376: Matt Cole of Fat Head's Brings the Best of West Coast–Style Process and Ingredients to Classic American IPA

Over the past 15 years of Fat Head’s existence, they’ve won 27 GABF medals (14 gold) and a dozen World Beer Cup medals (seven gold), but brewmaster Matt Cole takes it all in stride with typically Midwestern humility. They love to win, but they do it for the sake of making great beer.

There’s a modern sensibility to their flagship American IPA, Head Hunter—one of our Best 20 Beers in 2023—which feels West Coast–driven but with an almost analog-like warmth that makes it accessible and refined without sacrificing any of its urgency and presence. And their approach to open fermentation of German-style weissbier is a master class in controlling ester and phenol production for flavorful yet balanced beers. Ask Cole, however, and he’ll chalk it up to quality ingredients and sound process. “Good product in, good product out.”

In this episode, Cole discusses:

• soft fining to protect bitterness and aroma
• brewing American IPA with a strong West Coast vibe
• evaluating new-crop-year hops in the brewhouse after selection
• selecting hops at the brewery with input from the entire brewing team
• tagging hops from different selected lots for different usages in a brew
• maximizing natural hop flavor and aroma with whole-cone hops in the hopback
• the stylistic overlap of West Coast and American IPA
• dialing in packaging for competition
• fermenting weissbier in an open fermentor
• using a flotation tank to clean up brews
• the importance of process over recipe

And more.

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