Ben Howe’s brewing career reads more like that of a chef than a typical brewer—stints in Denmark, brewing jobs on both the East and West coasts, weeks spent interning at breweries that intrigued him—but one fateful visit to the Zehender brewery in Monchsambach opened his eyes to Franconian lager and inspired a nearly decade-long quest to understand the beer and its mechanisms of flavor. More recently at Otherlands, he’s pushed boundaries of accepted brewing dogma, mashing with pH levels far past any sensible range in an effort to build color and flavor—and the things that shouldn’t work still obviously do work.
In this episode, Howe discusses both his traditional methods and modern concessions, including:
- learning from Will Meyers and Megan Parisi at Cambridge Brewing
- capturing Franconian-ness in long-boiled lager beers
- old-style vs. new-style German lager brewing
- kräusening to carbonate rather than spunding before terminal
- never raising the temperature for a diacetyl rest while using ALDC to control precursors
- finding color with only pilsner malt
- hardening water for lager brewing with calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and gypsum
- mashing above 5.8 pH
- maintaining atmospheric pressure for yeast during fermentation
- boiling large amounts of low-alpha hops for a long time to build flavor and texture
And more.
G&D Chillers
For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across North America and beyond. They’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years because brewing doesn’t stop at 5 o’clock and nor do they. They use quality components, expert craftsmanship, and constant innovation. With their 24/7 service and support, your brewery will never stop. Remote monitor your chiller for simple and fast access to all the information you need, and gain peace of mind your operation is running smoothly. Visit gdchillers.com to learn more!
Brewers, what if your yeast could do more than just ferment? With Berkeley Yeast, it can! We bioengineer ordinary strains and make them extraordinary—enhancing the flavors you want and eliminating the ones you don’t. Now, in addition to competitive pricing, we’re offering free overnight shipping on 5+ barrel pitches. Try it out—if you don’t love it, we’ll happily refund you. So why settle for ordinary when you can brew with better yeast? Visit berkeleyyeast.com to learn more and start brewing with science on your side.
Every beer menu could use a refresh button on the fruit flavors. That's why it's time to revisit Old Orchard's flavored craft juice concentrate blends, where the latest additions include Fruit Punch, Guava, Kiwi, and Pomegranate. We aren't stopping there and welcome flavor suggestions from the brewing industry. More information and free samples are waiting at oldorchard.com/brewer.
Indie Hops brings Oregon’s natural wonder to brewers. Celebrating 16 years of delivering compelling new hop varieties along with classics that thrive in Oregon’s terroir, Indie is the original source for Strata, Luminosa, Lórien, Meridian, and their newest variety Audacia. Release your creativity with the magic of pure, uncut Oregon hops from Indie. Indie Hops — Life is short. Let’s make it flavorful.
Looking for a powerful, no-rinse sanitizer that gets the job done fast? Meet Saniclean PAA Pro from Five Star Chemicals. This EPA-registered, PAA-based acid sanitizer is tough on beerstone and perfect for everything from kegs to packaging lines. Available in two convenient sizes, it’s ideal for coarse sprayers, fermenters, and more. Trusted by pros, designed for performance—Saniclean PAA Pro helps you brew with confidence. Learn more at fivestarchemicals.com. Brew better. Brew with Five Star.
Brewers, have you ever considered brewing with North America’s only Ancient Grain—Wild Rice? Craft Brewers in northern Minnesota have been keeping this a secret for years! Joe at Canoe Wild Rice has a stockpile of this unique roasted grain ready to ship to you. From the waters of Minnesota to your tap room anywhere in the country you’re sure to create an in-demand product. Brewers Blend Wild Rice is the perfect size and texture so it can be added directly into your mash, saving you time in the brewing process. Plus, for over four generations Canoe Wild Rice has been using their time-tested process that gives the wild rice a distinct roasted flavor. Who knows what sensation you could create with this aquatic grain. Canoe Wild Rice also has food grade hulls available for your mash. Harvest season is underway in Minnesota now, but Joe will make time for you if you have any questions or want to get an order going. Send Canoe Wild Rice an email at joe@canoewildrice.com or give the office a call at 1-800-626-3809.
For over 50 years Prairie Malt has been producing high extract malts forged from the fertile soils of Saskatchewan. As proud members of Boortmalt, one of the largest malt companies in the world with 27 malt plants in 16 countries, their North American malts are complemented by a wide variety of base and specialty imported malts from around the globe. / This year, Prairie Malt is partnering with Roadhouse Brewing Company and Melvin Brewing Company to pour an unforgettable lineup of beers at their shared booth at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO from October 9th – 11th. / So stop by the booth, sample some award winning beers produced with excellent malts and learn more about why Malt from Biggar is better at prairiemalt.com.
Sennos, the new leader in AI-driven fermentation sensing, analytics, and control for the brewing industry is now taking orders for the most advanced intelligent sensing technology, the SennosM3 — the hardware connection into their Sennosystem. The Sennosystem platform delivers real-time fermentation control and predictive insights, giving brewers the tools to monitor key variables, detect issues before they escalate, achieve consistent outcomes, and eliminate waste with every batch. The SennosM3 is a modular in-tank sensor that delivers continuous, real-time monitoring. The M3 captures eight critical fermentation parameters throughout production. Turn your tank into a smart tank. Order your SennosM3 at sennos.com.
Briess Malting has been involved in the craft brewing community ever since it was established in the 1980’s. Today, Briess offers the largest product line of specialty malt and is continuing to innovate. New malts include Heritage Gold, an English-style ale malt with complex bread character, and Lighthouse Munich, which has the full body of a Munich malt but minimal impact on color. All Briess malts are produced in the US, so you can count on a reliable supply chain. Barley is sourced from 300 growers in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming and Montana. Malt is the backbone of beer. Check out why so many craft brewers trust Briess for their specialty malt at BrewingWithBriess.com.