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Eric Larkin enjoys constraints. Throughout his brewing career, he’s been drawn to breweries that have set up their own guardrails around the styles of beer they brew—such as Allagash’s Belgian style focus, or the hazy IPAs of Odd13. With Cohesion in Denver, he and his wife Lisa have fully embraced Czech-style lager. The presentation is top-notch, with a focus on foam and a variety of beers and pour styles, but narrowing down the beer approach has given Larkin a tight range within which to work, and he thrives on that challenge.
Don’t call them “authentic,” though—these beers are traditional, even reverent, but they don’t need to lean on that difficult “A” word to be worth drinking. Instead, the experience of drinking them at the brewery clearly expresses their intentionality. The presentation and care is evident in every pour.
In this episode, Larkin discusses their approach to brewing Czech-style lagers, including:
- the importance of dialing in soft water
- developing an under-modified pilsner malt with a local craft maltster
- the necessity of decoction, and levels of decoction for specific beers
- adjusting for mash temperature impacts of decoction
- working with lower-attenuating Czech yeast in open fermentors
- whole-cone versus pellet hops
- the range of possibility within the seemingly narrow tradition
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers
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This episode is sponsored by BSG CraftBrewing. Explore a whole universe of hop sensory with unique varieties like Cashmere, Comet, Triumph, El Dorado, and many more. Sourced directly from growers and processed at BSG’s FSSC-certified facility in Yakima to bring you only the very best hops, from farmer to fermenter. For contracting, spot sales, and more info, reach out to us at [email protected]
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From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing's pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada's twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech's innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com