426: Whitney Burnside of Grand Fir Finds New Use for Old Growth

Whitney Burnside built her résumé at some of the best breweries in the Pacific Northwest, so when she and her husband Doug—a celebrated chef—embarked on their post-COVID project of working together on a brewpub they dubbed Grand Fir, the Portland beer world grew excited (we did too—for more, see Kate Bernot’s case study on Grand Fir from our Spring 2024 issue of the Brewing Industry Guide). Now, not yet three years old but with three World Beer Cup medals and three Great American Beer Festival medals under their belt, Grand Fir continues to garner attention for remarkable beer. Burnside loves hoppy beers with personality, and the brewpub and beers themselves ooze character, with defining forest flavor and aroma notes anchoring wider exploration.

This conversation centers on West Coast and contemporary American IPA, with a focus on how Burnside often uses large blends of hops to build layers of character. Along the way, she discusses:

• building ultra-lean, 1.5°P FG West Coast IPA with intense hop character
• blending base malts for color and body in smaller hoppy beers
• differentiating between “traditional American” and “West Coast” IPA
• using classic hops in modern formats
• selecting malt to support the strong flavors of New Zealand hops
• constructing nuanced hop blends with five or more varieties

And more.

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