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

She’s a native Brazilian, beer sommelier, and former reality TV host. He’s a Brussels native who has worked in every aspect of the industry, including the brewhouse at Fantôme. Together, Paula Yunes and husband Valéry De Breucker launched a brewery in Belgium’s Luxembourg province. Now, Brasserie Atrium (https://en.brasserieatrium.be), is turning heads with fresh takes on saison and other classics while turning up the heat with trendier styles such as hazy IPA and barrel-aged stout. It’s no small task to launch a new brewery in Belgium and gain acceptance for it there. Belgian beer lovers have their established brands, and their brewing community is relatively slow to change. However, the small town of Marche-en-Famenne, near Rochefort, was the right place for them to launch—the street they’re on is Rue de Brasseurs (Brewer’s Street), after all. And grabbing a European Beer Star gold medal for their saison, The One, is the kind of thing that tends to get people’s attention. In this episode, Yunes and De Bruecker discuss: building a more expansive idea of beer in a conservative beer market their cooperative process of developing recipes together creating a local, small-town brewery with cosmopolitan influences the business-driven need to break from tradition brewing a noteworthy, award-winning saison in a country known for them using local water and yeast with glucoamylase enzyme toward the end of fermentation, to get their saison to full dryness brewing hazy IPA with the Belgian twist of house abbey yeast using high mash temperatures along with wheat and oats to build body the challenge of using Brazilian woods such as amburana and cumaru for barrel-aging breaking down the gender barrier in Belgian brewing And more. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also 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 the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Support for this episode comes from Hop Solutions by BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/). The Hop Solutions portfolio is a joint effort between the brewers, hop specialists, and brewing scientists of BSG and the Rahr Technical Center that takes a flavor-first, application-specific approach to hops. Whether you’re seeking biotransformation in a juicy IPA or dialing in a classic West Coast profile, BSG has a Hop Solution for that. Get in touch with the hop nerds at BSG by emailing LetsTalkHops@bsgcraft.com for samples, spots, and contracts. Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Supply chain challenges are here to stay for a while, so why not trust the experts to handle freight for your ingredients? Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your craft concentrate blends. When you order two pails or more of concentrate from Old Orchard, you qualify for freight quotes from various carriers and can stay up-to-date on the status of your shipment. To get started on a freight quote for craft concentrates today, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer (oldorchard.com/brewer) Precision Fermentation (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing): BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first real-time, comprehensive fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature, and conductivity in real-time, from any smartphone, tablet, or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed insight into your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce tank-time, and increase overall efficiency–saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. Visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing). Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com (https://www.ssbrewtech.com) Hop Revolution (https://www.hoprevolution.co.nz): If you’re looking for a direct partnership with an independent hop grower who is as fanatical about flavour and quality as you are, join the revolution! Hop Revolution’s only reason for being is sustainably farming and processing New Zealand’s most flavoursome hops. They get that great beer is not brewed to a past or a future ideal. It’s an ongoing journey of fresh thinking. Hop Revolution really is only here for your beer. Let them flavour your thinking stateside directly from Hop Revolution, or through Crosby Hops or Mill95. Learn more @ HopRevolution.co.nz (https://www.hoprevolution.co.nz).

4 Mars 20221h 6min

Antidoot’s (https://www.antidoot.be) Tom Jacobs didn’t set out with the goal of launching a brewery. It was more a natural outgrowth of his and his brother’s homebrewing, which grew too large to remain just a hobby. Still, Jacobs pursues every one of the small batches they brew with the exploratory zeal that informed their homebrewing days. The brewery and batches are small, intentionally, for two reasons. First, Jacobs is not willing to compromise their creative vision to achieve the scale necessary for a larger corporate entity. Second, they prefer to use the fruit and herbs from their own trees, grapevines, orchard, and gardens—something only viable at their minuscule size. Despite their self-imposed guardrails, Antidoot forgoes other mainstream brewing conventions such as style categories because, as Jacobs says, “It’s hard for people to appreciate things without a concept, but if you give them a concept, they judge against the concept.” Moving beyond preconceived notions of what a beer should be, and encouraging drinkers to approach the beer on its own terms, with an open mind, is Antidoot’s raison d’être. In this episode, Jacobs discusses: building a self-sufficient, agriculture-driven lifestyle with a seasonal approach to brewing and growing finding a brewing mode between ester-forward Belgian beers and too-acidic sour beers foregoing the one-dimensional term “sour” blending acidity with bitterness using diverse herbs for bittering, such as gentian and wormwood selecting for wild Saccharomyces over Brettanomyces to preserve terroir flavors and nuance brewing wild cider without losing apple character And more. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also 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 the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Support for this episode comes from BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/). Did you know that BSG sources hops directly from growers and processes them in their FSSC-certified facility in the Yakima Valley? From Azacca to Zappa, BSG’s hops are pelletized for optimal dispersion in the boiler or FV, and packaged in nitrogen-flushed bags to preserve all those tasty and enticing aromatics. To learn more about how your hops go from farmer to fermenter, get in touch with BSG at LetsTalkHops@bsgcraft.com Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Looking for innovation in your next beverage break-through? Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. Even smoothie seltzers can benefit from the extra boost of flavor and color. Old Orchard is based in the Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area—also known as Beer City, USA—and supplies craft beverage categories ranging from beer, wine, and cider to seltzer, spirits, and kombucha. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) Precision Fermentation (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing): BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first real-time, comprehensive fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature, and conductivity in real-time, from any smartphone, tablet, or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed insight into your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce tank-time, and increase overall efficiency–saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. Visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing). Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com (https://www.ssbrewtech.com) Hop Revolution (https://www.hoprevolution.co.nz): If you’re looking for a direct partnership with an independent hop grower who is as fanatical about flavour and quality as you are, join the revolution! Hop Revolution’s only reason for being is sustainably farming and processing New Zealand’s most flavoursome hops. They get that great beer is not brewed to a past or a future ideal. It’s an ongoing journey of fresh thinking. Hop Revolution really is only here for your beer. Let them flavour your thinking stateside directly from Hop Revolution, or through Crosby Hops or Mill95. Learn more @ HopRevolution.co.nz (https://www.hoprevolution.co.nz).

