The Brewing Network Presents | Dr. Homebrew

When is a Gose not a Gose? When it's really a Grodziskie! The Dr. Homebrew team got thrown for a loop on this week's show, as the beer we thought was a Gose turned out to be something way, WAY different. Our homebrewer this week is Michelle Wonder, and along with Melissa McCann, they run the Women's Craft Fermentation Alliance, which is an amazing organization striving to increse the reach of homebrewing and craft beer to women and non-binary folks across the world. The WCFA holds a virtual event every year that is packed with so much great information, just reading about it made our eye bulge out! Be sure to check out Five Star and their Homebrew Club Program for tips, tricks, and products! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The greatest of all Brown Ales is represented on the show today - Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. In years past, this delightful treat of a liquid was in clear bottles, forcing any drinker to basically play the lottery when it came time to drink one - will it be skunky? Now they have shifted to brown bottles several years ago, all the loveliness of a Sam Smith's Nut Brown comes through, and we're happy to be able to dissect it with you. Plus, we have a homebrewed version of a Nut Brown, modeled after Sam Smith's, so we're in for a real treat! Be sure to check out Five Star and their Homebrew Club Program for tips, tricks, and products! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're getting Scottish in the office today! Dave is back with a Wee Heavy, which is always a real treat to dive into. These beers are complex and malty, but can be very tricky to balance just right. Did Dave do those things? Plus, Brian Cooper takes us through the things that make up a good BJCP score sheet. Be sure to check out Five Star and their Homebrew Club Program for tips, tricks, and products! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The season for festbier is upon us, and that's a good thing, because this style is such a great one to taste. Malt complexity everywhere, cleanly lagered ... what's not to like? Dave joins us as we judge his homebrew version of this style, and then Brian Schar takes us through his experiences judging the first round of the Great American Beer Festival. Be sure to check out Five Star and their Homebrew Club Program for tips, tricks, and products! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show, we turn our attentions to resident BJCP judge and co-host Brian Cooper, who has submitted round two of his Hazy IPA for judging. This is a re-brew of sorts, with Brian taking feedback from an earlier show and applying it to this new iteration of murky juiciness. Will his hard work pay off? Then, we do a commercial calibration of Liquid Hoppiness IPA by Sierra Nevada. Be sure to check out Five Star and their Homebrew Club Program for tips, tricks, and products! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the world of American Lagers, Coors Banquet is an easy Top 3 beer. This crisp, easy-drinking style is one that's hard to replicate and easy to become a showcase for flaws in technique. We talk about Coors Banquet during our Commercial Calibration, and what goes into making beers of this caliber. Then, Brian Schar takes us through 4 weird off-flavors every homebrewer should know. If you want to avoid some of these nasty flavors, be sure to check out Five Star and their Homebrew Club Program for tips, tricks, and products! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bock is one of those styles that can really go wrong if you let it. From cloyingly sweet to one-dimensional, there's really no shortage of things to screw up when attempting a Bock. Perpetual guest Colin returns with his very first attempt at this deceptively complex style. Since this is a lager, cleanliness is more important than ever, so be sure to check out Five Star and their Homebrew Club Program for tips, tricks, and products! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pale Ale is one of the lord's perfect styles, provided it meets our strict definition. On today's show, we have Andy back on, who convinced Brian Cooper to mule two bottles of his Pale back from HomebrewCon this last month for us to judge on the show. Then, we do a Commercial Calibration segment with everyone's favorite Blonde Ale ... 805, from Firestone-Walker! To get great homebrewing gear and advice, sign up for the Five Star Chemicals Homebrew Club Program! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summertime is Cider time, and we have a pretty cool one on today's show! Bob joins us and sent in his version of a Rainbow Sherbet Cider. What does that mean? We had no idea, either, so don't feel too lost. First, however, we meet up with Colin again, who sent us a Belgian Blonde Ale. To get great homebrewing gear and advice, sign up for the Five Star Chemicals Homebrew Club Program! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Master BJCP judge Brian Cooper loves to torture us on this show, and today's episode grants us no relief. Brian gave us two of his homebrewed beers to judge - a Hazy IPA and his attempt at a clone of Consecration from Russian River! Both styles are beers that Brian loves to drink, so we had high expectations going into this judging. Was it warranted? *shrug* Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Cider Day here on Dr. Homebrew! Listener Bill sent us four different versions of his cider, each with a different yeast. Our goal? To pick the cider we liked the best. Bill was having a hard time choosing which version to enter into competitions, so he somehow thought we'd have some insight on that for him. Sucker. In order to lead us more effectively through these ciders, we brought experience Cider Judge Hirendu back on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've had lots of unintentionally themed shows in the past, but never one like this ... it's the Smoke Beer Show! Two very different smoked beers, one a Belgian IPA and the other a Cherry Porter. We realize smoked beers aren't for everyone, but man they sure do make for good judging comments! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(George Costanza voice) Mead is back, baby! Ashley joins the show again and allows us to judge her Pomegranate Mead, which was big and syrupy. Then we run through two commercial examples of Mead - including one that was in a can, of all things! Mead seems like it's seeing a resurgence, and we love it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We had two unique beverages on this week's show - a Mead and an ice cream-inspired Porter. The Mead was a sack-strength style mead, made with Blackberry Blossom Honey, and at 14%-ish, was very drinkable. A Salted Caramel Porter was in the second segment, based on the brewer's love of trying new styles and adding his own flair to them. For having just learned how to brew ten months ago, this was a bold move! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have been overly distracted by non-alcoholic beers as of late, and we show no signs of slowing. In fact, we brought Jamil on the show to talk to us about how NA beer is made, and some general rules of how we can make it at home. Then we talked with Jason, who sent in an American Brown Ale, and we convene the first ever Council of Jasons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk a lot about competitions, but not much about some good rules and guidelines to follow when planning one. Our first guest is Justin, and he's throwing a homebrew competition for his friend who passed away last year. Called, "Kunklefest", Justin wants a bit of help and reassurance from the Brians about planning something great. Then we have Robbie from Club DOZE on to talk about organizing Tasty's Tasting Room this year at Spring Brews Fest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How serious are you about competitive homebrewing? Do you do just enough to ensure your beer tastes good at the judging table, but beyond that, who cares? Are you interested in upping your medal count in the years to come? Andy and Matt run a Facebook group called "Competitive Homebrewing", and they are fanatics about one thing - winning. And sharing information. So, that's two things, really. We chat with these perennial winners about data collection, and how to ensure that you win more than you lose. Plus, we have another NA beer to try! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not only did we have some Hazy IPA talk to open the show, but we opened a triple IPA, as well. That's what happens when you have 4 BJCP beer judges on one show, I guess. after the break, Brian and Brian - along with guests Jon and Hirindu, talked about the Mead Judging program and their experiences with it. Hirindu runs the educational arm for Mead in his homebrew club, D.O.Z.E., and was able to shed some light on just what it takes to be proficient in mead, how to become a judge, and what to expect at the judging table. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the Mead Show on today's Dr. Homebrew! Our first guest is Michael Fairbrother of Moonlight Meadery, who heard we were going to be using his meads as judging fodder and hacked our internet stream to sit in with us. He talked about styles of meads, how he approaches the ones he makes, and if judges perception matters to him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking up a sour beer project is never easy - just ask Neriah. He crafted a base beer to sour and age, then one to blend back as a young beer, all while splitting the batch and fruiting it two different ways. One entry had Sauvignon Blanc grape juice added and the other had Malbec grape juice. That's a lot of work! Did it pay off for him? Find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think back to your first batch of homebrew. Was it any good? Would you have felt comfortable not only advancing to all-grain, but also trying a lager for your second batch? Spencer did, and while we can't say we were that confident in our skills at brew #2, It sort of worked out for Spencer. We chat with him about all that, and then we talk with our friend Gordon Strong about the new style guidelines that the BJCP put out at the end of last year. It's always good to get Gordon on the show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NE IPA, despite JP's best efforts, are now a mainstream style. What we see less of is smoked pepper beers! On today's show, we dive into both styles of beers and chat with the homebrewers responsible for such creations. Plenty of recipe tips and judging info here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ok yeah, we've all heard of a German Pils, but this marks the first appearance of a homebrew take on a Traditional African Ale. Technically entered as an Experimental Ale, this unique beer really had the judges working hard to identify flavors and ingredients. It was a fun judge! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homebrewer Nate joins us on Dr. Homebrew to talk about his Kolsch. This beer is a re-brew based off of feedback he received from a previous episode. Then, we keep Nate on the call to get a better idea of how he approached re-brewing this beer, and to offer advice to other brewers out there on what they can do to improve their beers based on feedback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three lagers are up on the agenda today, and only one of them is a homebrew. Brian sent us his Czech Pale Lager attempt, and we try our best to solve his green pepper issue, then we get to the main event: how does Heineken 0.0 stack up against regular Heineken in a taste test? We know what you're thinking, and you aren't wrong. The push of NA beer into the craft space is new, so if anyone can pass off a 0.0% ABV lager as full-flavor (ok, "full-flavor"), it's gotta be Heineken, right? Find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homebrewer Dave is back on the show, and this time he brought his son, Tristan! We talk about their weizenbock, and how they managed to overshoot their numbers (hint: it involves drinking). We then tackle the very relevant seasonal beer brewed by Sierra Nevada - Oktoberfest. What is a fest beer vs. a marzen, and what qualities can we find in this commercial example that mimic those found in Germany? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tonight we judge a Double IPA. Well, not just ANY Double IPA, but a clone of THE Double IPA ... Pliny The Elder! How does this homebrew version stack up to the original? We don't know, but we can tell you that we judged it according to style, and that's what matters. Plus, we get a crack at a German Altbier! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when you attempt one style of beer, but undershoot your numbers? Can you call it something else entirely? If you do, can you enter it in competition and still expect to do well? Sorry for all the questions up front, but it's been that kind of day. Anyway, come find out the answers to these - and more - on this episode of Dr. Homebrew! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kolsch is one of those pale golden beer styles that is seeing a mini-resurgence, alongside lager beer, so what better time to attempt a commercial calibration! Brian and Brian were able to go out and find a classic example of the style (as listed by the BJCP), called "Frü". Then we chat with BJCP legend Dave Teckam. He's legendary not only for being Grand Master level 7, but for being an all-around nice man. He gives us the inside info on what it takes to proctor a BJCP exam, and how to fool beer judges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back to work on Dr. Homebrew, as we see two beers today. Well, one beer and one Braggot. The braggot was billed as having a Stout base, but that's not altogether true. The American Barleywine was brewed with Rye as an added ingredient. Was that a good idea? Find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A White IPA and an American Amber Ale are on the roster for tonight's show, and we can already hear you asking "What the hell is a White IPA?" Well, you're gonna find out when we do, as Colin decided to test our beer category threshold. Then Nate jumps on with an American Amber Ale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The all American show, as we jump into two classic styles! First up is Colin, back again, with his American Pale Ale. Then we are joined by Vito, who sent us his take on an American Amber Ale, which has a pretty good backstory to it. Good stuff! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're buzzing in the Dr. Homebrew studio today - we get to drink two great styles of homebrew that are rarely seen together! It's the amazing combo of Kolsch and Czech Premium Lager - both great style and both very hard to do. Plus, we hear about Brian Schar's recent trip to Dubai. If that's not worth the price you paid for this show ... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summer is the perfect time for homebrew, and Dr. Homebrew is the perfect place to hear all about other people's beer! On today's match made in heaven, frequent guest Colin is back, this time he sent in a rebrewed Bitter, using feedback he received on the show. Then Chris is on with his stab at an American IPA - a style he doesn't really brew all too often. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 years ago, we started this show in the hopes that we could bring some of the mystery behind beer judging to you. While we aren't sure that has happened, we've been able to help homebrewers across the world improve their beers and, hopefully, their vocabulary on just what in the hell is going on in their fermentations. So allow us a hot second to reflect, please. Oh, also we judge a Flanders Red ale. Because what's a judging show without some (beer) judging? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A classic American Porter - it's hard to get more traditional than that, and it's rare that we get one on the show. Our second beer is an English Porter, sort of in name only, and it's brewed with flavored coffee. What am I talking about? Tune in and find out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sure, we've all heard of double IPA. It's hard to brew, harder to forget. But what in the Papazian is a Braggot Saision? We'll, you find out when the rest of us do, because we judge one tonight! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kvass is a beer traditionally made from leftover bread. John is a guy who works at the American Homebrewers Association. Put the two on the same show and you have an information-packed recipe for success! We learned a lot about Kvass, and about how the NHC/HomebrewCon will be operating this year. Good stuff! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've been saying that Black IPA is making a come back, and here we have a boosted version on the show! A Double Black Rye IPA, which was a take off of Wookie Jack by Firestone-Walker, gets the DRHB treatment, and we chat with another homebrewer who's helping folks prep better for the BJCP exam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love rebrews here on Dr. Homebrew, and previous guest Colin gave us a great opportunity to provide feedback on his latest version of a Baltic Porter. Plus, we go over the new styles recently announced by the Brewers Association, and skim the surface of all that new beery goodness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's an Aussie takeover show! Our guest homebrewer Justin sent us his version of an Australian Sparkling Ale - and him being from Australia, he should know a thing or two about it. He also sent along a less-than-fresh version of Coopers Pale Ale, which falls under the Australian Sparkling Ale category ... it's all pretty confusing. Look, we drink these two beers on this show ok? That's all you need to know! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this day in the year 2021, we never would have imagined a show lineup like this. The boys are judging a Pale Ale - non-hazy, non-new school hopped - and a Black IPA. We had to check our calendars for this one, just to make sure we didn't spend too long in the hot tub last night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we talk about making cider at home, we usually think of walking through an apple orchard, gently hand-selecting each apple and placing it softly into a wicker basket. That is definitely one way to do it. Or, you can go to the store and buy juice, dump yeast in it, and there you go. Does that actually make good cider? Well we have an example of cider made using the buy-and-dump method, plus our friend Pavel is back on to tell us about the BJCP Cider program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for more homebrew judging! Today we have a Doppelbock to dig into, and then we return to our Commercial Calibration Station - this time it's the classic Anchor Christmas. Anchor makes great beer, and since this seasonal favorite was in all of our fridges, we thought we'd see how it stacks up in it's category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homebrew and a commercial calibration - two great ways to drink beer and pass it off as "research"! Today on the show, we judge an Amber Ale sent in by Nate, whom you might remember from our previous show. Ambers are good, they are just hard to get right. Then we move on to our recurring Commercial Calibration series, this time with the classic Bourbon County Stout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dark beer styles such as Porters, really lend themselves well to many different adjuncts. Spices, lactose, and especially coffee. Today, Patrick sends us some of his coffee porter to breakdown, and we go through his coffee addition process. Then we jump over to Nate who sent us some of his Blueberry Cream Ale - another great style for adding fruits to! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We welcome homebrewer Colin to Dr. Homebrew! Colin was on show #179, so it's been a hot minute. In podcast terms, anyway. Colin shipped us out his Czech Dark Lager, which is always a treat to see, and then we tackled an American Strong Ale, to boot! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Dr. Homebrew, we break down one of the more pure styles out there - English Bitter. Everything has to be in balance, with malt leading the charge. Not an easy thing to get right with modern beer palates the way they are. Afterwards, we move on to a Smoked Baltic Porter - another sub-style that is hard to perfect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blonde Ale is not typically the go-to style for adjuncts. Fruit additions aside, it's mostly a malt-driven beer. Well, Mark comes back on from the last show and proves us wrong, sending a Blonde Ale brewed with mescal honey, peaches, and orange habaneros. Then we try is NEIPA, which isn't AS exciting, but what is? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love getting unusual styles here on Dr. Homebrew. Today is no different! We stumble upon an Italian Pilsner, which we've possibly never had before - exciting! We also were sent a Festbier, another style we rarely see. It was a good day for homebrew judging, for sure! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices