The Brülosophy Podcast

Back in the early days of homebrewing, it was customary for brewers to transfer their beer out of the primary fermentation vessel into a secondary vessel for a period of conditioning before packaging, though nowadays it's common to ferment in primary only. For some, this means extending the time the beer spends on the trub, which has been purported to lead to certain issues. In this episode, contr...

With roots in 18th century England, English Porter is a traditional style of beer that's evolved a bit since it was first conceived. In this episode, contributor Malcolm Frazer chats with Marshall about this delicious historical style as well as the results of a batch brewed Short & Shoddy style. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide brewers with the most viabl...

Brewing isn't the cheapest hobby, and one way brewers can save some money is by harvesting yeast that was previously used to ferment one beer and pitching it into a new batch of wort. When doing this, it's often recommended not to harvest from a high OG beer. In this episode, contributor Andy Carter joins Marshall to discuss reusing yeast, the purported concerns with harvesting from a high OG beer...

Over the last few years, the numbers of homebrewers opting to use electricity as their energy source has rapidly grown. In this episode, contributor Matt Del Fiacco joins Marshall to discuss their experiences with electric brewing. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide brewers with the most viable and fresh yeast on the market. Learn more about what Imperial Yeast...

The easiest and presumably most common method for adding spices to beer involves tossing them directly in at some point in the process, usually during the boil and/or fermentation. However, this method is believed by some to be a bit haphazard, leaving little room for controlling the pungency of the spice character, which has led to the use of alternative approaches. In this episode, contributor C...

We made it to our 130th episode, which means it's time for another Brü & A! Contributor Matt Del Fiacco joins Marshall to respond to a bunch of listener submitted questions on various topics. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide brewers with the most viable and fresh yeast on the market. Learn more about what Imperial Yeast has to offer at ImperialYeast.com to...

In this Brü's Views episode, contributor Cade Jobe joins Marshall to chat unabashedly about their opinions on beer evaluation and judging. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide brewers with the most viable and fresh yeast on the market. Learn more about what Imperial Yeast has to offer at ImperialYeast.com today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ad...

In December 2019, Patrons of Brülosophy spent over an hour with Chip Walton of Chop & Brew, during which Chip talked about his experience in Norway, answered questions about various brewing topics, and told the story of his first time meeting Marshall, among other things. While these livecasts are typically only available to Brülosophy Patrons, Chip agreed to let me share his session with all...

Cold crashing is a relatively simple method brewers use to clarify beer prior to packaging. Yeast being the living organism it is, it's often recommended the temperature of beer be gently reduced over the course of a few days when cold crashing. In this episode, contributor Jake Huolihan joins Marshall to talk about the impact of crashing speed and the results of an interesting xBmt on the topic....

As a relatively new style, British Golden Ale was inspired by the rise in popularity of fizzy yellow lager, though due to the heavier handed hopping rates it often gets compared to American Pale Ale. Crisp, refreshing, and endlessly crushable, contributor Matt Del Fiacco is a huge fan of this style and recently brewed one up using a number of corner-cutting methods. In this episode, Matt joins Mar...

Being a living organism, yeast requires nutrients in order to ferment healthily. While many nutrients are naturally present in wort, others are deficient, which is why some brewers choose to add some themselves. In this episode, Marshall sits down with contributor Cade Jobe to discuss the various types of yeast nutrients, how they're purported to impact beer, and the results of an xBmt on the subj...

Traditionally, lager beers are fermented cool then stored for a fairly long amount of time, which is believed to be an important component to creating the proper characteristics. In this episode, contributor Cade Jobe joins Marshall to discuss their experiences using various lager fermentation methods, from traditional to the most blasphemous. Audio fixed The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you b...

Yeast pitch rate is believed by many to be one of the most important aspects of making good beer, and for the most part, this requires propagation in a starter. However, when fermenting with Kveik, some have claimed underpitching leads to the production of more desirable characteristics. In this episode, contributor Matt Del Fiacco joins Marshall to talk about pitch rate when using Kveik and the r...

Hazy IPA has taken the beer and brewing world by storm, and along with it has come a bunch of strongly held opinions. In this episode, contributor Brian Hall sits down with Marshall to discuss the history of New England and share their unabashed opinions about this novel style. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide brewers with the most viable and fresh yeast on th...

Aroma is one of the first things noticed when enjoying a beer. Brewers of hoppy beers have long sought to pack as much flavor and aroma into their product, which they try to protect by whatever means necessary. In this episode, contributor Brian Hall joins discuss the method of purging a keg's headspace after packaging and the results of an interesting xBmt on the topic. The Brülosophy Podcast is...

We made it to episode 120, which means it's time for another Brü & A! Contributor Matt Del Fiacco joins Marshall to respond to host of listener submitted questions on various topics, from brewing methods to how much we actually drink. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide brewers with the most viable and fresh yeast on the market. Learn more about what Imperial...

Similar in many ways to the cans that line American liquor store shelves, International Pale Lager is a style many view as difficult to brew because it leaves so little to hide behind. In this episode, contributor Malcolm Frazer joins Marshall to talk about this easy drinking style as well as a batch brewed Short & Shoddy style. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who pr...

Using gelatin to aid the clarification of beer has become quite common, as it's simple and generally quite effective. One issue when it comes to fining with gelatin is that the process of adding it can expose the fermented beer to oxidation. In this episode, we discuss the recommendation to add gelatin to chilled beer and the results of an xBmt on adding gelatin at yeast pitch. The Brülosophy Podc...

Of the many process concerns voiced by all-grain brewers, one of the most common has to do with either low or inconsistent efficiency. In this episode, contributor Cade Jobe sits down with Marshall to talk about their experiences dealing with efficiency issues and discussing things they've done to make things better. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide brewers wi...

Uncommonly used in the production of craft beer, rice has been used in brewing for a long time, most recognizably as an adjunct in macro American lager. In this episode, contributor Matt Del Fiacco joins Marshall to chat about the use of rice in the brewing process as well as the results of an interesting xBmt on the topic. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide bre...

A couple weeks ago, Brülosophy contributor Matt Del Fiacco spent about an hour taking questions from Patrons. These private Q&A sessions occur on a monthly basis and past guests have included folks like Russian River's Vinnie Cilurzo, Dr. Charlie Bamforth, John Palmer, The Alchemist's John Kimmich, and Gordon Strong, to name a few. To learn how to get involved as well as about all the other re...

Brülosophy started in early 2014 and fairly quickly grew from a small blog with infrequent posts to a website with multiple articles published per week as well as a weekly podcast. Over the years, we've received our fair share of criticism about various things people think we're doing wrong. In this Brü's Views episode, long-time contributor Jake Huolihan joins Marshall to address some of the more...

Freshness of ingredients if often touted as being key to producing quality beer, and when it comes to malt, it's widely believed it should be used as soon after it's crushed as possible. In this episode, contributor Cade Jobe joins Marshall to discuss the impact milling has on malt as well as the results of a fascinating xBmt where a beer was made with malt milled 6 months prior to being used. The...

California Common is known to be one of the first truly American styles of beer that was purportedly consumed in large quantities by hopeful folks during the California Gold Rush. In this episode, contributor Malcolm Frazer joins Marshall to discuss this great style as well as how a version brewed using Short & Shoddy methods turned out. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yea...

Malt extracts are used for various reasons, primarily as a way for new brewers to make beer with having to perform the mash step. When it comes to malt extract, there exist liquid and dry versions, and some hold strong opinions about which is best. In this episode, contributor Cade Jobe digs into malt extracts with Marshall before chatting about the results of an xBmt comparing liquid and dry vers...