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Winning medals isn’t everything in brewing, but it sure can help. Seeking out that external validation from a panel of peer judges is often more frustrating than it is rewarding, but that’s by design. It’s hard to win, and it should be.
For Ryan and Jacque Fields of Wild Fields Brewhouse, their hyper-focus on improving their odds of winning paid off big at the 2022 World Beer Cup, and the young brewery walked away with four gold medals. In this episode, they share some of the background and philosophy behind their competition strategy, including how they choose categories to enter, and optimizing individual beers to appeal to the widest range of judges.
In addition, the Fieldses discuss:
- building a family-friendly brewery taproom
- the ins and outs of American and English-style brown ale
- malt selection for brown ales
- optimizing water chemistry to take beers from good to great
- employing contemporary techniques such as whirlpool hopping in classic styles
- the approach to making funky wild ales that Fields developed at Beachwood Blendery
- unlocking the funk with aged hops
- building a hop-tolerant mixed culture that develops acidity slowly
- packaging for competitions
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers
For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also stands alone as the only chiller manufacturer with an in house team of installers and engineers, with 30 years of real world, field labor experience in breweries, wineries and distilleries. Contact the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com
This episode is brought to you by BSG, exclusive distributors of Rahr Malting Co. Since 1847, Rahr malt has been a benchmark of quality and consistency for brewers, from the 19th century through today’s craft beer pioneers. Whether you’re creating classic lagers, resin-clouded hazies, or barrel-aged behemoths, inspired malts like Rahr North Star Pils, Malted Oats, and more are here to make your brewing dreams a reality. Get in touch today at go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us
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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