Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Smooj, the heavily-fruited smoothie-like hard seltzer produced by the brewing team at HOMES brewery in Ann Arbor, Michigan, may draw the ire of certain brewing purists, but its approach is captivating consumers across its growing footprint. It flies in the face of conventional logic around hard seltzer, embracing more rather than less—more calories, more flavor, more body. And the novel approach has inspired a growing subcategory of the hard seltzer market as more craft brewers try their hand at similar beverages. But one thing sets Smooj apart—Panchamé and the brewing team are just as passionate about making fruited sour beer (from coolshipped spontaneous brews to pitched mixed culture beers and quick-sour iterations) and that broad-based love of fruit and flavor finds its way into many of their different product expressions. In this episode, HOMES and Smooj head brewer Nick Panchamé shares the brewery's approach to hard seltzer, from fermenting seltzer base to acidity, sweetness, flavor development, and maintaining product integrity in the can. Along the way, Panchamé discusses: taking a culinary approach to flavor development in sour beer and hard seltzer fermenting clean high-gravity seltzer base paying attention to water chemistry in hard seltzer building complex flavors with all real and natural ingredients targeting natural levels of residual sugar and acidity to complement fruit flavor balancing intensity with drinkability in hard seltzer exploring thiol-optimized yeast in hoppy beers brewing with Michigan Chinook and Michigan Copper hops taking a creative approach to lagers with New Zealand hops And more. G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also stands alone as the only chiller manufacturer with an in house team of installers and engineers, with 30 years of real world, field labor experience in breweries, wineries and distilleries. Contact G&D Chillers 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 and seaming can fillers, the Alchemator inline alcohol separation system, 7–50bbl Brewhouses, and more! Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Looking for innovation in your next beverage break-through? 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 Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Looking for a good lager yeast? Fermentis, the obvious choice for beverage fermentation, providing brewers large and small with the most complete portfolio of dry lager yeast available anywhere. 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. Country Malt Group (https://countrymaltgroup.com/the-brewdeck-podcast/): The BrewDeck Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe today! Arryved (https://www.arryved.com): Arryved mobile point of sale powers places with personality. No contracts and no monthly fees make Arryved a no brainer for your craft business. Go to Arryved.com/cbb to set up a free, customized demo.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

How do you as a brewer identify trends, evaluate their potential resonance with your customers, then develop and deploy your own beers in response? This panel discussion with leading Portland brewers Ben Edmunds of Breakside, James Dugan of Great Notion, and Sam Pecoraro of Von Ebert—recorded at Great Notion as part of our most recent New Brewery Accelerator workshop—explores that very question. Along the way, they discuss: separating the signal from the noise in feedback data maintaining a brewery identity despite changing trends considering the consumer and leading with enthusiasm technical processes around developing and testing new ideas developing a palate and means of understanding and deconstructing other beers the arc of imitation and adaptation TTB challenges in using atypical ingredients staff and consumer feedback processes the importance of great front of house staff to explain and promote trendy beers And more. This episode is brought to you by: Accubrew (https://accubrew.io): Step into the modern era of brewing. AccuBrew presents a game changing fermentation monitoring system giving brewers unprecedented, real-time insight into yeast health and activity. By simply mounting a sensor to a port, brewers get real-time information through the AccuBrew app, tracking sugar conversion, temperature, and clarity. And just one AccuBrew sensor protects every tank in the event of a glycol system failure. Get your hands on a tool that will help you deliver your best brew every batch! AccuBrew has your back because it was designed for you, the brewer, by brewers. Visit accubrew.io today, for a no obligation 90 day trial! BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) This episode brought to you by Rahr Malting Co., celebrating 175 years of the “malt of reputation.” Since 1847, Rahr malt has been a benchmark of quality and consistency for brewers everywhere. Now offering dextrin malt to help you boost mouthfeel and haze in your IPA, or to show off a jiggly foam stand on a pils. Available exclusively through BSG at bsgcraftbrewing.com. G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also stands alone as the only chiller manufacturer with an in house team of installers and engineers, with 30 years of real world, field labor experience in breweries, wineries and distilleries. Contact the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Light lager may not be the style most brewers are passionate about, but it’s one that many people drink. Long dominated by macro brewers and beers lightened by corn and rice adjuncts, it’s a competition category that fewer craft brewers have found success in. But for Andy Hooper, former brewmaster of Seismic Brewing in Santa Rosa, California, the beer style was ripe for craft reinvention. A very technically-minded brewer, Hooper had built out the brewhouse and cellar to allow for a fine degree of control, but the process of dialing in light lager using organic malt that was grown and malted in California by craft maltsters required quite a bit of fine tuning. In this episode, Hooper discusses: designing a brewery with wastewater reclamation and sustainability at its core connecting with craft maltsters and modifying stock malting processes for lightness and flavor committing to minimalist brewing with a focus on ingredients hot side process and constantly monitoring pH specific lautering parameters geared toward clean light lager gentle ingredient handling to minimize any distracting flavors controlled aeration developing a nitrogen-based process for breaking up hop cones for fresh-hopped lager And more. _Note- after this episode was recorded, Andy resigned from Seismic Brewing, hence the designation as "former" Seismic brewmaster. _ G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D Chillers new Micro Channel Condensers! G&D’s Micro Channel Condensers are highly efficient in hotter regions, use a fraction of the refrigerant over traditional chillers which provides less opportunity for leaks along with lower global warming potential. 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. Email ContactUs@ProBrew.com for more information on ProFill Can fillers from ProBrew. Probrew is a subsidiary of TechniBlend, now a ProMach brand. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Looking for innovation in your next beverage break-through? 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 Fermentis (https://fermentis.com): Hey nano-brewers! Fermentis will soon be offering our dry ale and lager yeasts in flexible 100g packaging. 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. Country Malt Group (https://countrymaltgroup.com/the-brewdeck-podcast/): The secret is out and Canada Malting Co.'s newest malt is here! Introducing Euro-Pils, made from the finest overseas low-protein barley available. Contact Country Malt Group to try Euro-Pils in your next brew. Arryved (https://www.arryved.com): Arryved mobile point of sale powers places with personality. No contracts and no monthly fees make Arryved a no brainer for your craft business. Go to Arryved.com/cbb to set up a free, customized demo.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Bob Slack and Justin Teff, co-head brewers of Pulpit Rock, discuss their process of achieving great results with adjunct-forward and barrel-aged beers. Topics include removing roasted barley, triple mashing, driving 'plushness' through low attenuation, toasting nuts and coconut, matching tank size to adjunct volume, using offbeat ingredients, and more. They also explore the creative process, barrel aging techniques, and infusing beer with adjuncts. The importance of balance and quality ingredients is emphasized.

Rob Tod and Jason Perkins from Allagash Brewing, along with Vinny Cilurzo from Russian River, dive deep into the fascinating world of spontaneous brewing. They share captivating stories from the early days of American spontaneous fermentation and discuss the unique sensory profiles of their beers. The trio explores the art of blending characterful base beers, the challenges of aging hops, and the environmental factors that impact fermentation. They emphasize the significance of connecting these artisanal brews to consumers, making for a rich and enlightening conversation.

Join Zack Frasher, co-owner and head brewer at Slice Beer Company, known for his award-winning West Coast and hazy IPAs, as he dives into the world of hoppy beers. He shares his innovative brewing techniques, focusing on optimizing hop expression and water treatment for IPAs. Zack discusses balancing different malt bases, blending yeast for hazy IPAs, and the small details that elevate a beer's quality. With accolades from prestigious competitions, he reveals the art of brewing that transforms good beers into great ones!

Wild Card head brewer Jaega Wise loves breaking down difficult problems with no-nonsense solutions. An early career in chemical engineering gave her the understanding of brewing mechanics that she uses today to hone processes and simplify the brewery’s approach to beer making, yet she remains constantly pragmatic and encouraging. In this episode, she joins the podcast on the occasion of the U.S. release of her new book, Wild Brews. Through the conversation, she discusses: growing up and attending university just down the road from Burton-on-Trent the challenges of brewing a 2.7 percent ABV, hop-forward, New England–inspired table pale ale differences in British and American drinking culture tackling similar hop flavors and body in a nonalcoholic IPA the delicate handling and food-safety concerns of NA beer good haze vs. bad haze fundamental questions all brewers should ask themselves combining different yeast strains to ferment hazy beers using dried yeast making wild beer accessible working with various fruits And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): What if you could chill your beer with a more efficient chiller? The Answer? G&D Chillers new Micro Channel Condensers! G&D’s Micro Channel Condensers are highly efficient in hotter regions, use a fraction of the refrigerant over traditional chillers which provides less opportunity for leaks along with lower global warming potential. 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 BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) This episode brought to you by BSG and Rahr Malting Co., the home of fossil-free malt. Rahr’s headquarters in Shakopee, Minnesota is powered by renewable electricity. Malthouses and kilns are fed by an electrostatic boiler fueled by agricultural byproducts, much of which is waste from the malting process. By eliminating the use of natural gas, Rahr Malting Co. reduces CO2 emissions by 260,000 tons per year while filling 25% of the US brewing industry’s malt needs. Put the power of Rahr Malt in your beer at go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Is your brewery struggling to source or afford berry ingredients? Historic heatwaves devastated U.S. berry crops, causing supply to dwindle and prices to skyrocket. That’s why brewers are switching over to Old Orchard’s craft concentrate blends, which mimic straight concentrates but at a better price point—and with more reliable supply. Is it any surprise that Old Orchard’s best-sellers are Raspberry and Blackberry flavors? Reclaim your margins and order your craft concentrates at oldorchard.com/brewer Arryved (https://www.arryved.com): 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. Go to Arryved.com, forward slash CBB to set up a free, customized demo. That's A-r-r-Y-v-e-d dot com, forward slash CBB. A different kind of P-O-S has Arryved. Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Eric Toft, Brewmaster at Private Landbrauerei Schönram since 1998, shares his passion for perfecting lager. With a focus on consistency and drinkability, he discusses the art of blending hops for year-to-year uniformity and the importance of working with family-run maltsters for quality. Toft dives into techniques like open fermentation and using decoction mashing to enhance flavors. He also highlights the significance of water treatment and adjusting mash steps depending on barley specs, all while celebrating the craft behind traditional German brewing.

Winning medals isn’t everything in brewing, but it sure can help. Seeking out that external validation from a panel of peer judges is often more frustrating than it is rewarding, but that’s by design. It’s hard to win, and it should be. For Ryan and Jacque Fields of Wild Fields Brewhouse, their hyper-focus on improving their odds of winning paid off big at the 2022 World Beer Cup, and the young brewery walked away with four gold medals. In this episode, they share some of the background and philosophy behind their competition strategy, including how they choose categories to enter, and optimizing individual beers to appeal to the widest range of judges. In addition, the Fieldses discuss: building a family-friendly brewery taproom the ins and outs of American and English-style brown ale malt selection for brown ales optimizing water chemistry to take beers from good to great employing contemporary techniques such as whirlpool hopping in classic styles the approach to making funky wild ales that Fields developed at Beachwood Blendery unlocking the funk with aged hops building a hop-tolerant mixed culture that develops acidity slowly packaging for competitions 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. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also stands alone as the only chiller manufacturer with an in house team of installers and engineers, with 30 years of real world, field labor experience in breweries, wineries and distilleries. Contact the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) This episode is brought to you by BSG, exclusive distributors of Rahr Malting Co. Since 1847, Rahr malt has been a benchmark of quality and consistency for brewers, from the 19th century through today’s craft beer pioneers. Whether you’re creating classic lagers, resin-clouded hazies, or barrel-aged behemoths, inspired malts like Rahr North Star Pils, Malted Oats, and more are here to make your brewing dreams a reality. Get in touch today at go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Supply chain challenges are here to stay for a while, so why not trust the experts to handle freight for your ingredients? Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your craft concentrate blends. When you order two pails or more of concentrate from Old Orchard, you qualify for freight quotes from various carriers and can stay up-to-date on the status of your shipment. To get started on a freight quote for craft concentrates today, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer. Arryved (https://www.arryved.com): As craft beer’s most trusted point of sale system, Arryved is the mobile, all-in-one solution you need to decrease service friction and increase guest satisfaction. With a full suite of craft-specific features, no contracts, and no monthly fees, Arryved provides the necessary tools to help your brewery grow. Go to Arryved.com/cbb to set up a free, customized demo. Remember, there is no “i” in Arryved. Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com The carrot dog was good, wasn't it Jim?Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

New Zealand’s population is smaller than the state of Colorado, but country’s exports have had an outsized impact on craft beer over the past decade. From hops such as Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, and Riwaka, to the cutting-edge thiol-optimized Phantasm powder, New Zealand has made undeniable contributions to the flavor evolution of American IPA over the past decade. Jos Ruffell, cofounder of the Wellington-based Garage Project, has had a front seat for his country’s evolution from craft beer follower to craft beer influencer. An avowed geek whose pivotal beer experience involved Pliny the Elder, Ruffell and partner Pete Gillespie founded the brewery with Pete’s brother Ian in 2011. Their goal was to tap into the creative energy they felt from influential independent breweries half a world away. Today, they’ve become creative drivers, pushing exploration with their local hops, developing new ways of creating signature Southern Hemisphere thiol-driven flavors, and embracing dramatic service strategies in public-facing events. In this episode, cofounder Jos Ruffell discusses: engaging with ingredients as any chef or brewer should bringing transformational growth to the NZ hop industry through the Hāpi Research center using less glamorous but incredibly important supporting hops in blends maximizing for thiols using a variety of brewing techniques thiol stability and expression in fermentation phantasm powder and the variety of ways to use it in the brewing process the entourage effect between thiols and terpenes the outsized impact of thiol optimization in combination with other hops considering texture and time in beer flavor experience And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): What if you could chill your beer with a more efficient chiller? The Answer? G&D Chillers new Micro Channel Condensers! G&D’s Micro Channel Condensers are highly efficient in hotter regions, use a fraction of the refrigerant over traditional chillers which provides less opportunity for leaks along with lower global warming potential. 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 BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Support for this episode comes from BSG. Support for this episode comes from Hop Solutions by BSG. The Hop Solutions portfolio is a joint effort between the brewers, hop specialists, and brewing scientists of BSG and the Rahr Technical Center that takes a flavor-first, application-specific approach to hops. Whether you’re seeking biotransformation in a juicy IPA or dialing in a classic West Coast profile, BSG has a Hop Solution for that. Get in touch with the hop nerds at BSG by emailing LetsTalkHops@bsgcraft.com for samples, spots, and contracts. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Looking for innovation in your next beverage break-through? Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. Even smoothie seltzers can benefit from the extra boost of flavor and color. Old Orchard is based in the Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area—also known as Beer City, USA—and supplies craft beverage categories ranging from beer, wine, and cider to seltzer, spirits, and kombucha. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer Arryved (https://www.arryved.com): 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. Go to Arryved.com, forward slash CBB to set up a free, customized demo. That's A-r-r-Y-v-e-d dot com, forward slash CBB. A different kind of P-O-S has Arryved. Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast