August 28, 2023

318: Ex Novo’s Dave Chichura Reflects on the Dynamic Decades of a Brewing Career in Motion

1 hour 21 minutes

Dave Chichura loves brewing, and loves to work. He's always lived simply, and maintained a lifestyle that allows him to move around. And move he has, from breweries in the Midwest as well as up and down the Rocky Mountains. Now, as Director of Brewing Operations at Ex Novo in Corrales, New Mexico, he's putting in practice all the lessons he's learned, building and managing the brewing team as they make beers that have brought home four GABF and World Beer Cup medals over the past two and a half years.

In this episode, Chichura recounts:

The challenges in making beer in rural environments

Scaling medaling-winning Melvin beers from 3bbl to 20bbl

Developing his recipe-writing skill set

Selecting and using hops in West Coast IPA

Dry hopping techniques that do and don't work

Managing hop creep

Asking for help with problems outside of his expertise

Becoming a better manager

And more.

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