S.2 E.1 - This Juice is Worth the Squeeze!

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 over the fear of using fruit in your beers and Chris gives listeners insight into how fruit can fit with abundant beer styles. Near the end of this episode, Chris draws from his 34-years of experience in beer to talk about his favorite beer style. 

Following our conversation with Chris Hodge of Oregon Fruit Products, we jump into the practical side of brewing with fruit by chatting to Gary Sernack, head brewer and owner of Bhramari Brewing. After a tasty digression on smoking meat, we talk about Gary’s approach to brewing. He shares insights into how he brews with fruit, the setup he uses to develop new beers, why he’ll never ship unfermented fruit beer, and how people are drawn to colorful beer. Later we ask Gary about his infamous but great tasting pizza beer. As Gary explains, “it’s not about making whacky beer. It has to taste good or it’s not worth serving.” 

We wrap up the episode with Gary opening up about the brewing companies that he would most like to collaborate with. Tune in for more on Gary — and to learn if he really put whole pizzas into his brew.