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Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

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Sep 14, 2020 • 1h 24min

152: Matt Riggs of Riggs Beer Goes Grain-to-Glass With Estate-Grown Ingredients and Six-Row Malt

For Matt Riggs, the drive to open a brewery on their family farm in central Illinois was driven by two passions—a desire to sustain the farm into future generations by adding value to their crops beyond typical commodity pricing, and a love of the German brewing tradition fostered by years spent there studying brewing (and brewing professionally). As farmers, the Riggs family has a special love for the agricultural side of brewing, and now grows 60 acres of barley, wheat, and corn that they malt nearby and use in their various beers. In this episode, Riggs discusses: the ins and outs of six row barley, and how they use it in their American lager the origins of their low-oil corn variety, and the gelatinization process necessary when brewing with unprocessed corn yields and varieties for their various brewing crops how they efficiently accommodate out-of-spec grains in the brewing process the cost, challenge, and philosophical background to vertical integration brewhouse strategies for achieving classic characteristics like head retention in American lager supplementing with two-row barley when seasonal variations require it and much more From field to fermenter, Riggs Beer Company has focused on a tight integration between agronomics, farming, beer design, and brewing technique. In this detailed conversation, Matt Riggs explores the various ways each impacts each other. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jacks Abby, Samuel Adams, and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at Gdchillers.com BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Third in the new BSG Hops Solutions portfolio, HS-1228 takes you all the way to the heart of the West Coast. HS-1228 is bursting with pronounced tropical fruit like mango, pineapple, citrus, and pine characteristics that bring out a classic West Coast hop character. Designed for late kettle or dry hop for various hop-forward styles. Learn more about BSG Hop Solutions online at bsgcraftbrewing.com, and look for more BSG Hop Solutions releases coming soon! Mountain Rose Herbs (https://mountainroseherbs.com): This episode is brought to you by Mountain Rose Herbs, purveyors of the highest quality, organic herbs, spices, and teas. Whether you want to add depth to your next golden tripel with classic notes of cinnamon, pepper and clove, or artfully layer exotic, zesty grains of paradise into a perfect ale, adding botanicals to your brewing is an easy way to customize a delicious flavor profile. Mountain Rose Herbs has been providing organic herbs and spices to chefs, herbalists, and dedicated brewers for more than three decades. Learn more at mountainroseherbs.com and get 10% off of your first order with the code “craftbeer10”. Grandstand (https://egrandstand.com/catalog/category/view/id/179): Grandstand is your source for the latest trends in branded drinkware, apparel and promotional items. We make your job easy by serving as your one-stop-shop for everything you need to outfit your taproom and fans. Current trends include to-go drinkware, tie dye prints and portable coolers. Visit egrandstand.com/lookbook to see what’s trending. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
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Sep 7, 2020 • 1h 8min

151: Author Chris Colby on How to Make (Good) Hard Seltzer

Chris Colby has been writing about brewing process and techniques for the better part of two decades. His new book from Brewers Publications, How to Make Hard Seltzer, sheds light on the rapidly evolving practice of making this fermented sparkling beverage. More akin to meadmaking than brewing, the process of making hard seltzer will be familiar to most brewers, but with notable key differences that can make or break the finished product. In this episode, Colby walks through the basics—water, sugar, yeast selection, fermentation process and nutrients, clean up, flavoring, and carbonating—with insights from professional brewers on what does and doesn't work. He digs into worst-case scenarios and how to troubleshoot issues that arise through the process, from stalled fermentations to sludge after fining. Love 'em or hate 'em, hard seltzers are a trend that brewers should at least understand. Making them poses challenges both new and familiar, even for experienced brewers. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jacks Abby, Samuel Adams, and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at Gdchillers.com BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Brewers seeking amplifying malt and distillers hunting down delicious base options welcome Gambrinus Rye Malt as their malt choice. This Rye Malt gives spicy, grainy, and bready notes with suggestions of vanilla and sweet dough. It strengthens mouthfeel, viscosity, and head retention combined with flaked oats or wheat for IPAs, and is a solid base for a wide range of distilled spirits. Learn more about Gambrinus Rye Malt at bsgcraftbrewing.com, or contact BSG at 1.800.374.2739. Mountain Rose Herbs (https://mountainroseherbs.com): This episode is brought to you by Mountain Rose Herbs, purveyors of the highest quality, organic herbs, spices, and teas. Whether you want to add depth to your next golden tripel with classic notes of cinnamon, pepper and clove, or artfully layer exotic, zesty grains of paradise into a perfect ale, adding botanicals to your brewing is an easy way to customize a delicious flavor profile. Mountain Rose Herbs has been providing organic herbs and spices to chefs, herbalists, and dedicated brewers for more than three decades. Learn more at mountainroseherbs.com and get 10% off of your first order with the code “craftbeer10”. Grandstand (https://egrandstand.com/catalog/category/view/id/179): Grandstand is your source for the latest trends in branded drinkware, apparel and promotional items. We make your job easy by serving as your one-stop-shop for everything you need to outfit your taproom and fans. Current trends include to-go drinkware, tie dye prints and portable coolers. Visit egrandstand.com/lookbook to see what’s trending. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
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Aug 28, 2020 • 1h 18min

150: Christian DeBenedetti of Wolves and People is Bringing Brewing Back to His Roots

Wolves and People founder Christian DeBenedetti wrote about beer for years as a journalist before taking the leap and founding the brewery on the family farm where he grew up in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. While the brewery is small—they produced fewer than 400 barrels of beer in 2019—they’ve focused on beers that reflect place from the very start. One of their most active focuses is yeast, and they’ve captured and developed multiple yeast strains from the property—first from a plum tree, and later from the hive of bees that DeBenedetti brought to the farm for honey and pollination as well as yeast cultivation. Here, he discusses the process of capturing then testing and isolating the strains, one of which is now available as a beta yeast from The Yeast Bay. The next big project underway now involves estate-grown barley, to be planted next year on a plot next to the brewery. He talks about the progress of that program, from variety selection to soil prep, farming strategies, and malting process. Closing the loop between brewing and agriculture is on many brewers’ minds, and Wolves and People is bringing the two ever closer. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jacks Abby, Samuel Adams, and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at Gdchillers.com BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): 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 them at 1.800.374.2739. Mountain Rose Herbs (https://mountainroseherbs.com): This episode is brought to you by Mountain Rose Herbs, purveyors of the highest quality, organic herbs, spices, and teas. Whether you want to add depth to your next golden tripel with classic notes of cinnamon, pepper and clove, or artfully layer exotic, zesty grains of paradise into a perfect ale, adding botanicals to your brewing is an easy way to customize a delicious flavor profile. Mountain Rose Herbs has been providing organic herbs and spices to chefs, herbalists, and dedicated brewers for more than three decades. Learn more at mountainroseherbs.com and get 10% off of your first order with the code “craftbeer10”. Grandstand (https://egrandstand.com/catalog/category/view/id/179): Grandstand is your source for the latest trends in branded drinkware, apparel and promotional items. We make your job easy by serving as your one-stop-shop for everything you need to outfit your taproom and fans. Current trends include to-go drinkware, tie dye prints and portable coolers. Visit egrandstand.com/lookbook to see what’s trending. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
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Aug 21, 2020 • 1h 2min

149: KC Bier's Karlton Graham and Steve Holle Brew Lagers With Reverence

For KC Bier Company Founder Steve Holle and Head Brewer Karlton Graham, the goal is to make lagers that just “taste right.” As students who’ve studied in German brewing programs and who’ve traveled widely through the country tasting beers and picking brewers’ brains, they set about to create that experience of German beer for their hometown market in Kansas City. Their precision and devotion has won them accolades and fans who appreciate their attention to detail in ingredient selection and process. In this lager-focused episode, the two discuss the ways they build just enough, but not too much, character in their delicate lagers. From dialing in ideal gravities to reducing trace notes of vegetal character by using type 45 hops, they’ve found small ways to make the beers better. They decoct, of course, and spund tanks for natural carbonation—all part of today’s standard lager playbook. However, they offer a vivid reminder that lager brewing isn’t about making beers disappear, it’s about that precarious balance between flavor, simplicity, and drinkability. Their home state is known for its large-scale production of American light lager, but don’t confuse their helles for one of these minimal flavor domestic lagers. “There’s such a mindset that a pale lager has to be really light in body—people compare it to a domestic lager and there’s something wrong with it if it has any flavor at all,” says Holle. “But helles is my favorite beer that we make, and I like it because it’s a malty beer. It’s pale malt, and a pale beer can be malty and round and full and flavorful.” *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jacks Abby, Samuel Adams, and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at Gdchillers.com BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): 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 them at 1.800.374.2739. Mountain Rose Herbs (https://mountainroseherbs.com): This episode is brought to you by Mountain Rose Herbs, purveyors of the highest quality, organic herbs, spices, and teas. Whether you want to add depth to your next golden tripel with classic notes of cinnamon, pepper and clove, or artfully layer exotic, zesty grains of paradise into a perfect ale, adding botanicals to your brewing is an easy way to customize a delicious flavor profile. Mountain Rose Herbs has been providing organic herbs and spices to chefs, herbalists, and dedicated brewers for more than three decades. Learn more at mountainroseherbs.com and get 10% off of your first order with the code “craftbeer10”. Grandstand (https://egrandstand.com/catalog/category/view/id/179): Grandstand is your source for the latest trends in branded drinkware, apparel and promotional items. We make your job easy by serving as your one-stop-shop for everything you need to outfit your taproom and fans. Current trends include to-go drinkware, tie dye prints and portable coolers. Visit egrandstand.com/lookbook to see what’s trending. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
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Aug 14, 2020 • 1h 13min

148: Stan Hieronymus on New Developments in the World of Hops

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® contributor Stan Hieronymus, author of For the Love of Hops and Brewing Local, joins the podcast for an in-depth look at the hop industry, trends in hop use, new hops entering the commercial market, and more. Along the way, he covers: Hop agricultural trends past and present, and their impact on the overall hop market Lessons from the hop crash of 2007-08 New and forthcoming varietals from various breeding programs around the world Current research on hop creep and factors influencing it Alternate kilning routines to minimize hop creep The impact of hop varieties and years on hop creep Reusing hops in the brewhouse Essential oil and alpha/beta acid impact when reusing hops The historical tradition of hop reuse New Southern Hemisphere hops development and new releases This may be the hoppiest episode we’ve ever recorded—quadruple-hopped for intense hop character, but soft and juicy and never bitter. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jacks Abby, Samuel Adams, and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at Gdchillers.com BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): 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 them at 1.800.374.2739. Mountain Rose Herbs (https://mountainroseherbs.com): This episode is brought to you by Mountain Rose Herbs, purveyors of the highest quality, organic herbs, spices, and teas. Whether you want to add depth to your next golden tripel with classic notes of cinnamon, pepper and clove, or artfully layer exotic, zesty grains of paradise into a perfect ale, adding botanicals to your brewing is an easy way to customize a delicious flavor profile. Mountain Rose Herbs has been providing organic herbs and spices to chefs, herbalists, and dedicated brewers for more than three decades. Learn more at mountainroseherbs.com and get 10% off of your first order with the code “craftbeer10”. Grandstand (https://egrandstand.com/catalog/category/view/id/179): Grandstand is your source for the latest trends in branded drinkware, apparel and promotional items. We make your job easy by serving as your one-stop-shop for everything you need to outfit your taproom and fans. Current trends include to-go drinkware, tie dye prints and portable coolers. Visit egrandstand.com/lookbook to see what’s trending. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
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Aug 7, 2020 • 1h 15min

147: Resident Culture's Chris Tropeano Gets Honest About Hazy IPA, Berliner, and Craft Lager

Chris Tropeano, known to friends as "Tropes," dislikes more of his beer than he likes. It's not that it's not good beer, but as the head brewer for Resident Culture, he can't not focus on the small things that he should have done better. There are always things to improve, or tweaks that could produce a more characterful or cohesive beer. But it's that constant focus on improvement that has helped catapult Resident Culture to a respected position among fellow Southeastern craft brewers over their relatively short three years of existence. In this episode, Tropes discusses honestly evaluating beer, fixing the problems that often arise when brewing hazy IPAs, dealing with harsh hops astringency from high hopping loads, building brewhouse and cellar processes to deal with variances in hops quality, structuring hazy IPAs with edgy notes for contrast, and managing "hop stank." “The cool dry hop works really well if you have great hops and you’re sure that they’re going to produce a really good beer," says Tropes. "But if you’re ever unsure, we’ve found that a little active fermentation dry hopping can really transform hops that might not really speak to you out of the bag. It’s an insurance policy on hops that you’re not 100% on.” The conversation turns to traditional Berliner weisse, as Tropes explains their mixed culture approach to Berliner and the benefits—like incredible head retention—along with ways they speed up and pump the brakes on developing acidity. Later, the conversation turns to lagers, and he shares the ways their processes have evolved from spunding to krausening, along with the way they've incorporated seasonally-available malts into their lagers for the best possible flavor. G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jacks Abby, Samuel Adams, and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at Gdchillers.com BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): 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 them at 1.800.374.2739. Brewmation (https://www.brewmation.com/): With nearly 20 years of innovation and experience, Brewmation specializes in electric, steam, and direct fire brew houses, complete cellar solutions, and automated controls for the craft brewing industry. From ½ barrel to 30 barrel systems, Brewmation puts you in control to design a brewery that fits your needs and brewing style. Whether you’re starting a new brewery, upgrading your cellar, or just need some parts to keep you up and running, Brewmation has you covered. Visit them at Brewmation.com to get started. Grandstand (https://egrandstand.com/catalog/category/view/id/179): Grandstand is your source for the latest trends in branded drinkware, apparel and promotional items. We make your job easy by serving as your one-stop-shop for everything you need to outfit your taproom and fans. Current trends include to-go drinkware, tie dye prints and portable coolers. Visit egrandstand.com/lookbook to see what’s trending. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
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Jul 31, 2020 • 1h 18min

146: The Nuances and Complexities of Malt, with Richard Simpson of Simpson's Malt

The story of malt—from seed to field and harvesting, through the malting and kilning process, and into the tuns of brewers—is far more rich and varied than one might expect when looking at a bag of grain. In this episode, the fifth generation head of family-owned Simpsons Malt, Richard Simpson, sheds light on that story, discussing malt's life cycle in depth. From the agronomic development of barley varieties to the background of popular varieties such as Golden Promise and Maris Otter, Simpson talks about what it takes to make barley varieties work (from farmer to malthouse to brewer), the ways in which they support agronomic diversity and brewing history, the impacts of specific malts in finished beers, the importance of sustaining heritage barley varieties that would otherwise fall out of favor with a purely agronomic-focused industry, and more. The malting process itself is more involved and complex than most realize—like brewing, it’s more than just pushing buttons on a machine and taking whatever comes out the other side. Simpson discusses the unique ways in which they’ve designed and built their malthouse to accomplish certain goals. He celebrates the art and craft of master maltsters as they make process decisions that depend on crop year or differences in terroir, or they blend smaller batches of specialty roast malts for greater consistency. In every brewing tradition, ingredients impact the development of beer styles, and that’s true whether the locale is Germany, Belgium, the UK, or the US. Here, Simpson talks about the ways that the unique flavors inherent in British malts have led to British beer tasting the way it does, and how brewers everywhere can use that in their own creative brewing pursuits. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): As the brewing industry’s premier choice for glycol chilling, G&D Chillers has set the standard on quality, service, and dedication to their customer’s craft. For 25 years G&D has led the way on innovative solutions that match their brewing customers immediate and future needs. With a wide selection of custom built chillers; G&D offers the Nano chiller, the perfect solution for Nano breweries all the way up to their larger capacity units like the Vertical Air Chiller, built for higher volume operations. Contact G&D Chillers today for your chiller sizing needs at 800.555.0973. Reach out online at Gdchillers.com BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Third in the new BSG Hops Solutions portfolio, HS-1228 takes you all the way to the heart of the West Coast. HS-1228 is bursting with pronounced tropical fruit like mango, pineapple, citrus, and pine characteristics that bring out a classic West Coast hop character. Designed for late kettle or dry hop for various hop-forward styles. Learn more about BSG Hop Solutions online, and look for more BSG Hop Solutions releases coming soon! Brewmation (https://www.brewmation.com/): With nearly 20 years of innovation and experience, Brewmation specializes in electric, steam, and direct fire brew houses, complete cellar solutions, and automated controls for the craft brewing industry. From ½ barrel to 30 barrel systems, Brewmation puts you in control to design a brewery that fits your needs and brewing style. Whether you’re starting a new brewery, upgrading your cellar, or just need some parts to keep you up and running, Brewmation has you covered. Visit them at Brewmation.com to get started. Grandstand (https://egrandstand.com/catalog/category/view/id/179): Grandstand is your source for the latest trends in branded drinkware, apparel and promotional items. We make your job easy by serving as your one-stop-shop for everything you need to outfit your taproom and fans. Current trends include to-go drinkware, tie dye prints and portable coolers. Visit egrandstand.com/lookbook to see what’s trending. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
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Jul 24, 2020 • 57min

145: Stephen Kirby of Hogshead Has Some Strong Opinions on Cask Ale

“When we opened, everyone said ‘You can’t open a brewery with three beers,’” says Hogshead founder Stephen Kirby. “And I think the answer to that is ‘You can if they’re good ones.’ I think the truth’s out—I only make three beers. You’ve got guys who want to make everything. I make bitter, I make porter, I make mild.” That approach of doing only a few things but with an obsessive focus is highly unusual in today's beer market, where everyone seems to want everything, all the time. But Kirby is straightforward about his motivations—he’s in it to brew the beer that he loves and wants to drink. True to his British roots, that beer is what he grew up with—traditional cask ales. Kirby doesn’t hold back, sharing his views on a wide range of subjects, including: Why brewers should have the “bollocks” to name beers what they are Selecting hop varieties for balance in flavor and aroma Underpitching English strains at slightly lower temperatures for proper yeast flavors Innovation versus tradition British versus American takes on IPA How carbonic acid impacts hops bitterness Building small beers with big body while avoiding the impression of sweetness How water chemistry affects English beer styles Mash regimens to benefit head retention Using controlled oxidation through the life of a beer to tell a story “I brew the beer that I love, and I invite you come come over and have a pint,” Kirby says. “As a business model, it sucks, but it’s good for the soul. If you’re not making the beer you love, why the fuck are you doing it?” This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jack's Abby, Samuel Adams and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at GDChillers.com. BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Third in the new BSG Hops Solutions portfolio, HS-1228 takes you all the way to the heart of the West Coast. HS-1228 is bursting with pronounced tropical fruit like mango, pineapple, citrus, and pine characteristics that bring out a classic West Coast hop character. Designed for late kettle or dry hop for various hop-forward styles. Learn more about BSG Hop Solutions online, and look for more BSG Hop Solutions releases coming soon! Brewmation (https://www.brewmation.com/): With nearly 20 years of innovation and experience, Brewmation specializes in electric, steam, and direct fire brew houses, complete cellar solutions, and automated controls for the craft brewing industry. From ½ barrel to 30 barrel systems, Brewmation puts you in control to design a brewery that fits your needs and brewing style. Whether you’re starting a new brewery, upgrading your cellar, or just need some parts to keep you up and running, Brewmation has you covered. Visit them at Brewmation.com to get started. Spike Brewing (https://spikebrewing.com/craft): Born out of a basement in Milwaukee a decade ago, Spike has grown to become a leading manufacturer of premium-quality brewing equipment. So, if you’re looking for a reliable system for home or a commercial-grade Nano for your brewery, this is the time to buy! Spike is offering CB&B listeners a special 10% off all three-vessel system purchases, while supplies last. Visit spikebrewing.com/craft and enter the code CBB at checkout. Spike Brewing—pursue what’s possible. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
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Jul 17, 2020 • 1h 16min

144: Cellarmaker’s Tim Sciascia and Connor Casey Discuss Evaluating Hops, Brewing Hazy West Coast IPA, and More

Connor Casey and Tim Sciascia of San Francisco’s Cellarmaker Brewing have a well-earned reputation among peers as savants when it comes to hops. From the colorful descriptive language they’ve developed for describing hop attributes, to the tightly iterated processes around blending hops lots, they’ve developed ideas and techniques around hops use that has influenced the way other brewers now brew. In this episode, they share some of that hard-earned hops knowledge, touching on a wide range of subjects including: Approaching brewing like certain chefs approach cooking, with inspiring ingredients that value quality and experience over consistency Building beers around unique lots of hops, with specific and unrepeatable flavors Selecting hops for “grit” that will punch harder in a beer Understanding how stored hops evolve and change throughout the year, even under cold storage, never producing the same beer twice The impact of hops processing on the expression of hops flavors Understanding “bag appeal” and how it’s not a perfect indicator of hops flavors in finished beer Working with challenging Southern hemisphere hops The all-or-nothing nature of Sabro Making difficult decisions to throw away expensive hops that don’t meet expectations and more “The beer you drink in March with all the hops that were harvested six months ago—you will never experience that exact flavor even with those same lots of everything, same brewer, same system,” says Casey. “If you [make and] drink that same beer in September, it is not the same. [Hops] are evolving. Some varieties might get better, some just get different. That moment is fleeting, so enjoy that experience.” This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jack's Abby, Samuel Adams and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at GDChillers.com. BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Gambrinus Rye! Brewers seeking amplifying malt and distillers hunting down delicious base options welcome Gambrinus Rye Malt as their malt choice. This Rye Malt gives spicy, grainy, and bready notes with suggestions of vanilla and sweet dough. It strengthens mouthfeel, viscosity, and head retention combined with flaked oats or wheat for IPAs, and is a solid base for a wide range of distilled spirits. Learn more about Gambrinus Rye Malt at bsgcraftbrewing.com, or contact BSG at 1.800.374.2739. Brewmation (https://www.brewmation.com/): With nearly 20 years of innovation and experience, Brewmation specializes in electric, steam, and direct fire brew houses, complete cellar solutions, and automated controls for the craft brewing industry. From ½ barrel to 30 barrel systems, Brewmation puts you in control to design a brewery that fits your needs and brewing style. Whether you’re starting a new brewery, upgrading your cellar, or just need some parts to keep you up and running, Brewmation has you covered. Visit them at Brewmation.com to get started. Spike Brewing (https://spikebrewing.com/craft): Born out of a basement in Milwaukee a decade ago, Spike has grown to become a leading manufacturer of premium-quality brewing equipment. So, if you’re looking for a reliable system for home or a commercial-grade Nano for your brewery, this is the time to buy! Spike is offering CB&B listeners a special 10% off all three-vessel system purchases, while supplies last. Visit spikebrewing.com/craft and enter the code CBB at checkout. Spike Brewing—pursue what’s possible. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast
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Jul 11, 2020 • 1h 12min

143: New Anthem's Aaron Skiles on Learning Through Problem Solving with Hazy IPA

Wilmington, North Carolina’s New Anthem Beer Project has become a force in the world of hazy IPA through their creative and meticulous approach to ingredient quality and process integrity. In this episode, Aaron Skiles breaks down their approach, from ingredient sourcing and evaluation, working with vendors to improve ingredient quality and pinpoint ideal hops lots, building a muscle memory in the team’s olfactory systems for consistency when rubbing hops, making the difficult decision to not make beloved brands when a season’s hop quality isn’t up to expectation, mixing different lots of the same hop to build depth and character, and more. The conversation turns to process, as Skiles discusses the challenges of Australian hops like Galaxy and Vic’s Secret, why they’ve moved away from cryo hops, using unusual hops for bittering, why higher IBUs make for better hazy IPAs, their move to later dry hopping at cooler temperatures in more frequent additions of smaller amounts, hops creep horror stories, and the haze stability that comes from pushing lower mash and boil pH levels. New Anthem is making some of the most captivating hazy IPAs in the world right now, and this episode is a glimpse into what makes them special. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jack's Abby, Samuel Adams and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at GDChillers.com. BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Haze for days in your IPAs! Kerry BioHaze from BSG adds that perfect stable cloudy appearance for your hazy recipe. Made with all-natural materials, BioHaze is a free-flowing microgranular powder that binds with protein molecules in beer that form polyphenol-protein complexes to produce a cloudy haze. This unique product can be added to final beer to give your beer that famous haze. Find out more about BioHaze at bsgcraftbrewing.com, or contact them at 1.800.374.2739. Brewmation (https://www.brewmation.com/): With nearly 20 years of innovation and experience, Brewmation specializes in electric, steam, and direct fire brew houses, complete cellar solutions, and automated controls for the craft brewing industry. From ½ barrel to 30 barrel systems, Brewmation puts you in control to design a brewery that fits your needs and brewing style. Whether you’re starting a new brewery, upgrading your cellar, or just need some parts to keep you up and running, Brewmation has you covered. Visit them at Brewmation.com to get started. Spike Brewing (https://spikebrewing.com/craft): Born out of a basement in Milwaukee a decade ago, Spike has grown to become a leading manufacturer of premium-quality brewing equipment. So, if you’re looking for a reliable system for home or a commercial-grade Nano for your brewery, this is the time to buy! Spike is offering CB&B listeners a special 10% off all three-vessel system purchases, while supplies last. Visit spikebrewing.com/craft and enter the code CBB at checkout. Spike Brewing—pursue what’s possible. ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

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