasts This episode is brought to you by: Accubrew (https://accubrew.io): AccuBrew is an analytical tool designed to collect and compare the information brewers need to produce consistent results and continuously improve the process of fermentation. AccuBrew is more than a progress bar and early warning system. It is an ever evolving piece of technology tailored to you and your process. Save time and turn tanks faster. Monitor and compare batch progress in real-time. Enter notes, set custom reminders and temperature alerts. And detect process issues before a batch is ruined. Quality, consistency, and confidence. That is what AccuBrew delivers! Visit accubrew.io today, for a no obligation 90 day trial! BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) Looking for a way to save on freight, reduce waste, all while improving beer quality? Then change your brewing game with TNS Hop Oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn how TNS Hop Oils can make your beer (and your margins) better. Clarion (https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N510001.2032703CRAFTBEERANDBREWI/B28313912.342967708;dc_trk_aid=537328070;dc_trk_cid=177806075;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=). Balancing barley and hops is your expertise. Food-grade lubricants is ours. Clarion Food Grade Lubricants meet stringent standards of purity and performance for food and beverage processing, food packaging, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. All Clarion Lubricants are backed by the Clarion warranty, and we work with you to create an efficient lubrication program that helps protect your operation. To learn more, visit ClarionLubricants.com/foodgrade. Clarion Lubricants. The expert that experts trust.

Dec 29, 20221h 17m

Ep 282282: Shawn Bainbridge and Joran Van Ginderachter of Halfway Crooks Balance Expression and Control in Lager and Belgian Pale Ale

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Halfway Crooks cofounders Joran Van Ginderachter and Shawn Bainbridge may love the wide world of craft beer, but with their Atlanta, Georgia brewery the goal was to create a space and beers that would let drinkers find a beer they like, and drink the same beer all night. If you arrive with the goal of maximizing check-ins to the widest number of beers, you’ll quickly find you’re in the wrong place. The same design principles inform the space and the beer itself—equal parts recontextualized nostalgia, funky creativity, wry humor, and dry deadpan delivery. The bathrooms feature illustrations of chickens from the late 1800’s, floral patterned wallpaper, and a separate soundtrack from the main taproom (Bladerunner and Twin Peaks soundtracks). A video screen at the door plays low-fi digital animations. They embrace our digital present with a bit of warm vacuum tube analog glow. And the same can be said of the beers—they’re fresh and current, but with tweaks of nostalgia and fuzz. The brewery may be best known for their lagers, which center around separate hop varieties. “You go to a taproom sometimes and see seven different IPAs,” said Bainbridge. “You come to this taproom and you see seven German pilsners.” They source hops from some of the most sought-after farms in Germany, and build beers around them, yet there’s also an American mentality—boosting aroma through later additions and whirlpooling, using modern enzymes to ensure fermentation proceeds on schedule. They use a brewhouse not optimized for lagers, but have figured out how to get the most from it. There’s no decoction and just single infusion mashes, but the beers are tight and structured. In this episode, Bainbridge and Van Ginderachter talk extensively about their approach to lager brewing, as well as the creative and technical process behind their Belgian pale ale Sanguine—a Craft Beer & Brewing beer of the year in 2022, which they say is the one beer in their lineup they’re least happy with. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D’s Micro Channel Condensers are highly efficient in hotter regions and use a fraction of the refrigerant over traditional chillers which provides less opportunity for leaks along with lower global warming potential. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has the equipment, systems, and technology to take your brewery to the next level. Check out www.probrew.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your craft concentrate blends. To get started on a freight quote for craft concentrates today, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at [email protected] to discuss your brewery project. Twin Monkeys (https://twinmonkeys.net): Twin Monkeys has created the Eagle: an expandable nano-canner that can grow as your business grows. Find out more at www.twinmonkeys.net. Financing options are available.

Dec 23, 20221h 23m

Ep 281281: Three Taverns Applies a Belgian-Inspired Creativity to Traditional and Evolving Styles

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Brian Purcell may have founded Atlanta’s Three Taverns nine years ago to focus on Belgian-style beers, but today it’s the spirit of that brewing tradition that informs their approach more than a purely stylistic expression. Creativity balanced with drinkability still drives their brewing decisions, whether that’s brewing an American-hopped modern pils expression in conjunction with the team from Pivovar Proud (the experimental brewery of Pilsner Urquell), or tackling the expressive fermentation of hazy IPA. In this episode, Purcell and head brewer Neal Engleman break down these beers, from the knockout-hopped Pils Liberation collaboration (with Citra and Cascade), to their popular hazy IPA. Along the way, they discuss: brewing the collaborative pils with Citra, Cascade, and Saaz hops knockout hopping the 34/70 fermentation impacts on lager fermentation from the aggressive hopping applying lessons learned to other lagers they brew brewing their 9th anniversary English-style barleywine ingredient selection for better mashing with hazy IPA active versus post-fermentation dry hopping And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D Chillers’ Engineers are committed to green technology design, while developing a more energy efficient chiller for the brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) N/A? No Problem! The Alchemator from ProBrew uses proprietary membrane technology to strip the alcohol from the beer without sacrificing all the elements that make the beer great! Check out www.probrew.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer):Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at [email protected] to discuss your brewery project. Twin Monkeys (https://twinmonkeys.net): Twin Monkeys has created the Eagle: an expandable nano-canner that can grow as your business grows. Find out more at www.twinmonkeys.net. Financing options are available.

Dec 21, 20221h 9m

Ep 280280: Jon Shari of Little Cottage Makes Big Beers in a Small Way

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Jon Shari of Little Cottage, just east of Atlanta, was an avoid homebrewer who built a reputation for his big dessert-focused imperial stouts, and built on that momentum to launch the small, taproom-focused brewery in 2021. But brewing for the taproom is still a small affair, with a very manual 3.5 bbl brewhouse that makes some difficult-to-brew beers even harder. In this episode, he discusses the process behind his stouts, from recipe to adjunct ingredient additions, including: dealing with difficult high gravity fermentations selecting flavorful base malts and specialty malts dialing in finishing gravity to accentuate ingredient flavors taking an ingredient-specific approach to additions And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D Chillers’ Engineers are committed to green technology design, while developing a more energy efficient chiller for the brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) N/A? No Problem! The Alchemator from ProBrew uses proprietary membrane technology to strip the alcohol from the beer without sacrificing all the elements that make the beer great! Check out www.probrew.com to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer):Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at [email protected] to discuss your brewery project. Twin Monkeys (https://twinmonkeys.net): Twin Monkeys has created the Eagle: an expandable nano-canner that can grow as your business grows. Find out more at www.twinmonkeys.net. Financing options are available.

Dec 17, 202257 min