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Over the course of his far-ranging brewing career of 15-plus years, Vasili Gletsos has brewed a wide range of styles on a variety of brewing systems. However, after first launching Wunderkammer as a personal brand while he was head brewer for Hill Farmstead, Gletsos ultimately decided to make it his focus. He then built out a simple brewery with an old dairy-tank mash tun and a wood-fired copper kettle, aiming to make mixed-culture beers that each tell a unique story.
By foraging and engaging with the landscape around him, he continues to brew beer that feels not just rooted and local, but also thoughtfully considered and artful. He’s particular about ingredients and fermentation, searching for mixed-culture expressions that don’t simply lean on clichés of the genre.
“Part of the power of mixed-culture beer is that I find it very transportive,” he says. “It brings you to a time and place—but I don’t always want that time and place to be a barnyard.”
In this episode, Gletsos discusses his mixed-culture brewing process, including:
- differentiating Wunderkammer from Hill Farmstead’s mixed-culture program
- choosing specific Brettanomyces strains for more favorable flavors
- his simple wood-fired brewhouse
- working in layers
- blending stainless fermentation and wood-puncheon aging
- using foraged ingredients such as yarrow
- cold-side versus hot-side additions of foraged ingredients
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 over the past 30 years. They know brewing doesn’t stop at 5 o’clock and nor do they. G&D uses quality components, expert craftsmanship and constant innovation. With 24/7 service and support your brewery will never stop. Remote monitor your chiller for simple and fast access to all the information you need – providing you with the peace of mind your operation is running smoothly. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project.
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This episode is sponsored by Yakima Chief Hops, the 100% grower-owned hop supplier whose mission is to connect hop growers and world class brewers. It’s more than a box of hops, it’s supporting family farms. Yakima Chief Hops is proud to have an established Return-To-Grower program, which redistributes an average of 75% of their business earnings back to the family farms who grow the hops in your beer. Where you buy your ingredients matters and with Yakima Chief Hops, it’s more than a box of hops. Learn more at yakimachief.com/return-growers