Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

When he and wife Dana Martindale purchased the brewery that would become Tenma Beer Project a few years ago, Brennan Perry had to adjust—it was the smallest brewhouse he’d ever used. After stints at Stone, Beachwood, and others, he’d developed a disciplined approach to production brewing. But with this new chapter, he wanted to test, learn, and bring customers along for an ever-changing experience that still felt rooted. A few years in, he’s still adapting, with a new European malt supplier, decoctions for many of his lagers, and more.

In this episode, Perry discusses:

• brewing five different brands of single-hopped, German-style pils
• finding European malt with process-dependent flavor expression
• first-wort hopping lager and IPA for integrated bitterness
• the quirks of Saphir, Hersbrucker, Tettnanger, Mittlefrüh, and more
• adjusting boil timing based on alpha acids
• applying technical approaches from lager brewing to West Coast IPA
• blending malts for the perfect IPA base
• accounting for the lower perceived bitterness in advanced hop products

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D now offers the Elite 290 Micro-series with 5H chillers—bringing even more flexibility to our propane-powered lineup. In fact, we’re building one right now for Red Clover Ale in partnership with Efficiency Vermont. It runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP)—projected to deliver around 10 percent more efficiency than A2L refrigerant systems. That’s smart sustainability backed by proven engineering and trusted performance. With 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Explore the Elite 290 Micro-series and more at gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

Here’s a brewer’s nightmare. It’s the night before packaging. You walk into the brewery, straight to the tank. You pull a sample to do a forced diacetyl test, and you wait for it in silence. Something feels not quite right. You reach into the water bath and bring the flask to your nose… And it’s a butter bomb. The logistics start running through your head. Do we hold the tank? We have accounts waiting. How many days until it clears? And then you wake up and remember that you use Berkeley Yeast’s FRESH™ Chico. It’s got ALDC inside every cell, so diacetyl can’t even form in the first place. Through primary. Through dry hopping and hop creep. Diacetyl stays ultra-low. So you don’t have to add ALDC or wait for diacetyl to clean up. And most importantly, you don’t have to wake up in a cold sweat, worrying about scary stories like these. FRESH™ Chico is now available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

This podcast is sponsored by the Midea 50/50 flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. The 50/50 Flex is designed to flex with your life. It can convert to all fridge, all freezer, or half and half with just the touch of a button. Plus, with its reversible doors and adjustable storage compartments, you can stay organized no matter your food-storage needs. The 50/50 Flex is also designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled spaces. So it’s perfect for your garage, man cave, or wherever you need a little more space. Maybe use all 20 cubic feet as a beer fridge! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ for more information on how to take your beer storage to the next level.

ADM
Today’s episode is proudly sponsored by ADM. Great beverages start with great ideas. At ADM, science, innovation, and nature come together to help brewers craft exceptional drinking experiences. From premium hop solutions to advanced-ingredient technologies, we help elevate flavor, consistency, and product differentiation. Whether you’re pursuing your next flagship beer or developing an entirely new beverage concept, we bring the expertise and partnership needed to turn vision into reality. ADM is where nature meets precision. Discover more at https://www.adm.com/alcohol/.

John I. Haas
Advanced liquid hop products from John I. Haas are giving brewers new ways to shape flavor and streamline production—without the vegetative matter that comes with traditional hop additions. In the whirlpool, Incognito delivers concentrated, variety-specific hop flavor and aroma. Prysma goes further—usable in the whirlpool or fermentor, with post-filtration dosing that can turn a single base beer into different finished products. And in the bright tank, Euphorics adds hop-oil-based flavor to finished beer and alternative beverages, with 14 unique flavor profiles. The portfolio also includes process tools such as Hop Haze and HopAid antifoam, for brewers solving specific technical challenges. Explore the full lineup of our advanced products at https://www.johnihaas.com.

Scott Laboratory
This episode is brought to you by Scott Laboratories. Whether you’re making beer, nonalcoholic beer, or other ready-to-drink beverages, Scott Laboratories offers products and technical expertise for preventing microbial spoilage and ensuring shelf-stability. We have a complete filtration portfolio that spans sheet, lenticular, cartridge, and crossflow filtration. In addition, we are the exclusive U.S. distributor of Velcorin®, a microbial control solution used during packaging and trusted by beverage producers for more than 40 years. We are also excited to introduce Nagardo®, a new microbial stabilizer naturally derived from mushroom glycolipids. It’s pH compatibility and persistent formulation make it ideal for stabilizing NA beer on draft, a category that has historically been difficult to protect from microbial concerns. To learn more about Scott Laboratories, please visit https://scottlab.com.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Stop by the False Idol taproom in North Richland Hills, Texas, and you’ll find a long list of well-made lagers and IPAs, but for head brewer Will Perry, the real fun starts in the corners of the menu where he has space to play. The results speak for themselves, with three GABF medals in saison and pastry stout categories over the past two years, as well as a Craft Beer & Brewing top 20 beer in 2023.

In this episode, Perry discusses:

• building malt layers in barrel-aged stout
• syncing barrel residency time with finishing gravity
• managing difficult infusions with nut varieties
• high-concentration maceration using ingredients in a brink
• the impact of various types of vanilla
• blending saison yeasts for ideal fermentation character
• leaning into seasonal ingredients for different saison expressions
• the approach behind House of Zest, their recent GABF gold-medal-winning saison
• keg and bottle conditioning

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series is built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. It runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP), has a compact footprint, and features variable-speed fans for efficiency. We’ve chilled beer for more than 3,000 breweries across North America, and with 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Get the details on natural-refrigerant technology at https://gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

At the World Beer Cup this year: Gold for West Coast IPA; Gold for Session IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for New Zealand IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for Classic IPA. All these beers were fermented with one yeast: FRESH™ Chico, Berkeley’s low-diacetyl ale yeast. There’s something you need to know: Diacetyl isn’t just a pass or a fail. Yes, at high levels, it’s tragically bad. But even at low levels, it masks the good flavors. So if you want hop notes to pop, you need diacetyl to be ultra-low. These brewers trust Berkeley Yeast for an ultra-clean fermentation because on the finals table, every little detail matters. And now FRESH™ Chico is available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

This podcast is sponsored by the Midea 50/50 flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. The 50/50 Flex is designed to flex with your life. It can convert to all fridge, all freezer, or half and half with just the touch of a button. Plus, with its reversible doors and adjustable storage compartments, you can stay organized no matter your food-storage needs. The 50/50 Flex is also designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled spaces. So it’s perfect for your garage, man cave, or wherever you need a little more space. Maybe use all 20 cubic feet as a beer fridge! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ for more information on how to take your beer storage to the next level.

ADM
Today’s episode is proudly sponsored by ADM. Great beverages start with great ideas. At ADM, science, innovation, and nature come together to help brewers craft exceptional drinking experiences. From premium hop solutions to advanced-ingredient technologies, we help elevate flavor, consistency, and product differentiation. Whether you’re pursuing your next flagship beer or developing an entirely new beverage concept, we bring the expertise and partnership needed to turn vision into reality. ADM is where nature meets precision. Discover more at https://www.adm.com/alcohol/.

John I. Haas
Advanced liquid hop products from John I. Haas are giving brewers new ways to shape flavor and streamline production—without the vegetative matter that comes with traditional hop additions. In the whirlpool, Incognito delivers concentrated, variety-specific hop flavor and aroma. Prysma goes further—usable in the whirlpool or fermentor, with post-filtration dosing that can turn a single base beer into different finished products. And in the bright tank, Euphorics adds hop-oil-based flavor to finished beer and alternative beverages, with 14 unique flavor profiles. The portfolio also includes process tools such as Hop Haze and HopAid antifoam, for brewers solving specific technical challenges. Explore the full lineup of our advanced products at https://www.johnihaas.com.

