Here’s a crisp, German-style Pilsner from Von Ebert Brewing in Portland, Oregon.

For Sam Pecoraro, head brewer of Von Ebert Brewing, articulating the idea of a new beer—flavors, aromas, mouthfeel, appearance—is the first step in writing a new recipe. Whether they’re brewing lager or IPA, it all starts with the written idea.

“Yellow and bright; effervescent. The nose takes me to Bamberg: classic beechwood smoke coupled with some fine pilsner malt. Well-balanced, floral hop bitterness; medium-low smoke, with smooth biscuit and pie crust. Base is like milder helles that works well with the smoke. Super clean. Likeable balance on this. Classic in every way.”

“Tropical soap perfume—papaya, melon, dried peach, and strawberry—meld with pepper and clove spice. The malt sweetness carries pleasantly complex hop notes that combine hints of old-school Noble character with a fun tropical twist. There’s just enough phenolic spice to round things out, and the dry finish is a pleasant palate cleanser.”

“Aroma dominated by hops, resin, pine, diesel; light hints of coffee roast and cherry esters. Initial sip is crisp hop bitterness complemented by roast. Lots of clean espresso and low-level dark-chocolate; solid toast, pie crust. Strong roast aftertaste. Sturdy, rich, assertive.”

Earthy nose, backed by malt and notes of spice. Beautiful hop flavor of rose, citrus, pine, white pepper; cracker and lemon push forward with a great sweet-bitter balance. Soft, chewy body accentuated by a minerality. High carbonation, yet velvety on the tongue. Dry, toasted finish.

An inviting blend of roasted and chocolate malt with floral and minty hops creates a complex and interesting nose of chocolate, light coffee, and treacle and flavor sporting traces of raisin, pumpernickel, and toast. Some pleasant perfume-like hop bitterness balances things out. Finishes clean and crisp for an easy-drinking, medium-bodied beer.

Grassy, earthy hops notes lead into white wine, spice, pineapple, tangerine, lemon, and Brett funk. Moderately sweet on creamy body, with moderate acidity; oranges, strawberry and pear in the flavor. Finish is quite dry, almost tannic green tea and oak.

I love the crisp finish and light body of this beer. The hops are big pine, leaving an aftertaste of a fresh cut 2x4. Hop flavor is very resinous and piney, almost verging on a pine air freshener. Hop aroma is medium, not as one dimensionally piney as the flavor. The aroma has some floral elements with is nice., Pineapple, melon, and coconut notes play back and forth with pine and some dankness in the aroma to create an interesting and complex nose. That same tug of war continues into the flavor with the sweeter tropical flavors pitted against the danker earthy flavors, with the dank, bitter and lightly drying finish seeming to deliver the winning blow.

Nose dominated by overripe pineapple, peach, pear; moderate floral, spicy notes, slightly perfume-like. Very low acidity, but strong Brett-forward flavors; leathery, lightly cheesy. Wheat and biscuit flavors balance well with Brett. Low carbonation. Finishes dry.

Prominent aroma: lime zest, Orange Julius, pineapple, mango, floral notes, lemons, and light bready malt. Flavor continues citrus-hops focus—oranges, lime zest, floral, peppery—moderately sweet on smooth, creamy body, then bitterness kicks in.

“Sweet fruit aroma includes pineapple, mango, and citrus, while sharper notes of mango peels lie in the background. Flavor is prickly—citrus peel or oil. Nicely balanced and clean, it finishes with a light and bright bittersweet or barnyard linger.”

Dashawn Agbonze is a brewer at Von Ebert in Portland, Oregon.

Recorded in front of a live audience at Great Notion in Portland, Oregon, this panel discussion on trendy beer styles ranges from innovation philosophy to testing and feedback process with perspective from these three leading brewers.

In this clip from their webinar, Breakside brewmaster Ben Edmunds and experts from Berkeley Yeast discuss how the fermentation flavors from maltose-negative yeast strains help make nonalcoholic beers that don’t taste like NA.

Brewing a tasty nonalcoholic beer is dramatically different from brewing one of normal strength—but this recipe provides a great jumping-off point for making something pleasurably hoppy but without the alcohol.

The founder and head brewer for Garage Project in Wellington, New Zealand, is tackling more than just brewing these days. Garage Project’s team is breaking the fourth wall, investing in the Hāpi Research partnership with hop grower Freestyle—all for the sake of deeper hop flavor.

The English IPA is another iteration of the popular style and is more balanced than its American counterpart.

Here’s a recipe for Old Ale that includes flavors we often associate with aged beers but that can be developed without the risk of actually engaging in extended aging. Don’t let the name fool you.