
Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
Listen to the podcast for those who make and drink great beer. Every week we talk to professional brewers and industry experts about practical brewing advice, in-depth coverage of brewing trends that matter to you, and tips for getting the most out of your homebrew.
Latest episodes

Nov 5, 2022 • 1h 18min
271: Brooklyn’s Grimm Artisanal Ales Apply a Yeast-Driven Approach to Brewing
Joe Grimm of Grimm Artisanal Ales would like to dispel some myths about hazy IPA. “No matter what some brewers say, hazy IPA is one of the hardest styles to make, because it’s never good enough. I’m never happy with the beer.”
That never-satisfied attitude has driven the husband-and-wife brewing duo to explore different methods of making compelling hazy beer, from top-cropping yeast to employing a Brasserie de la Senne–inspired approach to tank geometry, and pushing their yeast strain far, far past normal generation limits (they were on the 275th generation at the time the podcast was recorded). In this episode, they discuss that thoughtful approach to fermentation in hazy IPA as well as their less-conventional approach to spontaneous inoculation, and their evolving method for using fruit in wild and spontaneous beers.
Along the way, the two discuss:
the challenge of opening with extremely limited funds, contract brewing at places around the Northeast
learning from the design of various breweries in which they brewed
applying lessons on tank geometry for Belgian beer to their tanks for IPA
top-cropping London Ale III for healthy yeast
adjusting recipe parameters as yeast evolves
maintaining haze while minimizing astringency
brewing spontaneous beer without a coolship
blending wild and spontaneous beer
using carbonic maceration in fruit for better flavor in fruit beers
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. Contact the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com
Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProFill can fillers use rotary, true-counter-pressure-gravity filling and seaming technology to run at speeds of 100 to 300 cans per minute with less than 30 parts per billion DO pickup and less than 1% product waste at the filler. Stop wasting perfectly good beer. Email ProBrew at ContactUs@probrew.com today!
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer
American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com.
ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project.
Perfect Puree (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): Craft the perfect pour with superior fruit from The Perfect Purée. But don’t just take our word for it, experience flavor first-hand by curating your own complimentary sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Samples are complimentary for brewing professionals only.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

4 snips
Oct 28, 2022 • 1h 10min
270: Sapwood Cellars Puts Research Into Creative Practice With Hoppy and Wild Beers
What do you get when Michael Tonsmiere, aka The Mad Fermentationist, and author of the book American Sour Beers joins forces with Scott Janish, author of The New IPA, to start a brewery in a Maryland suburb somewhere between Baltimore and Washington DC? Pretty much what you’d expect—a brewery that tends to focus on creative expressions in the pale ale and IPA space, as well as progressive approaches to wood-aged wild, funky, and sour beers. But Sapwood Cellars has done much more than just meet expectations over their first four years of existence—they’ve also honed approaches to both of these focuses, while creatively blending the two with smart mash-ups in the liminal space between them.
In this episode, the founders of Sapwood discuss:
the evolutionary “royal rumble” process behind their wild and sour beer program
building intensity of flavor and points of difference for more broad experiences
controlling acidity through processes like co-pitching sacch when adding fruit, dry-hopping finished sour beer
multi-step fermentations with wine yeasts
employing more potent hops to hold flavor at lower pH levels
avoiding oxidized hop flavors in sour beer through careful barrel preparation
aggressive rousing despite cold dry hop temperatures in hoppy beers
using hops with high survivables on the hot side
maximizing thiols with new yeasts
finding synergies in hops that produce more than just “generic” tropical flavors
the problem with Galaxy hops
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. Contact the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com
Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has the equipment, systems and technology to take your brewery to the next level. Check out www.probrew.com for info on patented ProCarb inline carbonation technology, ProFill rotary filling & seaming can fillers, the Alchemator inline alcohol separation system, 7 – 50bbl Brewhouses and more!
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer
American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com.
ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project.
Perfect Puree (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): Craft the perfect pour with superior fruit from The Perfect Purée. But don’t just take our word for it, experience flavor first-hand by curating your own complimentary sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Samples are complimentary for brewing professionals only.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Oct 25, 2022 • 1h 4min
269: GABF Gold! Deadwords and Wye Hill Talk Winning with Light Lager and Hazy Pale Ale
In this special GABF Gold edition of the podcast, Greg Winget of Wye Hill Brewing in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Alex Sarames of Deadwords Brewing in Orlando discuss their specific (and often unconventional) approaches to their respective gold medal–winning beers.