Scott Laboratory
This episode is brought to you by Scott Laboratories. Whether you’re making beer, nonalcoholic beer, or other ready-to-drink beverages, Scott Laboratories offers products and technical expertise for preventing microbial spoilage and ensuring shelf-stability. We have a complete filtration portfolio that spans sheet, lenticular, cartridge, and crossflow filtration. In addition, we are the exclusive U.S. distributor of Velcorin®, a microbial control solution used during packaging and trusted by beverage producers for more than 40 years. We are also excited to introduce Nagardo®, a new microbial stabilizer naturally derived from mushroom glycolipids. It’s pH compatibility and persistent formulation make it ideal for stabilizing NA beer on draft, a category that has historically been difficult to protect from microbial concerns. To learn more about Scott Laboratories, please visit https://scottlab.com.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Masthead cofounder and head brewer Mike Pelechaty is no stranger to GABF medals, with five under his belt before adding two more to the collection in 2026, but winning both the light lager and rice lager categories suggests an approach that’s more than just coincidence. In this episode, he outlines the similarities as well as the differences in ingredients and techniques between the two lagers made with rice, and shares the brewery’s general approach to designing, brewing, and ultimately selecting and packaging beers for top-flight competition.

In this episode, Pelechaty discusses:

• building a base for light lager with Canadian pilsner malt
• varying approaches to rice in light lager and rice lager
• clean fermentation with 34/70 at lower temperatures
• choosing hops for each style to provide just the right character
• optimizing hops in competition beers to decrease polarization
• the impact of carbonation on a beer’s chance of medaling
• standing out on a competition table of great beers

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
A quick word for the brewers out there staring down a broken chiller. You know the pain—warm fermentors, stressed yeast, and that sinking feeling when the repair quote lands in your inbox. With refrigerant regulations changing and the cost of obsolete refrigerants skyrocketing, sometimes the fix costs more than the unit is worth. G&D Chillers is there to help, whether you’re a small brew pub or large full-scale production brewery. Don’t throw good money at bad equipment. Invest in a solution that grows with your brewery—and keeps your tanks cold when it counts. Big thanks to G&D Chillers for supporting this podcast since 2019. Reach out to them at gdhillers.com/podcast to learn how they can support your next six years of growth.

Berkeley Yeast

Here’s a brewer’s nightmare. It’s the night before packaging. You walk into the brewery, straight to the tank. You pull a sample to do a forced diacetyl test, and you wait for it in silence. Something feels not quite right. You reach into the water bath and bring the flask to your nose… And it’s a butter bomb. The logistics start running through your head. Do we hold the tank? We have accounts waiting. How many days until it clears? And then you wake up and remember that you use Berkeley Yeast’s FRESH™ Chico. It’s got ALDC inside every cell, so diacetyl can’t even form in the first place. Through primary. Through dry hopping and hop creep. Diacetyl stays ultra-low. So you don’t have to add ALDC or wait for diacetyl to clean up. And most importantly, you don’t have to wake up in a cold sweat, worrying about scary stories like these. FRESH™ Chico is now available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on or how you want the shelves to be arranged—the 50/50 totally flexes to fit your life. Plus, it’s designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled conditions—so you can crack a cold one even on the warmest days in the man cave. Take your garage to the next level! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ to get more info about this game changer today.

ADM
This episode is brought to you by ADM. Innovation is shaping the future of beverages, and ADM is helping brewers stay ahead of what’s next. With cutting-edge natural flavors and hop ingredients, category insights, and advanced technologies, ADM works alongside beverage creators to unlock new possibilities in taste, performance, and consumer appeal. From breakthrough beer concepts to unique flavor-forward creations, ADM provides the expertise and solutions to help transform inspiration into market-ready success. Ready to create what’s next? Visit https://www.adm.com/alcohol/ to learn more.

John I. Haas
Advanced liquid hop products from John I. Haas are giving brewers new ways to shape flavor and streamline production—without the vegetative matter that comes with traditional hop additions. In the whirlpool, Incognito delivers concentrated, variety-specific hop flavor and aroma. Prysma goes further—usable in the whirlpool or fermentor, with post-filtration dosing that can turn a single base beer into different finished products. And in the bright tank, Euphorics adds hop-oil-based flavor to finished beer and alternative beverages, with 14 unique flavor profiles. The portfolio also includes process tools such as Hop Haze and HopAid antifoam, for brewers solving specific technical challenges. Explore the full lineup of our advanced products at https://www.johnihaas.com.

Scott Laboratory
This episode is brought to you by Scott Laboratories. Whether you’re making beer, nonalcoholic beer, or other ready-to-drink beverages, Scott Laboratories offers products and technical expertise for preventing microbial spoilage and ensuring shelf-stability. We have a complete filtration portfolio that spans sheet, lenticular, cartridge, and crossflow filtration. In addition, we are the exclusive U.S. distributor of Velcorin®, a microbial control solution used during packaging and trusted by beverage producers for more than 40 years. We are also excited to introduce Nagardo®, a new microbial stabilizer naturally derived from mushroom glycolipids. It’s pH compatibility and persistent formulation make it ideal for stabilizing NA beer on draft, a category that has historically been difficult to protect from microbial concerns. To learn more about Scott Laboratories, please visit https://scottlab.com.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Earlier this year, Cloudburst founder Steve Luke announced that longtime friends at Bale Breaker would be buying the brewery while he and his wife relocated to New Zealand for her career. For many in the industry, it felt like an ideal outcome, with the beloved Seattle brand finding a home with the talented team at the Yakima-based brewery. But the move hasn’t taken Luke out of the game—he’ll be involved for at least a few years, and hasn’t let up on the tongue-in-cheek humor around craft beer history that has led to creative and award-winning takes on things like imperial hoppy red ale or hoppy amber ale.

Through the episode, Luke looks back as well as forward, and touches on:

• dealing with burnout as a brewer and business operator
• continuing to meet expectations the brewery has set for themselves
• selling throwback beers by adding “West Coast” to the name
• brewing hoppy red and amber beers as a homage to craft beer’s roots
• first wort hopping, hot side hops in hazy IPA, and avoiding muddled hop character
• lagering hoppy beer for better hop expression
• where hazy IPA went awry
• kiwi brewing from a North American brewer perspective

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D now offers the Elite 290 Micro-series with 5H chillers—bringing even more flexibility to our propane-powered lineup. In fact, we’re building one right now for Red Clover Ale in partnership with Efficiency Vermont. It runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP)—projected to deliver around 10 percent more efficiency than A2L refrigerant systems. That’s smart sustainability backed by proven engineering and trusted performance. With 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Explore the Elite 290 Micro-series and more at gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

At the World Beer Cup this year: Gold for West Coast IPA; Gold for Session IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for New Zealand IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for Classic IPA. All these beers were fermented with one yeast: FRESH™ Chico, Berkeley’s low-diacetyl ale yeast. There’s something you need to know: Diacetyl isn’t just a pass or a fail. Yes, at high levels, it’s tragically bad. But even at low levels, it masks the good flavors. So if you want hop notes to pop, you need diacetyl to be ultra-low. These brewers trust Berkeley Yeast for an ultra-clean fermentation because on the finals table, every little detail matters. And now FRESH™ Chico is available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

This podcast is sponsored by the Midea 50/50 flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. The 50/50 Flex is designed to flex with your life. It can convert to all fridge, all freezer, or half and half with just the touch of a button. Plus, with its reversible doors and adjustable storage compartments, you can stay organized no matter your food-storage needs. The 50/50 Flex is also designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled spaces. So it’s perfect for your garage, man cave, or wherever you need a little more space. Maybe use all 20 cubic feet as a beer fridge! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ for more information on how to take your beer storage to the next level.

