204: For Julian Shrago of Beachwood Brewing, There Are No Additives, Only Ingredients
Sep 11, 2021
auto_awesome
Julian Shrago of Beachwood Brewing discusses flavor-first approach, West coast IPA evolution, cross-pollination with New England IPAs, dry hopping bitterness, creating flavor walls in IPAs, balancing dark beers with acidity, using hop terpenes, and building expressive dark beer flavors.
Beachwood Brewing focuses on intense flavor-first creative process for their award-winning beers.
The evolution of West Coast IPA recipes at Beachwood involves reduced bitterness levels and emphasis on aroma and flavor.
Collaboration with coffee roasters is crucial for creating coffee-infused stouts with balanced roast profiles and fruity expressions.
Deep dives
Evolution of West Coast IPA Brewing Techniques
For Beachwood Brewing, West Coast IPA recipes have evolved over time, influenced by pioneers like Jeff Bagby and Tommy Arthur. Original IPAs featured a dry, hop-focused approach without heavy caramel malt character. Intensity of flavor and aroma became key with dry hopping playing a significant role. Bitterness levels have reduced from around 100 IBUs to 70 IBUs on paper, enhancing aroma and flavor while maintaining a moderate bitterness level.
Hop Addition Techniques: Hot Side vs. Cold Side
Beachwood's IPA recipes often utilize a third of total hops on the hot side and two-thirds in the cold side, especially dry hopping. A shift towards more dry hop additions has intensified aroma and flavor. For hot side hops, techniques vary with first wort, bittering, and whirlpool additions, focusing on creating a saturated flavor profile that lingers on the palate.
Balancing Bitterness and Aroma in IPAs
Beachwood's IPA recipes have seen a 40% reduction in calculated IBUs, shifting the focus towards aroma and flavor. The balance is achieved through strategic use of later hop additions and whirlpooling techniques, allowing for enhanced aroma and flavor without overwhelming bitterness. By adjusting water acidity levels, bitterness is softened, enhancing hop flavors without creating a vegetal character.
Optimizing Aromatic Extraction with Dry Hopping Techniques
West Coast IPAs at Beachwood Brewing are dry hopped at two pounds per barrel to enhance aroma. To prevent overly high pH levels post-dry hopping, a balanced acidity in the base beer is maintained. Dry hopping is done at warmer temperatures around 60 degrees, followed by resuspension to boost aroma extraction, yielding significant aroma enhancements.
Crafting Unique Coffee Beers at Beachwood Brewing
At Beachwood Brewing, the process of creating coffee-infused stouts involves collaboration with coffee roasters like Portola Coffee to match roast profiles. Special consideration is given to balancing the beer base's roast and sweetness to harmonize with coffee additions. By treating coffee as an ingredient, not an additive, beers like Mocha Machine showcase fruity coffee expressions and require specific extraction methods for optimal flavor integration.
Julian Shrago is not afraid to ruffle feathers. The outspoken brewmaster for Beachwood Brewing (Long Beach, California) has cultivated an intense persona, but that passion and focus is evidenced in the beers they brew and the awards they’ve racked up over the past ten years, including 19 GABF medals and 9 World Beer Cup medals.
In this episode, he discusses:
Beachwood’s flavor-first creative process
Building predictive sensibilities around recipe development
The evolution of West coast IPA in general, and the particular evolution of Beachwood’s IPAs
The cross-pollination between New England and West coast IPA brewing techniques
Bittering contribution from dry hopping
Creating a saturated wall of flavor in IPA
Using acidity to temper bitterness
Setting up biotransformation precursors through hop choice and terpenes
Building expressive balance in dark beers with coffee
and more.
*This episode is brought to you by: *
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Like your flagship beer you can rely on G&D Chillers for the same quality and consistency. G&D guarantees that every chiller they build will hit 28 degrees without breaking a sweat. They never stop. They draft, they craft, they service each and every brewery – big or small. All in an effort to build one hell of a chiller. For nearly 30 years, G&D's been committed to cold. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.
BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/) This episode is brought to you by Rahr North Star Pils. A new base malt to set your compass by. Rahr North Star Pils is crafted for brewers looking for a domestic pilsner malt with low color and low modification. North Star Pils carries overtones of honey and sweet bread, supported by flavors and aromas of hay and nutty character. Suitable for any beer style, but particularly craft brewed versions of classic lagers. Let Rahr North Star Pils guide your craft by visiting bsgcraftbrewing.com, or contact us at 1.800.374.2739.
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): The world of craft beer is a different place now. Margins are more important than ever, so why not lower your ingredient cost? Craft juice concentrates from Old Orchard are the cost-effective solution for your fruit-forward needs. Old Orchard produces high volumes of their retail juice brand, so economies of scale keep prices low for their bulk supply program. A little concentrate goes a long way, and you won't lose some of it through filtering like you would with purees. To start increasing your margins now, head on over to www.oldorchard.com/brewer.
ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com): What if you could take your favorite recipe and make a nonalcoholic version without sacrificing the flavor, color or beer quality? N/A? No Problem! The Alchemator from ProBrew uses proprietary membrane technology to strip the alcohol from the beer without sacrificing all the elements – like flavor and color - that make the beer great! Are you ready to Brew Like A Pro? The Alchemator from ProBrew. NA? No Problem! Email contact@probrew.com for more info.
Clarion Lubricants (https://www.clarionlubricants.com/Welcome.do): Your beer deserves all your attention. Clarion makes that a little easier. Their food-grade lubricants will help keep your system running smooth, while also safeguarding your product from costly contamination and recall. Because then you’ll be in full compliance with food safety standards. And it’s all thanks to a simple switch to Clarion. A food-safe system that lets you focus on your craft? We’ll drink to that. Go to clarionlubricants.com to learn more.