The difference between a beer that’s great and one that’s world-class is in the finest details, which add up to more than the sum of their parts. Methodical sensory analysis in conjunction with careful tweaks in the brewhouse is the way to constantly polish and trim those details.
Kevin Templin, cofounder of Templin Family Brewing in Salt Lake City, is a brewmaster who’s won respect from peers by coaxing excellence out of lower-strength styles. Despite Utah’s limitations on ABV, Templin’s beers are frequent winners at major competitions, including a recent run of four straight years of medal-winning lagers at the Great American Beer Festival.
In the full hourlong course, he lays out the Templin Family approach to ensuring high quality and character in what he calls “beers to be consumed in great volume.” Among the highlights:
- why your brewhouse should be pristine
- the three T’s: time, temperature, and titration
- making micro-adjustments to fine-tune the smallest details
- sensory analysis and why you should be writing it all down
- measuring and minimizing dissolved oxygen
- ensuring the gentle transfer of beer
- buying only the best ingredients available
- mashing for body and flavor in low-strength beers
- starting low on IBUs and building up from there
- adding whole-leaf hops in game bags big enough to hold a moose
- knocking out colder for cleaner lagers
- what to consider when choosing a house lager strain
- deciding when to spund based on sensory of hydrogen sulfide
- thorough purging of tanks before transfer
- aiming for creamy natural carbonation
- considering maturation and foam when brewing for competitions
And much more.
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