ADM
Today’s episode is proudly sponsored by ADM. Great beverages start with great ideas. At ADM, science, innovation, and nature come together to help brewers craft exceptional drinking experiences. From premium hop solutions to advanced-ingredient technologies, we help elevate flavor, consistency, and product differentiation. Whether you’re pursuing your next flagship beer or developing an entirely new beverage concept, we bring the expertise and partnership needed to turn vision into reality. ADM is where nature meets precision. Discover more at https://www.adm.com/alcohol/.

John I. Haas
Advanced liquid hop products from John I. Haas are giving brewers new ways to shape flavor and streamline production—without the vegetative matter that comes with traditional hop additions. In the whirlpool, Incognito delivers concentrated, variety-specific hop flavor and aroma. Prysma goes further—usable in the whirlpool or fermentor, with post-filtration dosing that can turn a single base beer into different finished products. And in the bright tank, Euphorics adds hop-oil-based flavor to finished beer and alternative beverages, with 14 unique flavor profiles. The portfolio also includes process tools such as Hop Haze and HopAid antifoam, for brewers solving specific technical challenges. Explore the full lineup of our advanced products at https://www.johnihaas.com.

Scott Laboratory
This episode is brought to you by Scott Laboratories. Whether you’re making beer, nonalcoholic beer, or other ready-to-drink beverages, Scott Laboratories offers products and technical expertise for preventing microbial spoilage and ensuring shelf-stability. We have a complete filtration portfolio that spans sheet, lenticular, cartridge, and crossflow filtration. In addition, we are the exclusive U.S. distributor of Velcorin®, a microbial control solution used during packaging and trusted by beverage producers for more than 40 years. We are also excited to introduce Nagardo®, a new microbial stabilizer naturally derived from mushroom glycolipids. It’s pH compatibility and persistent formulation make it ideal for stabilizing NA beer on draft, a category that has historically been difficult to protect from microbial concerns. To learn more about Scott Laboratories, please visit https://scottlab.com.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Scott Selix of Lua in Des Moines, Iowa, started his career as a brewer before leaving for law school. After a brief stint as an attorney, the gravitational pull of the brewing world ultimately proved too strong for him to overcome. Now at Lua, he has the freedom to explore the creative front edge of progressive styles such as hazy IPA while also delving into low-ABV pale lagers—which, he admits, he and the brew team largely brew for themselves.

In this episode, Selix discusses:

• pushing the limits of hazy IPA with 65 percent adjunct malt
• testing new approaches and constantly updating their core hazy IPA
• nailing the visual appeal of hazy beer
• balancing sweetness, fullness, and bitterness
• launching THC beverage brand Climbing Kites
• designing the brewhouse for decoction and step-mashing
• minimizing hot-side aeration with low-DO techniques
• cereal-mashing with local grain
• brewing 2.5 percent ABV table lager with Strisselspalt hops
• what “rustic” means in the lager context
• serving lager with lime in a frozen mug

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP)—built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. We recently built one for New Belgium Brewing, delivering around 50 percent energy savings over CO2 systems and 9 percent more efficiency than A2Ls. That’s real-world impact from a brewery that knows what it takes. With 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Learn more about sustainable chiller solutions at https://gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

Here’s a brewer’s nightmare. It’s the night before packaging. You walk into the brewery, straight to the tank. You pull a sample to do a forced diacetyl test, and you wait for it in silence. Something feels not quite right. You reach into the water bath and bring the flask to your nose … And it’s a butter bomb. The logistics start running through your head. Do we hold the tank? We have accounts waiting. How many days until it clears? And then you wake up and remember that you use Berkeley Yeast’s FRESH™ Chico. It’s got ALDC inside every cell, so diacetyl can’t even form in the first place. Through primary. Through dry hopping and hop creep. Diacetyl stays ultra-low. So you don’t have to add ALDC or wait for diacetyl to clean up. And most importantly, you don’t have to wake up in a cold sweat, worrying about scary stories like these. FRESH™ Chico is now available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on or how you want the shelves to be arranged—the 50/50 totally flexes to fit your life. Plus, it’s designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled conditions—so you can crack a cold one even on the warmest days in the man cave. Take your garage to the next level! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ to get more info about this game changer today. Cheers!

ADM
This episode is brought to you by ADM. Innovation is shaping the future of beverages, and ADM is helping brewers stay ahead of what’s next. With cutting-edge natural flavors and hop ingredients, category insights, and advanced technologies, ADM works alongside beverage creators to unlock new possibilities in taste, performance, and consumer appeal. From breakthrough beer concepts to unique flavor-forward creations, ADM provides the expertise and solutions to help transform inspiration into market-ready success. Ready to create what’s next? Visit https://www.adm.com/alcohol/ to learn more.

John I. Haas
Advanced liquid hop products from John I. Haas are giving brewers new ways to shape flavor and streamline production—without the vegetative matter that comes with traditional hop additions. In the whirlpool, Incognito delivers concentrated, variety-specific hop flavor and aroma. Prysma goes further—usable in the whirlpool or fermentor, with post-filtration dosing that can turn a single base beer into different finished products. And in the bright tank, Euphorics adds hop-oil-based flavor to finished beer and alternative beverages, with 14 unique flavor profiles. The portfolio also includes process tools such as Hop Haze and HopAid antifoam, for brewers solving specific technical challenges. Explore the full lineup of our advanced products at https://www.johnihaas.com.

Scott Laboratory
This episode is brought to you by Scott Laboratories. Whether you’re making beer, nonalcoholic beer, or other ready-to-drink beverages, Scott Laboratories offers products and technical expertise for preventing microbial spoilage and ensuring shelf-stability. We have a complete filtration portfolio that spans sheet, lenticular, cartridge, and crossflow filtration. In addition, we are the exclusive U.S. distributor of Velcorin®, a microbial control solution used during packaging and trusted by beverage producers for more than 40 years. We are also excited to introduce Nagardo®, a new microbial stabilizer naturally derived from mushroom glycolipids. It’s pH compatibility and persistent formulation make it ideal for stabilizing NA beer on draft, a category that has historically been difficult to protect from microbial concerns. To learn more about Scott Laboratories, please visit https://scottlab.com.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Denver's Off Script has built a rabid fanbase of hazy IPA drinkers who line up for can releases and special draft events like it's 2015 again, and founder Ryan Taylor has done it by focusing tightly on plush and saturated hazy IPAs. But he brews the beer themselves at Aurora, Colorado's Milieu Fermentation, where cofounder Rob Bessett also makes some high-scoring hazy IPAs of his own. Together in this episode, the pair discuss the ways the IPAs they brew are similar, as well as different, despite following a common path toward a similar end goal.

In this episode, Bessett and Taylor discuss:

• using a high percentage of (primarily) malted oats to amplify body
• low color malts that have worked well in hazy IPA
• varying water chemistry between the brands for altered expressions
• keeping hop matter out of the kettle before the whirlpool
• aggressively whirlpooling for better haze stability
• focusing on T-90 hops rather than cryo
• using flowable hop products at knockout
• blending yeast strains and intentionally stressing yeast for better ester production
• top noting aroma with hop oil
• blending bold and characterful hops

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series is built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. It runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP), has a compact footprint, and features variable-speed fans for efficiency. We’ve chilled beer for more than 3,000 breweries across North America, and with 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Get the details on natural-refrigerant technology at https://gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

It’s here! Berkeley’s FRESH™ Chico is now available dry. You’ve heard here on the podcast just how many medal-winning brewers use FRESH™ Chico as their house strain because of how clean and versatile it is. If you want to make world-class IPA, your fermentation must avoid unwanted or distracting flavors, and Berkeley’s robust low-diacetyl technology is a game changer with healthy and highly viable cells that ferment fast and clean every time. Bringing that level of fermentation innovation to dried yeast is no small feat, but our experts at Berkeley Yeast love making the impossible possible. With bricks priced as low as $88, it’s a cost-effective solution, and you’ll save even more by eliminating ALDC from your brews. Head over to https://berkeleyyeast.com and start leveling up your IPA today.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

This podcast is sponsored by the Midea 50/50 flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. The 50/50 Flex is designed to flex with your life. It can convert to all fridge, all freezer, or half and half with just the touch of a button. Plus, with its reversible doors and adjustable storage compartments, you can stay organized no matter your food-storage needs. The 50/50 Flex is also designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled spaces. So it’s perfect for your garage, man cave, or wherever you need a little more space. Maybe use all 20 cubic feet as a beer fridge! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ for more information on how to take your beer storage to the next level.

