448: West Coast Pils Panel Discussion Live From the Brewers Retreat

Nov 28, 2025

Guest

Evan Price

Join brewing experts Khristopher Johnson, a lager and IPA maestro at Green Bench, Bob Kunz, founder of Highland Park Brewing, and Evan Price from Green Cheek as they dive into the world of West Coast Pils. They discuss the synergy between lager yeast and hops, the evolution of malt selection, and innovative fermentation techniques. Hear about balancing sulfur production with hop flavors, and how different finishing gravities affect the final brew. It's a lively session filled with insights on creating distinctive and flavorful pilsners!

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ANECDOTE

Origin Story Of Timbo Pils

Bob Kunz described inventing West Coast Pils from a cask experiment that merged West Coast IPA character with Czech-style Pilsner crispness.
That cask beer became Timbo Pils and launched their ongoing exploration of hop-forward lagers.

INSIGHT

Lager Sulfur Can Amplify Tropical Hops

Khristopher Johnson and Bob note lager yeast sulfur (thiols) can amplify tropical hop notes that ale yeast didn't provide.
That sulfur-hops synergy is a core reason some brewers prefer lager yeast for hop-forward beers.

ADVICE

Use Low-Alpha Hops For Body

Use lower-alpha, vegetal hops to build midpalate structure and tannin body under heavy dry hopping.
Add these lower-alpha hops on the hot side (60 and 30 min) to contribute vegetative load and texture.

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This week’s episode comes from a live panel discussion on West coast pils recorded a few weeks ago at the Craft Beer & Brewing Brewers Retreat in Asheville, North Carolina, and features Khristopher Johnson of Green Bench, Bob Kunz of Highland Park, and Evan Price of Green Cheek. Over the course of the conversation, these three brewers cover a range of topics, including:

the impact of lager yeast sulfur production on hops flavor and hops longevity
building hops blends that ground with a classic baseline and expand with contemporary flavors and aromas
creating structure and body with lower-alpha hops
considering "vegetive load" as a means of boosting body
blending base malts for different intended finishing gravities
the impact of floor-malted barley on tropical hop expression
adjusting fermentation to accentuate hop character
swapping headspace carbon dioxide to control sulfur
using a controlled ramp-up in fermentation temperature to balance ester production with ideal dry hop conditions

And more.

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