Master Brewers Podcast
Episodes
Episode 177: The Art & Science of Roasting Specialty Malt
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Specialty malt freshness, roaster technology, flavor development & complexity in specialty malts, and more. Special Guests: Aaron MacLeod, Chris Schoo...
Episode 308: Location, Genotype, Year
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A unique study of California malting barley and its practical takeaways for brewers. Special Guest: Maany Ramanan.
Episode 176: Functional Terroir
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Three people who know a lot about malting talk about base malt flavor development and the variables driving a lot of creativity in brewing. Special Gu...
Episode 307: Green Chemistry for Beer
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is green chemistry? How and why should you apply it in your brewery? Special Guest: Dana Garves.
Episode 175: Know Barley, Know Beer
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Beer consumption per capita in the US has declined steadily since 1980; meanwhile, consumption of wine, cider, and spirits has increased. Keith Armstr...
Episode 306: Barley Lipids
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Brewing process and quality tips related to barley lipids Special Guest: Aaron Golston.
Episode 183: Dry Hop Creep During In-Package Conditioning
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding a particular beer's fermentability—and how it changes over time—is a prerequisite to managing in-package conditioning. It’s not un...
Episode 305: COGS
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How a brewer who didn’t know the cost of his flagship beer, implemented a unit economic process that transformed the brewery from dry hopping to hig...
Episode 187: The Guinness Yeast
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Guinness brewery was founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness. The Guinness brewery group were early exponents of the advancements in microbiology, and ...
Episode 304: Kernza
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is Kernza and does it belong in your next recipe? Special Guests: Alexandra Diemer , Harmonie Bettenhausen, Juan Medina Bielski, Tessa Peters, an...
Episode 170: Centrifuge Operation
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is what happens when someone reaches out to suggest a great podcast topic. Becky Rudolf had questions about centrifuge operation so we mobilized ...
Episode 303: Cheers to a Decade of Craft Malt
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We celebrate the first decade of craft malt by catching up with a few of its pioneers and talking about what craft malt can do for beer. Special Guest...
Episode 169: Oak
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We take a deep dive into oak barrels. You'll hear about the properties of oak, the different types, and all about the complexities of seasoning and to...
Episode 302: World Brewing Congress 2024
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A preview of the Olympics of brewing conferences, the WBC, which only occurs every 4 years and hasn’t been held in person since 2016 due to the pand...
Episode 301: Ask The Brewmasters
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We go behind the scenes with the 3 moderators responsible for ensuring the highest possible quality content on the industry’s best technical brewing...
Episode 171: Best Practices - Container Rinsing with Water
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Does your brewery can or bottle? Do you pay close attention to your rinser or just assume it does what it's supposed to? This week on the show, we tak...
Episode 300: Turning the Tables
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We thought we'd celebrate our 300th episode by giving John Bryce they day off...kind of. Special Guest: John Bryce.
Episode 168: Spirit Barrel Aging
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We take a look at spirit barrel aging techniques from the perspective of Julian Shrago at Beachwood Brewing Special Guest: Julian Shrago.
Episode 299: Can Liners and Hop Aroma
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A case study at New Belgium to understand the impact of can coatings on beer volatiles. Special Guests: Brooke Gushen and Nate Burns.
Episode 154: Juicy Dry Hopping
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the show, presenters from the Juicy Dry Hopping workshop in Calgary (https://mbaa.confex.com/mbaa/2019/meetingapp.cgi/Session/1081) join ...
Episode 298: Re-evaluating the malt quality COA for an uncertain climate future
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Adjusting expectations and processes to navigate an increasingly delicate malt supply chain. Special Guests: Curtis Davenport, Harmonie Bettenhausen, ...
Episode 150: TPO Gone Wild? Managing Oxygen Ingress on Smaller Scale Canning Lines
02 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our friends at Goose Island talk about their journey reducing TPO on small scale canning lines. This episode was recorded live during the 2019 Master ...
Episode 297: Is it Really Lager/Ale?
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Different paths of evolution and answers to questions about the genetic identity of commercially available yeast strains. Special Guest: Fabio Faria-O...
Episode 147: Dry Hop Geyser Survivors
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dry hop geyser survivors talk about their experiences and how you can avoid repeating their dangerous mistakes. Special Guests: Cody Green, Daniel Sha...
Episode 296: Stratification
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mechanisms and Strategies to Manage Temperature Stratification in Brewery Vessels Special Guest: Travis Audet.
Episode 142: What's In Your Can?
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To rinse or not to rinse - what's in your can? Our friends at Community Beer take us on a journey to eliminate microbes @ can filling. Special Guests:...
Episode 295: "Ghost Dimpling"
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Real-world can seamer troubleshooting courtesy of Master Brewer's award-winning technical brewing forum. Special Guest: David Garab.
Episode 137: How a Beer Comes to Life
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jason Perkins talks about beer development at Allagash Brewing Co. Special Guest: Jason Perkins.
Episode 294: Benchmarking and Reducing CO2 Consumption
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Frequent MBAA course lecturer, Gabriel Dominguez, offers tips to reduce your brewery's CO2 consumption. Special Guest: Gabriel Dominguez.
Episode 293: RO Sustainability at Firestone Walker
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A simple engineering solution with complex implementation. Special Guest: Evan Meffert.
Episode 130: Yeast Genome Changes During Serial Repitching
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Maitreya Dunham and Tom Schmidlin talk about an exciting study that aims to better understand yeast mutations during serial repitching. Special Guest...
Episode 115: Today's Challenges in Beer Quality
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Author of Quality Management: Essential Planning for Breweries and founder of Top Note Tonic, Mary Pellettieri, discusses how innovation challenges q...
Episode 292: Authenticity vs Technology
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Charlie Bamforth discusses authenticity vs technology in lager beer production. Special Guest: Charlie Bamforth.
Episode 110: The Microbiological Impact of Dry Hopping Beers with Pelletized and Whole Cone Cascade Hops
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does dry hopping inoculate your beer with beer spoiling bacteria? Do the anti-microbial properties of hops offer enough protection? Can dry hopping fi...
Episode 291: The Master Brewers Innovation Fund
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Master Brewers wants to fund your next innovation. Hear how the program works, as well as an overview of several projects that have already been funde...
Episode 106: Electrical Safety in the Brewery
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The MBAA Brewery Safety Committee brings you the story of a real-life electrical accident in a brewery, as well as tips and other resources for keepin...
Episode 290: Pat Hayes
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Catch up with Pat Hayes before he delivers the keynote address during the Master Brewers Conference in Seattle Oct 6. We discuss some exciting new rel...
Episode 108: Sensory Programs - Finding Value From Day 1
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Has your brewery put off building a sensory program because it seems overwhelming? Lindsay Barr is here with the tips and baby steps you need to make ...
Episode 289: HZY1
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The identification of the gene that determines whether or not a yeast strain is haze-positive. Special Guest: Laura Burns.
Episode 288: Sensory for Mixed Fermentations
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A discussion of flavors found in mixed fermentations. Special Guest: Jen Blair.
Episode 104: The Hidden Secrets of New England IPA
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Paul Maye discusses results from the analysis of haze in a dozen New England IPAs and how the haze traps non-polar hop compounds to create the u...
Episode 287: 100% Adjunct, Gluten-Free Brewing
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How things work in a dedicated, certified gluten-free brewery Special Guest: Alan Windhausen.
Episode 286: Fluid for Thought
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Various principles in fluid dynamics with practical applications in the brewery (and a few puns). Special Guests: Allen Young and Ashton Lewis.
Episode 099: Cask Beer
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Cox talks ingredients, process, best practices, and authenticity. Special Guest: Marcus Cox.
Episode 093: Active Dry Yeast
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Shelf-life, performance, and consistency of Active Dry Yeast (ADY) vs Freshly Propagated Yeast (FPY). We also explore the application of ADY for bottl...
Episode 285: Bottles vs Cans
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New insights into the question of whether bottles or cans will keep your beer fresh longer. Special Guest: Katie Fromuth.
Episode 136: Birra Nursia
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
During the 2016 World Brewing Congress, MBP host John Bryce met a couple of beer-brewing monks from Italy. Fr. Martin and Br. Augustine join us to tal...
Episode 284: Hop Grower and Pellet Mill Audits
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hop Quality Group audits & things to look for during your next farm visit Special Guests: Ben Bailey and Patrick Chavanelle.
Episode 251: Boil-Over Safety at Goose Island
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An incident at Goose Island that we can all learn from. Special Guests: Daryl Hoedtke and Gabe Capan.
Episode 283: Brewing with Vista
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Brewers who’ve used the most recent public hop variety released by the USDA share their experiences. Special Guests: Eric Sannerud, Jeremy Moynier, ...
Episode 282: Mid Fermentation Dry Hopping at New Belgium
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A compilation of 5 years of mid fermentation dry hopping studies at New Belgium. Special Guests: Justin Alexander and Stacey Williams.
Episode 133: IPA
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mitch Steele talks about the evolution of IPA. We go all the way from IPA's early history to modern times, as well as hear about some of Mitch's strat...
Episode 281: Progress in Prosser
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a new hop breeder in town and she’s been busy innovating to release public hop varieties faster. We discuss her impressive progress thus f...
Episode 081: Irish Moss
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Just when you thought you knew everything you needed to know about carrageenan and its brewing application, Andrew Fratianni & Mark Sammartino join ...
Episode 280: Hard Seltzer Fermentation Analysis & Optimization
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An analysis of hard seltzer fermentations to optimize ingredients and performance. Special Guest: Ben Koppenhaver.
Episode 139: Hot Side Aeration (HSA)
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Williams, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Endowed Brewer at UC Davis, talks about HSA. Special Guest: Joe Williams.
Episode 279: CO2 Recapture Station #1
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How a brewery that punches above its weight in the sustainability department recaptures CO2 at a former top secret military listening post. Special Gu...
Episode 135: Musings on a Malt COA
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mary-Jane Maurice (the only American with a diploma from the Maltsters' Association of Great Britain) arms us with more knowledge about malting and ma...
Episode 278: The Heart of Barley
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Advances in hulless malting barley (and why you should care) Special Guest: Keith Armstrong.
Episode 131: Brewing Berliner Weisse at the August Schell Brewing Co.
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jace Marti talks about Berliner Weisse production at his 159-year-old family-run brewery. Special Guest: Jace Marti.
Episode 277: Survival of the Fittest
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's Krispier Than KRISPY? Special Guest: Eugene Fletcher.
Episode 126: Passivation of Stainless Steel
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Palmer & Ashton Lewis help us demystify the passivation of stainless steel, separate fact from fiction, and pick up some pointers for keeping yo...
Episode 276: FAN, YAN, and Dry Hop Creep
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does FAN (from hops?!?) put the creep in dry hop creep? Special Guest: Paul Chlup.
Episode 125: Spent Grains
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everything you've always wanted to know about spent grains. Special Guest: Bill Cromie.
Episode 275: A Look at Biases in Density Measurements
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is the ubiquitous hydrometer the right tool for the job? How can you improve the accuracy & precision of your measurements? Special Guest: Michael Mos...
Episode 124: Fritz Maytag
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the story of how Fritz Maytag, father of the American beer revolution, transformed "the last medieval brewery in the world" into one of the ...
Episode 274: Professor Moose's Magical Corn
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A plant breeding experiment that’s been running continuously since 1896 produces some unexpected results. Special Guests: Darin Riggs, Matt Riggs, a...
Episode 123: Tracking IBU Through the Brewing Process: The Quest for Consistency
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aaron Justus is back to lead us on an awesome journey tracking IBUs throughout the brewing process. This episode is full of surprises, and I guarantee...
Episode 273: Predicting & improving Brewhouse Efficiency
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Follow Joe Walts on his journey building lauter simulations to better predict & improve brewhouse efficiency. Special Guest: Joe Walts.
Episode 117: AromaSmart
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Val Peacock talks about the biggest problem in hop quality - hop drying. You'll also hear from Bill Arendt, the Wisconsin hop grower who built a be...
Episode 272: Just The Haze
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The story behind the development of the first NA beer from Sam Adams Special Guest: Eryn Bottens.
Episode 271: Comprehensive Quality at Odell's
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Half of Odell's small but impressive quality team joins us to discuss what they do. Special Guests: Lauryn Rivera and Tess Downer.
Episode 270: What to Do Before Breaking Ground on Your New Brewery
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Advice for how to navigate brewery construction Special Guests: Andy Hooper and Jordan Schiess.
Episode 116: Be Kind to Your Grind
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Sibbett discusses a lauter tun upgrade at Yuengling, the process of optimizing brewhouse efficiency, troubleshooting malt handling, and understa...
Episode 113: Reducing Error in Cell Counts
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It doesn't matter how good you are at counting cells if the sample wasn't prepared and handled properly. Bill Maca takes us on a deep dive into the mo...
Episode 269: Thermal Degradation Units
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A powerful tool for making quality decisions. Special Guest: Travis Audet.
Episode 268: Free Thiol Release
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cécile Chenot discusses observations from thiol research at Université Catholique de Louvain Special Guest: Cécile Chenot.
Episode 267: Effect of pasteurization on bright and hazy IPAs
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A thorough test of an age-old debate, conducted on modern beer styles Special Guest: Ali Schultz.
Episode 111: Burst Bottle Detection & Mitigation
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From a consumer safety standpoint, glass shards from broken bottles present one of the most serious risks that a brewery may encounter. In order to mi...
Episode 266: NA Production for the Craft Brewer
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mitch Steele has advice for craft brewers who want to produce non-alcoholic products. Special Guest: Mitch Steele.
Episode 265: Measuring Sessionability
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Boston Beer determines how to accurately measure sessionability before releasing a new brand. Special Guest: Micaela Kraft.
Episode 264: Nuts!
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when an allergen is grown on the farm next door? Special Guest: Wade Begrow.
Episode 109: Timing is Everything
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sierra Nevada studies the impact of dry hopping at different stages of fermentation. Special Guests: Maria Moutsoglou and Will Cayler.
Episode 263: Gene Editing for Brewers
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the show, Gene editing for brewers... and where things might be headed for barley & hops. Special Guests: Steve Strauss and Tom Shellhamm...
Episode 262: T90 Shelf Life Study
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What's the actual shelf life of the hops in your cooler, and what happens if you keep them there for a few more years? Special Guest: Mark Zunkel.
Episode 261: Optimizing Lab Props at New Belgium
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is your brewery just doing things the way they've always been done, or is someone like Paige optimizing processes to uncover new efficiencies and trem...
Episode 172: What’s The Buzz? Non-alcoholic Beer Production
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are lots of different approaches to producing NA beer. Justin McKellar walks us through the tradeoffs of each method. Special Guest: Justin McKe...
Episode 260: Beer & Health
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You and I both know that beer has a lot of nutritional value, but are we prepared to speak intelligently about that? How do we get consumers to look p...
Episode 259: Cannabaceae Creep
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The quest to determine the origin of hop creep takes an interesting twist. Special Guest: Matt Cottrell.
Episode 258: Sustainability of the American Hop Industry
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The popularity of heavily-hopped beer styles has put USA hops front and center, but threats are looming; wildfire, climate change, water availability,...
Episode 107: Troubleshooting Acetaldehyde
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Madtree Brewing Co. expanded from a 15 bbl brewhouse to a 100 bbl brewhouse, they experienced intermittent acetaldehyde spikes in one of their br...
Episode 257: ISTT
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What is ISTT water and what can it do for us? Special Guests: Carl Halterman and Jeff Gunn.
Episode 256: Eureka!
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The discovery of new alpha and beta acids. Special Guest: John Paul Maye.
Episode 255: Yeast Stress
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Graham Stewart discusses the mechanics of yeast stress during the 2019 Master Brewers Conference in Calgary Special Guest: Graham Stewart.
Episode 254: Sustainability of Hops
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
OSU probes the sustainability of hops, from kiln cycles to double dry hopping. Special Guests: Lindsey Rubottom and Tom Shellhammer.
Episode 253: CIP Fundamentals
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Oliver Meinhold takes us back to the basics of cleaning & sanitation in the brewery. Special Guest: Oliver Meinhold.
Episode 252: Wastewater at Mother Road & pFriem
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Like it or not, you're in the wastewater business. Special Guest: Campbell Morrissy.
Episode 105: Wort Aeration
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know how much DO is in your wort? What percentage of injected oxygen is solubilized? Derek Dawson set out to answer these questions at Modern T...
Episode 250: Is Hop Terroir a Marketing Construct and/or a Biophysical Reality?
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A recent Master Brewers Technical Quarterly paper explores the answer. Special Guests: Aaron Staples, Alec Mull, Alex Adams, Rob Sirrine, and Scott St...
Episode 089: The Six-rowification of North American Two-row (Part 3: What you can do about it)
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The previous episode explained how and why North American 2-row barley evolved to take on 6-row traits. This week Joe Hertrich explains why that's pro...