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For Zack Adams of Connecticut’s Fox Farm Brewery, the reward in brewing is found in working and reworking a smaller lineup of beers, over and over again, until he gets them just right. While they make and love IPAs, they also spend time and energy on simpler, smaller beers—such as German-style pilsner, Kölsch, English-style dark mild, and Belgian-inspired mixed-culture farmhouse beers. They’re a country brewery and comfortable with that approach.
In this episode of the podcast, Adams discusses:
- Getting the hang of lager fermentation
- A sensory approach to brewer feedback and improvement
- Developing malt character with infusion mashing
- Using different Noble hops to bring out varying characteristics in lagers
- Creating balanced smoked beers, and bringing their audience along on the journey
- Brewing classic English-style ales
- Preparing and carbonating beer before nitrogenating
- Creating a distinct approach to mixed-culture farmhouse ales
- Brewing with craft malt
- Wine-beer hybrids using New England grape varieties
- (Accidentally) using winemaking techniques for softer tannin extraction
- Learning from four seasons of spontaneous brewing (without releasing a single spontaneous beer)
And much more.
Photo: Red Skies Photography
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers – As the brewing industry’s premier choice for glycol chilling, G&D Chillers has set the standard on quality, service, reliability and dedication to their customer’s craft. New this year, Redundancy meets Efficiency! G&D’s Micro-Channel Condensers are built with all aluminum construction which eliminates galvanic corrosion. Using half the refrigerant of conventional condensers with fewer brazed connections, translates to a lower GWP and less opportunity for leaks. Call G&D Chillers today to discuss your project or reach out directly at Gdchillers.com
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