356: House Rules! Cameron Fisher of Crafthaus Is On a Cold (IPA) Streak
Apr 19, 2024
auto_awesome
Cameron Fisher, head brewer at Crafthaus, discusses cold IPA brewing methods, including using flaked maze and white wheat, layering hop formats, avoiding generic hop flavors, and fermenting with lager yeast. He also talks about creating coffee beers with different roasters, connecting beers to audiences through familiarity, and dry hop saturation.
Craft House creates diverse beers for different audiences through familiarity and experience.
Advanced techniques like using T90 and Cryo hops enhance the aroma and flavor of Cold IPAs.
Precise dry hopping processes and fermentation choices drive Craft House's beer quality and profitability.
Deep dives
Creative Beer Production at Craft House: A Brewer's Journey
Craft House's head brewer, Cameron Fisher, shares his brewing journey from discovering beer in college to becoming head brewer. Starting with homebrewing during the recession, Fisher's passion led him through multiple brewing experiences, including collaborations and awards, shaping his craft. Fisher's transition to Craft House marked a new chapter, aligning with the brewery's vision and pushing creative boundaries in brewing.
Innovative Flavors and Techniques in Crafting Cold IPAs
Craft House's approach to Cold IPAs combines advanced techniques like using a blend of T90s and Cryo hops for aroma and flavor. Fisher maximizes hop utilization, focusing on achieving a balanced hop profile with hints of classic sea hops like Cascade and Centennial. The brewery's meticulous dry hopping process, based on best practices, ensures optimal hop expression without compromising quality.
Optimizing Production and Quality in Craft House's Brewing Process
Craft House's meticulous production process involves precise dry hopping timelines, pressures, and temperatures to extract hop flavors effectively. Fisher emphasizes maintaining profitability while delivering exceptional beer quality. The brewery's dedication to innovative brewing practices, combined with strategic fermentation choices, drives the success of their unique beer offerings.
Brewing Techniques and Yeast Variability
The podcast episode delves into the brewing techniques and yeast variability that impact the flavors of cold IPAs and lagers. The speaker shares insights about experimenting with different fermentation temperatures to achieve desired hop characteristics, as well as the role of yeast in providing unique flavors and full-bodied textures to the beers. By discussing specific examples of fermenting cold IPAs and lagers, the episode highlights the importance of understanding how variations in brewing methods can influence the final taste and mouthfeel of the beverages.
Coffee Beer Collaborations and Roasting Considerations
Another key point covered in the podcast focuses on coffee beer collaborations and the considerations when selecting coffee varieties for brewing. The speaker shares experiences of working with local coffee roasters to create mix-pack beers with distinct coffee blends for added complexity. Through discussing the process of incorporating cold brew concentrates and blending them into the base beer, the episode emphasizes the importance of understanding roast profiles and coffee characteristics to enhance the overall flavor profile of the beer. Additionally, insights on consumer preferences for coffee-infused beer styles such as stouts and ales versus lagers are shared, highlighting the impact of roast darkness on consumer acceptance and taste experiences.
Welcome to Las Vegas, craft brewers! In this final of three CBC preview episodes, Crafthaus head brewer Cameron Fisher joins to discuss their approach to making cold IPA (and more) in the desert of Southern Nevada. Whether it’s Czech-style lager served on a Lukr faucet in their Arts District taproom or a throwback hoppy red ale poured with love from their Henderson taproom at the brewery, the beers Crafthaus makes have earned a reputation for quality, breadth, and accessibility. In this episode, Fisher touches on:
Connecting beers to audiences through familiarity and experience
Using flaked maize and white wheat in cold IPA
Pushing big IBUs in the first wort addition then cool pooling
Layering hop formats with concentrated pellets and T-90’s
Avoiding generic hop flavors by editing down hop blends
Dry hop saturation
Fermenting with characterful lager yeast that leaves more body
Creating coffee beers with different roasters and coffees
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): At G&D Chillers they always strive to Build Great Chillers. Partner with them as you Build Great Beer. Choose G&D Chillers on your next Expansion or Brewery start up and receive 1 free year of Remote control and Monitoring of your new G&D Chiller! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) “ProBrew is changing the game at this year’s CBC in Las Vegas. Visit go.probrew.com/CBC24 or contact us at contactus@probrew.com to schedule time with one of our subject matter experts at Booth #1783 at this year’s show.” Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Berry Blend, Blood Orange, Lemonade, and Tart Cherry are the latest additions to our lineup of flavored craft juice concentrate blends. To learn more and request your free samples, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Streamline efficiency with Omega Yeast’s Diacetyl Knock Out series. The DKO series is comprised of 8 familiar yeast strains engineered to knock out the formation of diacetyl before it starts. The strains you know, now better. Contact Omega Yeast today at omegayeast.com. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com). ABS Commercial are proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and preventative maintenance parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized brewery needs. Yakima Chief Hops (https://yakimachief.com). As a global preferred supplier of NZ Hops, Yakima Chief is the source for the pronounced bright and tropical aromas New Zealand hops are known for, adding a rush of exotic fruits and zesty citrus to your recipes. NZ Cryo is now available, learn more at yakimachief.com OPA Design Studio (https://designopa.com): The architects at OPA Design Studio are your partners in developing the unique design you need. With over a decade of experience designing breweries, the folks at OPA are here to serve as your trusted experts from start to finish. Visit designopa.com to set up your no obligation introductory consultation today. Craft Spirits & Distilling Podcast (https://spiritsanddistilling.com/podcasts/): If you’re a distiller or curious about it, check out the Craft Spirits & Distilling podcast. Click on the link and subscribe from your favorite podcast platform.