Winget and Wye Hill won gold with Luminous Beings, a hazy pale ale that uses a variety of current techniques to maximize flavor expression. He discusses:
brewing with 100 percent craft malt
mash-hopping for thiol precursors, character, and as a pH buffer
employing an unusually long whirlpool spin and soak cycle
fermenting at cooler temps with Cosmic Punch
two-stage dry hopping to avoid over-saturation
slow and measured transfers
the importance of soft water
packaging on a very small but low-DO canning line
Meanwhile, Sarames and Deadwords won gold with Bridge, an American light lager with an unusual hop choice. He discusses:
selecting Rahr North Star Pils for its light character
single-infusion mashing
using Vista as the sole hop in the beer
120-minute boils to drive off DMS precursors
switching to BSI’s Andechs Lager strain for fermentation
using the RO system to strip down and rebuild water
maintaining a clean facility
And more!
This episode is brought to you by:
Accubrew (https://accubrew.io): AccuBrew is a revolutionary fermentation analysis tool unlike anything else on the market, giving brewers unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Visit accubrew.io today, for a no obligation 90 day trial!
BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) Need cans? CanCraft has you covered. Get blank, sleeved, and printed aluminum beverage cans with low minimums plus full-service support from design through delivery. Visit bsgcraftbrewing.com/CanCraft for your complete packaging solution.
Clarion (https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N510001.2032703CRAFTBEERANDBREWI/B28313912.342967708;dc_trk_aid=537328070;dc_trk_cid=177806075;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=). Balancing barley and hops is your expertise. Food-grade lubricants is ours. Clarion Food Grade Lubricants meet stringent standards of purity and performance for food and beverage processing, food packaging, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. All Clarion Lubricants are backed by the Clarion warranty, and we work with you to create an efficient lubrication program that helps protect your operation. To learn more, visit ClarionLubricants.com/foodgrade. Clarion Lubricants. The expert that experts trust. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Oct 22, 2022 • 1h 2min
268: Garrett Ward of Sideward Layers Hops of Every Form in American and Hazy IPAs
Garrett Ward of Sideward Brewing in Orlando, Florida loves to tinker and experiment with new hop formats, and whether it’s hazy and juicy IPAs or their fruit-forward-but-structured American iterations (often now fermented with lager yeast), he’s constantly searching for ways to use these concentrated hop products to boost flavor and intensity.
In this episode, he discusses:
Using hazy IPA technique with American IPAs, and vice versa
Adding layers of hop flavors with classic “C” hops in combination with modern citrus and tropical fruit-forward hops
Maximizing the mix of flowable hop products in the whirlpool
Dry hopping with a hop cannon in multiple stages
Building hop blends high in survivable compounds
Maximizing thiols with yeast like Cosmic Punch
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. Contact the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com
Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) Are you ready to Brew Like A Pro? ProBrew has the equipment, systems and technology to take your brewery to the next level. Check out www.probrew.com for info on patented ProCarb inline carbonation technology, ProFill rotary filling & seaming can fillers, the Alchemator inline alcohol separation system, 7 – 50bbl Brewhouses and more!
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer
American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com.
ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project.
Perfect Puree (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): Craft the perfect pour with superior fruit from The Perfect Purée. But don’t just take our word for it, experience flavor first-hand by curating your own complimentary sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Samples are complimentary for brewing professionals only.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Oct 19, 2022 • 1h 10min
267: GABF Gold! Roadmap and Precarious Share Their Approaches to Gold-Medal-Winning Pilsner and Cold IPA
In this special episode of the podcast, we brought together segments with two brewers who both won gold medals at the recent Great American Beer Festival—Dustin Baker of Roadmap Brewing in San Antonio, Texas, and Adrian Garrett, head brewer of Precarious Beer Project in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Baker of Roadmap discusses:
adjusting the malt bill to build malt flavor in despite brewhouse limitations
brewing award-winning pilsner with a single infusion mash and no decoction
building appropriate sulfur character with L28 yeast
slowing down transfers to be gentle with the beer
the importance of fresh ingredients
and more.
