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You’ve heard from us, and you’ve heard from our writers and critics, but in this episode of our Best in Beer trilogy, you’ll hear from the brewers behind two of our Best 20 Beers in 2022—Carey Fristoe of Black Spruce in Fairbanks, Alaska, and John Garcia of King Harbor in Redondo Beach, California.
Fristoe discusses the design and brewing of Aroma Dome IPA, a mashup of East and West Coast approaches, with unconventional choices that include the use of dry yeast. Along the way, he touches on:
- using Vienna malt for color while achieving stable haze with just 10 percent wheat
- pitching S-04 dry yeast for hazy IPA fermentation
- lower-temp whirlpooling to reduce isomerization
- single-stage dry hopping, with longer contact time and aggressive rousing
- selecting hops for more cantaloupe and honeydew melon character
- studiously reducing oxygen pickup throughout the brewing and cellar process
- pushing both chloride and sulfate levels higher than typical rates
And more.
Then, Garcia walks us through Choco-Latte—a coffee, oat, and molé-spiced sweet stout that’s decadent and drinkable, while discussing:
- how to build a spectrum of malt flavor, from Simpsons Maris Otter base malt through Briess Midnight Wheat
- hot-side whirlpool additions of cocoa powder, lactose, cinnamon, and toasted ancho chiles
- sourcing and selecting the right high-quality ingredients
- fermenting with US-05 dry yeast
- adding coffee through a concentrated cold brew
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
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