Master Brewers Podcast

Episode 088: The Six-rowification of North American Two-row (Parts 1&2: history, how & why)

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since 1972 North American 2-row barley has slowly but steadily evolved into something that has more in common with 6-row than traditional European 2-r...

Episode 249: Malt Silos

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Things to consider before making the transition from bagged to bulk malt. Special Guest: Tim Roberts.

Episode 248: Mashing

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The author of one of the latest publications from ASBC & MBAA joins us to talk about Mashing. Special Guest: Evan Evans.

Episode 247: Malt

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our friend, Dr. Yin, returns to discuss his new Malt book and the 2021 barley crop Special Guest: Xiang Yin.

Episode 101: The Yeasts of Tomorrow

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Stijn Mertens and Jan Steensels talk about what's happening inside one of the world's most advanced yeast labs. Special Guests: Jan Steensels and Stij...

Episode 246: Putting the Stank in Dr. Dank

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How Wicked Weed made a beer smell like cannabis, without using cannabis. Special Guests: Joe Pawelek and Ross Hunsinger.

Episode 245: Romp of Otters

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A collaboration between OSU's Barley Project Lab, Admiral Maltings, and Seismic Brewing explores the possibilities for achieving Maris Otter flavor in...

Episode 244: Dialing in Haze

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To what extent does yeast strain selection & dry hop timing put the haze in your hazies? Special Guests: Keith Lacy and Laura Burns.

Episode 052: Let Your Process Evaluate Your Malt - Part 2

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Hertrich continues discussing how to establish your own criteria for malt performance on your specific recipe, process, and equipment rather than ...

Episode 051: Let Your Process Evaluate Your Malt - Part 1

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fan favorite, Joe Hertrich, is back with an extremely practical approach to evaluating malt performance based on his experience at breweries of drasti...

Episode 243: Terrified of Being Torrified

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

BSG's adjunct professor & head comedian explain the difference between terms like rolled, flaked, toasted, micronized, and torrified; How it's all mad...

Episode 242: Brewing Purposefully with Wood

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How our guest uses wood in brewing, how Louis Pasteur ruined beer, and how maybe when the liquid in a barrel can't become a beer, it can get another p...

Episode 098: Dry Hop Creep

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Chadwick (Bell's), Andy Farrell (Bell's), Tom Shellhammer (OSU), and Jason Perkins (Allagash) take a deep dive into the phenomenon known as Dry ...

Episode 241: Mash Filters

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How & why to operate a mash filter Special Guest: Jason Platek.

Episode 240: Understanding the Risk of Can Pressure Failures

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered if you're pushing the limits of how much pressure your cans can handle? A Master Brewers Past President joins us to discuss a c...

Episode 239: Yeast Propagation at Urban Chestnut

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How yeast propagation works (both in the lab & in the brewery) at Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Special Guest: Florian Kuplent.

Episode 084: Brewing Hoppy Beer with CRISPR Instead of Hops

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As reported in Nature Communications (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03293-x), Charles Denby used CRISPR-Cas9 (https://www.wnycstudios.org...

Episode 238: Winter Barley

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An exciting, new 2-row winter variety coming out of Virginia Tech, the advantages winter barley brings to growers, maltsters, and brewers, the challen...

Episode 237: Packaging with Speise

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How & why Resident Culture conditions with speise. Special Guest: David Fuhrer.

Episode 236: Sustainability at Drake's

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How Drake's Brewing Co approaches sustainability. Special Guest: Hal McConnellogue.

Episode 096: Efficacy of Sanitizers in the Brewery

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elliot Parcells & Josh Pohlmann put together some experiments to better understand if the sanitizers used at Bell's Brewery were doing their jobs.

Episode 235: Flavorings That Go BOOM in the Night

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone is doing it. Are you doing it safely? Special Guest: Mark Jaeggi.

Episode 234: New Year's Resolution

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

2 real-life brewery horror stories and 3 guys who hope you'll make a new year's resolution to take brewery safety seriously. Special Guests: Brian Fai...

Episode 069: Diastaticus - Part 2

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over-carbonation. Exploding bottles. Lawsuits. Super-attenuation caused by diastaticus contamination is a hot topic in the brewing industry. We bring...

Episode 068: Diastaticus - Part 1

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over-carbonation. Exploding bottles. Lawsuits. Super-attenuation caused by diastaticus contamination is a hot topic in the brewing industry. We bring...

Episode 091: How a Chiller System Works

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How brewery chillers work, troubleshooting tips, common mistakes, and easy preventative maintenance to keep it running for years to come. Special Gues...

Episode 232: 074 (US Vista)

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The hotly anticipated release of the USDA public hop breeding program's 1st tropical aroma bomb. What it took to finally get here, what the future loo...

Episode 231: The Black Box of Biotransformation

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why does dry-hopping during active fermentation change sensory profiles? Is the black box of biotransformation really what drives those changes or is ...

Episode 230: Under Pressure

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Using the dissolved CO2 content of active fermentations to control your process. Special Guests: Andrew MacIntosh and Karen Fortmann.

Episode 083: The Red Queen Hypothesis

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The disease has moved out of Africa, it's now in the Middle East. It's only a matter of time before it arrives. It's a numbers game. Pat Hayes joins...

Episode 228: The Challenging 2021 Barley Outlook

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are you prepared to face the most challenging barley crop most of us have ever seen? Special Guests: Drew Sharp, Matt Enns, and Peter Watts.

Episode 227: IRC7 + CRISPR = Cosmic Punch

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Thiolized" CRISPR yeast, the world's 1st convincing argument for mash hopping, and more. Special Guests: Lance Shaner and Laura Burns.

Episode 063: Utilizing Predictive Analytics to Improve Quality & Maximize Capacity at Deschutes Brewery

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Faivre explains how one of the largest craft brewers is using data and tools (accessible to breweries of any size) to improve their process. ...

Episode 061: Glycol Systems for Breweries

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Stromberg discusses industry best practices for glycol system piping. You'll learn how to balance your system, how to size headers for correct flo...

Episode 223: Brewing with Honey

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tips & inspiration for using honey in your beer. Special Guest: Keith Seiz.

Episode 080: Brewing Hoppy Beers - Targeting Flavor, Not Varietal

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Edmunds describes his unique & effective approach to brewing hoppy beer. Special Guest: Ben Edmunds.

Episode 219: Repitching Cal Ale

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A study examining the impacts of wort gravity, IBUs, and serial repitching of California Ale yeast. Special Guests: Luis Castro and Nichole Bryant.

Episode 059: Process Control Through Enzyme Understanding

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Important tools every brewer should have within reach, as we all struggle to deal with increasing competition, costs, variability in raw materials, an...

Episode 213: Magnesium-accelerated Maillard reactions

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We take a deep dive into the impact Mg can have on the Maillard reactions occurring in the brewhouse and during malting. Special Guests: Euan Thomson ...

Episode 212: Yeast Nutrient: Hard Seltzer vs Wort

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What does a brewer who is new to brewing hard seltzer need to know about yeast & fermentation? And more importantly, what the heck is actually in yeas...

Episode 067: In the Blink of an Eye

24 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Keith Miller got blasted in the face with caustic, he was blinded instantly. This could happen to any brewer. Imagine yourself crawling on the br...

Episode 211: The Sweet Spot

17 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dextrose, cane sugar, beet sugar, corn syrups, back sweetening with stevia, and more Special Guest: Scott Helstad.

Episode 065: Troubleshooting Off-flavors

26 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

4 real-life off-flavor scenarios from Highland Brewing Company, how each issue was discovered & remedied, and the role that sensory data played in eac...

Episode 208: Understanding Thiol Precursor in Hops & Malt

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We catch up with a guy who's been studying thiols since before most of us understood why they matter. If you're chasing tropical flavors in beer, this...

Episode 206: Practical Sustainability

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We take a look at the carbon footprint of barley and hear about how a maltster's procurement contracts have drastically reduced that carbon footprint ...

Episode 066: Sulfate to Chloride Ratio

29 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Aaron Justus from Ballast Point discusses targeting sulfate to chloride ratios to enhance hop & malt character. This research, which informed recipe d...

Episode 205: Brewing vs. Distilling

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We explore some of the similarities and differences between brewing & distilling. Special Guest: Todd Leopold.

Episode 079: Brewhouse Efficiency for the Small Brewer

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How a simple case study conducted at 35 Rock Bottom breweries more than 10 years ago can inform your process to increase brewhouse efficiency and make...

Episode 053: Improved Flavor via Trub Removal at Dogfish

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In today's competitive craft beer market, if you're standing still, you're dead. Continual improvement is a required survival skill. This episode tell...

Episode 058: What Yeast has taught me about Brewing over the years

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Eplett (http://community.mbaa.com/network/members/profile?UserKey=b35e6b49-d001-4a8c-9b25-f244caade3d0) joins us to talk about some anecdotal fer...

Episode 028: Draught Line Cleaning P2

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we continue our draught line cleaning discussion with Keith Lemcke. Special Guest: Keith Lemcke.

Episode 027: Draught Line Cleaning P1

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Draught beer line cleaning is a critical factor in the service of excellent draught beer. Cleaning your system frequently ensures beer quality but inc...

Episode 195: Thiol-releasing Capability of Brewers Yeast

07 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It is well known that hop-forward beer styles exhibit tropical fruit aromas. These aromas are conferred by a range of hop-related volatile compounds, ...

Episode 010: Free Education

23 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Master Brewers is dying to pay for your education; it's part of what we do. Special Guests: Jeremy King, Jim Mellem, Justin Ang, Mike Perine, and Step...

Episode 193: Killer Yeast

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Could beer infected with diastaticus be rescued by killer yeast? Special Guest: Nicholas Ketchum.

Mainstage

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

John Mallett (Bells Brewery), Rebecca Newman (Lagunitas Brewing Company), Paul Pettinger (New Belgium Brewing), and Jason zumBrunnen (Ratio Beerworks)...

Episode 184: Just Say No to Leaking Can Seams

14 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cans have become the primary packaging type in the U.S. craft brewing scene. While cans are a near-ideal package for maintaining the quality of the be...

Preview: 2020 WBC

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The 2020 World Brewing Congress (http://worldbrewingcongress.org/Pages/default.aspx) is almost here! Have you registered (http://worldbrewingcongress....

Episode 181: Tracking Biotransformation of Sulfur Compounds in Beer

24 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A growing demand in utilizing biotransformation, a general term for the conversion of compounds through biological pathways, to improve the organolept...

Episode 001: Total Oil Content ≠ Aroma

17 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This was the very first episode of The Master Brewers Podcast, recorded during the 2016 WBC. As we prepare to kick off the all-virtual 2020 WBC in jus...

Episode 180: Exogenous Enzyme Applications in Malting

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We continue conferencing vicariously from the Master Brewers Live (https://www.masterbrewerspodcast.com/master-brewers-live) event during the 2019 Mas...

Episode 179: Reuse of Spent Dry Hop Slurry in the Brewhouse

03 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Isn't it a shame to just throw out all of that spent hop slurry after dry-hopping a tank? Ola Oladokun from Carlsberg sat down with me during last yea...

Episode 178: Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Oxidized Beer

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Audrey Skinner (https://community.mbaa.com/network/members/profile?UserKey=e04b0dda-bf79-460f-8904-4c64c9b50083) joins us to talk about bright tank pu...

Episode 040: What is Aleppo?

20 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Need to remove haze? Need to add haze? Need to stabilize flavor? This week, we're talking applications for tannic acid in the brewery. Special Guest: ...

Episode 173: Using Exogenous Enzymes to Boost Biotransformation​

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Biotransformation has become a buzzword in the brewing community, with many brewers even performing dry hopping at certain specific times to hit what ...

Episode 047: Whirlpool Trub Carryover Effects on Beer Sensory Quality & Clarity

25 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Does increasing the whirlpool trub carryover by 20% significantly affect beer quality? That's what Hayley & Tom set out to determine at Stone's Richmo...

Episode 038: Comparison of the Contributions of Hop Pellets, Supercritical Fluid Hop Extracts, and Extracted Hop Material to the Hop Aroma and Terpenoid Content of Kettle-Hopped Lager Beers

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our friends from OSU join us to talk about a peer-reviewed paper comparing hop pellets, CO2 extracts, and spent hop material in kettle hop additions. ...

Bonus: Introducing Plantopia

17 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we bring you the first episode of Plantopia (https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/) - a brand new podcast, produced by our very own host & producer...

Episode 167: Manufacturing Hand Sanitizer in the Brewery

13 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Three different perspectives on the realities of producing hand sanitizer. Special Guests: Dave Rathkamp, Derik Reiser, and Joel Moore.

Bonus: The New Normal

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Now that we've got some historical COVID-19 sales data, Ross is back with insights on the new normal. Special Guest: Ross Ackermann.

Episode 045: Spoiler Alert

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Jorgenson joins us to talk about his approach to microbiology and his quick reference guide of significant bacteria found in the brewery environm...

Episode 165: Bypassing the Malting Process with Koji

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the show, our friends from Appalachian State University join us in Calgary to talk about their work evaluating koji as an alternative to ...

Episode 164: When Draught Dries Up

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we take a break from technical brewing to talk about the new realities of selling beer during a pandemic. Special Guest: Ross Ackermann.

Episode 163: Kiln Temperature & Hop Quality

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

New information from OSU regarding how hop kiln temperature impacts hop quality. Special Guests: Lindsey Rubottom and Tom Shellhammer.

Episode 013: Uneven Heating? Damaged Jackets?

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

David Kapral joins us to talk about why it's critical to have thermostatic air vents and vacuum breakers on your steam jackets, and what happens when ...

Episode 162: LAB Propagation & Process Control

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan Kelly joins us in Calgary to talk about Odell Brewing Company's low-cost lactic acid bacteria propagation system, as well as how they dialed-in...

Episode 161: New Malting Barley Varieties in Canada

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Watts joins us in Calgary to talk about a bunch of new malting barley varieties coming out of Canada. Special Guest: Peter Watts.

Episode 160: Quantifying and Probing the Inefficiency of Dry-hopping

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Shellhammer joins us from the 2019 Master Brewers Conference (https://www.mbaa.com/meetings/archive/2019conference/proceedings/Pages/default.aspx)...

Episode 035: Brewhouse Water & Mash Chemistry

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Walts (https://community.mbaa.com/network/members/profile?UserKey=ebcdf458-d93d-4378-bde5-310236de3f43) joins us to talk about his TQ paper and ex...

Episode 159: How Much Does it Take?

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Kim Syring from Surly Brewing joins us in Calgary to talk about her outside the box controlled spoilage studies to determine micro tolerance limits. S...

Episode 158: Hemp Flavor Development in Beer

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ross Koenigs from New Belgium sits down with us in Calgary to talk about his poster and quest to better understand hemp flavor in beer. Special Guest:...

Episode 157: Hop Oils & Haze Stabilization

20 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two presenters from the hops technical session during the 2019 Master Brewers Conference in Calgary discuss the use of beta acid products in haze stab...

Episode 044: Improving Brewhouse Efficiency by Adjusting Mash Thickness and Lauter and Sparge Volumes

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our friends from Saint Arnold Brewing Company in Houston describe how they reduced lauter times, decreased their grain bills by 5%, and increased aver...

Episode 156: How Low Can You Go?

06 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our friends from Escarpment Labs (EP102 (https://www.masterbrewerspodcast.com/102)) discuss the impact of inoculation rate on Norwegian kveik yeast fe...

Episode 155: Continuum of Malt Opportunities

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Our friends from a "large" craft maltster and a "large" craft brewer get together to talk about craft malt, winter barley, AMBA's guidelines for all-m...

Episode 012: Reducing Solid Waste in the Brewery

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the show, a topic that we should all be considering: sustainability. Amy (Johnson) Dragon describes how she went about reducing the solid...

Episode 153: Plan Your Pitch

09 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the show, we get a glimpse at life inside a brewer's yeast supply lab (http://jasperyeast.com/). You'll hear about tips for ordering yeas...

Episode 152: Evaluation of FPDM for STA1 Positive (Diastaticus) Yeast in the Brewery

02 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. diastaticus is a beer spoilage yeast, with contamination leading to off-flavors, over-attenuation, and over-carbonation,...

Episode 151: Our $700 Hillbilly Yeast Propagator

25 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Doug needed an affordable solution for growing up yeast in the brewpub environment, so he got crafty. Special Guest: Doug Hindman.

Episode 039: The Language of Hops

18 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

An effort supported by a professional perfumer to establish a universal sensory language for hops. Special Guest: Georg Drexler.

Episode 149: Sourvisiae

04 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Lallemand Brewing team joins us to talk about their new bioengineered, lactic acid-producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ADY). Special Guests: Chaz ...

Episode 148: OSHA in Your Brewery

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If OSHA shows up at your brewery tomorrow, are you ready? Special Guests: John Olaechea and Nicole Reiman.

Episode 043: The Hop Quality Group

21 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

An elite group of brewers working behind the scenes to improve hop quality in the US. Special Guests: John Mallet and Tom Nielsen.

Episode 146: Fermentation Consistency

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could postpone buying new fermentors by reducing variability during fermentation? This week on the show, you'll hear about how this was ac...

Episode 032: It Malt Not Be Extractly What You Think

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A diverse group of commercial brewers work together to chase down the source of extract loss in a hypothetical brewhouse. Special Guests: Emily River...

Episode 144: Dr. Lewis

16 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Michael Lewis (https://community.mbaa.com/network/members/profile?UserKey=5f489671-d2e9-4e00-a8c6-61b8c43c33ed) has trained thousands of brewers s...

Episode 143: Improving Process Steam Systems

09 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tips for improving your process steam system from a longtime Master Brewers district officer, contributor, and course lecturer, Steve Huffman (https:/...

Episode 041: Zinc in Fermentation

26 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's no secret that yeast needs zinc for healthy fermentation, but how much and where/when should you add it? What happens when you add too much zinc?...

Episode 141: Brewery Bots

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What if you had a brewery bot that monitored for things like out of spec fermentations, glycol reservoir temp & level, or CIP temps & times, and sent ...

Episode 140: Think Twice Before You Dump: A Journey to Wastewater Compliance

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ann Spevacek (https://community.mbaa.com/network/members/profile?UserKey=ba2fc9ee-b1ba-4cbc-9f8f-7ffbaeb50d32) & Eric Ritchson (https://community.mbaa...