382: Brewlihan’s John Hoolihan Uses Tannin and Acidity to Build Support for Sweetness in Top-Rated Mead

In Oakland Park, Florida, Brewlihan meadery sits in rarified air atop Untappd's list of top breweries in the world. Their rabid fan base has propelled them to No. 5—as of this recording—a ranking that founder John Hoolihan doesn't take for granted, as he continually applies science and chemistry to balance flavor, acidity, gravity, and tannin. In this episode, recorded live during the 3 Sons Lumberjack Day festival, Hoolihan discusses:

• growing the meadery from a homebrewing project to a commercial business
• designing a base mead for multiple fruit expressions
• using carbonation and oak-aging in session mead
• flavor contributions of various honey varieties
• healthy but low-and-slow fermentation with 14 yeast varieties
• scaling mead from homebrew to commercial batch sizes
• mead fermentation dynamics
• communicating the sweetness levels of finished meads
• working with tannin and tartness to balance sweetness
• the impact of acidity on aging

And more.

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