Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

153: Grains of Wrath Head Brewer Mike Hunsaker Strives For Quality That Fellow Brewers Respect


Listen Later

Grains of Wrath’s Mike Hunsaker has never been afraid to work for his success, and that journey of working and learning has led him to brewing gigs from Virginia to Cleveland and Oregon. Today, as Cofounder and Head Brewer for Grains of Wrath (Vancouver, Washington), he’s focused not just on commercial success, but also on making beers that his peers respect.

“I’m happy with making a little less money, but having more respect, as far as what we’re doing here and how we go about our business,” says Hunsaker.

In this episode, Hunsaker discusses both his approach to new-school West coast IPAs, and his approach to lagers like his twice GABF medal-winning Vienna Lager. The conversation covers:

  • Tweaking the malt blend in IPAs based on the oil content of hops
  • Regional variations in approaches to malt in IPA
  • The impacts of Munich, Vienna, and Carablonde when blended in West coast IPA
  • Blending hops for maximum impact
  • Hot and cold side hopping regimens
  • Planning for hops creep and adjusting recipes and techniques
  • With each new crop year, testing varieties for hops creep culprits
  • Bittering lagers with low-alpha hops
  • And much more
  • *This episode is brought to you by: *

    G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Nearly 2,000 breweries across the US, Canada & Mexico partner with G&D Chillers. Innovative, Modular Designs and no proprietary parts propel G&D ahead as the premier choice for your glycol chilling needs. Breweries you recognize—Russian River, Ninkasi, Jacks Abby, Samuel Adams, and more—trust G&D to chill the beer you love! Call G&D Chillers to discuss your project today or reach out directly at Gdchillers.com

    BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/): Haze for days in your IPAs! Kerry BioHaze from BSG adds that perfect stable cloudy appearance for your hazy recipe. Made with all-natural materials, BioHaze is a free-flowing microgranular powder that binds with protein molecules in beer that form polyphenol-protein complexes to produce a cloudy haze. This unique product can be added to final beer to give your beer that famous haze. Find out more about BioHaze at bsgcraftbrewing.com, or contact us at 1.800.374.2739.

    Mountain Rose Herbs (https://mountainroseherbs.com): This episode is brought to you by Mountain Rose Herbs, purveyors of the highest quality, organic herbs, spices, and teas. Whether you want to add depth to your next golden tripel with classic notes of cinnamon, pepper and clove, or artfully layer exotic, zesty grains of paradise into a perfect ale, adding botanicals to your brewing is an easy way to customize a delicious flavor profile. Mountain Rose Herbs has been providing organic herbs and spices to chefs, herbalists, and dedicated brewers for more than three decades. Learn more at mountainroseherbs.com and get 10% off of your first order with the code “craftbeer10”.

    Yakima Valley Hops (https://www.yakimavalleyhops.com/Default.asp): Yakima Valley Hops is your hop source whether you are brewing 5 gallons or 5 barrels. Get all the hops you want, when you want them. We source the highest quality hops from the Yakima Valley and premium growing regions around the world so that you have access to the largest hop portfolio possible—even the hard to find varieties like Citra®, Nelson Sauvin, and Galaxy®. Homebrewers: YakimaValleyHops.com // Wholesale: SpotHops.com

    ABE Beverage Equipment (https://ABEequipment.com): ABE Beverage Equipment provides complete brewing and packaging solutions worldwide. Whether you are just starting out or are looking to expand, ABE offers brewhouses, tanks, canning lines and more for small to medium sized brewers. ABE has equipped over one thousand breweries worldwide and has the best customer service in the industry. Call ABE Beverage Equipment at 402-475-BEER or visit ABEequipment.com to learn more. That’s ABEequipment.com for complete brewing and packaging solutions.

    Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine PodcastBy Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine

    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7

    4.7

    335 ratings


    More shows like Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

    View all
    Basic Brewing Radio by James Spencer

    Basic Brewing Radio

    514 Listeners

    The Brewing Network Presents | The Session by The Brewing Network

    The Brewing Network Presents | The Session

    570 Listeners

    The Brewing Network Presents |  Brew Strong by Justin Crossley

    The Brewing Network Presents | Brew Strong

    274 Listeners

    BeerSmith Home and Beer Brewing Podcast by Brad Smith and Friends

    BeerSmith Home and Beer Brewing Podcast

    412 Listeners

    The Brewing Network Presents | Dr. Homebrew by The Brewing Network

    The Brewing Network Presents | Dr. Homebrew

    89 Listeners

    Good Beer Hunting by Good Beer Hunting

    Good Beer Hunting

    234 Listeners

    Homebrew Happy Hour by Pearl Media Network

    Homebrew Happy Hour

    130 Listeners

    Experimental Brewing by Denny Conn, Drew Beechum

    Experimental Brewing

    274 Listeners

    The Full Pint Podcast by TheFullPint.com

    The Full Pint Podcast

    153 Listeners

    Master Brewers Podcast by Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA)

    Master Brewers Podcast

    255 Listeners

    The Brülosophy Podcast by Brülosophy

    The Brülosophy Podcast

    1,057 Listeners

    Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl by All About Beer

    Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

    113 Listeners

    BYO Nano Brew Podcast by Brew Your Own

    BYO Nano Brew Podcast

    30 Listeners

    The Brü Lab by Brülosophy

    The Brü Lab

    103 Listeners

    All About Beer by All About Beer

    All About Beer

    25 Listeners