ADM
Today’s episode is brought to you by ADM.Are you ready to shake up the beverage world? ADM is passionate about helping you craft your next breakthrough. From cutting edge natural ingredients like hops to advanced technologies, ADM brings together science and creativity to elevate taste, quality, and recipe design. Whether you’re developing a beer innovation or a bold new flavor experience, ADM is your trusted partner in innovation. Let’s create something extraordinary—because the future of beer and brewing starts with inspired ideas and exceptional expertise. ADM is where nature meets precision! Learn more at adm.com/alcohol

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

In this special episode produced in partnership with Scott Labs, we focus on beer spoilers and how to protect your beer from them. Today’s rapid growth in low- and no-alcohol craft beer and beverages presents quite a challenge for brewers because alcohol itself is one of the best ways to prevent microorganisms from turning the beautiful beverage you crafted into something less delicious or less healthy.

Through the course of this conversation, we talk about what some of those common spoilers are, how they function, and what you can do as a brewer and beverage maker to minimize their impact in the brewing and blending process through to packaged product. And we discuss how Nagardo, available from Scott Labs, can fit into a robust and multifaceted program to provide persistent protection from microbes that might spoil your beer.

Joining in the conversation are:

• Jessica Just, director of industry services, Oregon State University Department of Food Science & Technology
• Glenn Allen, head brewer and chief product officer, Pilot Project Brewing (Milwaukee and Chicago)
• Nate Armbrust, technical sales, Scott Labs

Scott Laboratories is a leader in the North American wine and specialty-beverage industry, with a wide range of solutions that span fermentation, barrel-alternatives, filtration, specialized equipment, corks and closures, microbial control, and more. They offer a wide range of solutions for modern beverage makers at https://scottlab.com/.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Kyle Gregorash of Madison, Wisconsin’s Young Blood didn’t initially set out to build a brewery around fruit beer, but over the past six years he’s worked tirelessly to perfect it and solve that intractable brewing problem—how can you make something that’s sweet and crowd-pleasing but that finishes with a snap and encourages the next sip? And how do you do that when brewers’ favorite tool—hop bitterness—is off the table? Through years of experimentation and practice, Gregorash has dialed in fruit beers and those beers have fueled the brewery’s growth to the point where they now make up 60% of the brewery’s production.

In this episode, he outlines some of the ways he makes sweet and fruity beers that feel indulgent but that encourage a second pint. Along the way, he touches on:

• coming at quick sour beer from a mixed culture sour background
• using Sourvisiae yeast for quick soured fruit beer
• scaling pH in inverse to ABV
• top noting real purée and juice concentrate with extracts and natural flavors for full spectrum impact
• varying the fruit strategy in beer-based and gluten-free fruited sours
• blending phosphoric, lactic, citric, and malic acids for ideal expression in fruit beers
• understanding the impact levels of various fruits
• spices that make fruit flavors pop

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
A quick word for the brewers out there staring down a broken chiller. You know the pain—warm fermentors, stressed yeast, and that sinking feeling when the repair quote lands in your inbox. With refrigerant regulations changing and the cost of obsolete refrigerants skyrocketing, sometimes the fix costs more than the unit is worth. G&D Chillers is there to help, whether you’re a small brew pub or large full-scale production brewery. Don’t throw good money at bad equipment. Invest in a solution that grows with your brewery—and keeps your tanks cold when it counts. Big thanks to G&D Chillers for supporting this podcast since 2019. Reach out to them at gdhillers.com/podcast to learn how they can support your next six years of growth.

Berkeley Yeast

At the World Beer Cup this year: Gold for West Coast IPA; Gold for Session IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for New Zealand IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for Classic IPA. All these beers were fermented with one yeast: FRESH™ Chico, Berkeley’s low-diacetyl ale yeast. There’s something you need to know: Diacetyl isn’t just a pass or a fail. Yes, at high levels, it’s tragically bad. But even at low levels, it masks the good flavors. So if you want hop notes to pop, you need diacetyl to be ultra-low. These brewers trust Berkeley Yeast for an ultra-clean fermentation because on the finals table, every little detail matters. And now FRESH™ Chico is available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on or how you want the shelves to be arranged—the 50/50 totally flexes to fit your life. Plus, it’s designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled conditions—so you can crack a cold one even on the warmest days in the man cave. Take your garage to the next level! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ to get more info about this game changer today.

ADM
Today’s episode is brought to you by ADM.Are you ready to shake up the beverage world? ADM is passionate about helping you craft your next breakthrough. From cutting edge natural ingredients like hops to advanced technologies, ADM brings together science and creativity to elevate taste, quality, and recipe design. Whether you’re developing a beer innovation or a bold new flavor experience, ADM is your trusted partner in innovation. Let’s create something extraordinary—because the future of beer and brewing starts with inspired ideas and exceptional expertise. ADM is where nature meets precision! Learn more at adm.com/alcohol

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

For a brewery with a well-loved flagship brand, changing the recipe is fraught with opportunities for failure. Mess up a beloved beer, and customers will let you know that you blew it, but make it better (or give it more longevity in the package), and you’ll likely hear nothing at all. Flagstaff, Arizona’s Mother Road Brewing rose to the occasion recently, redesigning their Tower Station IPA with modern hop products and no pellets on the hot side to reduce brewhouse waste (and placate the local waste-management authority) and to boost efficiency and yield while reducing shipping costs. In this episode, produced in partnership with Hopsteiner and recorded in their experimental field on the Golden Gate farm in Prosser, Washington, Mother Road COO Peter Kruger shares the story of Mother Road’s embrace of modern hop products, alongside Hopsteiner West Coast sales rep (and former Bear Republic brewmaster) Roger Herpst and breeding research scientist Ryan Gregory.

Through this conversation, they touch on:

• hot-side efficiency and brewing with no hot-side pellets
• using concentrated T-45 pellets for dry hopping
• replacing singular hops with specially formulated hop blends such as Trident™
• maintaining foam stability with advanced hop products
• hop-derived fruit-like flavor through LLZ
• the Hopsteiner hop-breeding process
• new generations of hops with better genetics to provide familiar flavors at lower cost with lower environmental impact

And more.

This episode is produced in partnership with Hopsteiner, a vertically integrated global hops supplier dedicated to delivering the finest hops and hop products available. Founded in 1845, Hopsteiner is a sixth-generation grower that continues to advance the industry as one of the foremost international hop growing, breeding, trading, and processing firms in the world. Hopsteiner ships hops globally and partners with breweries of all sizes, offering unique hop varieties and innovative hop products designed to enhance flavor, aroma, consistency, and flexibility for brewing and beyond.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

"Pacific Northwest Coast IPA" might not be a thing, but it's a jumping off point for this week's panel discussion on IPA featuring three noted and award-winning brewers—Whitney Burnside of Grand Fir (Portland, Oregon), Chris Baum of Varietal (Sunnyside, Washington), and Ben Edmunds of Breakside (Portland and Milwaukie, Oregon)—recorded live at our Brewer's Retreat in Yakima, Washington.

Through the conversation, the three discuss:

• differentiating American and West Coast IPA
• building beers in dialogue with consumers
• driving signature notes with Centennial cryo, Comet, Cashmere, Audacia, and more
• lowering hop astringency without sacrificing bitterness
• using contrasting lots for different expression within the same hop variety
• the impact of lager yeast on bitterness expression
• avoiding dry-thin-bitter beer

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D now offers the Elite 290 Micro-series with 5H chillers—bringing even more flexibility to our propane-powered lineup. In fact, we’re building one right now for Red Clover Ale in partnership with Efficiency Vermont. It runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP)—projected to deliver around 10 percent more efficiency than A2L refrigerant systems. That’s smart sustainability backed by proven engineering and trusted performance. With 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Explore the Elite 290 Micro-series and more at gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

Here’s a brewer’s nightmare. It’s the night before packaging. You walk into the brewery, straight to the tank. You pull a sample to do a forced diacetyl test, and you wait for it in silence. Something feels not quite right. You reach into the water bath and bring the flask to your nose … And it’s a butter bomb. The logistics start running through your head. Do we hold the tank? We have accounts waiting. How many days until it clears? And then you wake up and remember that you use Berkeley Yeast’s FRESH™ Chico. It’s got ALDC inside every cell, so diacetyl can’t even form in the first place. Through primary. Through dry hopping and hop creep. Diacetyl stays ultra-low. So you don’t have to add ALDC or wait for diacetyl to clean up. And most importantly, you don’t have to wake up in a cold sweat, worrying about scary stories like these. FRESH™ Chico is now available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

This podcast is sponsored by the Midea 50/50 flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. The 50/50 Flex is designed to flex with your life. It can convert to all fridge, all freezer, or half and half with just the touch of a button. Plus, with its reversible doors and adjustable storage compartments, you can stay organized no matter your food-storage needs. The 50/50 Flex is also designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled spaces. So it’s perfect for your garage, man cave, or wherever you need a little more space. Maybe use all 20 cubic feet as a beer fridge! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ for more information on how to take your beer storage to the next level.

ADM
Today’s episode is brought to you by ADM.Are you ready to shake up the beverage world? ADM is passionate about helping you craft your next breakthrough. From cutting edge natural ingredients like hops to advanced technologies, ADM brings together science and creativity to elevate taste, quality, and recipe design. Whether you’re developing a beer innovation or a bold new flavor experience, ADM is your trusted partner in innovation. Let’s create something extraordinary—because the future of beer and brewing starts with inspired ideas and exceptional expertise. ADM is where nature meets precision! Learn more at adm.com/alcohol

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

This week’s episode is another panel discussion recorded live at our Brewers Retreat in the hop country of Yakima, Washington, and features three brewers with decided experience brewing fresh hop beers—Kevin Smith of Bale Breaker, Zach Turner of Single Hill, and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River. Through this ranging conversation, the three discuss celebrating the current harvest through the raw flavor of wet hops, how fresh hop brewing started and grew in the U.S., anchoring fresh hop recipes in ways that allow for late changes in varietals, planning for certain hops to arrive at specific times, designing recipes to highlight the flavor contributions of wet hops, managing pH swings, fresh hop addition methods, newer hop varieties like Thora, and much more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP)—built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. We recently built one for New Belgium Brewing, delivering around 50 percent energy savings over CO2 systems and 9 percent more efficiency than A2Ls. That’s real-world impact from a brewery that knows what it takes. With 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Learn more about sustainable chiller solutions at https://gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

It’s here! Berkeley’s FRESH™ Chico is now available dry. You’ve heard here on the podcast just how many medal-winning brewers use FRESH™ Chico as their house strain because of how clean and versatile it is. If you want to make world-class IPA, your fermentation must avoid unwanted or distracting flavors, and Berkeley’s robust low-diacetyl technology is a game changer with healthy and highly viable cells that ferment fast and clean every time. Bringing that level of fermentation innovation to dried yeast is no small feat, but our experts at Berkeley Yeast love making the impossible possible. With bricks priced as low as $88, it’s a cost-effective solution, and you’ll save even more by eliminating ALDC from your brews. Head over to https://berkeleyyeast.com and start leveling up your IPA today.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on or how you want the shelves to be arranged—the 50/50 totally flexes to fit your life. Plus, it’s designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled conditions—so you can crack a cold one even on the warmest days in the man cave. Take your garage to the next level! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ to get more info about this game changer today. Cheers!

ADM
Today’s episode is brought to you by ADM.Are you ready to shake up the beverage world? ADM is passionate about helping you craft your next breakthrough. From cutting edge natural ingredients like hops to advanced technologies, ADM brings together science and creativity to elevate taste, quality, and recipe design. Whether you’re developing a beer innovation or a bold new flavor experience, ADM is your trusted partner in innovation. Let’s create something extraordinary—because the future of beer and brewing starts with inspired ideas and exceptional expertise. ADM is where nature meets precision! Learn more at adm.com/alcohol

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Episode 500! It feels surreal to achieve this latest milestone, but in this episode, recorded live at our Brewer's Retreat at Bale Breaker in Yakima, Washington, we talk hazy IPA with three luminaries in the category: Henry Nguyen of Monkish, Sam Zermeño of Brujos, and Kelsey McNair of North Park. Along the way, we discuss everything you'd expect us to discuss: dry hopping at warm temperatures, maintaining haze richness and diversity, understanding oil content and what that means for hazy IPA, achieving the perfect color, haze-positive hops, and so much more. At the end, Vinnie and Natalie share an unexpected surprise, but you'll have to listen in for that!

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series is built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. It runs on a Natural Refrigerant with near-zero Global Warming Potential, has a compact footprint, and features variable speed fans for efficiency. They’ve chilled beer for over 3,000 breweries across North America, and with 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Get the details on natural refrigerant technology at gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

At the World Beer Cup this year: Gold for West Coast IPA; Gold for Session IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for New Zealand IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for Classic IPA. All these beers were fermented with one yeast: FRESH™ Chico, Berkeley’s low-diacetyl ale yeast.There’s something you need to know: Diacetyl is not just a pass or a fail. Yes, at high levels, it’s tragically bad. But even at low levels, it masks the good flavors. So if you want hop notes to pop, you need diacetyl to be ultra-low. These brewers trust Berkeley Yeast for an ultra-clean fermentation because on the finals table, every little detail matters. And now FRESH™ Chico is available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

This podcast is sponsored by the Midea 50/50 flex—the industry’s first dual compartment three-way convertible freezer. The 50/50 Flex is designed to flex with your life. It can convert to all fridge, all freezer, or half and half with just the touch of a button. Plus, with reversible doors and adjustable storage compartments, you can stay organized no matter your food-storage needs. The 50/50 Flex is also designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled spaces. So it’s perfect for your garage, man cave, or wherever you need a little more space. Maybe use all 20 cubic feet as a beer fridge! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ for more information on how to take your beer storage to the next level.

ADM
Today’s episode is brought to you by ADM.Are you ready to shake up the beverage world? ADM is passionate about helping you craft your next breakthrough. From cutting edge natural ingredients like hops to advanced technologies, ADM brings together science and creativity to elevate taste, quality, and recipe design. Whether you’re developing a beer innovation or a bold new flavor experience, ADM is your trusted partner in innovation. Let’s create something extraordinary—because the future of beer and brewing starts with inspired ideas and exceptional expertise. ADM is where nature meets precision! Learn more at adm.com/alcohol

Wyeast Laboratories

Some strains define an era. These three refuse to stay in just one. To kick off our 40th anniversary celebration, we’re celebrating some of our most iconic strains, highlighting the history and impact that each has had on craft brewing. These strains each earned their place in this collection the same way: not by trending, but by staying essential decade after decade, from homebrew benches to commercial brewhouses. 1056 American Ale, 1318 London Ale III, and 2124 Bohemain Lager are the proof, the quiet backbones behind some of craft beer’s most familiar pints. Visit https://wyeastlab.com/most-iconic/ to learn more about each of these iconic strains.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Nashua, New Hampshire’s Spyglass may not have a unique origin story—engineer friends with a knack for homebrewing started the brewery to focus on the styles they were tired of driving and trading for—but after honing their processes and recipes for the past eight years, and growing into a 20 bbl brewhouse and large-capacity taproom, they’ve grown more comfortable tackling technical brewing problems on both ends of the spectrum. Whether it’s thicker and more saturated hazy DIPA, or lean and light Mexican-style lager, their smart use of malt with some surprisingly large percentages of specialty malt helps them find balance whether the volume is cranked up or dialed down. Cofounder John Wagner and Director of Production Danny Sump join the podcast to discuss their approaches to each, highlighting the beer ¡A Huevo!, which recently scored a 98 in Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine®.

