All About Beer AAB 088: How Eisbock Creates Complexity From Freezing
The eisbock story is a fun lore of beer myth, a hapless brewery employee left a barrel of doppelbock outside during a snowstorm in Germany and some of the beer froze, concentrating flavor and thus creating a whole new beer style. While the roots of this story may not wholly be true, it’s a fun addition to a beer style made by distillation processes at its most base level.
These beers are rare in the United States as you need special licenses to make them but in Europe, the rules are a bit different and in some European countries, these beers, not just eisbocks, have taken on a life of their own. And this is before we start talking about other drinks like the amazing ice cider made by freeze distillation.
How does the freezing process work and what changes does it make to these drinks? This month on the All About Beer podcast, we talk to three guests with unique views on this chilly process.
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This Episode is Sponsored by:
Hopsteiner
This episode is brought to you by LLZ™ - Hopsteiner’s new water-soluble citrus aroma extract. LLZ is formulated to deliver fresh lemon and crisp lime character to your next brew. Perfect for hop waters, seltzers, NA beers, and well beer..beers. LLZ offers unmatched versatility as a 100% hop-derived, clean-label supporting aroma extract. Give your next brew the citrus kick it’s been begging for with Hopsteiner’s LLZ. Explore LLZ™ and other flavor solutions at shop.hopsteiner.com.
Escarpment Laboratories
Alright brewers, quick question. Have ever brewed the same beer twice… and somehow got two different results?
Your haze drops out. Sulfur pops up. And that “quick” lager isn’t quick anymore. That’s where Escarpment Labs comes in.
We’ve seen this firsthand at top breweries across Canada and the US. Escarpment helps you choose the right yeast.
They help you dial in your process. So your beer stays consistent, batch after batch. Escarpment Yeast now ships in the United States with Priority Alert shipping. And for free brewing knowledge, subscribe to the Escarpment Labs Podcast and YouTube channel.
Go to escarpmentlabs.com to find out more.
Athletic Brewing
Want to have great beer, but just not the alcohol tonight? Give Athletic Brewing a try.
Athletic Brewing was founded in 2017 to shatter existing stigmas and perceptions around non-alcoholic beer.
They took a category that had traditionally only offered underwhelming lagers and launched a full lineup of award-winning styles. In fact, it's non-alcoholic beer so good that it's currently on over 20% of US Michelin star menus and the team at Athletic has brought home over 185 taste awards. And these non-alcoholic beers are all brewed by the Athletic team in their custom breweries with extremely rigorous quality standards.
You don't have to be sober to enjoy the great taste of beer as a meal pairing, winding down at the end of the day, or when you're out with friends and don't want the alcohol. In 2025, Athletic released over 50 different beers on their website athleticbrewing.com. Check it out for yourself.
All About Beer
At All About Beer, we’re honored to share the stories that define the beer community, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors. Their commitment helps sustain independent beer journalism, allowing us to highlight the people, places, and passion behind every pint. Their partnership ensures these stories continue to inspire, connect, and celebrate the craft we all love. Join our underwriters today and help make an impact on independent journalism covering the beer industry.
- Hosts: Em Sauter and Don Tse
- Guests: Shaun Yasaki, Eleanor Leger, Marcin Ostajewsk
- Sponsors: Hopsteiner, Escarpment Laboratories, Athletic Brewing, All About Beer
- Tags: Beer, Distilling, Eisbock
- Photo: Shaun Yasaki
The following music was used for this media project:
Music: Awesome Call by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3399-awesome-call
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist website: https://incompetech.com