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Make Your Best Pre-Prohibition LagerBy Josh WeikertMeant to represent the kind of pale lagers that were brewed by the likes of John Wagner, who brewed the first lager in the United States, this is kind of like German or Czech Pilsner but includes some local variability and flair.
Podcast Episode 487: Ben Allgood and Brady Jones of Geisthaus are Finding their Brewing Identity by Focusing on LagerBy Jamie BognerThe cofounders of this small central California brewery have intentionally limited their scope to lager—but that doesn’t mean they sacrifice breadth or experimentation, as they tinker with everything from traditional styles to hazy pale lager.
Here’s How England’s Thornbridge Is Preserving the UnionIn England’s East Midlands, the brewing trailblazer Thornbridge has rescued and is continuing to use a vital piece of British brewing heritage—an original Burton Union system. More than just a museum piece, the technology lends a suppleness to the ales that course through it.
Podcast Episode 486: Predicting Brewhouse and Cellar Issues before They Happen, in Partnership with Brightly SoftwareBy Jamie BognerHarnessing data from disparate brewery systems is easier now than ever before, and predictive tools and AI-powered systems are within reach even for small breweries. In this episode, we explore how breweries can use this data effectively to avoid costly downtime.
Recipe: Goldfinger Wild Rice LagerBy Tom BeckmannA collaboration with Triptych of Savoy, Illinois, this amber lager from Chicago’s Goldfinger brings Midwestern flavor via Minnesota wild rice, Wisconsin hops, and a yeast strain resurrected from a 19th-century Wisconsin brewery.
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Brewing with Wild Rice, an American GrainBy Joe StangeThis truly indigenous, widely available American grain offers nutty, earthy flavors that would seem to be compatible with malt-forward beer. Yet relatively few breweries have tried it.
Recipe: Just Lite American LagerBy Josh WeikertBesides sanitation, success here depends on two things: slightly chloride-forward water to round out the malt, and great attenuation for a light, dry finish.
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Podcast Episode 485: Mike Schallau of Is/Was Is Brewing New World Saison For Modern DrinkersBy Jamie BognerWhile many brewers in North America have leaned into saisons with dialed-up flavors—with more acidity, plentiful phenolics, and big Brett—this small and focused brewery in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood tones it down and shapes it up to make lighter, drier beers that drink full, glass after glass.
The Future Is So Light, I Can Barely See It.What’s driving the push behind ultra-pale malts anyway?
- Make Your Best American Light LagerBy Josh Weikert
Whether you’re the type who appreciates a real technical challenge—or just the type who appreciates something easygoing and ice-cold on a hot day—light lager has plenty to offer the ambitious (and thirsty) brewer.
35 Moments that Built New Belgium BrewingOpen New Belgium’s 35th Anniversary Variety Pack and take a ride through the brewery’s early history. Sunshine Wheat, Classic Fat Tire Amber Ale, and Blue Paddle: three time capsules in cans to celebrate three and a half decades of brewing.
Improving Brewery Tank Cleaning, Sanitation and Packaging Line EfficiencyCleaning and drying are not just sanitation concerns for breweries. They directly impact production speed, labor, water and chemical use, packaging quality, and overall uptime.