Video Tip

Brewers who dry hop their beers today need to be aware of hop creep and its tendency to produce diacetyl and related off-flavors. Here, cofounder and brewer Brian Hutchinson explains how Cannonball Creek circumvents it in their pale ales and IPAs.

Cannonball Creek cofounder and brewer Brian Hutchinson explains why they’re looking for the leanest, palest base malts for their award-winning West Coast–Style IPAs—and how hop creep plays an intentional role in their low finishing gravities.

Among brewers who use it, coconut is notorious for soaking up liquid, destroying yield, and leaving behind an oily sheen... but people sure do seem to love the flavor. In this clip from his video course, Horus Aged Ales founder Kyle Harrop describes how he deploys this wonderfully flavorful but expensive and inefficient adjunct.

It takes a lot of house-toasted hazelnuts to get the flavor that Horus Aged Ales founder Kyle Harrop wants in a special subset of his barrel-aged beers. “It gets real expensive, real quick,” he says. In this clip from his video course, he explains the process in detail.

There are certain biases that often creep into beer sensory panels and judging tables. DraughtLab cofounder Lindsay Barr describes three of the most common types—and how to avoid them.

The power of sensory analysis isn’t only for finished beer—you can also apply it to raw materials, including hops and malt. In this clip from her video course, DraughtLab cofounder Lindsay Barr outlines two key methods: the hop grind and the hot steep.

Ensuring that popular beers maintain consistent flavor profiles—that they are true to brand—is important for any brewer who wants to keep customers happy. Here, DraughtLab cofounder Lindsay Barr explains how true-to-target and brand recognition testing can help you drill into your beer’s finer sensory traits.

There are many methods of sensory analysis that can be used in the brewery, but one of the most useful is the descripton test. DraughtLab cofounder Lindsay Barr explains how it works.

Whether it’s selecting very different lots of Nelson Sauvin or trialing new hop products to see what they can contribute, North Park founder and head brewer Kelsey McNair says he’s always looking for ways to squeeze in more hop flavor—but without leaving the realm of the familiar.

To brew a beer that’s bursting with great hop aroma and flavor, it’s critical to choose and use the very best you can get. North Park founder and head brewer Kelsey McNair explains their own discriminating approach.

Oxygen is the enemy of hop-saturated flavor. In this clip from his video course, North Park founder and head brewer Kelsey McNair explains how his team halved oxygen in the package by slowing down their canning line.

You don’t want your water to get in the way of hop-saturated flavors. Here, North Park founder and head brewer Kelsey McNair sketches out a few different water profiles that depend on style—and why he might adjust those profiles, depending on choices made elsewhere.

When beer gets high enough in alcohol content, it can pose a threat to can lining and affect how we perceive carbonation. In this clip from their video course, River North founder Matt Hess explains how and why they bottle in glass and adjust for carbonation.

For River North’s coffee-infused beers, it’s whole beans, fresh and medium-roasted. In this clip from their video course, founder Matt Hess explains the method.

From the angel’s share to dilution, River North founder Matt Hess lays out some key considerations to keep in mind when you’re planning to age your beers in spirits barrels.

From dextrose to brewer’s crystals, River North founder Matt Hess covers some of the key things to consider when choosing and adding sugars to boost the gravities of very strong beers.

Kevin Templin, cofounder and head brewer, lays out their approach to yeast selection, spunding, managing sulfur, and preserving natural carbonation at Templin Family Brewing in Salt Lake City.

Write it down! Kevin Templin, cofounder and head brewer at Templin Family Brewing in Salt Lake City, explains how they fine-tune the tiniest details using a dialed-in sensory panel—and why it’s critical to take notes.

Strict attention to quality throughout the brewhouse, whatever the type of beer, can only help you in competitions—as can thinking ahead on maturation and carbonation. Kevin Templin, cofounder and head brewer at Templin Family Brewing in Salt Lake City, shares some key tips on how to improve your odds.

Embracing whole-leaf hops at Templin Family means stuffing them into huge game bags from the hunting store and adding them to the whirlpool. Kevin Templin, cofounder and head brewer, explains their approach to emphasizing that delicate Noble-hop aroma.