25 Feb 20221h 10min

History can be a heavy weight to bear. Being caretakers for a legacy and advocates for a tradition can win you credibility in small circles, but such victories seem inconsequential in the face of an industry and consumer tide that rolls toward simpler tastes. Cantillon, founded in 1900, survived the industry consolidation and shifting consumer tastes of the 20th century, when the number of Brussels lambic breweries dwindled from dozens to just one. While a cadre of diehards appreciated their adherence to tradition, it was the Jean-Pierre Van Roy’s decision to open as a tourist-focused museum that actually kept the business afloat. When interest in craft brewing began to rise toward the end of the century, Cantillon saw ripples that broke into serious waves over the past couple of decades. Today, they stand at the pinnacle—not just as one of Belgium’s most respected lambic breweries, but also as one of the finest examples of artful brewing anywhere in the world. In this episode, recorded in Cantillon’s second-floor tasting room, fourth-generation brewer Jean Van Roy recounts that storied past while discussing how the brewery has adapted to the current environment, embracing an energetic, winery-like approach to making beer. He discusses: the necessity of keeping an active hand in the production of every beer brewing in a living building that actively impacts the beer following the vision of his family while discovering his own natural way to work the turbid mash process using two boil kettles in the vintage 1800s brewhouse picking up blending skills without learning them utilizing long boils to decrease the cheesy flavors in aged hops hop varieties used in Cantillon lambic embracing the natural microflora allowing Pediococcus to work by not pre-acidifying the wort the ideal temperature range for lambic brewing and impacts of climate change sustainability measures at the historic brewery fruit philosophy and techniques mixing wine lees and lambic in barrel-aged beers such as La Vie Est Belge their sensory approach to fruit maceration And more. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): What if you could chill your beer with a more efficient chiller? The Answer? G&D Chillers new Micro Channel Condensers! 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. 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 (https://gdchillers.com) BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Support for this episode comes from BSG and Fermentis, the obvious choice for beverage fermentation. SafBrew LD-20 is a new all-in-one Saccharomyces Pastorianus yeast and enzyme blend designed to produce lower-carb, dry lager beers. SafBrew LD-20 is capable of high attenuation at low temperatures, making it the perfect choice for clean lagers with very low residual sugars. To harness the power of SafBrew LD-20, or to learn more about Fermentis’s range of fermentation solutions, get in touch with BSG at go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Is your brewery struggling to source or afford berry ingredients? Historic heatwaves devastated U.S. berry crops, causing supply to dwindle and prices to skyrocket. That’s why brewers are switching over to Old Orchard’s craft concentrate blends, which mimic straight concentrates but at a better price point—and with more reliable supply. Is it any surprise that Old Orchard’s best-sellers are Raspberry and Blackberry flavors? Reclaim your margins and order your craft concentrates at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) Precision Fermentation (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing): BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first real-time, comprehensive fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature, and conductivity in real-time, from any smartphone, tablet, or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed insight into your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce tank-time, and increase overall efficiency–saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. Visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing). Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com (https://www.ssbrewtech.com) Hop Revolution (https://www.hoprevolution.co.nz): If you’re looking for a direct partnership with an independent hop grower who is as fanatical about flavour and quality as you are, join the revolution! Hop Revolution’s only reason for being is sustainably farming and processing New Zealand’s most flavoursome hops. They get that great beer is not brewed to a past or a future ideal. It’s an ongoing journey of fresh thinking. Hop Revolution really is only here for your beer. Let them flavour your thinking stateside directly from Hop Revolution, or through Crosby Hops or Mill95. Learn more @ HopRevolution.co.nz (https://www.hoprevolution.co.nz).

18 Feb 20221h 15min

Groomed by retired master blender Armand Debelder, a new generation has assumed the stewardship of the 3 Fonteinen lambic brewery and blendery in Beersel and Lot, Belgium. Their focus is on preserving their mentor’s approach to brewing, blending, and passion for the lambic tradition, while also looking for ways to root that product more deeply in its history and in its region. Led by managing director Werner Van Obberghen and brewer Michaël Blancquaert, the 3 Fonteinen team has been navigating the rough seas of the pandemic, looking ahead to ambitious plans for expansion while working to maintain the reputation of 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze. One project, now under way, is to brew lambic using heirloom wheat and barley varieties grown in the region by Pajottenland farmers. In this episode recorded amongst the barrels of the famed lambic cellar, Van Obberghen and Lukas Van den Abeele—who has done extensive research on the grains—discuss that program as well as how it fits into Debelder’s vision for the future of 3 Fonteinen. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also 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 the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) This episode is brought to you by our friends at BSG. We all know that the best brewing results come from the best ingredients. BSG offers the largest variety of quality ingredients to create outstanding beers. BSG brings the best malt, hops and additives from around the world to your brewhouse. Their knowledgeable and dedicated staff comes from the brewing industry and can assist you in product consultation for your recipe formulation. Contact your dedicated sales or customer support rep, or become a customer at BSGcraft.com/BeACustomer (https://bsgcraft.com/become-a-customer/) Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Supply chain challenges are here to stay for a while, so why not trust the experts to handle freight for your ingredients? Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your craft concentrate blends. When you order two pails or more of concentrate from Old Orchard, you qualify for freight quotes from various carriers and can stay up-to-date on the status of your shipment. To get started on a freight quote for craft concentrates today, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer (oldorchard.com/brewer) Precision Fermentation (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing): BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first real-time, comprehensive fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature, and conductivity in real-time, from any smartphone, tablet, or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed insight into your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce tank-time, and increase overall efficiency–saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. Visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing). Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com (https://www.ssbrewtech.com) Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Are you involved in your local Homebrew Club? Want to receive even more benefits? Sign up today for Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com) Homebrew Club Program. It’s free, and you could have the chance to test out new products before they hit the market, receive exclusive swag, and enjoy discounts on brewing cleaners and sanitizers. Head on over to their website to sign up. You won’t want to miss it.

11 Feb 20221h 12min

Julia Herz is only a couple months into her new role as Executive Director of the American Homebrewers Association (https://www.homebrewersassociation.org), but she's long been a craft beer voice and advocate with deep experience in the realm of food and beer pairing. As the former Craft Beer Program Director for the Brewers Association, she developed a library of resources to help brewers understand the nexus of beer and food, and to increase the number and quality of occasions for beer drinking. Now, in her new role as head of the world’s largest association of homebrewers, she starts her next chapter thinking about how homebrewing, and craft beer in general, can mean more to even more people than it has in the past. In this episode, Herz discusses: The immediate challenges to homebrewing and long term goals Connecting the professional and amateur sides of brewing Thinking about flavor in a way that’s externally relatable Understanding the food flavor triangle Pairing strategies with bridges, links, hooks, and echoes Developing a mind-palate connection and articulating a language of flavor Overcoming flavor bias Making brewing more relevant to those from all walks of like And more. “So many brewers are world-class sensory experts when it comes to beer, but I still want to see brewers come along and understand how to describe flavor and what their beers go with,” says Herz. “Winemakers do know how to do that. Winemakers are in that arena, day in and day out.” *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): What if you could chill your beer with a more efficient chiller? The Answer? G&D Chillers new Micro Channel Condensers! 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. 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 (https://gdchillers.com) BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Get back to the future with Weyermann® Isaria 1924®. Made from the oldest German malting barley variety, Isaria shows malty-sweet flavor and a soft, biscuit-like aroma. This heirloom malt makes amazing traditional Bavarian-style lagers, not to mention modern craft lagers and malt-forward ales. For more info, samples, and orders please visit go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Looking for innovation in your next beverage break-through? Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. Even smoothie seltzers can benefit from the extra boost of flavor and color. Old Orchard is based in the Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area—also known as Beer City, USA—and supplies craft beverage categories ranging from beer, wine, and cider to seltzer, spirits, and kombucha. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) Precision Fermentation (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing): BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first real-time, comprehensive fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature, and conductivity in real-time, from any smartphone, tablet, or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed insight into your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce tank-time, and increase overall efficiency–saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. Visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing). Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com (https://www.ssbrewtech.com) Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Have you heard of PBW Tablets? Yeah, that’s right, the PBW powder you’ve known and trusted is now in tablet form from Five Star Chemicals. In two sizes-1 per 32 oz and 1 per gallon of water to optimize your cleaning. Simply add one per gallon for all stainless equipment, growlers, kettles, or carboys. Purchase on their website or your favorite homebrew supplier.

