432: Ben Clayton of Test Approaches Brewing with a Chef’s Discipline and a Beginner’s Mind

Ben Clayton of Brooklyn’s Test honed his approach to brewing while working in the context of a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City. Today, building a deep, meaningful supply chain for interesting ingredients animates him more than lighting up the beer-trading boards. Accolades have followed, and today he’s finding stories to tell in thoughtfully sourced grain and the novel ways he uses it in everything from Mexican-style lager to hazy IPA.

In this episode, Clayton discusses:

• brewing Mexican-style lager with nixtamalized heirloom Oaxacan corn
  
• blending floral corn notes with complementary Noble hop notes
  
• using oats in multiple forms in hazy IPA
  
• why hazy IPA might be the “perfect” beer style
  
• tweaking pH to preserve texture, flavor, and aroma
  
• promoting biodiversity in beer
  

And more.

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