359: Ryan Miller of Vermont’s Freak Folk Finds Unique Flavors in Layered Fermentations

Ryan Miller and Lillian MacNamara—both experienced brewers and cofounders of Freak Folk Bier—are partners in business and life, making the brewery, as Miller says, “a love story interwoven with brewing.”

Both share a love of saison, and Freak Folk began with a focus on special-release saisons that has since expanded into a broad selection of styles to fill the tap lines of their Waterbury, Vermont taproom. But even the other styles they brew exhibit the same kind of delicate balance and nuanced structure that they honed in saison experimentation.

In this episode, Miller discusses both their approach to saison and hazy IPA, touching on:

• Building and maintaining mixed cultures
• Brewing attenuated saison with a single infusion mash and controlled primary and secondary fermentations
• Controlling acidity in saison through the mash
• Using unusual ingredients in unusual ways in saison
• Building a compelling grain bill in hazy IPA
• Blending base malts for the right balance of flavor and color
• Copitching yeast strains
• Adjusting gravity based on ABV
• Using advanced hop products

And more.

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