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Travis Fritts didn’t set out to brew hazy IPA. In fact, the initial plan for Old Nation was far more conventional—brew traditional American craft beer styles such as stout and pale ale, include some European standards such as altbier and weizenbock, make the beers good, slap some cool branding on them, and wait for the sales to come. But that was 2015, and beer drinkers had other ideas.
To survive, Old Nation starting looking at new and evolving styles, trying to understand—from a technical perspective—how they worked. The project ultimately led to M-43, a hazy IPA that has twice landed in the Craft Beer & Brewing Reader’s Choice Top 50. It is now a mainstay of Old Nation’s production and sees distribution to upwards of 20 states.
In this episode, Fritts recounts that process of reverse engineering as they set out to understand what makes hazy IPA tick, later touching on his approach to brewing helles. Along the way, he discusses:
- why biotransformation isn’t all that important to the style
- how the lipids in oats provide an important building block for haze stability
- the contribution of London Ale III yeast to mouthfeel
- dialing in the perfect water chemistry
- nailing a pH of 4.4 for longer stability and to underscore fruit flavors in hops
- building just the right “snap” from bitterness
- giving each hazy beer small amounts of eccentricity through smaller, out-of-left-field hop additions
- helles passing the “sauf test”
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers
For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country. They are proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built – offering 24/7 service and support. G&D builds with non-proprietary parts, expert craftsmanship and constant innovation! G&D’s in-house Engineering crew have been piping breweries, wineries, and distilleries for over 30 years. They offer FREE piping design and consultation with the sale of every chiller they build. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project.
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What is AccuBrew? It is an analytical tool designed to collect and compare the information you need to refine your fermentation process by tracking your sugar conversion, clarity, and temperature in every batch. But why do you NEED AccuBrew? AccuBrew is more than a glorified speedometer. AccuBrew is an ever evolving tool tailored to you, your process, and your business. Save time, protect your schedule, and detect problems before they happen. Quality, consistency, and confidence. That’s what [AccuBrew] (https://accubrew.io) delivers.
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Scheduling freight carriers should be the last thing on a brewer's mind, so why not trust the experts to handle freight for your ingredients? Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics firm in the craft beverage industry to transport your flavored craft concentrate blends. When you order two pails or more from Old Orchard, you qualify for freight quotes. To get started, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer.
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
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