Episode 349: Ryan Speyrer of Parish is Building the Future of Hazy IPA on a Foundation of Classic Hops

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Mar 8, 2024

Explore the success of Parish Brewing's Ghost in the Machine hazy IPA and their silver-winning wheat beer. Head brewer Ryan Speyrer discusses brewing techniques, use of classic hops like Cascade, and the importance of cold-conditioning for flavor perfection.

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ANECDOTE

Ryan's Brewing Journey

Ryan Speyrer started homebrewing in college after being inspired by a Shiner brewery tour.
Early batches were poor, but improved with all-grain brewing, leading to a job at Parish Brewing.

INSIGHT

Parish's Initial Focus

Parish Brewing's first beer, Canebrake, a Louisiana wheat ale, was initially their sole focus.
It uses local steamed sugar cane syrup, bridging the gap between domestic and craft beer.

ANECDOTE

Heady Topper's Influence

Discovering Heady Topper inspired Parish to shift from West Coast IPAs to hazy IPAs.
This led to the evolution of Ghost in the Machine from a double IPA to its current hazy form.

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There is the East Coast and there is the West Coast, but aficionados of hazy IPA know not to sleep on the Gulf Coast, thanks largely to Parish Brewing in Broussard, Louisiana. Parish’s Ghost in the Machine has become a juggernaut in the world of hazy IPA, earning accolades such as a 2019 Beer of the Year from Craft Beer & Brewing and a mention on critic Alex Kidd’s top ten list in 2020. More recently, Parish won a spot in the top 20 small regional breweries as voted on by the readers of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine^®. Nor is their success limited to IPA—Parish also picked up a silver medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival for its top-selling wheat beer, Canebrake.

In this episode, head brewer (and Master Cicerone) Ryan Speyrer joins the podcast to discuss the ways they brew their iconic hazy IPAs, touching on:

the evolution of Ghost in the Machine, from West Coast to hazy
the roles that wheat and oats do (and don’t) play in hazy IPA
balancing specific hop varieties between whirlpool and dry hop to maximize the expression of each
using classic hops such as Cascade along with Simcoe in modern, fruit-forward IPA
the importance of extended cold-conditioning

And more.

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