In Oakland Park, Florida, Brewlihan meadery sits in rarified air atop Untappd's list of top breweries in the world. Their rabid fan base has propelled them to No. 5—as of this recording—a ranking that founder John Hoolihan doesn't take for granted, as he continually applies science and chemistry to balance flavor, acidity, gravity, and tannin. In this episode, recorded live during the 3 Sons Lumberjack Day festival, Hoolihan discusses:

growing the meadery from a homebrewing project to a commercial business
designing a base mead for multiple fruit expressions
using carbonation and oak-aging in session mead
flavor contributions of various honey varieties
healthy but low-and-slow fermentation with 14 yeast varieties
scaling mead from homebrew to commercial batch sizes
mead fermentation dynamics
communicating the sweetness levels of finished meads
working with tannin and tartness to balance sweetness
the impact of acidity on aging

And more.

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