Mixed Culture

In a former dairy creamery in northern Vermont, Wunderkammer creator (and former Hill Farmstead head brewer) Vasili Gletsos has developed a decidedly manual, hands-on process using locally foraged ingredients, a wood-fired copper kettle, and no glycol.

Crooked Stave founder and brewmaster Chad Yakobson, one of the industry’s foremost experts on Brettanomyces, leads this in-depth course on brewing and fermenting funky, farmhouse-inspired beers.

With thanks to Brian and Doug Coombs and Matt Van Wyk, cofounders of Alesong in Eugene, Oregon, here’s a homebrew-scale recipe for the base beer that they use for their co-fermentations with local fruit.

Borrowing a page from winemakers, some brewers are pitching freshly picked fruit instead of slurry, taking advantage of the natural yeast and bacteria on their skins—a process that requires a leap of faith and the best, ripest fruit you can find.

From a cutting-edge growler to funky new pitches, here are a few new products worth checking out.

The chemical engineer turned head brewer for London’s Wildcard Brewery is a popular TV presenter in the UK, and her accessible style backed with impeccable brewing knowledge helps her demystify complex styles like hazy pale ale and mixed culture saison.

Opening your fermentations to a wider array of yeasts and bacteria can add great complexity to your beers. It can also add complexity to your brewing process—but the challenge is both surmountable and rewarding.

“We had the idea that what’s lacking somehow today is this stubbornness, to stick to something—and to create something distinct in that way,” says Tom Jacobs. “For us, we want to do something that lasts.”

“I could buy conventional grain and save some thousands of bucks per year, but then I don’t have anything to tell,” Jan Kemker says. “I don’t know if we need to call it terroir. It’s liquid storytelling, I think.”

The director of brewing operations for the progressive Wisconsin brewery discusses finding their flavor voice in a way that transcends style.

For Denver’s Our Mutual Friend, subtle tweaks and improvements over years of brewing have brought their hoppy beers into medal-winning form, but the big and brash flavors in their smoked beers showcase their penchant for dramatic statements.

In rural Flemish Brabant, Antidoot Wilde Fermenten’s house mixed culture includes various wild yeasts they have captured over the years. Here, Tom Jacobs offers tips for success in wrangling your own local strains.

Floodland founder Adam Paysse shares his insights and perspective on collecting and nurturing mixed cultures for rustic, farmhouse-inspired beers.

These Jester King alumni searched for the perfect place to make the beer they envisioned, with wild yeast and ingredients sourced from within a few miles. Now, they guide their fermentations to produce beers that balance flavor and character.

Creating sour and funky beers with depth involves many factors. But according to Phil Joyce, those factors aren't what you may think. Malt? Don't sweat it. Hops? Maybe. Water profile? Definitely. Yeast? Obviously.

From the foundation of recipe development to sampling your beer, Wiley Roots Cofounder Kyle Carbaugh discusses the considerations in selecting your grain bill, hops, yeast, bacteria, fermentation duration and temperature, adjuncting, and a lot more.