347: Preston Theony of Wren House Embraces Change as a Constant and Flavor Over Style

347: Preston Theony of Wren House Embraces Change as a Constant and Flavor Over Style

Black Caddis began as one of Preston Theony’s homebrew recipes, but rather than create a take on an existing style, he started with the flavor he wanted to achieve and built a recipe to realize that. Now, after brewing the beer commercially at Wren House for the better part of the past decade, he’s still not done experimenting with changes to not just the recipe, but the core of fermentation itself. More recently, the beer has moved from ale fermentation with a Kölsch strain to lager fermentation with a 34-70 strain, in order to amplify the “clean, cutting characteristic” that Theony sought. It’s dark beer in the 4% ABV range sold in one of the hottest of the United States, and drinkability is paramount.

Similarly, Theony has never stopped tinkering with their hazy IPA recipe, despite core beer Spellbinder’s gold medal in the juicy or hazy IPA category at the 2020 GABF. Note that anything he mentions doing or using in this podcast is subject to change, and this is only a snapshot of where they are at this brewing moment. But with that said, through the conversation, he touches on:

  • switching to lager fermentation with a shorter lagering time to give Black Caddis porter more edge
  • layering Carafa, C120, Carafoam, and Chocolate Rye malt for broad flavor in a small beer
  • hyperfocusing on pH throughout the brewing process
  • reducing whirlpool hops and boosting dry hops to improve drinkability
  • using Galaxy as a bridge between Citra and Mosaic
  • dry hopping early and capping the tank
  • their approach to awards season as a time to reflect and improve beers
  • evaluating competition feedback

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): At G&D Chillers they always strive to Build Great Chillers. Partner with them as you Build Great Beer. Choose G&D Chillers on your next Expansion or Brewery start up and receive 1 free year of Remote control and Monitoring of your new G&D Chiller!
ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) Turnkey brewery systems. Production line design services. Retro-fitting processing systems. ProBrew™ can do all this and more with any brewery, old or new, small or large. For more information, fill out our contact form on www.probrew.com or email contactus@probrew.com.
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard has supplied flavored craft juice concentrate blends to over 46 states for the production of fruit-forward beer, cider, seltzer, wine, spirits, and more. To learn more and request your free samples, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer
Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Streamline efficiency with Omega Yeast’s Diacetyl Knock Out series. The DKO series is comprised of 8 familiar yeast strains engineered to knock out the formation of diacetyl before it starts. The strains you know, now better. Contact Omega Yeast today at omegayeast.com.
ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com). ABS Commercial are proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, keg washers, and preventative maintenance parts to brewers across the country as well as equipment for distilling, cider-making, wine-making, and more! Contact them today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your customized brewery needs.
Ss Brewtech (https://SsBrewtech.com). Ss Brewtech was founded by a group of home and craft beer brewers, dedicated to bringing an engineering-first approach to brewery equipment. Ss brewhouses are used to formulate new beer recipes at some of the world's greatest breweries. To learn more, head over to SsBrewtech.com
US Water Systems (https://uswatersystems.com): Depending upon the city and day, water quality can vary 40% to 50%. The best method is to start with the same water every time and Reverse Osmosis gives you that power. Visit USWaterSystems.com for a free expert analysis.

Episoder(471)

463: Dan Brouillette of Lumen Crunches the Data to Find the Best Hops

463: Dan Brouillette of Lumen Crunches the Data to Find the Best Hops

Dan Brouillette has always worked in creative fields—he was a professional photographer before launching Lumen in the waning days of the pandemic—but he’s always been particularly attracted to the tec...

6 Mar 1h 17min

462: Bierstadt, New Belgium, Wayfinder, and the Anatomy of a Lager Collaboration

462: Bierstadt, New Belgium, Wayfinder, and the Anatomy of a Lager Collaboration

Beer collaborations are a particularly effective way for brewers to share and learn, but what if you could take that experience and share it with a wider audience? That's the idea behind this episode,...

28 Feb 1h 20min

461: Von Ebert and Zero Gravity Save Money and Make Better Beer with Process Aids

461: Von Ebert and Zero Gravity Save Money and Make Better Beer with Process Aids

In this episode, produced in partnership with RahrBSG, we’re taking a close look at process aids in the brewhouse and cellar, from anti-foaming agents and finings to enzymes and more. Whether you’re t...

24 Feb 1h 8min

460: How Notch and Halfway Crooks Formulate Recipes for Tasty (and Convincing) Nonalcoholic Beer

460: How Notch and Halfway Crooks Formulate Recipes for Tasty (and Convincing) Nonalcoholic Beer

Last week, we hosted a series of three webinars focused on different aspects of nonalcoholic brewing. In this episode of the podcast, we share an excerpt from the first session—focused on formulation—...

21 Feb 59min

459: Zach Typinksi of Urbanrest Brews Gold Medal Pilsner Without Pilsner Malt

459: Zach Typinksi of Urbanrest Brews Gold Medal Pilsner Without Pilsner Malt

Generally speaking, there’s some correlation between brewery scale and lager quality—and while there are plenty of exceptions to that rule, there’s no denying that honing lagers into the best versions...

13 Feb 1h 9min

458: Tom Nielsen of Emberside Redraws the Boundaries between the Science and the Art of Beer

458: Tom Nielsen of Emberside Redraws the Boundaries between the Science and the Art of Beer

Through his decades of work in the brewing industry, many spent in R&D and quality at Sierra Nevada, Tom Nielsen has played a critical role in getting craft beer a seat at the broader brewing table. W...

6 Feb 1h 18min

457: Cory Buenning of Fritz Family Focuses on Highly Attenuated Lagers With Perfect Proteins

457: Cory Buenning of Fritz Family Focuses on Highly Attenuated Lagers With Perfect Proteins

Fritz Family founder Cory Buenning brewed from the mid-90’s through the mid 20-teens for Wyoming craft beer pioneers Snake River, but the itch to do his own thing was strong, and after returning to Co...

30 Jan 1h 8min

456: Jaron Anderson of Helper Beer Applies Modern Techniques to Classic Styles with Winning Results

456: Jaron Anderson of Helper Beer Applies Modern Techniques to Classic Styles with Winning Results

For Jaron Anderson of Helper Beer, listening to the beer itself, rather than following prescribed rules, is the only way to improve it. He’s well-versed in the theory, but not a slavish adherent to do...

23 Jan 1h 15min

Populært innen Fakta

fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
mikkels-paskenotter
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
treningspodden
foreldreradet
jakt-og-fiskepodden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-bisarr-historie
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
rss-kull
gravid-uke-for-uke
hagespiren-podcast
sinnsyn
level-up-med-anniken-binz
rss-kunsten-a-leve
rss-bak-luftfarten
hverdagspsyken
takk-og-lov-med-anine-kierulf
fryktlos