310: Ghost Town’s Justin Burdt Boosts Hop Contrast in West Coast IPA and Pils
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
The Growth of Ghost Town Brewing Company
"I came to ghost town awesome owners and, you know, they gave me the freedom to kind of just do what I love," he says. "We're currently on a 30 barrel for vessel brew house. And that's all we can do because our water can't even keep up with that barely."
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 contactus@probrew.com.
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 sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized brewery needs. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.
The AI-powered Podcast Player