In this episode, Wagner and Sump discuss:

• brewing Mexican-style lager with six row barley and corn
• using chit malt for better foam in light lager
• softening lager with extra calcium chloride then sharpening with other ingredients
• brewing lager without a diacetyl rest
• coolpooling Mexican-style lager with Saaz hops
• using 40%+ specialty malt in hazy IPA
• never bringing hops above 165°F in hazy IPA
• pushing higher pH
• underpitching while over-oxygenating for better haze stability

And more.

G&D Chillers
A quick word for the brewers out there staring down a broken chiller. You know the pain—warm fermentors, stressed yeast, and that sinking feeling when the repair quote lands in your inbox. With refrigerant regulations changing and the cost of obsolete refrigerants skyrocketing, sometimes the fix costs more than the unit is worth. G&D Chillers is there to help, whether you’re a small brew pub or large full-scale production brewery. Don’t throw good money at bad equipment. Invest in a solution that grows with your brewery—and keeps your tanks cold when it counts. Big thanks to G&D Chillers for supporting this podcast since 2019. Reach out to them at gdhillers.com/podcast to learn how they can support your next six years of growth.

Berkeley Yeast

Here’s a brewer’s nightmare. It’s the night before packaging. You walk into the brewery, straight to the tank. You pull a sample to do a forced diacetyl test, and you wait for it in silence. Something feels not quite right. You reach into the water bath and bring the flask to your nose … And it’s a butter bomb. The logistics start running through your head. Do we hold the tank? We have accounts waiting. How many days until it clears? And then you wake up and remember that you use Berkeley Yeast’s FRESH™ Chico. It’s got ALDC inside every cell, so diacetyl can’t even form in the first place. Through primary. Through dry hopping and hop creep. Diacetyl stays ultra-low. So you don’t have to add ALDC or wait for diacetyl to clean up. And most importantly, you don’t have to wake up in a cold sweat, worrying about scary stories like these. FRESH™ Chico is now available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on or how you want the shelves to be arranged—the 50/50 totally flexes to fit your life. Plus, it’s designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled conditions—so you can crack a cold one even on the warmest days in the man cave. Take your garage to the next level! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ to get more info about this game changer today. Cheers!

Wyeast Laboratories

Some strains define an era. These three refuse to stay in just one. To kick off our 40th anniversary celebration, we’re celebrating some of our most iconic strains, highlighting the history and impact that each has had on craft brewing. These strains each earned their place in this collection the same way: not by trending, but by staying essential decade after decade, from homebrew benches to commercial brewhouses. 1056 American Ale, 1318 London Ale III, and 2124 Bohemain Lager are the proof, the quiet backbones behind some of craft beer’s most familiar pints. Visit https://wyeastlab.com/most-iconic/ to learn more about each of these iconic strains.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Andrew Sabatine of Around the Horn (Groveland, CA) may have learned much of his trade at breweries on the hazier and more fruit-driven side of the brewing equation, but serving a small mountain town with a huge tourist population means making all the beers that people might want to enjoy. Lagers play an ever-growing role in that product mix, but Sabatine doesn’t fully throw out the rulebook when crafting hop-driven lager, preferring to add Noble hops through hot side additions while pushing more pungent aromatic hops in the dry hop, even in more modern hop-driven styles like West Coast Pils.

In this episode, Sabatine discusses his approach to West Coast Pils and West Coast IPA, along with experimental projects like West Coast Red Pilsner. Along the way, he discusses:

• finding ways to build character despite only being capable of single infusion mashes
• blending pils malts to tweak lager body
• first wort hopping with larger volumes of lower IBU Noble hops for more integrated bitterness
• cementing modern pils styles like West Coast and New Zealand pils with Noble hops hot side
• brewing West Coast Red Pilsner with Columbus cryo first wort, Hallertau Mittlefruh hot side, and New Zealand hops on the cold side
• fermenting colder to control ester production in West Coast IPA

And more.

G&D Chillers
G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP)—built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. We recently built one for New Belgium Brewing, delivering around 50 percent energy savings over CO2 systems and 9 percent more efficiency than A2Ls. That’s real-world impact from a brewery that knows what it takes. With 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Learn more about sustainable chiller solutions at https://gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

At the World Beer Cup this year: Gold for West Coast IPA; Gold for Session IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for New Zealand IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for Classic IPA. All these beers were fermented with one yeast: FRESH™ Chico, Berkeley’s low-diacetyl ale yeast. There’s something you need to know: Diacetyl is not just a pass or a fail. Yes, at high levels, it’s tragically bad. But even at low levels, it masks the good flavors. So if you want hop notes to pop, you need diacetyl to be ultra-low. These brewers trust Berkeley Yeast for an ultra-clean fermentation because on the finals table, every little detail matters. And now FRESH™ Chico is available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on or how you want the shelves to be arranged—the 50/50 totally flexes to fit your life. Plus, it’s designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled conditions—so you can crack a cold one even on the warmest days in the man cave. Take your garage to the next level! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ to get more info about this game changer today. Cheers!

Wyeast Laboratories

Some strains define an era. These three refuse to stay in just one. To kick off our 40th anniversary celebration, we’re celebrating some of our most iconic strains, highlighting the history and impact that each has had on craft brewing. These strains each earned their place in this collection the same way: not by trending, but by staying essential decade after decade, from homebrew benches to commercial brewhouses. 1056 American Ale, 1318 London Ale III, and 2124 Bohemain Lager are the proof, the quiet backbones behind some of craft beer’s most familiar pints. Visit https://wyeastlab.com/most-iconic/ to learn more about each of these iconic strains.

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Over the past 30 years, the Glenwood Canyon Brewpub has earned an impressive 18 Great American Beer Festival and eight World Beer Cup medals. Mostly recently, there have been back-to-back GABF golds in festbier and a 2024 silver in helles, plus a score of 99 for that same helles from our blind panel at Craft Beer & Brewing—so, they’re showing no sign of letting up.

Brewing lager on a 10-barrel pub system with no mash rakes and a host of other challenges is a physical endeavor that requires intention and precision. But they’ve made thoughtful process and ingredient choices to overcome limitations around decoction and step-mashing.

In this episode, owner Todd Malloy and head brewer Robin Reed share their technical approach to distinctive festbier and helles. Along the way, they discuss:

• brewing lager with an open-top, manual mash tun
• adjusting malts to replace character that might otherwise be created through decoction
• step-mashing by starting thick and adding water for each temperature raise
• targeting higher pH to facilitate Maillard reactions
• acidifying with sour wort
• using a diacetyl-free Andechs strain
• balancing festbier with higher final gravity and higher IBUs, plus a small whirlpool hop addition
• targeting proper hop intensity for competition beers
• filtration and its function in building flavor clarity and contrast

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP)—built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. We recently built one for New Belgium Brewing, delivering around 50 percent energy savings over CO2 systems and 9 percent more efficiency than A2Ls. That’s real-world impact from a brewery that knows what it takes. With 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Learn more about sustainable chiller solutions at https://gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast

At the World Beer Cup this year: Gold for West Coast IPA; Gold for Session IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for New Zealand IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for Classic IPA. All these beers were fermented with one yeast: FRESH™ Chico, Berkeley’s low-diacetyl ale yeast. There’s something you need to know: Diacetyl is not just a pass or a fail. Yes, at high levels, it’s tragically bad. But even at low levels, it masks the good flavors. So if you want hop notes to pop, you need diacetyl to be ultra-low. These brewers trust Berkeley Yeast for an ultra-clean fermentation because on the finals table, every little detail matters. And now FRESH™ Chico is available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech

This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops

Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life Is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex

If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on or how you want the shelves to be arranged—the 50/50 totally flexes to fit your life. Plus, it’s designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled conditions—so you can crack a cold one even on the warmest days in the man cave. Take your garage to the next level! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ to get more info about this game changer today. Cheers!

