Inside Church Street Brewing: German Lagers and the Secret to Crushable Beer

Learn how Church Street makes every beer "crushable," from lagers and sours to barrel-aged Belgians and THC hop water.

Church Street Brewing Company Head Brewer Sean Gregor and Director of Pints & Publicity Amanda Steinbraker discuss how German brewing traditions, sustainability, and creativity come together in their lagers, sours, barrel-aged Belgians, and even THC hop water.

They begin by sharing how Sean’s father fell in love with German beer styles like Munich Helles, why the brewery is named Church Street even though it isn’t located on one, and the story behind their stained-glass beer labels. Sean then tells his personal journey from college swimmer to becoming the youngest head brewer in the United States, his early work at Bircus Brewing in Kentucky, and the lessons he brought home to Church Street. He also explains how he improvised with custom brewing equipment, and how the brewery recycles spent grain as cattle feed.

After the beer break, Sean dives into the science of decoction mashing and why it brings more malt character compared to single infusion. The team tastes through Heavenly Helles, brewed with German ingredients to replicate the Munich water table, and talk about why lagers are making a comeback. They sample Itascafest Märzen and explain the difference between Märzen and Festbier, discuss why Oktoberfests often run out before October, and move on to the Blueberry Vanilla Sour, which uses real fruit purée and natural vanilla. Next is Righteous Red Ale, a hybrid of Irish Red and American Red styles that balances English malt richness with American hop brightness.

Later, Sean explains how he sources hops from the UK, New Zealand, and local farms, and Amanda shares how a mislabeled hop variety once led to a happy brewing accident. They also introduce listeners to the history of Zoigl beers, their collaboration brew honoring the late Mark Naski, and the story behind their Pigeon Row THC hop water, a sugar-free, calorie-free alternative that some say is perfect for diabetics. Amanda shares a brilliant trick for turning a can into THC ice cubes for low-dose drinking. Sean and Amanda also talk about their relationship with Four Roses for bourbon barrels, how Church Street keeps even high-ABV beers crushable, and why water chemistry is so important to brewing clean lagers. Plus: learn about the brewery’s two taproom experiences, The Steeple and Barley House, and why their Bavarian pretzel with house queso is a must-try. 

About Church Street Brewing Company: Serving up award-winning craft beer that’s true to style, rooted in history, and brewed with passion in a one-of-a-kind decoction brewhouse in Itasca, IL. Learn more at https://churchstreetbrew.com/ 

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Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you’ll learn about: crushable beers, Bavarian pretzels, brewing sustainability, spent grain cattle feed, THC hop water, THC ice cubes, gin barrel aging, barrel aged Belgian Golden Strong, Devils Uncorked, refrigerator lagering, German malts, Czech pilsner, doppelbock, dunkle, toasty amber lager, caramel malts, Scotch ale, 90 shilling, Dortmunder export, smoked meat beer pairing, Belgian blonde ale recipe, adjunct brewing, contract brewing, manual 30-barrel system, heat recovery coil, hot liquor tank, wort cooling, mash enzymes, protein rest, beta rest, Maillard reaction, brewing calendar, seasonal release timing, no-sparge brewing, partigyle brewing, English EKG hops, New Zealand hop farms, Michigan Hop Alliance, Yakima hops, Hop Guild New York, brewing collaborations, and home-and-away collabs.