The Brülosophy Podcast

We made it to episode 110, which means it's time for another Brü & A! While visiting Yakima, WA for hop harvest, Marshall, Brian, and Jake sat down with some friends to answer listener questions while doing a little imbibing. 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 ha...

Dry hopping is a method brewers use to impart hoppy beers like IPA with heaps of hop aroma. While this is commonly done in a single dose, some claim that by making two separate dry hop durations, they get even more desirable hop character in their beer. In this episode, Marshall is joined by Brülosophy contributors Brian Hall and Jake Huolihan as well as professional brewer, Nate Cooper, of Yakima...

Making beer with "wet" hops fresh from the field prior to being dried is an annual tradition for brewers in hop growing regions, as well as many green-thumb homebrewers. Recorded live from Yakima Valley Hops during hop harvest 2020, Marshall and Brian sit down with professional Yakima brewer, Nate Cooper, from Wandering Hop Brewery and The Late Addition podcast's Kaleb Schwecke to chat a...

As brewers of hoppy IPA are well aware, adding hops to fermented beer, aka dry hopping, is known to be the best way to impart heaps of delectable hop character. While it's commonly believed that "more is better," researchers from Oregon State University performed a study that called this idea into question. In this episode, Marshall sits down with contributor Cade Jobe to talk about Dr....

In the worlds of craft beer and homebrewing, it's common to view "Big Beer," those massive corporations known for making the most popular backyard BBQ quaffers on the planet, as the epitome of evil. In this episode, Marshall is joined by contributor Matt Del Fiacco as well as his brother-in-law, Joe Schmidt, to share their opinions on Big Beer in general. The Brülosophy Podcast is brough...

It's commonly believed that kettle trub, the protein-rich gunk that falls to the bottom of the kettle post-boil. should be separated from the wort. In this episode, contributor Cade Jobe joins Marshall to discuss the impact fermenting a pale lager with high amounts of kettle trub has. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide brewers with the most viable and fresh yeas...

Originating from the beautiful Austrian city from which it gets its name, Vienna Lager is a slightly darker lager style that tends to favor a more characterful malt flavor as compared to other pale lagers. It's also absolutely delicious! In this episode, contributor Phil Rusher sits down with Marshall to chat about the interesting history of Vienna Lager, traditional methods for brewing it, as wel...

Way back before we knew as much as we do today about the malting and brewing processes, brewers were forced to develop methods that would allow them to produce a consistent product. One such method involves taking portions of the mash and boiling it before putting it back in the mash to raise the temperature. In this day and age, given the availability of highly modified malts, many have ditched d...

Fermentation is what turns boring wort into delicious beer, and these days there are numerous options for vessels to ferment in. In this episode, contributor Matt Del Fiacco joins Marshall to talk about their opinions on the various types of fermentation vessels, from plastic buckets to stainless conicals, based on their experiences. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who p...

Managing mash pH is one way brewers ensure optimal efficiency as well as consistency between batches. For brewers of paler beers, this usually means adjusting the pH down, which can be easily done using various acids. In this episode, contributor Cade Jobe sits down with Marshall to discuss mash pH adjustment as well as the results of a couple xBmts comparing different types of acids. The Brülosop...

We made it to 100 episodes! To celebrate, Jersey & Tim turned the tables on Marshall by having him blindly review a bunch of beers they picked out. Friends of show Craig Fry and Justin Pretzer, as well as Tim's wife, Michele, join in the fun as well. A huge thanks to all of our listeners, Patrons of Brülosophy, and show sponsors for bringing us this far! The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to yo...

Brewing beer is a great hobby that can fill time one might otherwise spend doing other things, which for those with kids might include typical parenting tasks or spending quality time with the family. In this episode, contributor Malcolm Frazer joins Marshall to talk not only about how they manage maintaining their brewing hobby while being parents, but their views on alcohol as it pertains to the...

Fermentation temperature control is viewed as being key to the production of quality beer, with most requiring a means to keep temps from getting too warm. But then there's Kveik yeast, which can ferment beer at terrifyingly high temps without producing undesirable off-flavors. In this episode, contributor Matt Del Fiacco joins Marshall to talk about Kveik yeast and the results of an xBmt they per...

Originating from Cologne, Germany, Kölsch is a deliciously quaffable style of beer with a very interesting history. In this episode, contributor Cade Jobe joins Marshall to talk about this history, traditional methods for brewing Kölsch, and the results of Marshall's attempt to brew one up using the Short & Shoddy process. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide...

Hazy IPA is all the rage today and the process used to produced good examples of the style is somewhat unique. In this episode, Marshall sits down with blogger and professional brewer, Scott Janish, whose new book, The New IPA: A Scientific Guide To Hop Aroma And Flavor, goes into heavy detail on this hazy style. Scott shares key findings from his research and discusses them as they relate to past...

Oxidation is a major contributor to reduced shelf-life and bad tasting beer, hence brewers invest a lot of effort in reducing oxygen exposure, which usually involve cumbersome machines and convoluted processes. Recently, a chemical option hit the market called BrewTan B, which promises to extend shelf-life by simply using a small amount during the brewing process. In this episode, contributor Matt...

Brewers make wort and yeast makes beer. As such, it's important to treat the yeast we ferment with as good as possible, which includes storing it in an ideal environment. In this episode, Marshall sits down with Imperial Yeast's Casey Hellwig to discuss the importance of yeast storage temperature as well as the results of a collaborative xBmt they performed on the topic. The Brülosophy Podcast is...

Oxygen is the enemy of beer, leading to reduced hop character, cardboard flavors, and overall reduced enjoyability. In this first episode of our new exBEERience series, contributor Brian Hall joins Marshall to chat about their thoughts and experiences with reducing cold-side oxidation. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide brewers with the most viable and fresh yea...

Often mistaken for specialty grains, both Vienna and Munich malts are base malts capable of self-conversion, meaning can be used at up to 100% of the grist. In this episode, contributor Phil Rusher sits down with Marshall to chat about what makes these malts so unique as well as go over the results of an xBmt comparing the two. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast who provide...

Often described as having a green apple flavor and mispronounced by many, acetaldehyde is an off-flavor that is a normal part of any experienced beer evaluator's vernacular. In this episode, contributor Malcolm Frazer sits down with Marshall for a deep dive into this curious characteristics as well as to discuss the results of a fascinating xBmt on the subject. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to...

We've made it to 90 episodes of The Brülosophy Podcast, which means it's time for another Brü & A! Contributor Matt Del Fiacco joins Marshall to answer listener questions about a wide range of 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 ImperialYea...

In this day and age, it's common for brewers to make beers using non-traditional ingredients, a popular one of which is coffee. Whether used to emulate other ingredients or accentuate certain characteristics, there's no questioning that coffee adds a unique depth to beer. In this episode, contributor Phil Rusher joins Marshall to chat about the various methods brewers use to add coffee to beer. Th...

Water makes up the largest portion of beer, and yet it seems the ingredient that has gotten the least amount of attention by brewers over the years. In this episode, contributor Matt Del Fiacco joins Marshall to discuss how brewers can use reverse osmosis (RO) water as a sort of blank slate onto which various mineral profiles can be built. The Brülosophy Podcast is brought to you by Imperial Yeast...

Earmuff alert: this episode was recorded live during a night of drinking among adults; those who are sensitive to certain words, be advised. With all the beer we brew for science, it's not uncommon for us to end up with a bunch of half-empty kegs. When this not-so-annoying predicament arises, we often invite friends over to help free up space for new beers. This is exactly what Marshall did with f...

In the days before CO2 tanks and regulators, brewers wishing to carbonate their beer had to rely on more natural methods, one of which involved bunging the fermentor toward the end of fermentation to force the gas into solution. In this episode, contributor Jake Huolihan joins Marshall to talk about the method of spunding, going over how it's done as well as reviewing the results of an xBmt on the...