113: John Rowley of Rowley Farmhouse Ales on Nuance and Character in Sour Beer

Dec 13, 2019

Join John Rowley, a homebrewer and professional chemist who founded Rowley Farmhouse Ales, as he explores the intricate world of sour beer. He discusses their award-winning brewing techniques, including live Lactobacillus souring and the innovative use of lemons for flavor enhancement. Rowley emphasizes the importance of science in crafting quality beers, detailing pH management and water treatment. Tune in to hear about the communal joy of brewing and the artistic nuances that make their sour beers extraordinary.

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ANECDOTE

Rowley's Brewing Journey

John Rowley started homebrewing in 1988 after a friend shared a cherry chocolate stout.
He got serious in 2007, upgrading equipment and focusing on process development.

ANECDOTE

Partnership and Inspiration

Rowley's partner, Jeffrey, provided the business acumen for Rowley Farmhouse Ales.
They met through a homebrew club and bottle sharing, exploring beers unavailable in New Mexico.

ADVICE

Brewhouse Advice

Secure your own brewing equipment for better control and flexibility.
Rowley and Jeffrey purchased a used 7-barrel system affordably.

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Three years ago, homebrewer and professional chemist John Rowley and his partner (chef Jeffrey Kaplan) launched Rowley Farmhouse Ales as a brewpub with a particular focus on sour beer. This past October, they brought home three medals (gold, silver, and bronze) in different sour beer categories at the Great American Beer Festival, and that medal count locked up Small Brewpub of the Year honors for the young brewpub. In this episode, Rowley details their signature brewing process, from live Lactobacillus souring (no boil) to their unexpected Saccharomyces selection, water treatment and composition, building an maintaining a house sour culture, understanding pH and titratable acidity, and more. The methods they use are sometimes unconventional, such as pre-acidifying the mash of their gold medal-winning Gose “Meier” with cut up lemons, but Rowley isn’t afraid to tackle labor-intensive processes if they yield better-tasting beer. From the high desert of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Rowley continues to produce small batches of thoughtfully constructed, and this episode dives into those elements that make their beers stand apart.

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