Wyeast Laboratories

Some strains define an era. These three refuse to stay in just one. To kick off our 40th anniversary celebration, we’re celebrating some of our most iconic strains, highlighting the history and impact that each has had on craft brewing. These strains each earned their place in this collection the same way: not by trending, but by staying essential decade after decade, from homebrew benches to commercial brewhouses. 1056 American Ale, 1318 London Ale III, and 2124 Bohemain Lager are the proof, the quiet backbones behind some of craft beer’s most familiar pints. Visit https://wyeastlab.com/most-iconic/ to learn more about each of these iconic strains.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

While UPP Liquids may be their latest home, Tonya Cornett and Ian Larkin have been brewing together, then apart, then together again, across three different breweries over the past decade and a half. Over that time, they’ve won countless medals in competitions large and small—including Cornett’s prestigious Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing—and they continue that tradition of winning while pushing and challenging each other at UPP in Bend, Oregon.

When they ran the entire German-Style Sour Ale category for 10 Barrel at the 2024 World Beer Cup, it was with drastically different takes—the beers were so different from each other, judges had a hard time believing they were made by the same brewery. But that’s the energy that Cornett and Larkin bring, and sometimes there are equally great ideas at opposite ends of the spectrum.

In this episode, Cornett and Larkin discuss:

• the unexpected success and evolution of Pinball Wizard oatmeal stout
• raising pH and increasing finishing gravity to smooth out roast character in stout
• building body with crystal malt and chocolate rye
• using Golden Promise as base malt in imperial stout
• finding the right places for difficult malts such as Thomas Fawcett pale chocolate and amber
• building a bit of punk rock into imperial stout
• lowering IBUs to shorten conditioning time in imperial stout
• entering aged Berliner Weisse into competitions
• developing and maintaining a 17-year-old mixed lactic bacteria culture
• optimizing beers for competition, from style and recipe to packaging
• understanding judging dynamics

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series is built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. It runs on a Natural Refrigerant with near-zero Global Warming Potential, has a compact footprint, and features variable speed fans for efficiency. They’ve chilled beer for over 3,000 breweries across North America, and with 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Get the details on natural refrigerant technology at gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast
Here’s a brewer nightmare. It's the night before packaging. You walk into the brewery, straight to the tank. You pull a sample to do a forced diacetyl test and you wait for it in silence. Something feels not quite right. You reach into the water bath and bring the flask to your nose… And it’s a butter bomb. The logistics start running through your head. Do we hold the tank? We have accounts waiting. How many days until it clears? And then you wake up and remember that you use Berkeley Yeast's FRESH™ Chico. It’s got ALDC inside every cell, so diacetyl can’t even form in the first place. Through primary. Through dry hopping and hop creep. Diacetyl stays ultra-low. So you don’t have to add ALDC, or wait for diacetyl to clean up. And most importantly, you don’t have to wake up in a cold sweat, worrying about scary stories like these. FRESH™ Chico is now available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech
This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops
Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex
This podcast is sponsored by the Midea 50/50 flex—the industry’s first dual compartment three-way convertible freezer. The 50/50 Flex is designed to flex with your life. It can convert to all fridge, all freezer, or half and half with just the touch of a button. Plus, with reversible doors and adjustable storage compartments, you can stay organized no matter your food-storage needs. The 50/50 Flex is also designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled spaces. So it’s perfect for your garage, man cave, or wherever you need a little more space. Maybe use all 20 cubic feet as a beer fridge! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ for more information on how to take your beer storage to the next level.

Briess Malting
Briess Malting has been supplying craft brewers with the highest quality base and specialty malts since the early 1980s. As Briess celebrates their 150th Anniversary this year, they are proud to remain a fifth-generation, family-owned company. They love to support the creativity and passion in craft brewing that results in amazing beers. All Briess malts are made in America, so you can count on a reliable supply chain. Barley is sourced from 300 growers in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming and Montana. Plus, technical support is available through their Center of Malting Excellence. With 150 years of malting expertise, check out why so many craft brewers trust Briess for their specialty malt at https://brewingwithbriess.com.

Wyeast Laboratories
This episode is brought to you by Wyeast Laboratories. If you’ve brewed with our 1056 American Ale, you’ve brewed with the strain that helped build craft beer from the ground up. Four decades later, it’s still one of the most-used strains in the country, delivering the same quality and consistency. As legendary liquid-yeast providers, we celebrated our 40th anniversary alongside America’s 250th on the 4th of July, and as part of the celebration, we’re offering 10 percent off every order of 1056 American Ale scheduled by July 31 and shipped by August 30. Already have an order in that window? Don’t worry, your discount will be automatically applied. Here’s to 40 years of living culture and best-in-craft liquid yeast. Check out the anniversary at https://wyeastlab.com.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Many of the historic brewing yeasts we have today are products of their time and place. The ingredients brewers used with them, the tanks they fermented in, and the styles they made have all played a role in how that yeast grew and hybridized itself over hundreds or thousands of generations. Today, however, brewers typically brew into tanks far different than those of a hundred years ago. The hops they use generally have levels of oil and acids far more concentrated than those of yesteryear. And the flavor and aroma contributions that brewers seek from yeast are more demanding than they’ve ever been.

What does it take, then, to turn yesterday’s yeast into tomorrow’s? To grow it into the kind of powerhouse that the brewing industry needs for the expressive, flavorful styles that people love to drink? Science offers a number of pathways, but how can it be done without genetic modification, while also optimizing it for drying, so that it’s accessible to more brewers in more places around the world? Can all that be done without sacrificing flavor, aroma, and performance?

That’s the subject of this episode, produced in partnership with White Labs, as we dive into these questions using their new release, WLP079 Suava, as a case study. Joining for the conversation are:

• Chris White, White Labs founder
• Richard Preiss, founder of Escarpment Labs
• Justin Clouthier, head brewer for Willibald Farm Distillery & Brewery in Ayr, Ontario, Canada

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

With 19 Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup medals, an Alpha King win, and nine beers scored 95-plus by Craft Beer & Brewing—including two in our upcoming Fall issue—Sunriver has become a medal-winning powerhouse of a production brewery and brewpub. But while their hop-forward offerings get much of the attention—and a fair amount of time in this podcast episode—they’re equally adept at brewing beers with left-field culinary ingredients. The throughline? Palates they’re constantly training and challenging, and a sense for quality of flavor, refinement, and integration.

In this episode, head brewer Patrick Raasch discusses:

• differentiating between American and West Coast IPA
• blending pils and two-row malts in IPA
• using lager yeast to lean into sulfur with more pungent hops
• brewing their Alpha King–winning double IPA with 34/70 yeast
• bittering with Mosaic CO2 extract
• dry hopping under pressure at cooler temperatures
• competition bottling for minimal oxygen ingress
• taking IPA from great to medal-winning
• integrating hops in barrel-aged American barleywine
• brewing “garden party” rice lager with Japanese cucumber, yuzu, and basil

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
A quick word for the brewers out there staring down a broken chiller. You know the pain—warm fermenters, stressed yeast, and that sinking feeling when the repair quote lands in your inbox. With refrigerant regulations changing and the cost of obsolete refrigerants skyrocketing, sometimes the fix costs more than the unit’s worth. G&D Chillers is there to help, whether you're a small brew pub or large full-scale production brewery. Don’t throw good money at bad equipment. Invest in a solution that grows with your brewery—and keeps your tanks cold when it counts. Big thanks to G&D Chillers for supporting this podcast since 2019, reach out to them at gdhillers.com/podcast to learn how they can support these next years of your brewery’s growth.

