Ask most American brewers about their first experience with New Zealand hops, and nine out of ten will probably name one single beer—Alpine Beer’s Nelson. Alpine founder Pat McIlhenney was one of the early ones to import southern hemisphere hops, and it’s hard to speak about the hop now without acknowledging the importance of that singular beer. Son Shawn McIlhenney inherited his dad’s love of hops and experimentation, and today continues to push the limits of ingredients and techniques through McIlhenney Brewing.
In this episode, McIlhenney touches on:
- the evolution of San Diego IPA
- using enzymes to manage a flaked rye mash
- combining Nelson Sauvin and Nectaron hops for maximum effect
- first wort hopping for less aggressive bite
- blending whole leaf hops with advanced hop products like Incognito
- pushing the fine line between enough and too much
- selecting Southern hemisphere hops
- recipe considerations when scaling up to double and triple IPA
- avoiding the flavor effects of over-aeration
- rediscovering the personal joy of making beer
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): BSG is a proud distributor of New Zealand Hops Ltd. and invites you to experience Nectaron®, an aromatic New Zealand hop, drenched by tropical waterfalls of grapefruit, passionfruit, pineapple, and peach. Contact your BSG sales rep with any questions or visit BSGCraftbrewing.com/Hops to learn more.
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Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability.
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