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Paul Schneider of Cinderlands is an optimist and a realist—but first and foremost he’s an analyst, studying the evolution of consumer trends and working tirelessly in the brewhouse to find creative and process solutions. He’s not afraid to use all the tools at his disposal—pulling solutions from food science, where necessary—while testing, honestly evaluating, and ensuring that everything they produce at Cinderlands meets the expectations of their drinkers.
The Pittsburgh brewery drastically overhauled its fruit beer program for 2024, moving away from sweeter, thicker fruit beers in favor of flavored light lagers and “beyond beer” beverages, but—as Schneider explains in this episode—that shift required significant research in the food-science space. He’s also been an avid adopter of modern hop products, and here he shares their approach to layering hops in a variety of formats to achieve a variety of goals—from value-engineering IPAs for wider distribution to maximizing intensity in brewery-only releases.
Over the course of the episode, Schneider riffs on:
- designing fruit beers to hit different value tiers without sacrificing flavor
- altering processes and bitterness in base recipes for balance with specific fruit additions
- light lager as a base for fruit beer
- sourcing juice and purée concentrate for more survivable and ranging fruit flavors and aromas
- using natural flavor top-notes in conjunction with other fruit formats
- adjusting dosing down in production batches from bench trials
- using flavor psychology to bolster fruit flavors without sugar
- value-engineering hop flavors and aromas for production IPAs without sacrificing quality
- saturating hop notes in the UHD (Ultra Hop Definition) series
And more.
G&D Chillers
At G&D Chillers we always strive to Build Great Chillers. Partner with us as you Build Great Beer. Andy Joynt of Big Grove Brewery says, “We have been using G&D Chillers from the beginning. From our original 3.5-barrel pub system to our production brewery, we have been able to rely on G&D to provide a high-quality chiller, help us with design and layout, and provide support whenever we need it.” Choose G&D Chillers on your next expansion or brewery start up and receive 1 free year of Remote Control and Monitoring of your new G&D Chiller!
ProBrew is excited to now offer 2–4 week lead times on all in-stock ProFill Rotary Can Filler and Seamers. These models are available in 100–300 can per minute filling speeds and are built with a focus on scalability and low dissolved oxygen pickup. This special lead time is only while supplies last, so send us an email at [email protected] or call us at 262-278-4945. ProBrew, Brew YOUR Beer.
You might have heard of Old Orchard, but have you heard of their newest flavors? Berry Blend, Blood Orange, Lemonade, and Tart Cherry are the latest additions to their lineup of flavored craft juice concentrate blends. Old Orchard’s R&D team can also formulate custom blends unique to your needs. To learn more and request your free samples, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer.
Experience distinct transparency and juiciness with Omega Yeast’s DayBreak-V (pronounced “five”). Using their Lumina technology, Omega genetically eliminated haze in the popular British-V strain, allowing you to preserve the fruit-boosting prowess while achieving crystal clarity. Perfect for modern West Coast IPAs. Learn more at [email protected].
RSS MACLIN, a family-owned company started by the Head of Seaming Technology from PS Angelus and SME and Field Service Technician for Ball Corp, offers audits and repairs for can seamers and can integrity training. With experience from big breweries, they bring valuable knowledge to craft businesses. They provide solutions for can damage, seam training, and help your facility become self-sufficient without relying on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)Should we just use OEM here?. If you have any questions regarding your machine setup, parameters, or concerns about your can line call us at (330) 299-8210 or email at [email protected].
Indie Hops breeds new hop varieties to help brewers captivate beer lovers. Brewers worldwide trust Indie’s unique varieties—Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, Meridian, and Audacia—to modernize, brighten, and diversify their beer lineup. Indie also offers classics that thrive in Oregon terroir such as Chinook, Crystal, and Sterling. Thoughtfully crafted and selected hops to meet your brewing needs. Visit indiehops.com/podcast to discover what’s new in hop flavors. Indie Hops—Life is short, let’s make it flavorful!
Berkeley Yeast. Founded by bioengineers. Yeast that’s designed to improve flavor, quality, and consistency; increase efficiency; and save you money. If you’ve been following yeast, you’ve heard about our strains: Superbloom strains make classic hops flavor; Fresh strains keep diacetyl low even with large hop additions; Tropics strains make a tropical bouquet reminiscent of the finest Southern Hemisphere hops. And, we just dropped new strains that are even more futuristic. Nationwide free shipping. Mention this podcast for 20 percent off your first order.