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When Barry Chan and his partner started Lucky Envelope, they were concerned with appearing “too Chinese.” The craft beer world at the time wasn’t ready for that, they thought; they wanted to fit in and not alienate their core clientele. Today, with a GABF medal under their belts in the Munich-style helles category, they’re more comfortable knowing they make classic styles in a compelling way. They’re also exploring more deeply how to connect their Chinese-American heritage—and its culinary traditions—with the broader world of craft beer.
In this episode, Chan discusses how they’ve approached that, including:
- locking down base styles before embarking on experimentation
- building “smoked” beers using smoked tea as an ingredient
- finding effective ways to extract flavors from challenging ingredients
- searching for inspiration in unexpected places
- ingredients that don’t work in beer
- risking failure with ingredients such as durian
- creating nuanced beers with habañero and shishito peppers
- pushing into European styles such as Czech dark lager
- working to increase diversity in craft beer
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers
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What if you could take your favorite recipes and make a nonalcoholic version without sacrificing the flavor, color, or beer quality? N/A? No Problem! The Alchemator from ProBrew uses proprietary membrane technology to strip the alcohol from the beer without sacrificing all the elements – like flavor and color - that make the beer great! Are you ready to Brew Like A Pro? Check out www.probrew.com to learn more about The Alchemator from ProBrew, or shoot them an email to [email protected] today! Probrew is a subsidiary of TechniBlend, now a ProMach brand.
Is your brewery struggling to source or afford berry ingredients? Historic heatwaves devastated U.S. berry crops, causing supply to dwindle and prices to skyrocket. That’s why brewers are switching over to Old Orchard’s craft concentrate blends, which mimic straight concentrates but at a better price point—and with more reliable supply. Is it any surprise that Old Orchard’s best-sellers are Raspberry and Blackberry flavors? Reclaim your margins and order your craft concentrates at oldorchard.com/brewer
Packaging beer can be a daunting task but buying cans shouldn’t be. American Canning provides packaging supplies at competitive prices in order quantities catered to craft. Think single truckloads and half-height pallets rather than million can minimums. For a smooth packaging experience, also consider their ultra-compact, single operator canning machines. Pricing begins at $25,000 with quick 6-8 week lead times on most equipment. American Canning exists to help share your craft in cans; learn more about their ecosystem of solutions at americancanning.com.
ABS Commercial is a full-service brewery outfitter, proud to offer brewhouses, tanks, and small parts to brewers across the country. They stock equipment ranging from 3BBL to 90BBL, and offer custom-designed equipment up to 900BBL. Contact one of their brewery consultants today at [email protected] to discuss your brewery project. ABS Commercial. We are brewers.
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