As we celebrate 25 years of brewing on California’s Central Coast—and I reflect on my decade as a brewer at Firestone Walker—here are a few thoughts about our never-ending chase for perfection.
Beer is better with friends. Hosting our own invitational beer festival has been an ideal way to get a bunch of our favorite brewers to visit for an amazing weekend every spring. I’ve lost count of the exceptional beers and inspiring conversations I’ve had at these events with fellow brewers and beer enthusiasts from around the world. Each fest has been a snapshot of the best of the industry at that time. You never know which new beer or connection will change everything and send you down a new path or line of inquiry. While we had to take a few years off because of the pandemic, the fest is returning in 2022. I can’t wait.
Taste your beer next to your favorites in the same style. Do it blindly. “House palate” is real, and blindly throwing your beers in with some of the best out there will humble you and keep you fired up. We often put new trial batches in front of our panel, mixed in at random with beer from other breweries, to get feedback that’s as objective as possible. This kind of tasting is often insightful and inspirational.
Collaborate and listen. I love having a brewer I respect come into the brewery and imagine their beer on our system; conversely, I relish the opportunity to share some of my own ideas with another brewery and witness how they come to life in another brewhouse. You always learn something new working with another brewer.
Know and love your yeast. How often are you checking it under the microscope? How consistent are your viabilities and pitching rates? How much oxygen does it like? Your yeast is your partner in crime. Do right by it and make sure it’s happy. Building a solid relationship with your house yeast is key to expressing an identity as a brewery. Making your best beer requires its full cooperation.
Don’t trust your palate. This can be hard, especially for small breweries, but you need a trusted second opinion on everything. Or a third. Or a 13th. Develop a robust sensory program that checks in on beers in process and that, after packaging, ensures that you aren’t missing anything that could be a problem. Check in on your beers as they age to ensure that you stand behind your “best by” dates.
Do trust your palate. Great beer isn’t brewed by committee. You need a singular vision for what your beer is—whether that vision comes from one leader or is formed from the collaboration of a tightly knit team—and it all comes down to realizing the flavor in your head. I’ve tasted plenty of beers that just didn’t know what they were or why they were. You brew your best beer when you have a clear goal that you feel strongly about. Finding that inspiration and letting it guide you is the path to your potential. Once you commit to doing something, put everything you have into making it the best you possibly can.
Note: Firestone Walker is a media partner of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine®.