Master Brewers Podcast

Why Brewers Should Consider Alternatives to Tri-Clamp Special Guest: Travis Audet.

We dig into a couple of peer-reviewed papers from the Master Brewers Technical Quarterly (https://www.mbaa.com/publications/tq/Pages/default.aspx) that help us navigate the complexities of hop aroma and make better beer. Special Guests: Scott Lafontaine and Tom Shellhammer.

A study of 50 NA beers hunts for human pathogens. Special Guest: Grzegorz Rachon.

In 2018 Goose Island was plagued with a wild yeast contamination identified in post centrifuged products. This is how we systematically sought root cause, and ultimately eradicated the contamination despite our previous process understandings. Special Guests: Alex Nham and Joey Tidei.

The creator of infusion malts joins us to explain what they are and why they're special. Special Guest: Cristal Peck.

Did you know that the gelatinization temperature of your malt could be as low as 136F or as high as 154F? Charlie Bamforth's successor joins us to talk about variations in starch structure and what that might mean for your mash. Special Guest: Glen Fox.

The John Rowley approach to sour & funk Special Guest: John Rowley.

The story of how Creature Comforts Brewing tracked down and eliminated metallic off-flavor in kettle-sours. Special Guest: Spencer Britton.

You've seen the headlines. Is the US government really about to change its recommendations for alcohol consumption? Special Guests: Brian Crawford and Christopher Shepard.

More engineered brewers yeast strains capable of "impossible" feats. Special Guest: Charles Denby.

How affordable automation can free up resources and improve quality in breweries of any size. Special Guest: Matt Cottrell.

Richard Preiss discusses his work with genetically unique yeast used to produce Norwegian farmhouse beers known as kveik. Special Guest: Richard Preiss.

How Two Roads Brewing keeps its customers safe…alcohol or not. Special Guest: Karen Stangl.

Employer responsibilities, hazard assessments, finding the right safety glasses, the pitfalls of respiratory protection, employee buy-in, and more. Special Guests: Andrew Dagnan, Corey Martin, and Jim Kuhr.

How to tap into the power of consumer testing for even the smallest of breweries. Special Guest: Tessa Schilaty.

A Master Brewers member requested an episode about CO2 systems, CO2 quality, and best practices. Here it is. Special Guests: Dave Thomas, Eric Meyer, Gabriel Dominguez, Jeff Carter, and Mark Fischer.

An update from the fast-moving world of gene editing, as it relates to hops. Special Guest: Chris Willig.

For smaller brewers, yeast management can be a challenging prospect. Many mid-size to small breweries attempt to make a wide range of beer styles that require a plethora of yeast strains. Due to production limitations, brewers are often forced to stretch yeast pitching windows or purchase brand new yeast pitches at a dramatically high cost. A study was performed to evaluate potential media that would allow for adequate dormancy and viability of harvested yeast slurries for long term re-pitching opportunity. Various media were added to decanted yeast slurry and viability was measured over determined time periods to track health of the stored yeast. Results indicate that monopotassium phosphate, standard distilled water, alkaline mineral water, and a solution with sunflower oil all provide varying degrees of health preservation of long storage periods up to one month. Minimal changes were observed with adequate dilutions and these results will be discussed. Special Guest: Matt Couch.

An overview of the options for pasteurizing beer, and how pasteurization works at Goose Island. Special Guests: Gus Grosenbaugh and Michael Owens.

Filling equipment within a brewery is ironically one of the best places for microbial growth to thrive. There are nooks, crannies, and blind spots that beer can sneak into, which are also challenging to clean. Beer filling equipment is also constructed using a variety of different materials that require specifically tailored cleaning chemicals to prevent corrosion while working effectively to remove soil. Every brewery has a different filling operation including equipment, surrounding space, and utilities, therefore different needs for chemicals and cleaning practices. As a brewery optimizes its filler cleaning practices and chemicals, it is also essential to validate that the chemicals and method of cleaning are both working effectively. To avoid having every brewery reinvent the wheel with filler cleaning practices and save the time and money it takes to trial new processes, this presentation will share one brewery’s story of developing a robust cleaning program on both of its canning lines. We will discuss