Garrett of Precarious discusses:
design inspiration for cold IPA
the flavor contribution of puffed jasmine rice
cool pooling for smoother hop flavor and aroma notes
blending old and new with CTZ, Cascade, Mosaic, and Amarillo
overcoming hop creep with ALDC enzyme
dry hop biotransformation with 34/70 yeast
the importance of packaging and transportation of competition beers
This episode is brought to you by:
Accubrew (https://accubrew.io): AccuBrew is a revolutionary fermentation analysis tool unlike anything else on the market, giving brewers unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. Visit accubrew.io today, for a no obligation 90 day trial!
BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) Need cans? CanCraft has you covered. Get blank, sleeved, and printed aluminum beverage cans with low minimums plus full-service support from design through delivery. Visit bsgcraftbrewing.com/CanCraft for your complete packaging solution.
Clarion (https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N510001.2032703CRAFTBEERANDBREWI/B28313912.342967708;dc_trk_aid=537328070;dc_trk_cid=177806075;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=). Balancing barley and hops is your expertise. Food-grade lubricants is ours. Clarion Food Grade Lubricants meet stringent standards of purity and performance for food and beverage processing, food packaging, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. All Clarion Lubricants are backed by the Clarion warranty, and we work with you to create an efficient lubrication program that helps protect your operation. To learn more, visit ClarionLubricants.com/foodgrade. Clarion Lubricants. The expert that experts trust. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Oct 15, 2022 • 1h 4min
266: Barry Chan of Lucky Envelope is Developing a Chinese-American Voice in Craft Brewing
When Barry Chan and his partner started Lucky Envelope, they were concerned with appearing “too Chinese.” The craft beer world at the time wasn’t ready for that, they thought; they wanted to fit in and not alienate their core clientele. Today, with a GABF medal under their belts in the Munich-style helles category, they’re more comfortable knowing they make classic styles in a compelling way. They’re also exploring more deeply how to connect their Chinese-American heritage—and its culinary traditions—with the broader world of craft beer.
In this episode, Chan discusses how they’ve approached that, including:
locking down base styles before embarking on experimentation
building “smoked” beers using smoked tea as an ingredient
finding effective ways to extract flavors from challenging ingredients
searching for inspiration in unexpected places
ingredients that don’t work in beer
risking failure with ingredients such as durian
creating nuanced beers with habañero and shishito peppers
pushing into European styles such as Czech dark lager
working to increase diversity in craft beer
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. Contact the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com
Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) 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? Check out www.probrew.com to learn more about The Alchemator from ProBrew.
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer
American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com.
ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project.
Perfect Puree (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): Craft the perfect pour with superior fruit from The Perfect Purée. But don’t just take our word for it, experience flavor first-hand by curating your own complimentary sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Samples are complimentary for brewing professionals only.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Oct 11, 2022 • 1h 5min
265: Direct Fire! Firestone Walker Brewmaster Matt Brynildson Takes Listener Brewing Questions
In this “Direct Fire” episode of the podcast, listeners pepper Firestone Walker's Matt Brynildson with questions across the brewing spectrum, including:
The process behind blending recipes for collaborations
Brewing into the "sweet spot" of most styles
Choosing and implementing a lager mashing regimen
How Firestone Walker employs low-oxygen methods in the brewhouse
Key takeaways from Matt's time spent brewing in Belgium
Strategies for selecting and optimizing hops
Managing dry hop timing in hoppy beers
"Neurotically" dry hopping only at night to avoid lightstruck character
The impact of climate change on hop selection and usage
Exciting new hops on the Firestone Walker radar
Using lager yeast to make IPA
And more.
Who would you like to hear on the next direct fire episode? Email podcast@beerandbrewing.com and let us know!
This episode is brought to you by:
Accubrew (https://accubrew.io): AccuBrew is a revolutionary fermentation analysis tool unlike anything else on the market, giving brewers unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. AccuBrew helps brewers confirm consistency and avoid problems from batch to batch. From your smart device you can track and compare sugar conversion, temperature, and clarity, and use that information to continuously improve your process. AccuBrew goes beyond a simple measurement tool. With the AccuBrew system, managing your process and people has never been easier. Visit accubrew.io today, for a no obligation 90 day trial!
BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) Need cans? CanCraft has you covered. Get blank, sleeved, and printed aluminum beverage cans with low minimums plus full-service support from design through delivery. No matter the size of your business, CanCraft’s design & aluminum specialists are here to guide you every step of the way. Visit bsgcraftbrewing.com/CanCraft for your complete packaging solution.
ZBiotics (https://zbiotics.com/BEERANDBREWING): We all have busy lives these days and can’t afford to waste a day stuck on the couch because of a few drinks the night before. ZBiotics is the answer we’ve all been looking for. ZBiotics is the world’s first genetically engineered probiotic invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Give ZBiotics a try for yourself. Go to zbiotics.com/BEERANDBREWING to get 15% off your first order when you use BEERANDBREWING at checkout. ZBiotics is backed with 100% money back guarantee so if you’re unsatisfied for any reason, they’ll refund your money, no questions asked.
Arryved (https://Arryved.com/CBB). Arryved mobile point of sale powers places with personality. Arryved is streamlining business operations for the makers of craft with an all-in-one solution that was built with love by hospitality professionals. No contracts and no monthly fees make Arryved a no brainer for your craft business. Plus, they’re offering a special deal to our listeners: Get 25 percent off all hardware!To redeem, you must launch with Arryved before December 1st, 2022. Go to Arryved.com/CBB to request a free, customized demo. That’s A-r-r-Y-v-e-d dot com forward slash-C-B-B. A different kind of P-O-S has Arryved.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Oct 7, 2022 • 1h 6min
264: Cannonball Creek’s Relentless Pursuit of Improvement
Golden’s Cannonball Creek has won a GABF medal every year since they opened in 2013, and they’ve done so across a wide range of styles—from German-style pils to Belgian-style blonde, stout, and cream ale. But the thing they’re most passionate about, and have won the most medals for, is lower ABV hop-forward beers. Their American pale ale, Featherweight, and session IPA, Trump Hands, have together collected five GABF medals and three World Beer Cup medals (including four golds), but if you think Cannonball Creek is content to rest on their success, you’d be mistaken.
Instead, Hutchinson and Lee employ a practice of constant improvement, and take it to quite the extreme. They’re constantly tweaking recipes, no matter how many accolades a beer has earned, and that change isn’t driven by a lack of performance in competition—winning beers are just as likely to see changes as any other.
In this episode of the podcast, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Great American Beer Festival, Hutchinson and Lee discuss:
finding balance in small hoppy beers
staying intentionally small to brew beers they’re passionate about
modernizing malt bills over the past decade of brewing
the gap between hop utilization calculations, lab tested IBUs, and perceived bitterness
making winning beers without selecting hops
evolving recipes as ingredients and contexts change
mitigating hop creep with ALDC
the traits of highly effective award-winning brewers
And more.
“We are constantly changing our beers, including those that have been successful in competition,” says Hutchinson. “We have beers that have won gold medals, that we have changed significantly, almost completely, and they’ve won again after that, too.”
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D Chillers’ Engineers are committed to green technology design, while developing a more energy efficient chiller for the brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com
Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProFill can fillers use rotary, true-counter-pressure-gravity filling and seaming technology to run at speeds of 100 to 300 cans per minute with less than 30 parts per billion DO pickup and less than 1% product waste at the filler. Email ProBrew at ContactUs@probrew.com today!
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer
American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com.
ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project.
Perfect Puree (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): Craft the perfect pour with superior fruit from The Perfect Purée. But don’t just take our word for it, experience flavor first-hand by curating your own complimentary sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Samples are complimentary for brewing professionals only.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Oct 1, 2022 • 1h 6min
Episode 263: Bale Breaker Brewmaster Kevin Smith Lives the Hop Life
Brewers and hop growers are closer today than they ever have been before, but Bale Breaker—in the Yakima valley town of Moxee—takes that proximity to a level rarely seen in beer. The brewery literally sits on the Loftus Ranch, in the middle of a hop field, with trellises and bines surrounding the production brewery and taproom. Trellises surround the taproom patio. Trellises stretch out from the parking lot. Hops are everywhere, so it’s no surprise that Bale Breaker focuses on hop-forward beers.
