Brewing

The cofounder of Lucky Envelope in Seattle discusses building confidence with helles and other traditional styles, getting comfortable with his Chinese-American heritage in the beer world, and finding new avenues of expression with traditional Chinese ingredients such as lapsang souchoung tea.

The chemical engineer turned head brewer for London’s Wildcard Brewery is a popular TV presenter in the UK, and her accessible style backed with impeccable brewing knowledge helps her demystify complex styles like hazy pale ale and mixed culture saison.

Through his career, Cohesion’s Eric Larkin has always gravitated to breweries with narrower style focuses. Now, with the Czech-style lager focus of his new endeavor, he’s exploring the creativity possible within the bounds of style expectations.

The director of brewing operations for the progressive Wisconsin brewery discusses finding their flavor voice in a way that transcends style.

For Denver’s Our Mutual Friend, subtle tweaks and improvements over years of brewing have brought their hoppy beers into medal-winning form, but the big and brash flavors in their smoked beers showcase their penchant for dramatic statements.

It’s hard enough to win a GABF medal in an IPA category. In 2021, North Park Beer won two—one hazy, one West Coast. Founder Kelsey McNair discusses their dogged approach to improvement and new techniques to maximize the flavor and impact of hops.

Poland’s Browar Pinta established a reputation for risk-taking in craft styles, focusing on hop-forward IPAs and extending that creative approach to everything from dry-hopped Baltic porter to barrel-aged big beers.

In rural southern Illinois, Scratch may be America’s most compelling example of farmhouse brewing. In this episode, the cofounders explain their methods for adding natural, foraged ingredients, as well as the work-intensive process of wood-fired brewing.

Firestone Walker’s Propagator brewhouse manager discusses the R&D process for popular beer families such as Luponic Distortion and Mind Haze, as they follow the path of subtle but continual evolution.

Ryan Crisp, Alesmith’s director of brewing operations, shares the behind-the-scenes design and technique that make their Speedway imperial coffee stout so iconic.

Ghostfish Brewing started with an audacious goal: to brew compelling beer with grains that don’t contain gluten. Here, they share some of the core tenets of brewing with non-gluten grains.

For Sam Pecoraro, head brewer of Von Ebert Brewing, articulating the idea of a new beer—flavors, aromas, mouthfeel, appearance—is the first step in writing a new recipe. Whether they’re brewing lager or IPA, it all starts with the written idea.

On the industrial eastern edge of San Diego County, a group of self-described delinquents have embraced a bit of SoCal outlaw culture with Burning Beard Brewing. The secret sauce? Being authentic and embracing fun, while painstakingly improving everything.

The head brewer at Wayfinder in Portland, Oregon, discusses their unique approach to making “wester than West Coast” IPAs with rice in the grist, warm-fermented lager yeast, and a kräusening process.

Dusan Kwiatkowski, head brewer at Austin lager stalwart Live Oak, shares the brewery’s philosophy and technical approach to historical styles such as their Pre-War Pils, Grodziskie, and more.

Verboten Brewing & Barrel Project of Loveland, Colorado, has won multiple medals for its barrel-aged stouts and barleywines. It’s the intention behind the beer design—and the recipes built specifically for long-term aging—that make all the difference.

Quick- or kettle-soured beers don’t get the credit they’re due from certain quarters of the brewing world. Urban Artifact’s Brett Kollman Baker makes a solid case for brewing them with focus, intentionality, and a rare level of granularity.

Brick West in Spokane, Washington, has quickly made a mark with its fastidious approach to brewing classic German styles. Head brewer Sam Milne shares insights on the ingredients, process, and technical considerations that make their beers so compelling.

On a hazelnut farm 45 minutes from Portland, Oregon, Wolves and People is taking its beer closer to the land, with yeast cultured on the farm, an estate barley program, farm-grown ingredients, and more.

For Charlotte, North Carolina's Resident Culture, taste and quality are sacrosanct. No ingredient or process is sacred in the quest to improve.