Maintaining a high standard of cleanliness is essential to brewing beer, and many brewers could produce a better product by taking sterilization more seriously. Today we have Dana Johnson and George Allen from Birko on the show to share their expertise on best practices for sterilization in the brewing lifecycle. Dana is Technical Director of Craft Brewing and Distilling at Birko, and George is the Business Development Director for...

Dextrin malts are specially made to boost your beer’s body, taste and mouthfeel. To dive into the secrets of brewing with these malts, we’re joined by Mike Heinrich, Sales Manager at Great Western Malting, local expert Bob Hansen of Briess Malt & Ingredients Co, along with Dirk Schneider and Tom Lembrick of BESTMALZ in Germany. We open our conversation with Mike, talking about Great Western Maltings Dextra Pils malt and then ge...

The highest quality beer can only be made when there is a connection between farmers and brewers. 

Today we talk about the importance of this connection while also hearing insights into hops growing and beer brewing from today’s guests; Yakima Chief Ranches CEO Jason Perrault and supply chain ‘hoperations’ manager Joe Catron, and Bale Break Brewery co-owners Kevin Smith and Kevin Quinn. 

We open our conversation by asking Jason how...

Today we welcome Eddie Douglas onto the show to talk about the new Sassy varietal known as Malt 2.0. As the commercial director for Bairds Malt, Eddie comes with a wealth of knowledge and shares a variety of details on what makes Bairds’ barley so sensational. He tells us how care is taken from the very beginning of the barley’s life cycle, starting from the seed to its germination and beyond. The Sassy varietal itself came through...

Today we sit with Tim Matthews of CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective (Oskar Blues, Cigar City, Deep Ellum, Perrin, Squatters, Three Weavers, and Wasatch) and Ira Leibtag, founder of Cholaca. Tim and Ira teamed up to successfully create a tasty, refreshing beer with the addition of cacao, and later, coconut. To kick things off, Tim shares the origin story of the pair’s success. Sitting in a coffee shop, Tim noticed a sign for “Cholac...

Today we sit with James Loughran from Loughran Family Malts to talk about the art of farming and preparing barley. According to some, this cornerstone ingredient of craft beer takes a tremendous amount of care, planning, and even magic. 

We open the show by asking James about the challenges and rewards of farming this important grain. After learning about the finer nuances of the grain’s journey, James walks us through the history ...

With the ability to complement nearly every style of beer, crafting with fruit is how top breweries are creating some of their most innovative brews. Today we speak with Oregon Fruit Products Director of Brewing Sales Chris Hodge about the benefits of putting fruit in your beer. 

After host Toby Tucker opens the show with a fruit medley of low-hanging puns, we explore Chris’s history in the brewing industry. We chat about getting o...

Non-alcoholic beer is certainly having its moment in the U.S. The Dry January and “sober-curious” movements have piqued many people’s curiosity about non-alcoholic beer. Athletic Brewing Company is a leader in this segment of the market. John Walker, the company’s co-founder and head brewer joins us to shed light on the business and non-alcoholic beer generally. We kick off by hearing about his transition from Second Street Brewery...

Brewing great beer requires a combination of creativity and science, and a brewer’s dance with yeast is one of the most important parts of the entire process. Today we speak with three experts in the field and discuss the intricacies of working with yeast. After introducing our guests and hearing about their backgrounds, we open the show by taking a look at yeast’s two main forms — dry and liquid. Exploring further, our guests tell...

The holidays are around the corner and it’s getting cold in Texas, but on this episode of The BrewDeck, things warm up nicely in this interview Toby Tucker has with Bart Whipple. Bart is the assistant brewmaster and supply manager at the one and only Sierra Nevada, and has been involved in the legendary brewery for 36 years. Having transitioned from the brewery operations to the raw ingredients side of the business, Bart takes the ...

SOME OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

SOME OF THE TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE:

SOME OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

GUESTS:
DR. AXEL GÖHLER - PRESIDENT, BESTMALZ
LUTHER PAUL - HEAD BREWER, LAKEFRONT BREWING

SOME OF THE TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

This episode of The BrewDeck has the kettle chocked full of hops! The guest line-up features Victoria Pritchett, Director of North American Hops for Country Malt Group, Spencer Tielkemeier, East Division Lead & Brewing Innovations at Yakima Chief Hops, and Adam Hieronymus, Hop Contract Specialist at The Country Malt Group. They'll be covering hop contracting, the current state of the 2020 hop crop, experimental hops, and fa...