Brewmaster Kevin Smith started his brewing career on the other side of the cascade range, in Seattle, before returning to the family farm and joining with his sister and brother-in-law to launch the brewery. But through Bale Breaker, he’s been able to showcase a hop-forward identity that embraces the crop he grew up around. Hoppy West coast and hazy beers are the brewer’s forté, and in this episode, Smith stays focused on hops. In it, he discusses:
building a new approach to West coast IPA and pale ale
understanding the impact of cohumulone levels on bittering
creating unexpected hop blends with underutilized hops like Loral
the sensory range driven by pick time in popular hop varieties like Citra and Mosaic
dry hopping methods that maximize hop flavor and minimize vegetal matter
building a common sensory language in the brewing team
selecting and processing hops from the farm
and more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D Chillers’ Engineers are committed to green technology design, while developing a more energy efficient chiller for the brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com
Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) Check out www.probrew.com for info on patented ProCarb inline carbonation technology, ProFill rotary filling & seaming can fillers, the Alchemator inline alcohol separation system, 7–50bbl brewhouses and more!
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your craft concentrate blends. To get started on a freight quote for craft concentrates today, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer
Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): To learn more about how Fermentis can improve the quality of your fermentation, and for the latest on their exciting new product releases, visit Fermentis.com.
ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project.
Perfect Puree (https://perfectpuree.com/beer): Craft the perfect pour with superior fruit from The Perfect Purée. But don’t just take our word for it, experience flavor first-hand by curating your own complimentary sample box at perfectpuree.com/beer. Samples are complimentary for brewing professionals only.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Sep 24, 2022 • 1h 5min
262: Eric, Claire, and Alex of CLS Farms Discuss the Past, Present, and Future of Hop Farming
The current hot market for hops that has persisted for about a decade now is a bit of a historical blip. From the 60’s through the 00’s, the hop market experienced structural decline as reduced demand for bittering hops and increased alpha acid levels and extraction methods hit growers from both sides. But the craft brewery acceleration around 2012 ushered in a new set of demands and opportunities for hop growers. In the ten years since, growers have planted roughly 18,000 new acres of hops in Washington State, higher prices mean growers finally have the resources to make significant upgrades to farm operations, and the outlook is far different than it appeared just a decade and a half years ago.
But with this comes challenges. The lifespan of fields has shortened dramatically, the cost involved with turning over fields has increased, and the market has become more dynamic than its ever been.
In this episode, Eric Desmarais, his daughter Claire Desmarais, and technical advisor Alex Nowell, discuss the state of the farm right now, including:
changes in harvest timing strategy
the impact of picking time on aroma and flavor
evaluating hop readiness for harvest
the challenging state of the 2022 harvest and what that means for brewers
managing risk in planting new varieties
dialing back speculation on new varieties like Sabro
how to be effective as a brewer when selecting hops
getting through the lag between initial brewer experiments with new hops and sustainable farming volumes
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D Chillers’ Engineers are committed to green technology design, while developing a more energy efficient chiller for the brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com
Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) Still emptying those overflowing wastebins full of low-fills, crushed and damaged cans, or under carbonated beer every canning day? It’s time to Fill Like a Pro with ProFill Can fillers from ProBrew. Email ContactUs@probrew.com today!
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard’s craft concentrate blends mimic straight concentrates but at a better price point—and with more reliable supply. Learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer
Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Hey nano-brewers! Fermentis offers dry ale and lager yeasts in flexible 100g packaging. To learn more about how Fermentis can improve the quality of your fermentation, visit Fermentis.com.
Brewmation (https://brewmation.com/cbbpod): Brewmation specializes in electric, steam, and direct fire brew houses, complete cellar solutions, and automated controls for the craft brewing industry. Visit them at brewmation.com/cbbpod to get started.
Arryved (https://www.arryved.com): Get 25 percent off all hardware when you launch with Arryved before December 1st, 2022. Go to Arryved.com/cbb to set up a free, customized demo.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast