Craft Beer & Brewing Course
West Coast IPAs Built to Last with Westbound & Down
Westbound & Down head brewer Jake Gardner won’t tell you how to write a West Coast IPA recipe—but he will tell you how to brew a better one, with higher-impact hop character and longer-lasting flavor stability.
5 chapters · 19 lessons · 46m
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Your instructor
Jake Gardner
Head Brewer
For Jake Gardner, director of brewing operations of Westbound & Down, brewing means defining goals for a beer and mapping out the way to achieve those goals—naming the challenges and articulating solutions at each step of the process. Proceeding in a thoroughly planned and detailed manner brings clarity to the process, and this methodical approach has served Gardner well over his past decade in professional brewing.
Course contents
5 chapters, 19 lessons, 46m of video
Chapter 1
Welcome
- Course Intro with Jake Gardner3:27
Chapter 2
Factors in Stability
- Solving the Stability Problem2:06
- Watch Your Acidity: How pH Levels Affect Stability and Drinkability2:41
- What Is Free Amino Nitrogen (FAN)?
- Why You Should Avoid Excess Free Amino Nitrogen3:38
- Maillard Reactions and Strecker Degradation1:21
- Managing Dissolved Oxygen Levels
Chapter 3
Planning and Brewing
- The Lean & Mean Grist3:59
- What Is Cohumulone?
- Hops, Hop Products, the Dry-Hop Process, and Selection11:23
- Bitterness, IBUs, and Hop Saturation3:38
- Water Adjustment1:26
Chapter 4
Fermentation and Aging
- Aeration (and Over-Aeration)2:58
- Yeast and Fermentation3:18
- Six Tips to Improve Your Fermentations
- How to Walk the Biofine Line3:10
- Measuring DO and Best Practices1:55
Chapter 5
Conclusion, Recipes & Further Reading/Listening
- Summing It Up0:56
- Listen Up! Podcast Episode 154: Jake Gardner of Westbound & Down Tackles Complex Brewing Challenges
What students say
Nice mix of brewing science and hands on trial and error combined with sensory testing to make improvements to the brewing process are discussed.
Thank you for your course, I have been having an inconsistent time producing an IPA that I enjoy, and continue to enjoy over the course of a keg. This will help me greatly!
Really nice overview with some relevant details of how to troubleshoot to make your best West Coast IPA. I learned a ton! Thanks!