Expert interviews, brewing insights, and industry trends.
For years, Notch Brewing in Salem and Brighton, Massachusetts, has been spreading the lager gospel through refined yet characterful iterations of Czech- and German-inspired beers. His challenge to American brewers who want to follow that path: Ditch the 34/70, rethink your mash and fermentation schedules, decoct with intention, and embrace concise flavor over “crispness.”
The brewery that got its start as a mobile draft trailer and beer bus has now won back-to-back small Brewery of the Year honors at the Great American Beer Festival—but the Quinlan brothers won’t tell you there’s anything special to their winning ways.
Beer as a whole may be navigating rough seas in 2024, but New Belgium has found a map to growth with flavor-forward hazy IPAs in their Voodoo Ranger family. In this episode, lead R&D brewer Kelly McKnight sheds light on the team and process behind these industry-changing beers.
Creating compelling yet characterful hop blends in hazy IPA has become a persistent challenge for brewers swimming in a sea of Citra-Mosaic taste-alikes. The solution for Parish head brewer Ryan Speyrer: Dig into the library of hop classics to deploy blends that are as familiar as they are futuristic.
Unlock the secrets of successful fermentation through new and simplified approaches to yeast nutrition, enzymes, and more, with techniques outlined by Chris White, founder of White Labs, Garrison Fratoni, head brewer for Russian River, and Julian Shrago, brewmaster for Beachwood.
Whether it’s flipping a session-strength porter between ale and lager fermentation, or moving hops from the whirlpool to the dry hop in hazy IPAs, there’s not much that the head brewer for Phoenix’s Wren House won’t change. Just don’t ask him to alter more than one variable at a time—and don’t mess with his chocolate rye!
Arizona’s 12 West racked up the honors from Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine last year, including a score of 98 for their Radial Spines West Coast–style pils and a nod as one of our Best 20 Beers of 2023. In this episode, head brewer Justin “Gully” Gullickson and assistant brewer Andrew Cooper outline the design and process behind that beer as well as their high-scoring IPAs.
Head brewer Brad Miles and wood cellar manager Nick Pauley discuss the ways this Gilbert, Arizona, brewpub builds a regional approach to flavor in everything from saison and spontaneous beer to lager, while providing crucial support for the agricultural side of beer.
Since 2008, Albuquerque’s Marble Brewery has been exploring ways to make great lagers on a system built for ales, and their numerous medals are proof that the work has paid off. In this episode, master brewer Josh Trujillo details their approach—from corn and rice lagers to hop-forward pilsners and even cold IPA.
Flavor and aroma take on a synesthetic connection to color for the brewmaster behind one of our favorite beers last year, and in this episode she explains how—through thoughtful and intentional ingredient selection as well as process considerations—she paints colorful pictures with hops, yeast, and malt.
The West Coast IPA gang is back with a pal from the East Coast—and while IPA is still the focus, this time it’s hazy and soft rather than lean, clear, and bitter. Evan Price of Green Cheek, Steve Parker of Fidens, Kelsey McNair of North Park, and special guest host Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River dive into the creative and technical mechanics of juicy, hazy, New England–style IPA.
Gambrinus and BSG are launching a new malt for IPA makers that promises all the flavor you need with the lightest color possible. In this month’s spotlight, Ashton Lewis of BSG, Ken Smith of Gambrinus, and Blake Masoner of Craft Coast join the podcast to discuss what it is and how to use it effectively.
When this San Diego transplant traded California’s West Coast for Florida’s, he also traded lean, dry IPAs for the full, fruit-forward expression of the New England style. And by focusing on the lightest possible color, controlled mashouts, and refined yeast management, he’s putting this Sarasota brewery on the map.
Recorded late one evening in front of a live audience at Cerveza Fauna in Mexicali, Mexico, this panel of three respected U.S. lager brewers dives into their own do’s and don’ts, approaches to ingredients, brewing with corn, the secrets of dark lager brewing ... and more.
So far, Anthony Tallman’s quest to brew the perfect hop-forward session beer has borne two GABF silver medals for Carlsbad Crush. But this San Diego brewer isn’t done experimenting with techniques, ingredients, or timing, as he continues to squeeze big hop flavors into Burgeon’s lean, drinkable beers.
For this final episode of the year, Khris Johnson of Green Bench joins Jamie to recap and listen through highlights from your 10 favorite episodes of the past 12 months.
From their South London outpost in the arches beneath a bustling elevated railway, the Kernel has embraced London brewing history with a craft ethos—respecting and referencing tradition while thoughtfully building their own identifiable, modern, hop-forward character.
Through fastidious technique and a clearly articulated, creative point of view, this lager-centric brewery in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago is committed to building on a family brewing history while forging its own modern lager identity.
Three leading brewers pushing the limits of the cold IPA style—Sam Tierney of Firestone Walker, Jude La Rose of Hop Butcher For the World, and cold IPA originator Kevin Davey of Heater Allen and Gold Dot—join the podcast to discuss the current state of cold IPA, how their recipes and processes have evolved, and why they still choose to explore hops through the style dubbed “More West Coast than West Coast IPA.”
Three leaders at the intersection of brewing business and tech—Patrick Tickle, CEO of Encompass Technologies, Dave Thibodeau, cofounder of Ska Brewing, and Cole Hackbarth, VP of brewing operations for Rhinegeist—discuss strategies for managing a brewery through today's turbulent business environment.
What’s old is new again for Chicago’s Dovetail—direct-fire decoction, open fermentation, and coolshipping hoppy lager with whole-cone hops are just a few of the ways this classically focused brewery finds ways to build character in their lagers.
Chicago’s Cruz Blanca favors beers with a story to tell. In this episode, head brewer Jacob Sembrano tells the stories behind their their red corn lager, their thick and silky barrel-aged stouts, and their grisette made from 100 percent malted corn and acidified with native bacteria from the corn itself.
Indulge us: Once a year, some of our top writers dig into their notebooks and memories for the beers and experiences that they enjoyed most—the kind that everyone deserves to enjoy—and which left the biggest impressions on them. In this episode, they tell you why.
In this special once-per-year episode honoring the pinnacles of the craft, our editors reveal their Best 20 Beers in 2023 and the results of the annual Craft Beer in Brewing Readers’ Choice poll.