September 18, 2024

15: Maplewood Finds Creative Fermentation, Botanicals, and Finishing Opportunities at the Intersection of Brewing and Distilling

1 hour 16 minutes

Chicago's Maplewood has made quite a name for themselves over the years in both the brewing and the distilling worlds. Four Great American Beer Festival medals, a couple of 99 ratings and one perfect 100 score from the blind review panel at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine®, and most recently a double gold for their Fat Pug single-malt whiskey at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (along with three additional silvers and a bronze). Producing thoughtful, interesting, and beautifully crafted beverages is in the company’s DNA.

In this episode, host Sydney Jones leads cofounder Adam Cieslak and distiller Adam Smith through a ranging conversation that touches on:

production scheduling between distillery and brewery

using former wooden beer vessels as fermentation vessels for spirits

cleaning and CIP from a brewer’s point of view, with dedicated equipment for certain mashes

pushing low-pH fermentations for flavorful distillation

fermenting with Brettanomyces strains before distillation

brewery experiments for distilling that didn’t work

building interesting approaches to gin with spruce, peppercorn, rooibos tea, barrel aging, and more

making gin with non-neutral base spirit

using finishing casks for spirits with unique character

overcoming challenges of canned cocktails in formulas, homogenization, and packaging

And more.

Brought to you by:

G&D Chillers: G&D Chillers understands that each distillery’s chilling requirements are unique. On every distillery project, G&D offers the front-end design and engineering your team needs at no cost to you. Rebecca Harris, president and head distiller of Catoctin Creek recently shared, “Service after the sale is what really separates the quality of a supplier relationship. G&D Chillers has always been a phone call away when we needed them. For a small business like mine, that partnership makes all the difference.” Whether you distill batch by batch or in a continuous operation, for more than 30 years, G&D has had the proven solution. Visit them today at gdchillers.com.

[ABS Commercial:](hhttps://abs-commercial.com) For over 11 years, ABS Commercial has been your full-service equipment manufacturer, designing quality distillation equipment ranging from 50L – 5,000L. Whether establishing a new distillery or expanding into a brewstillery, their team of experienced engineers and designers work with you to develop customized distilling solutions. With their consultative approach, they tailor to your production capacity, space constraints, and budgetary considerations to help you create quality, crafted spirits. Contact them today at [email protected] to discuss your customized distilling needs.

Brewery & Distillery Workshop: IIf you’re planning a distillery or brewery launch, adding a distillery to your brewery, or considering purchasing an existing brewing or distilling business, then visit breweryworkshop.com for more information about the Brewery and Distillery workshop brought to you by Craft Spirits & Distilling and Craft Beer & Brewing. Over four days, you’ll learn what it takes to get a successful craft beverage business off the ground, through panel discussions, working group sessions, technical tours, and more. Get your ticket now at breweryworkshop.com.

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