5 Feb 20221h 7min

Matt Sampson, director of brewing operations for Hacienda Beer (https://www.haciendabeerco.com) and Door County Brewing (https://www.doorcountybrewingco.com) in Wisconsin, never set out to be a brewer. The PhD chemist figured on life in a lab—but life had something else in store. He found his way into brewing through the side door—vaulting from a somewhat unique position as brand manager and QC tech. That led to cellar and brewing work. Now, years later, Sampson still manages the Hacienda brand while overseeing all brewing for both Hacienda and Door County. Door County focuses on the reliable, tried-and-true craft standbys. Hacienda, meanwhile, is their hub of experimentation—where flavor and exploration are priorities—and their Milwaukee taproom is the best place to experience it. In this episode, Sampson focuses on the Hacienda approach, where a focus on tropical flavor spans beer styles, from their high-volume hazy IPAs to their mixed-culture and spontaneous beers. Along the way, he discusses: focusing on tropical Brettanomyces flavors over “barnyard” fermenting directly in oak with Brett primaries transitioning from grown and dreg cultures to commercial pitches brewing spontaneously with a coolship in the Upper Midwest foregoing aged hops to allow more tropical hop flavors to emerge using hops directly in the coolship understanding Michigan- and Wisconsin-grown hop flavors taking a fruit-first approach to choosing blending stock prepping cherries for beer maceration with a carbonic process controlling THP in finished beer the importance of dry-hopping every mixed-fermentation beer And more. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also 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 the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Support from this episode comes from BSG and The Malt Haus by Rahr. The Malt Haus is your online source for cool and exclusive Rahr Malting Co. gear that you can’t get anywhere else. T-shirts, hoodies, hats, socks, glassware, and even gear for your pets. Rep the malt you brew with and look sharp doing it! Take the tradition home at themalthaus.com (https://themalthaus.com/ecommerce/) Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Is your brewery struggling to source or afford berry ingredients? Historic heatwaves devastated U.S. berry crops, causing supply to dwindle and prices to skyrocket. That’s why brewers are switching over to Old Orchard’s craft concentrate blends, which mimic straight concentrates but at a better price point—and with more reliable supply. Is it any surprise that Old Orchard’s best-sellers are Raspberry and Blackberry flavors? Reclaim your margins and order your craft concentrates at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) Precision Fermentation (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing): BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first real-time, comprehensive fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature, and conductivity in real-time, from any smartphone, tablet, or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed insight into your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce tank-time, and increase overall efficiency–saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. Visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing). Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com (https://www.ssbrewtech.com) Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Are you involved in your local Homebrew Club? Want to receive even more benefits? Sign up today for Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com) Homebrew Club Program. It’s free, and you could have the chance to test out new products before they hit the market, receive exclusive swag, and enjoy discounts on brewing cleaners and sanitizers. Head on over to their website to sign up. You won’t want to miss it.

1 Feb 20221h 4min

Todd DiMatteo never intended to head up the production side of Good Word Brewing and Public House (https://goodwordbrewing.com) in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. However, after a rocky start with a previous brewer forced him to quickly step up to the brewdeck, he embraced the role with verve. Thankfully, his homebrew experience plus more than a decade serving beer at Atlanta’s legendary Brick Store Pub provided a palate and a point of view—two things that he’s leaned into while further developing Good Word’s beer program. Small beers are a big deal for DiMatteo. Through collaborations and core brews, he routinely plays across the beer map—from “petite IPA” to Czech-style dark lager and English-style bitter. In this episode, he talks about the challenges and techniques to brewing small beers, including: sharpening critical faculties to focus on constant improvement finding inspiration in source material for beer styles staying respectful of style and naming conventions, in part to keep styles alive and vibrant key points for maximizing character and minimizing detracting notes in small beers the value of decoction in low-ABV beers evaluating ingredients and selecting them for flavor using multiple lager and ale strains while remaining efficient from a production standpoint spunding for natural carbonation And more. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also 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 the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Support for this episode comes from BSG and Fermentis, the obvious choice for beverage fermentation. SafBrew LD-20 is a new all-in-one Saccharomyces Pastorianus yeast and enzyme blend designed to produce lower-carb, dry lager beers. SafBrew LD-20 is capable of high attenuation at low temperatures, making it the perfect choice for clean lagers with very low residual sugars. To harness the power of SafBrew LD-20, or to learn more about Fermentis’s range of fermentation solutions, get in touch with BSG at go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Supply chain challenges are here to stay for a while, so why not trust the experts to handle freight for your ingredients? Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your craft concentrate blends. When you order two pails or more of concentrate from Old Orchard, you qualify for freight quotes from various carriers and can stay up-to-date on the status of your shipment. To get started on a freight quote for craft concentrates today, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer (oldorchard.com/brewer) Precision Fermentation (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing): BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first real-time, comprehensive fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature, and conductivity in real-time, from any smartphone, tablet, or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed insight into your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce tank-time, and increase overall efficiency–saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. Visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing). Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com (https://www.ssbrewtech.com) Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Have you heard of PBW Tablets? Yeah, that’s right, the PBW powder you’ve known and trusted is now in tablet form from Five Star Chemicals. (https://fivestarchemicals.com) Available in two sizes so you can use just one tablet in either 32 ounces or one gallon of water, to optimize your cleaning. Forget measuring, just add a tablet to water and quickly clean all stainless equipment, growlers, kettles, or carboys. Purchase on their website or your favorite homebrew supplier.

27 Jan 20221h 12min

Denver’s Our Mutual Friend (https://www.buyomfbeer.com) might be better known in brewing circles for their commitment to mixed-culture beers, but ask head brewer Jan Chodkowski, and he’ll admit to being a hophead. It’s no surprise, then, that the case of “palmares” on the brewery wall showcasing their GABF, World Beer Cup, and Craft Beer & Brewing awards is evenly split between funky farmhouse takes such as Saison Trystero and hoppy beers such as Inner Light, their Australian-style pale ale. However, their interest in experimentation doesn’t end there, and they’ve found an enduring customer base that goes along for the ride as they regularly play in polarizing styles such as smoked beer. In this episode, Chodkowski discusses how they “toss customers into the deep end” with brash but deeply respectful takes on the farmhouse oeuvre from Northern Norway (such as their recent Stjørdalsøl dark smoked beer), a vast array of beers made with a variety of different mixed cultures, and a commitment to ingredient sourcing that informs everything they make. Chodkowski specifically addresses: Using alder wood to custom-kiln and smoke malt Mixing smoked malts for depth in smoked beer The impact of malt more than yeast in smoked farmhouse beer Shifting to pils malt to let hops shine Dry hopping just before terminal for brightness and polish Evaluating and adjusting beers as regular practice Fermenting colder with Chico yeast Using various Brett strains to build layers of flavor Using multiple commercial mixed-culture pitches for diverse blending stock, rather than a house culture Using aged hops in farmhouse beers And more. *This episode is brought to you by: * G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also 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 the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com (https://gdchillers.com) BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) This episode brought to you by BSG and Rahr Malting Co., the home of fossil-free malt. Rahr’s headquarters in Shakopee, Minnesota is powered by renewable electricity. Malthouses and kilns are fed by an electrostatic boiler fueled by agricultural byproducts, much of which is waste from the malting process. By eliminating the use of natural gas, Rahr Malting Co. reduces CO2 emissions by 260,000 tons per year while filling 25% of the US brewing industry’s malt needs. Put the power of Rahr Malt in your beer at go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Looking for innovation in your next beverage break-through? Think outside the purée box and let your brand stand out with Old Orchard's craft concentrate blends. Even smoothie seltzers can benefit from the extra boost of flavor and color. Old Orchard is based in the Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area—also known as Beer City, USA—and supplies craft beverage categories ranging from beer, wine, and cider to seltzer, spirits, and kombucha. To join the core of Old Orchard's brewing community, learn more at oldorchard.com/brewer (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer) Precision Fermentation (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing): BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first real-time, comprehensive fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature, and conductivity in real-time, from any smartphone, tablet, or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed insight into your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce tank-time, and increase overall efficiency–saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. Visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing). Ss Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com (https://www.ssbrewtech.com) Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Are you involved in your local Homebrew Club? Want to receive even more benefits? Sign up today for Five Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com) Homebrew Club Program. It’s free, and you could have the chance to test out new products before they hit the market, receive exclusive swag, and enjoy discounts on brewing cleaners and sanitizers. Head on over to their website to sign up. You won’t want to miss it.

19 Jan 20221h 8min