338: Anthony Tallman of Burgeon Packs Big Flavor into Lean West Coast Pale Ales, IPAs, and Pils
Jan 7, 2024
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Anthony Tallman, expert in packing big flavor into lean West Coast Pale Ales, IPAs, and Pils, discusses impacts of pilsner malts, varying boil times, achieving measured IBUs with no hot-side hops, inadvertently making a clear hazy IPA, watering back to lower whirlpool temperatures, techniques based on hops, focusing on hot-side hops, and finding balance in lower-ABV West Coast pils.
The impact of various pilsner malts on pale ales, IPAs, and lagers.
Experimenting with different hop schedules and layering hops for depth and drinkability in West Coast IPAs.
The challenge of achieving balance between intense West Coast hops and light-bodied Pilsner structure in West Coast Pilsners.
Deep dives
Burgeon Beer Company's Brewing Journey
Anthony Talman, co-founder and head brewer of Burgeon Beer Company, shares his brewing background and the path that led him to start his own brewery. He started as a homebrewer and honed his skills through various brewing jobs before founding Burgeon Beer Company in 2016.
The Evolution of West Coast IPAs
Talman discusses the evolution of West Coast IPAs over the years. He talks about the changes they made in their brewing process to refine their West Coast IPA recipes. They experimented with different malt bases, hop schedules, and layering hops to create more depth and drinkability in their beers.
Exploring Hop Blends and Alternative Hop Products
Talman explains how they creatively build hop blends for their West Coast IPAs and Pilsners. They have been using a lot of New Zealand hops and exploring alternative hop products like freestyle Sub-Zero hop keef. They aim to find the right balance between different hop forms and create cohesive flavors in their beers.
The Importance of World Pull in Hop Recipes
The podcast discusses the significance of the world pull process in hop recipes. The speaker explains how they prefer to work backward when building hop recipes, starting with the world pull and then moving to other additions. They highlight the experiment they conducted with a dry hop-only beer that unexpectedly resulted in a high IBU count. The speaker emphasizes the need for balance in hop recipes, considering both bitterness and aroma.
Exploring West Coast Pilsners and Balance
The podcast delves into the brewing process of West Coast Pilsners and the challenge of achieving balance between intense West Coast hops and the light-bodied Pilsner structure. The speaker shares their approach of using a blend of two-row and Pilsner malt to create a balanced body and discusses the role of yeast strains in imparting flavor. They also mention the importance of maintaining drinkability and staying relevant by experimenting with new products and equipment.
Lean is all the rage in hop-forward West Coast–style beers, from pilsner to IPA, and paring beers back to their bare necessities has been a significant focus for Burgeon’s Anthony Tallman. Yet the quest for crisp-and-drinkable doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor, and recent experimentation has given Tallman a fresh perspective on the ultra-minimal approach.
In this episode—which is focused especially on Carlsbad Crush, winner of multuple GABF medials in the International-Style Pale Ale category—Tallman discusses what has and has not worked with their clear hop-forward beers, including:
the impacts of various pilsner malts on pale ales, IPAs, and lagers
shortening and lengthening boil times for certain beers
achieving significant measured IBUs in a beer with no hot-side hops
inadvertently making a would-be hazy IPA drop clear via knockout dry hopping
watering back to lower whirlpool temperatures
varying techniques based on the hops in a recipe
focusing on hot-side hops for increased package longevity
finding balance in lower-ABV West Coast pils
And more.
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