New opening to the show this time through. Let’s see how you like it (let us know!)
In the pub, we stop by and take about brewery charities and one in particular for Denny’s area. We talk about one previous guest’s new “kid” rules and the response, before we tackle the big Wicked news of the week and the really insidious piece that virtually no one is talking about behind the scenes.
We stop in the brewery to talk the latest malt report from our good friend Teri Fahrendorf and Denny reminisces about the good old cow and hog reports of his youth.
In the lab, we announce our latest experiment - the IGORs are taking a stab at the Brulosophy gang’s Biotransformation ale - aka can you tell a difference between a beer dry hopped at high krausen and one dry hopped in secondary. Of course, we’re adding an extra special twist to the whole thing because we’re required to by law. Twist one, testing two different strains with some IGORs pulling out Wyeast 1318 and some pulling Wyeast 1056. Twist two - we’re going to have some visually blind trials vs visual trials. Woo…
Then in the Lounge, Denny talks to Jessica Davis of the Bruery about what it means to do QA work for a brewery with as many on going projects as they have. It’s seriously interesting to learn what it means to work in the beer world and be tasked with keeping an eye on things
Finally we tackle questions we can answer. Drop a quick tip on ya and explore just why Drew wants to subject one of his chihuahuas to dangerous acrobatics.
Enjoyed it - had a storm disrupt my TV signal, but not my internet connection, so I whiled away the 90 minutes listening to the podcast and the thunder rumbling through…and I agree that some fresh spruce tips can make a great beer - but always go lightly, as they can affect flavor as well as mouthfeel if overdone. I’ve found that a half ounce of freshly picked 1/2 inch long spruce tips (the softest early tips, not the longer ones) are perfect for 5 gallons of a pale ale with some crystal 60 in the grist. Late boil or flame out additions are preferred by most samplers. Cheers.
I really enjoyed Drew’s piece about the websites created by InBev. Not trying to stir the put, but it was a nice reminder to always trust, but verify. Thought you both presented great points about personal decisions to drink or not drink a breweries product (full disclosure: I just enjoyed a Coors Banquet a few minutes ago)
First, I’m an Irish whiskey drinker much more than a Scotch drinker (having a glass right now as I edit things). I don’t dislike peat in a whiskey though. My problem with peat in a beer is two fold - one for strong scottish ales, it’s an old American canard that it should be in there. Peat malt is pretty much just whiskey malt. second, it’s an incredible potent character that requires an exceedingly light touch to not overwhelm things. Most of us lack the restraint of character to avoid turning our beers into a peaty phenolic mess.