Berkeley Yeast
It’s here! Berkeley’s FRESH™ Chico is now available dry. You’ve heard here on the podcast just how many medal-winning brewers use FRESH™ Chico as their house strain because of how clean and versatile it is. If you want to make world-class IPA, your fermentation must avoid unwanted or distracting flavors, and Berkeley’s robust low-diacetyl technology is a game changer with healthy and highly viable cells that ferment fast and clean every time. Bringing that level of fermentation innovation to dried yeast is no small feat, but the experts at Berkeley Yeast love making the impossible possible. With bricks priced as low as $88, it’s a cost-effective solution, and you'll save even more by eliminating ALDC from your brews. Head over to berkeleyyeast.com and start leveling up your IPA today.

PakTech
This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops
Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex
If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on or how you want the shelves to be arranged—the 50/50 totally flexes to fit your life. Plus, it’s designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled conditions—so you can crack a cold one even on the warmest days in the man cave. Take your garage to the next level! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ to get more info about this game changer today. Cheers!

Briess Malting
Briess Malting has been supplying craft brewers with the highest quality base and specialty malts since the early 1980s. As Briess celebrates their 150th Anniversary this year, they are proud to remain a fifth-generation, family-owned company. They love to support the creativity and passion in craft brewing that results in amazing beers. All Briess malts are made in America, so you can count on a reliable supply chain. Barley is sourced from 300 growers in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming and Montana. Plus, technical support is available through their Center of Malting Excellence. With 150 years of malting expertise, check out why so many craft brewers trust Briess for their specialty malt at https://brewingwithbriess.com.

Wyeast Laboratories
This episode is brought to you by Wyeast Laboratories. If you’ve brewed with our 1056 American Ale, you’ve brewed with the strain that helped build craft beer from the ground up. Four decades later, it’s still one of the most-used strains in the country, delivering the same quality and consistency. As legendary liquid-yeast providers, we celebrated our 40th anniversary alongside America’s 250th on the 4th of July, and as part of the celebration, we’re offering 10 percent off every order of 1056 American Ale scheduled by July 31 and shipped by August 30. Already have an order in that window? Don’t worry, your discount will be automatically applied. Here’s to 40 years of living culture and best-in-craft liquid yeast. Check out the anniversary at https://wyeastlab.com.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

In both 2024 and 2025, Jake Watt, head brewer at Trap Door in Washougal, Washington, took home gold medals in the GABF fresh hop category for his beer, Fresher Than Fresh. Interestingly, the recipes for each of those beers was quite different—and the recipe for the 2026 edition that he’ll submit this year will see more changes as well. Fresh-hopped beers are a moving target, ephemeral in nature, and making the best possible beers today means using all the things—unkilned cones harvested that morning, Cryo Fresh pellets, flowable hop products, and even a touch of Riwaka here and there.

In this episode, Watt shares insights into the iterative changes and evolving ingredients in Trap Door’s medal-winning fresh-hopped beer. Along the way, he touches on:

• unlocking the best Mosaic character with Krush and Riwaka
• using deep-cut Cascade with additional thiol character
• flavor stability in fresh-hopped beers when hot-side hopping
• taking advantage of fresh-hop season to gain access to specific lots from certain growers
• focusing on Oregon-grown hops for fresh-hopped beers due to earlier pick windows
• mechanically chopping fresh cones
• controlling dilution and pH rise in fresh-hopped beers
• layering in character with fresh-frozen hop pellets
• sneaking smaller amounts of Cryo Fresh into beers not labeled as fresh hops

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series is built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. It runs on a natural refrigerant with near-zero global warming potential (GWP), has a compact footprint, and features variable-speed fans for efficiency. We’ve chilled beer for more than 3,000 breweries across North America, and with 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Get the details on natural-refrigerant technology at https://gdchillers.com/podcast.

Berkeley Yeast
At the World Beer Cup this year: Gold for West Coast IPA; Gold for Session IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for New Zealand IPA; Bronze, Silver, and Gold for Classic IPA. All these beers were fermented with one yeast: FRESH™ Chico, Berkeley’s low-diacetyl ale yeast.There’s something you need to know: Diacetyl is not just a pass or a fail. Yes, at high levels, it’s tragically bad. But even at low levels, it masks the good flavors. So if you want hop notes to pop, you need diacetyl to be ultra-low. These brewers trust Berkel ey Yeast for an ultra-clean fermentation because on the finals table, every little detail matters. And now FRESH™ Chico is available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at https://berkeleyyeast.com.

PakTech
This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit https://paktech-opi.com.

Indie Hops
Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful.

Midea 50/50 Flex
This podcast is sponsored by the Midea 50/50 flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. The 50/50 Flex is designed to flex with your life. It can convert to all fridge, all freezer, or half and half with just the touch of a button. Plus, with reversible doors and adjustable storage compartments, you can stay organized no matter your food-storage needs. The 50/50 Flex is also designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled spaces. So it’s perfect for your garage, man cave, or wherever you need a little more space. Maybe use all 20 cubic feet as a beer fridge! Check out https://Midea.com/us/ for more information on how to take your beer storage to the next level.

Briess Malting
Briess Malting has been supplying craft brewers with the highest quality base and specialty malts since the early 1980s. As Briess celebrates their 150th Anniversary this year, they are proud to remain a fifth-generation, family-owned company. They love to support the creativity and passion in craft brewing that results in amazing beers. All Briess malts are made in America, so you can count on a reliable supply chain. Barley is sourced from 300 growers in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming and Montana. Plus, technical support is available through their Center of Malting Excellence. With 150 years of malting expertise, check out why so many craft brewers trust Briess for their specialty malt at https://brewingwithbriess.com.

Wyeast Laboratories
This episode is brought to you by Wyeast Laboratories. If you’ve brewed with our 1056 American Ale, you’ve brewed with the strain that helped build craft beer from the ground up. Four decades later, it’s still one of the most-used strains in the country, delivering the same quality and consistency. As legendary liquid-yeast providers, we celebrated our 40th anniversary alongside America’s 250th on the 4th of July, and as part of the celebration, we’re offering 10 percent off every order of 1056 American Ale scheduled by July 31 and shipped by August 30. Already have an order in that window? Don’t worry, your discount will be automatically applied. Here’s to 40 years of living culture and best-in-craft liquid yeast. Check out the anniversary at https://wyeastlab.com.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

The vast majority of brewers we talk to for this podcast—and for the magazine—start out as homebrewers. And anyone who’s listened to more than a few episodes knows how common it is to hear about how an influential brewer’s journey started with a simple extract-based brewing kit. Making it easy for people to brew and enjoy beer at home is an important part of the craft-beer story—that’s where the story begins for so many—and that’s what this special episode produced in partnership with Pinter is about.

Those old-school kits serve a purpose, but today there’s a better way to open the brewing door for the next generation of enthusiasts. That’s where Pinter comes in: The partnerships they’ve built allow fledgling homebrewers to make familiar recipes from breweries such as Lagunitas, Great Lakes, Chicago’s Hopewell, Adnams in England, and more, thus creating even more connections between drinking craft and making craft.

Executive editor (and our resident homebrewer) Joe Stange hosts this episode. Joe received a unit and brewed a test batch of Pinter’s Lagunitas Sumpin’ Easy recipe on it to get a feel; he was impressed with the results. Through the episode, Joe, Pinter U.S. CEO Paul Benner, and Pinter head brewer Will Kirkham discuss the need for pathways into brewing along with functional insights and ways that professional brewers can work with Pinter to build a more active customer experience.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast