Risk-taking and failed one-offs

At Craft Coast in Oceanside and San Marcos, California, Blake Masoner is happy if you show up for tacos and stay for a beer. The fairly priced tacos are scratch-made, down to the tortillas themselves, packing loads of flavor into every bite. Fellow San Diego–area brewers refer to them as “The best tacos between here and Tijuana”—but the beer they brew here is anything but an afterthought.

Eight medals in four years at the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festical—in competitive categories such as hazy pale ale, American IPA, and international pilsener—are evidence of the brewery’s ambition on the quality side, and they’ve modified both classic and modern brewing techniques to serve their flavor and aroma goals.

In this episode, Masoner discusses:

• abandoning a “no core beer” policy to keep customers happy
  
• brewing Mexican-style dark lager with dry yeast and vorlauf-only dark malts
  
• mitigating sulfur production with 34/70 yeast
  
• Australian-inspired XPA design without Southern Hemisphere hops
  
• using Mosaic at different times for different effects in West Coast IPA
  
• knockout hopping to find the true heart of new varieties
  
• pinpointing flavors through dry hopping
  
• building a team-wide winning mindset
  

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): If you are looking for a brewery chiller that’s worry free and tough on GWP, then look no further. G&D Chiller’s Elite 290 series chiller uses propane as a natural refrigerant with extremely low global warming potential. Visit gdchillers.com to learn more!
Berkeley Yeast (https://berkeleyyeast.com). Berkeley Yeast bioengineers ordinary strains and make them extraordinary—enhancing the flavors you want and eliminating the ones you don’t. Visit berkeleyyeast.com to learn more and start brewing with science on your side.

Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): As breweries expand beyond beer into other segments like mocktails and CBD beverages, Old Orchard is here to help. We can formulate custom blends featuring specialty ingredients. More information and free samples are waiting at oldorchard.com/brewer.
Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com) Celebrating 16 years of delivering compelling new hop varieties along with classics that thrive in Oregon’s terroir, Indie is the original source for Strata, Luminosa, Lórien, Meridian, and their newest variety Audacia. Release your creativity with the magic of pure, uncut Oregon hops from Indie. Indie Hops — Life is short. Let’s make it flavorful.
XTRATUF (https://xtratuf.com) XTRATUF has been making rugged and reliable boots for 75 years. Built for the harshest conditions, the Legacy Collection styles are oil, acid, and chemical resistant with a non-slip rated outsole. Be prepared for whatever comes your way and shop the latest XTRATUF boots on xtratuf.com.

Canoe Wild Rice (https://breweryworkshop.com) Brewers, have you ever considered brewing with North America’s only Ancient Grain—Wild Rice? Joe at Canoe Wild Rice has a stockpile of this unique roasted grain ready to ship to you. Send Canoe Wild Rice an email at joe@canoewildrice.com or give the office a call at 1-800-626-3809

Prairie Malt (https://prairiemalt.com) For over 50 years Prairie Malt has been producing high extract malts forged from the fertile soils of Saskatchewan. Stop by the Roadhouse & Melvin booth at GABF to sample some award-winning beers produced with excellent malts and learn more at prairiemalt.com.

Briess Malting (https://BrewingWithBriess.com) Briess offers the largest product line of specialty malt and is continuing to innovate. New malts include Heritage Gold and Lighthouse Munich. Check out why so many craft brewers trust Briess for their specialty malt at BrewingWithBriess.com.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast