49: Stone's Greg Koch: The Challenge of Keeping the Art in Brewing as the Business Grows

In this year-end episode, we look back at the past year of podcasts, and count down your favorites, with excerpts that include: Sapwood Cellars on dry hopping technique, lowering temperature for dry hopping, using an aggressive rousing regimen, and the masking effect of other dry hop flavors on thiols Sam Tierney of the Firestone Walker Propagator and Bob Kunz of Highland Park on selecting malt for West coast pils Raf Souvereyns of Bokke discussing the challenges that new blenders face, as well as his research on the toxicity off apricot and peach stones (both sources of the chemical that gives almond its flavor, Benzaldehyde) Jean Van Roy of Cantillon on brewing with aged hops Barrett Tillman of Blackman Brewing on his career-defining DUI and changing gears for healthier living as a brewer Kyle Harrop of Horus Aged Ales on technique for getting the best results with coffee Zach Frasher of Slice on selecting different pilsner base malts depending on the hop focus of a specific beer Eric Toft of Schönramer on selecting and defining noble hops Kelsey McNair of North Park on using hazy IPA techniques to make better west coast IPA (as well as dry hopping with Incognito) And Ben Smith of Surly on building a malt bill for thiol-forward IPA, thinking about bitterness beyond IBU, and reducing dry hopping with thiolized yeasts This episode is brought to you by: Accubrew (https://accubrew.io): AccuBrew is an analytical tool designed to collect and compare the information brewers need to produce consistent results and continuously improve the process of fermentation. AccuBrew is more than a progress bar and early warning system. It is an ever evolving piece of technology tailored to you and your process. Save time and turn tanks faster. Monitor and compare batch progress in real-time. Enter notes, set custom reminders and temperature alerts. And detect process issues before a batch is ruined. Quality, consistency, and confidence. That is what AccuBrew delivers! Visit accubrew.io (https://accubrew.io) today, for a no obligation 90 day trial! BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) Looking for a way to save on freight, reduce waste, all while improving beer quality? Then change your brewing game with TNS Hop Oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) to learn how TNS Hop Oils can make your beer (and your margins) better. Clarion (https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N510001.2032703CRAFTBEERANDBREWI/B28313912.342967708;dctrkaid=537328070;dctrkcid=177806075;dclat=;dcrdid=;tagforchilddirectedtreatment=;tfua=;ltd=). Balancing barley and hops is your expertise. Food-grade lubricants is ours. Clarion Food Grade Lubricants meet stringent standards of purity and performance for food and beverage processing, food packaging, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. All Clarion Lubricants are backed by the Clarion warranty, and we work with you to create an efficient lubrication program that helps protect your operation. To learn more, visit ClarionLubricants.com/foodgrade (https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N510001.2032703CRAFTBEERANDBREWI/B28313912.342967708;dc_trk_aid=537328070;dc_trk_cid=177806075;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=). Clarion Lubricants. The expert that experts trust.

29 Dec 20221h 17min

Halfway Crooks (https://halfwaycrooks.beer) cofounders Joran Van Ginderachter and Shawn Bainbridge may love the wide world of craft beer, but with their Atlanta, Georgia brewery the goal was to create a space and beers that would let drinkers find a beer they like, and drink the same beer all night. If you arrive with the goal of maximizing check-ins to the widest number of beers, you’ll quickly find you’re in the wrong place. The same design principles inform the space and the beer itself—equal parts recontextualized nostalgia, funky creativity, wry humor, and dry deadpan delivery. The bathrooms feature illustrations of chickens from the late 1800’s, floral patterned wallpaper, and a separate soundtrack from the main taproom (Bladerunner and Twin Peaks soundtracks). A video screen at the door plays low-fi digital animations. They embrace our digital present with a bit of warm vacuum tube analog glow. And the same can be said of the beers—they’re fresh and current, but with tweaks of nostalgia and fuzz. The brewery may be best known for their lagers, which center around separate hop varieties. “You go to a taproom sometimes and see seven different IPAs,” said Bainbridge. “You come to this taproom and you see seven German pilsners.” They source hops from some of the most sought-after farms in Germany, and build beers around them, yet there’s also an American mentality—boosting aroma through later additions and whirlpooling, using modern enzymes to ensure fermentation proceeds on schedule. They use a brewhouse not optimized for lagers, but have figured out how to get the most from it. There’s no decoction and just single infusion mashes, but the beers are tight and structured. In this episode, Bainbridge and Van Ginderachter talk extensively about their approach to lager brewing, as well as the creative and technical process behind their Belgian pale ale Sanguine—a Craft Beer & Brewing beer of the year in 2022, which they say is the one beer in their lineup they’re least happy with. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D’s Micro Channel Condensers are highly efficient in hotter regions and use a fraction of the refrigerant over traditional chillers which provides less opportunity for leaks along with lower global warming potential. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProBrew has the equipment, systems, and technology to take your brewery to the next level. Check out www.probrew.com (https://www.probrew.com) to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your craft concentrate blends. To get started on a freight quote for craft concentrates today, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com (https://americancanning.com). ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project. Twin Monkeys (https://twinmonkeys.net): Twin Monkeys has created the Eagle: an expandable nano-canner that can grow as your business grows. Find out more at www.twinmonkeys.net (https://twinmonkeys.net). Financing options are available.

23 Dec 20221h 23min

Brian Purcell may have founded Atlanta’s Three Taverns nine years ago to focus on Belgian-style beers, but today it’s the spirit of that brewing tradition that informs their approach more than a purely stylistic expression. Creativity balanced with drinkability still drives their brewing decisions, whether that’s brewing an American-hopped modern pils expression in conjunction with the team from Pivovar Proud (the experimental brewery of Pilsner Urquell), or tackling the expressive fermentation of hazy IPA. In this episode, Purcell and head brewer Neal Engleman break down these beers, from the knockout-hopped Pils Liberation collaboration (with Citra and Cascade), to their popular hazy IPA. Along the way, they discuss: brewing the collaborative pils with Citra, Cascade, and Saaz hops knockout hopping the 34/70 fermentation impacts on lager fermentation from the aggressive hopping applying lessons learned to other lagers they brew brewing their 9th anniversary English-style barleywine ingredient selection for better mashing with hazy IPA active versus post-fermentation dry hopping And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D Chillers’ Engineers are committed to green technology design, while developing a more energy efficient chiller for the brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) N/A? No Problem! The Alchemator from ProBrew uses proprietary membrane technology to strip the alcohol from the beer without sacrificing all the elements that make the beer great! Check out www.probrew.com (https://www.probrew.com) to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer):Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com (https://americancanning.com). ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project. Twin Monkeys (https://twinmonkeys.net): Twin Monkeys has created the Eagle: an expandable nano-canner that can grow as your business grows. Find out more at www.twinmonkeys.net (https://twinmonkeys.net). Financing options are available.

21 Dec 20221h 9min

Jon Shari of Little Cottage, (https://www.littlecottagebrewery.com) just east of Atlanta, was an avoid homebrewer who built a reputation for his big dessert-focused imperial stouts, and built on that momentum to launch the small, taproom-focused brewery in 2021. But brewing for the taproom is still a small affair, with a very manual 3.5 bbl brewhouse that makes some difficult-to-brew beers even harder. In this episode, he discusses the process behind his stouts, from recipe to adjunct ingredient additions, including: dealing with difficult high gravity fermentations selecting flavorful base malts and specialty malts dialing in finishing gravity to accentuate ingredient flavors taking an ingredient-specific approach to additions And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D Chillers’ Engineers are committed to green technology design, while developing a more energy efficient chiller for the brewing industry. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) N/A? No Problem! The Alchemator from ProBrew uses proprietary membrane technology to strip the alcohol from the beer without sacrificing all the elements that make the beer great! Check out www.probrew.com (https://www.probrew.com) to learn more. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer):Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com (https://americancanning.com). ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project. Twin Monkeys (https://twinmonkeys.net): Twin Monkeys has created the Eagle: an expandable nano-canner that can grow as your business grows. Find out more at www.twinmonkeys.net (https://twinmonkeys.net). Financing options are available.

17 Dec 202257min

2022 has been rough on craft beer. From the macroeconomic forces hitting the entire economy—rising rents, rampant inflation in raw materials and logistics costs, shortages, rising labor costs—to the industry-specific challenges like changing consumer interest in packaging formats, shifting beer styles, distributor focuses, changing draft beer landscape, and more, it's become increasingly difficult to operate brewing businesses successfully. For Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey cofounder Tomme Arthur, the solution is to "grow down," or get comfortable being smaller. For so many breweries, planning for future growth has always informed every decision, from branding to brewhouse, but after 17 years of constant reinvestment into future growth that now looks like an unreachable horizon, Arthur is having second thoughts. In this episode, recorded initially for a written Q&A in the latest issue of our Brewing Industry Guide, Arthur shares his perspective on topics like: dealing with brewery square footage that isn't generating revenue challenges in shallow and wide distribution distributor consolidation and changing priorities the hidden cost increases in triple net commercial leases rising raw materials costs the shift in consumer interest in sour beer revamping the existing brewhouse to be more attuned to proper inventory levels the hidden costs of operating more taproom locations And more. This episode is brought to you by: Accubrew (https://accubrew.io): AccuBrew is an analytical tool designed to collect and compare the information brewers need to produce consistent results and continuously improve the process of fermentation. AccuBrew is more than a progress bar and early warning system. It is an ever evolving piece of technology tailored to you and your process. Save time and turn tanks faster. Monitor and compare batch progress in real-time. Enter notes, set custom reminders and temperature alerts. And detect process issues before a batch is ruined. Quality, consistency, and confidence. That is what AccuBrew delivers! Visit accubrew.io (https://accubrew.io) today, for a no obligation 90 day trial! BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) This episode is sponsored by BSG, distributors of TNS Hop Oils. A revolutionary hop product that gives your beer all the hop intensity with none of the astringency. Make better beer and get more from each turn with less work. Change your brewing game with TNS Hop oils. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) to learn how. Clarion (https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N510001.2032703CRAFTBEERANDBREWI/B28313912.342967708;dctrkaid=537328070;dctrkcid=177806075;dclat=;dcrdid=;tagforchilddirectedtreatment=;tfua=;ltd=). Balancing barley and hops is your expertise. Food-grade lubricants is ours. Clarion Food Grade Lubricants meet stringent standards of purity and performance for food and beverage processing, food packaging, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. All Clarion Lubricants are backed by the Clarion warranty, and we work with you to create an efficient lubrication program that helps protect your operation. To learn more, visit ClarionLubricants.com/foodgrade (https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N510001.2032703CRAFTBEERANDBREWI/B28313912.342967708;dc_trk_aid=537328070;dc_trk_cid=177806075;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=). Clarion Lubricants. The expert that experts trust.

14 Dec 202249min

Green Flash’s 2018 bankruptcy rocked the beer world and threw the future of their iconic brands into doubt. Earlier this year, those brands were acquired by Sweetwater, and head brewer Ryan Joy was tasked with figuring out how to brew them on a different brewhouse, with vastly different water, and for an audience with a much different context for beer. In this episode, he discusses: matching the unique, and salt-heavy water of San Diego using unusual chlorides, in large amounts changing up the yeast to achieve greater haze stability adjusting for the efficiencies and increased utilization of the new brewhouse shifting hops from the boil to the whirlpool for more aroma expression working with crystal malt in West Coast IPA to maintain the classic appeal the classic to modern West Coast IPA range using terpenes to build unique flavors and aromas in hop-forward beer And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D stands alone as the only chiller manufacturer with an in house team of installers and engineers, with 30 years of real world, field labor experience in breweries, wineries and distilleries. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) Check out www.probrew.com (https://www.probrew.com) for info on patented ProCarb inline carbonation technology, ProFill rotary filling & seaming can fillers, the Alchemator inline alcohol separation system, 7 – 50bbl Brewhouses and more! Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer):Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com (https://americancanning.com). ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project. Twin Monkeys (https://twinmonkeys.net): Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems has helped hundreds of breweries around the world tailor packaging solutions that meet the unique needs of each brewery. See our lineup at www.twinmonkeys.net (https://twinmonkeys.net).

2 Dec 20221h 2min

It’s possible to make great lagers with a single-infusion mash and cylindroconical fermenters—just ask former sportswriter turned brewer Randy Booth. At the taproom-focused Twin Barns (https://www.twinbarnsbrewing.com) brewery, on the shores of vacation destination Lake Winnipesaukee, he’s used the quieter winter season for the time and tank space to hone their lager program. The result earlier this year was a blind-review panel score of 99 for the German-style Belknap Pils (https://beerandbrewing.com/review/twin-barn-brewing-company-belknap-pils-1644852559), which earned it a spot on our Best 20 Beers in 2022 (https://beerandbrewing.com/best-20-beers-in-2022/). In this episode, Booth shares his lager brewing process. It’s nothing fancy or especially complex, but it focuses instead on coaxing the best from high-quality ingredients. Along the way, he discusses: rebalancing Saaz and Hallertauer in the boil and whirlpool to achieve the right aroma and flavor mashing low for dryness producing clear, high-quality wort through a longer vorlauf step splitting the hop additions between a mid-boil and whirlpool addition tasting, evaluating, and taking notes through the entire lifespan of the beer on draft, from the first kegs to the last differentiating pilsner styles taking beers from good to great working with craft malt telling a compelling story through beer And more. This episode is brought to you by: Accubrew (https://accubrew.io): AccuBrew is a revolutionary fermentation analysis tool unlike anything else on the market, giving brewers unprecedented insight into the fermentation process. AccuBrew helps brewers confirm consistency and avoid problems from batch to batch. From your smart device you can track and compare sugar conversion, temperature, and clarity, and use that information to continuously improve your process. AccuBrew goes beyond a simple measurement tool. With the AccuBrew system, managing your process and people has never been easier.Visit accubrew.io (https://accubrew.io) today, for a no obligation 90 day trial! BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) BSG invites you to get funky with Fermentis SafBrew™ BR-8, the first dry Brettanomyces bruxellensis culture available to brewers. BR-8 offers the distinctive flavor of Brett brux combined with the shelf stability and consistency of dry yeast. BR-8 delivers fruity notes early on but with aging the bass starts to slap as BR-8 brings the funk. Visit BSGCraftbrewing.com (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com) to learn more. Clarion (https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N510001.2032703CRAFTBEERANDBREWI/B28313912.342967708;dctrkaid=537328070;dctrkcid=177806075;dclat=;dcrdid=;tagforchilddirectedtreatment=;tfua=;ltd=). Balancing barley and hops is your expertise. Food-grade lubricants is ours. Clarion Food Grade Lubricants meet stringent standards of purity and performance for food and beverage processing, food packaging, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. All Clarion Lubricants are backed by the Clarion warranty, and we work with you to create an efficient lubrication program that helps protect your operation. To learn more, visit ClarionLubricants.com/foodgrade (https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N510001.2032703CRAFTBEERANDBREWI/B28313912.342967708;dc_trk_aid=537328070;dc_trk_cid=177806075;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=). Clarion Lubricants. The expert that experts trust.

1 Dec 202256min

If you’re going to make a kettle-acidified fruit beer, make it well. For Wiley Roots cofounder and head brewer Kyle Carbaugh, that means everything from using rustic unmalted wheat from a farmer friend to creating their own fruit pureés from fresh whole fruit. After all, you can’t drive novel, engaging fruit flavor that stands out if you do things the exact same way as every other brewer out there. In this episode, Carbaugh discusses their fruit beer program as well as their barrel-aged stout program, which produced one of Craft Beer & Brewing’s Best 20 beers in 2022 (https://beerandbrewing.com/best-20-beers-in-2022/). Along the way, he also touches on: moving past “if you brew it, they will come” creating transition beers to get people into more “advanced” styles developing the fruit-beer category with different brands that explore everything from leaner fermented fruit profiles to sweeter smoothie approaches designing a brewhouse with kettle-acidification in mind blending purée and juice concentrates for well-rounded fruit flavors creating purée from whole fruit with a commercial food processor and masticating juicer stabilizing fruit beers at various pH levels building heft in stouts with additional fermentables adjusting during the aging process for better barrel-aged results And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): G&D’s Micro Channel Condensers are highly efficient in hotter regions, use a fraction of the refrigerant over traditional chillers which provides less opportunity for leaks along with lower global warming potential. Contact G&D Chillers today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) Probrew (https://www.probrew.com) ProFill can fillers use rotary, true-counter-pressure-gravity filling and seaming technology to run at speeds of 100 to 300 cans per minute with less than 30 parts per billion DO pickup and less than 1% product waste at the filler. Email ProBrew at ContactUs@probrew.com today! Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer):Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) American Canning (https://americancanning.com): American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com (https://americancanning.com). ABS Commercial (https://abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at sales@abs-commercial.com to discuss your brewery project. Twin Monkeys (https://twinmonkeys.net): For a special offer from Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems, simply mention the CBB Podcast when you contact Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems to get a special discount on a brand new canning line through March of 2023.

26 Nov 20221h 29min