335: For Tom Beckmann of Goldfinger, Lager is a Family Affair

Past isn’t necessarily prologue for today’s lager brewers, but it certainly is at Goldfinger Brewing in Downers Grove, Illinois. A family history of brewing lager and manufacturing equipment for brewers in Poland and Czechia was just the kick that Tom Beckmann needed to pursue his dream of building a small, contemporary, lager-focused brewery. Now, as the brewery undertakes its next expansion, Beckmann is committed to widening the lager discourse, to showcasing the potential of both European and domestic ingredients in lager brewing, and to embracing flavor and character across a range of different lager styles. In this episode, Beckmann discusses:

• building on his family brewing history in Poland and Czechia
• designing and constructing a brewhouse for lager brewing
• step-mashing and decoction strategies for various pale lagers
• using sterile air rather than pure oxygen to reduce yeast stress
• cereal cooking vs. gelatinized adjuncts for certain lagers
• blending domestic and imported pils malt for the best flavor, performance, and price
• the tactile experience of different malts
• selecting Tettnanger hops for pils and Hallertauer Mittlefrüh for helles
• the fundamentals of Polish pils
• the American Zoigl project in conjunction with Live Oak, Urban Chestnut, and others

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project.

BSG Craft Brewing (https://Bsgcraftbrewing.com/): HS Grove boasts incredible biotransformation qualities, giving you the power to transform your next IPA into a stone fruit powerhouse. Choose HS Grove™ for West Coast IPA, New England IPA, Double IPA, American pale ale, or any beer style where delicious fresh fruit aromatics are desired. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com to learn more.
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard supplies flavored craft juice concentrate blends to beverage brands for the production of beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, kombucha, and more. Flavor your lineup and streamline your sourcing by heading to oldorchard.com/brewer
ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) The ProFill series of rotary can fillers from ProBrew are accelerating plant production everywhere. For more information, visit www.probrew.com or email contactus@probrew.com.
Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability.

The American Homebrewers Association (https://HomebrewersAssociation.org/cbbpod): Join the American Homebrewers Association to unlock the 2023 National Homebrew Competition medal-winning recipes! Learn more at HomebrewersAssociation.org/cbbpod
GW Kent (https://gwkent.com): GW Kent are expanding their product range to include many varieties of Ardagh cans, can handles, cleaning chemicals, and quality malts. Now you can shop spare parts for the cellar, ingredients for the brewhouse, and canning supplies for the packaging team all in one convenient location. Start saving today at gwkent.com!