Experimental Brewing

Podcast People! Plug your ears up and listen to Denny and Drew yammer on about the wackiness of beer science and the science of beer wackiness!

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If you have questions, leave a comment or send us an email at [email protected]! Seriously, we want feedback because we're rank amateurs at this whole thing and want to get better!

If you have questions you want us to answer on the show (we're almost set to take callers to the air) - drop us a q at [email protected]!

If you want to help us with experiments - Join the IGOR crew - [email protected]

Brew Files - 112 - One Big Can, Many Tiny Bottles

Submitted by drew on Fri, 01/21/2022 - 13:00

The Brew is Out There!

Kegs are wonderful! Draft beer is fantastic! Kegs are heavy and not easily shared! All of these things are true and so today we talk about our best tips for bottling draft beer. If you have other tips to add to the pile, let us know!

This episode is brought to you by:

American Homebrewers Association

Episode 144 - A Gross Of Questions With Julia

Submitted by drew on Fri, 01/14/2022 - 14:00

Happy New Year and we're kicking things off with questions from you and our questions to Julia Herz, the new director of the American Homebrewers Association. Where does she see the AHA going and what did you all ask about fermentation? (More Q&A next episode!)

Episode Links:

Brew Files - 111 - Bocking Around the Christmas Tree

Submitted by drew on Fri, 01/07/2022 - 09:00

The Brew is Out There!

Christmas may be in the past, but it doesn't mean you can't carry the Christmas spirit forward in your glass. Drew sits down with Chris Enegren of Enegren Brewing to talk their take on a bock built for the Christmas season

(Photo credit to Sean Inman of beersearchparty.com)

This episode is brought to you by:

Episode 143 - It's A Hot Steep Christmas

Submitted by drew on Wed, 12/22/2021 - 10:00

It's the holiday season - which means it's Christmas beers and quick tests that you can do. Drew tastes his way through the Crisp Heritage malts to demonstrate the hot steep malt evaluation method and help formulate what to do with these new/old malts!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - 110 - Malted Corn and Cream Ales

Submitted by drew on Fri, 12/10/2021 - 12:00

The Brew is Out There!

How do you make a classic even better? By trying new ingredients! Drew talks with Caleb Michalke of Sugar Creek Malt about malted corn and why it can make a classic even better. They're joined by Ryan Kriesch of "A Pint With" to taste his rendition of I Dream of Jenny Cream Ale using Sugar Creek's Boone County White Malted Corn.

Links

Episode 142 - It's Weiz To Sell Guyz

Submitted by drew on Wed, 12/01/2021 - 20:30

It's been a tough few years for homebrewers and competitions - we're talking with the Weiz Guyz Brewers out of Loveland, Colorado about their annual Sweetheart's Revenge and what makes it unique as well as the outstanding Colorado Strong program!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - 109 - REPLAY - Organizational Blues

Submitted by drew on Thu, 11/18/2021 - 07:00

The Brew is Out There!

REPLAY: New Years is almost here with it's Janus like powers of transformational drive. Denny and Drew sit down and review how they organize things in the brewhouse to make the brew day easier and more likely to happen. How do you organize things?

Episode 141 - Re-Crisping Your Malt

Submitted by drew on Sat, 11/06/2021 - 10:00

Everything old is new again! Denny and Drew sit down with Colin Johnston, David Griggs and Mike Benson to talk about how to revive forgotten malt varieties and why you should brew with the four "new" varieties from Crisp!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - 108 - What Makes The West Best

Submitted by drew on Thu, 10/28/2021 - 10:00

The Brew is Out There!

Last time, we covered Drew's favorite way to use hops. This time, it's Denny's! We break down the two West Coast IPA styles we agree on before Drew throws in a disputed third variety. Just how bitter does an IPA need to be to be West Coast?

Links:

Episode 140 - A Wee Bit of News

Submitted by drew on Wed, 10/20/2021 - 21:00

In this episode - Denny and Drew tackle the changing world of beer and new cans, strange diets (and a favorite new word), cask beers, burnt honey, and more! Oh and Drew secretly tastes one of Denny's beers!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 107 - Seasonal Hoppiness

Submitted by drew on Thu, 10/14/2021 - 09:00

The Brew is Out There!

Drew loves his Saisons, this is known. He also loves his hops. Until recently, big bold hoppy character and big spicy Belgian yeast characters have been difficult to bring together in harmony. Here's a quick look at Drew's process for making a hoppy Saison.

Links:

Episode 139 - The Crop Report

Submitted by drew on Wed, 10/06/2021 - 20:30

Hop harvest is winding up as we write and brewers are heading to Yakima and Yakima Chief Hops to find out the details on this year's crop. For everyone else, we've brought Yakima to you in the form of Bryan Pearce, YCH's Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. How's the crop? Tune in!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 106 - Dark Side of the Kölsch

Submitted by drew on Wed, 09/29/2021 - 12:00

The Brew is Out There!

