Brewmaster Preston Theony of Wren House discusses flavor-focused brewing, from dark porter to hazy IPA experimentation. Topics include lager fermentation, grain bill layering, pH manipulation, hop varieties like Galaxy, and dry hopping techniques for drinkability.

With taprooms in Mesa and Gilbert, Arizona, 12 West may boast one of the coolest “home breweries” in the United States. Its production space is in the 6,000-square-foot luxury garage behind one of the founders’ homes, with roll-up doors that open to a patio with a swimming pool, skate ramps, and a moto track in the distance. Meanwhile, the beer that head brewer and co-owner Justin “Gully” Gullickson and assistant brewer Andrew Cooper are making to feed the two taprooms is as compelling as it is consistent. In this episode, they discuss their West Coast–style pils, Radial Spines—one of our Best 20 Beers in 2023—as well as their high-scoring IPAs. Along the way, they touch on: blending West Coast IPA and pilsner grists for their West Coast pils setting up successful lager fermentations with a single-infusion mash whirlpooling with Cryo hops dry hopping cold for extended periods with Cryo hops staggering hop-blend percentages between the hot and cold sides, based on individual hop characteristics grounding new-school hop flavors with old-school classics brewing IPA with gummi sharks And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): At G&D Chillers they always strive to Build Great Chillers. Partner with them as you Build Great Beer. Choose G&D Chillers on your next Expansion or Brewery start up and receive 1 free year of Remote control and Monitoring of your new G&D Chiller! ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) Turnkey brewery systems. Production line design services. Retro-fitting processing systems. ProBrew™ can do all this and more with any brewery, old or new, small or large. For more information, fill out our contact form on www.probrew.com or email contactus@probrew.com. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard has supplied flavored craft juice concentrate blends to over 46 states for the production of fruit-forward beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, and more. To learn more and request your free samples, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Streamline efficiency with Omega Yeast’s Diacetyl Knock Out series. The DKO series is comprised of 8 familiar yeast strains engineered to knock out the formation of diacetyl before it starts. The strains you know, now better. Contact Omega Yeast today at omegayeast.com. ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com). ABS Commercial are proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and preventative maintenance parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized brewery needs. Ss Brewtech (https://SsBrewtech.com). Ss Brewtech was founded by a group of home and craft beer brewers, dedicated to bringing an engineering-first approach to brewery equipment. Ss brewhouses are used to formulate new beer recipes at some of the world's greatest breweries. To learn more, head over to SsBrewtech.com US Water Systems (https://uswatersystems.com): Depending upon the city and day, water quality can vary 40% to 50%. The best method is to start with the same water every time and Reverse Osmosis gives you that power. Visit USWaterSystems.com for a free expert analysis.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Arizona Wilderness brewery's top-rated Jitterbug Perfume dissected, using mobile coolships for spontaneous brewing in the desert, regenerative local grains like Kernza, and unique ingredients like beets. Discussing sustainability, partnering with local growers, and building a base with wood-aged saisons for strong flavors.

Josh Trujillo, 16 years at Marble, top brewing role, shares their approach to brewing lager, managing runoff to avoid astringency, extending boils to manage DMS production, designing subtle yet characterful hop blends for dry-hopped Pilsner, moving hot side hops to the whirpool for more hop expression, marrying the classic with the contemporary in West Coast pils, and brewing hoppy beers with new twists on classic hops.

Natalie Rose Baldwin, Brewmaster at Wayfinder, talks about IPA and West Coast pils, fresh hop West Coast keller pils, flavor as color, yeast strategies, French pils with spelt, healthy fermentations in gose, and more.

Steve Parker, a respected East Coast voice in the hazy IPA conversation, joins the gang to discuss the various approaches to brewing hazy IPAs. They cover topics such as water quality, pH balancing, malt selection, adjuncts for pale color and stable haze, feeding bigger fermentations, hop varieties for haze development, coolpooling and knockout hopping techniques, promoting biotransformation without dry hops, and much more.

This special ingredient-focused edition of the podcast is brought to you interruption-free by the brewing-ingredient experts at BSG. Today’s beer drinker loves pale beer more than ever, and over the course of the past decade, brewers have been feeding this shift by releasing lighter and lighter colored IPAs that pack a similar flavor punch without the heft that specialty malts can bring. To help brewers achieve that flavor without the color, Gambrinus and BSG recently announced IPA Malt, a new domestic malt designed for IPA brewers who crave that low SRM beer color but still want character in the malt that can stand up to today’s big hop bills. In today’s spotlight episode, Ashton Lewis (Training and Technical Support Manager for BSG), Ken Smith (Director of Operations for Gambrinus Malting), and Blake Masoner (Cofounder and Head Brewer for Craft Coast Beer & Tacos in Oceanside, California), join the podcast to discuss this new malt. Over the course of the conversation, they cover it from initial brief through development and into brewing, exploring how it works, what it’s capable of, and what else may be in store for brewers who try it. Along the way, they cover: the domestic malt’s English-like biscuity character that contrasts with the grassiness of Continental malt agronomic and malthouse details behind the malt understanding how flavors translate from the malt into finished beer using the malt at 100 percent while achieving flavor in a low-FG beer exploring other beer styles IPA Malt may be suited for This special spotlight episode is brought to you by BSG & Gambrinus. As every brewer knows, BSG leads the way in the brewing industry by supplying the finest ingredients and supplies to brewers at competitive prices, and they are trusted by many of the most respected brewers in the craft community. Try the new Gambrinus IPA Malt today, available exclusively through BSG.Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Jason Thompson, Cofounder and head brewer at Calusa, discusses managing variable minerality, brewing hazy IPA with flavorful malts, increasing wheat component for haze stability, ultra-low-temp whirlpooling for aromatic contribution, taking care of yeast for 50-plus generations, recirculation and rousing dry hops for increased contact, developing interesting hop combinations, making Sabro work in hazy IPA, and using barrels for bitterness in barrel-aged stout.

Prominent lager brewers Ashleigh Carter, Ryan Brooks, and Jeff Bagby discuss Mexican and dark lagers, brewing challenges, gear and process priorities, water impact, yeast selection, natural carbonation, brewing with corn, and building color without intense malt flavor.

Anthony Tallman, expert in packing big flavor into lean West Coast Pale Ales, IPAs, and Pils, discusses impacts of pilsner malts, varying boil times, achieving measured IBUs with no hot-side hops, inadvertently making a clear hazy IPA, watering back to lower whirlpool temperatures, techniques based on hops, focusing on hot-side hops, and finding balance in lower-ABV West Coast pils.