391: Kevin Ely of Wooly Pig Finds Small Tweaks That Make Big Impacts in Robust, Farm-Brewed Lagers
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
Intro
The hosts recount their travels to Wooly Pig, a small farm brewery in Coshocton, Ohio, highlighting its unique rural charm and connection to pig farming. They explore the evolving craft beer scene and share their personal experiences during the visit.
Kevin Ely spent many years running the brewhouse at Uinta’s production brewery in Salt Lake City, but family brought him to a farm in rural eastern Ohio. Built next to the farm where his wife grew up, Wooly Pig Farm Brewery is the result of applying big-brewery-systems thinking to the smallest, most self-sufficient farm scale. From embracing the imperfect but interesting well water on the farm to side-streaming brewhouse waste via their drove of Mangalica pigs, he’s using every tool available to reduce waste and costs while making the highest-quality beer.
In this episode, Ely discusses:
- making farmhouse lagers on a small scale without sacrificing quality
- gently handling everything—from milling grains to fermenting beer via carefully boiled wort—for a more delicate beer
- using slightly higher-kilned pilsner malt for better flavor and fullness
- building character into dunkel with rye malt
- evaluating water sources and managing their unusual well water
- creating engaging beer experiences at the farm
- using livestock to process organic waste from the brewery
And more.
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