Collaborations are known for producing some wild ideas and Andrew Bell (Radiant) and Casey Harris (Topa Topa) came up with a doozy - a dark double dry hopped Kölsch that defies the odds and made something really interesting! Check it out!

Links:

Radiant Brewing: https://www.radiantbeer.com/

Episode 138 - All the News Fit to Drink

Submitted by drew on Wed, 09/22/2021 - 10:30

Lawsuits, awards and beer, oh my! We look at who's won awards at the GABF and talk about the world of seltzers and lawsuits before digging into a new experimental way of preparing hops and fake styles! Oh and people have feelings about brew bags and all in one systems and using computers for the BJCP!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 105 - Going Pro in Orlando

Submitted by drew on Mon, 09/13/2021 - 21:00

The Brew is Out There!

It's a running joke in the beer world that every brewer started as a homebrewer. Eric Gomez, of Orlando's Brewers Anonymous, speed ran his way from first kit, to tons of medals for his brews and now his first professional brewing gig. Drew sits down with Eric to discuss what makes a winning beer, what makes a brewer tick and what he's looking forward to in his new job!

Links:

Episode 137 - Pop Goes the IPA

Submitted by drew on Sun, 08/29/2021 - 07:30

As hop aroma science has evolved, it figures the wizards at Yakima Chief would attempt to split the aroma atom. They've unleashed a blend of hop components that target specific compounds to "pop" fruit forward aromas. YCH's Spencer Tielkemeyer and Joe Wells of Fair State Brewing help us understand how to maximize your Pop.

Episode Links:

Episode 136 - Women in Beer

Submitted by drew on Fri, 08/13/2021 - 10:30

Since our last new non-QA episode of the show, things got interesting in the beer world. We talk to Melissa McCann of the Women's International Beer Summit (and the newly formed Women's Craft Fermentation Alliance). In the meanwhile we also talk about what to do about sexism. (Spoiler: the answer is simple - treat people like they're actually people with full rights, feelings and abilities)

Episode Links:

Episode 135 - REPLAY - Stalling with Perkey

Submitted by drew on Thu, 07/22/2021 - 09:00

REPLAY!

We've been a bit delayed this summer due to travel (remember that?) and renovations (along with everyone else in the country)!

We'll be back next week with brand new episodes - but in the meanwhile, enjoy our a replay on our discussion on Saison Stalls and Denny's interview with Brian Perkey of Lallemand about his long history and what's changing in the world of brewing!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 104 - Vanilla Bean Dreams

Submitted by drew on Fri, 06/25/2021 - 11:00

The Brew is Out There!

Despite it's reputation, vanilla is anything but boring and anything but cheap! We're talking to Sara Anderson of IndriVanilla about what makes vanilla so magical and why it's so dang expensive. Drew drops a few tips on using your newly acquired vanilla to it's utmost.

Links:

IndriVanilla (the Retail Store): https://indrivanilla.com/

Episode 134 - REPLAY Resolving The Secret Of The Hop

Submitted by drew on Fri, 06/18/2021 - 12:00

REPLAY! (For HomebrewCon Time!)

We've survived the PGPDF and are back and catching back up! We've got a whole slew of feedback, news stories, brew sessions, hop science, micro-resolutions (aka things we think we can do), a listener's brewing experience and... the juicy story of why you can buy Columbus, Tomahawk or Zeus in the hop freezer - sit back for a lesson in farm spying!

Brew Files - Episode 203 - REPLAY - The Mighty Oat

Submitted by drew on Fri, 06/04/2021 - 09:00

The Brew Is Out There!

REPLAY - And Boy Haven't Oats Become More Important Than Ever?

On this week's episode of the Brew Files, Drew and Denny talk one of Drew's favorite ingredients - oats, their origin, their use, their forms, pitfalls, styles and one of Drew's beloved recipes for Drew's beloved pup - Cookie.

Episode Links:

Episode 133 - Dave's Definitely Here, Man

Submitted by drew on Sat, 05/29/2021 - 09:00

When we asked for listener questions - y'all responded, but one man - Dave Taylor - dropped a mountain of questions on us. He and Denny go way back online with many years of thoughts, conversations and conflicting opinions. So, we sat down with Dave and work through all of his questions in a go!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 102 - Jack's Hoppy Lagers

Submitted by drew on Thu, 05/20/2021 - 10:00

The Brew is Out There!

Episode 132 - Questions at Elevenses

Submitted by drew on Wed, 05/12/2021 - 09:00

On this 11th go around through the game of "Stump the Chump", we've got questions about everyone's favorite topic: beer. We even questions about brewing and we've got a great and nearly overwhelming answer about hops from Mr. Hop, Stan Hieronymus.

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 101 - Quintuple Your Power

Submitted by drew on Thu, 04/29/2021 - 21:00

The Brew is Out There!

We've talked going big. We've talked IPA. We've even talked Triple IPA - but we've never gone this far. Drew talks with Tim Kazules of 5 Threads Brewing about making his surprising 5X IPA - clean, crisp and bitter and dry at 17% ABV!

Links:

Five Threads: http://www.fivethreadsbrewing.com/

Episode 131 - Beer in Space

Submitted by drew on Wed, 04/21/2021 - 09:00

Beeeeeerrrrrr innnnnnnnn Spaaaaaaaaaaccccce! Ok, not really, but the Brewers Space Guild is a thing and Drew sits down with Rob Fullmer to talk about the Guild and more importantly about the work being done by local Brewers' Guilds across the country. Find out how these professionals help keep the beer flowing! AND learn how you can Share a Brew With Denny & Drew!

Brew Files - Episode 100 - 100 Files Of Brew

Submitted by drew on Wed, 04/14/2021 - 15:00

The Brew is Out There!

It's been over 4 years and 100 episodes of this quick hit series focusing on fundamental aspects of brewing. Today, we sit down and try and figure out - just what has changed about brewing in that time and reflect on what we've seen in 100 episodes of the ukuele free Brew Files!

This episode is brought to you by:

Episode 130 - A New Way To Figure Out Hops

Submitted by drew on Wed, 04/07/2021 - 05:00

We took a week off from hops, but we could never leave them for long. With all of the new ways of using hops, the IBU (which was already a lie) seems increasingly inadequate to reflect the modern beer experience. We're talking to our friends - Sam and Marko, from Grainfather - to discuss a new way to calculate the impact of our hop usage.

Episode Links:

Brew Files - 99 - Whirling A Tilt

Submitted by drew on Wed, 03/31/2021 - 09:00

The Brew is Out There!

Are you obsessed with your beer's numbers? If so, the folks at Tilt have you covered. Drew sits down with Noah Neibaron, CEO and co-creator of the Tilt, to talk the hows, the whys and the wherefores of the hydrometer and whether or not you need one in your brewery.

Tilt: https://tilthydrometer.com/

This episode is brought to you by:

Episode 129 - Awarding Malt

Submitted by drew on Tue, 03/23/2021 - 21:00

We talk a lot about hops, but without great malt, hops would make a poor, bitter salad. In this episode, we talk to Jesse Bussard the Executive Director of the North American Craft Maltsters Guild to talk all things malty. If you love great craft beer, then you should be excited about the future of great craft malt!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 98 - How to Triple Your IPA

Submitted by drew on Wed, 03/17/2021 - 22:00

The Brew is Out There!

We've threatened and now we're doing. In this episode we bring together Drew and Denny's advice about brewing a Triple IPA and combine it with professional brewers you know and love like Jamil and Mitch! And Drew tastes his way through 4 top notch TIPAs! Prepare yourself for a crop ton of hops!

This episode is brought to you by:

Episode 128 - Homebrew and Mergers

Submitted by drew on Wed, 03/10/2021 - 22:00

Mergers keep happening - this time between two Bend power houses. What to make of it? Pirates? Mummies? And Denny talks to Ryan Farrell, the director of the AHA and, well, the tables might get turned!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - 97 - REPLAY - Old School Triple IPA

Submitted by drew on Thu, 03/04/2021 - 07:00

REPLAY EPISODE - Sorry y'all, there's been a death in the family, so the new episode of the Brew Files is delayed. But trust us, you'll want to listen to this to prepare for episode 98!

The Brew is Out There!

Episode 127 - Kerfluffles & Redesigns

Submitted by drew on Thu, 02/25/2021 - 10:30

It's amazing how much dust can get kicked up in two weeks. In this episode we're looking at a bunch of kerfluffles (both serious and not so) that have risen recently before diving into some news about native African beers and what we've been brewing. (Oh and Drew tells you why you're wrong about Pliny)

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 96 - Peter's Table Saison

Submitted by drew on Thu, 02/18/2021 - 21:00

The Brew is Out There!

Can you believe it's been nearly a 100 episodes and we've never talked about Saison? Time to fix that by talking to Peter Howson about his award winning Petite Saison.

Links:

The Recipe: https://www.experimentalbrew.com/recipes/le-cr%C3%A9cerellethe-kestrel-p...

Episode 126 - REPLAY - The Myth of Mino

Submitted by drew on Thu, 02/11/2021 - 18:00

Denny Sits With Mino

REPLAY TIME!

Brew Files - 95 - How Now Brown Cow

Submitted by drew on Fri, 02/05/2021 - 09:00

The Brew is Out There!

Brown Ale has a bad reputation. It's old man fuddy duddy beer, but for many of us that warm embrace of suppable malt was amongst our first forays into good beer. Denny and Drew walk you through what makes a brown ale and how to make them!

Links:

The Slideshow: https://slides.com/drewbeechum/brownales

Episode 125 - Double and Triple Your IPA

Submitted by drew on Thu, 01/28/2021 - 09:00

IPA rules the roost of the Craft Beer world and in this episode, we're exploring a variation of of the fundamental Double IPA - Pliny For President and then talking with Graciany about his Triple IPA and just how long it lived in cold storage. Come taste the hops!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 94 - REPLAY - Water, Water Everywhere

Submitted by drew on Wed, 01/20/2021 - 21:00

While Drew is getting his ducks in a row for the next series of shows - It's Replay time! And since we've been getting a lot of water questions, what better place to revist, than Martin's episode all about Bru'n water!

The Brew is Out There! TECHNIQUE SHOW

Episode 124b - Holiday 2020

Submitted by drew on Wed, 12/23/2020 - 10:30

This has been a long strange year and Denny and Drew just wanted to stop in for a few minutes and say thank you for continuing to listen and be a part of the beery world. We're reflecting on some of our favorite things this year - what have been some of yours? Email at [email protected]

Episode 124 - Radiantly Reopening

Submitted by drew on Tue, 12/15/2020 - 11:30

As we've entered a less rapidly growing beer market, it's inevitable that some breweries will close. What does it take to walk into an existing brewery and retool it and revamp it's image? Drew sits down with the team behind the soon to open, Radiant Brewing of Anaheim to find out what it takes and how their shared history at the Bruery may help!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 93 - The LateFaire

Submitted by drew on Wed, 12/02/2020 - 10:00

The Brew is Out There!

Episode 123 - Hop Confusion with Mike Brennan

Submitted by drew on Wed, 11/11/2020 - 21:00

If you can't tell by the number of hop conversations going on - things are wild and changing in the hop world. We're sitting down with Mike Brennan of BSG to get his take on what's changing and what you need to know! (And we suspect we'll be talking even more with him!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 92 - Kiley's "Grewit" Gruit

Submitted by drew on Fri, 10/30/2020 - 10:00

The Brew is Out There!

Kiley's back and talking about using herbs and spices in her beers! We're specifically focusing on her Mecca Grade "Brewing Man" Best of Show Winning "Grewit" Gruit her "Deep Roots" Porter. Want to make a beer with eomse other flavors - look no further!

Links:

Episode 122 - German Pils Via Michigan

Submitted by drew on Thu, 10/22/2020 - 12:00

Our homebrewing friends, Jeff and Susan Rankert have nursed a life long love of Germany and German beers and it shows when you talk to them about their brewery trips. A few months back, we sent them some Mecca Grade malt to try and they sent us break a pils inspired by one of their favorite German brewers. Grab a cold one - it's drinking time!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 91 - Scott's Hops, Part 2

Submitted by drew on Thu, 10/01/2020 - 10:00

The Brew is Out There!

e're back with Scott Janish, co founder of Sapwood Cellars and the author of the New IPA. Last time we talked the basics of hop chemistry. Now in this part, we're talking all about survivables, why cold dry hopping works and giving you Scott's keys to make a fruit forward IPA, before we delve into questions from the crowd.

Links:

Episode 121 - A Wee Cider

Submitted by drew on Tue, 09/15/2020 - 08:00

We're back! And this time, it's tasting time as Denny drops one of the oddest beers he's known for on Drew's palate - the infamous Wee Shroomy, a Chanterelle infused Wee Heavy. It's rich and fruity and surprising. Drew also tries Denny's pink hued Crabapple cider. All that and the news!

Episode Links:

Brew Files - Episode 90 - Scott's Hops, Part 1

Submitted by drew on Wed, 08/12/2020 - 00:00

The Brew is Out There!

In this first part of America's favorite topic, Drew talks with Scott Janish about his fascination with the leafy green beer herb and the newly emerging (and sometimes forgotten) science of hops. (and where to find more information for yourself!)

Links:

Scott Janish - http://scottjanish.com/

Episode 120 - The Answer is Brewing in the Wind

Submitted by drew on Wed, 08/05/2020 - 00:00

We're back! And as is always the case for the 12th show of a cycle, we make like Carnac the Magnificent by way of the Tappet Brothers. We've got a whole field of q's to run through, so let's get to it! (And don't forget you can always give us more info and ask us more questions at [email protected]!)

Episode Links: