August 09, 2024

372: Ian McCall of Ism is Brewing Pint After Pint of West Coast Pleasure

1 hour 16 minutes

With his new brewery, Ism, Ian McCall is back in the brewery and taproom that once housed Beachwood in Long Beach, California—a brewery where he was once lead brewer—although he’s in a different position now as founder and owner. Despite the very young age of this new brewery, McCall and team have already made a big splash, landing three World Beer Cup medals earlier this year, two of them gold, and one in the prized West Coast IPA category for their IPA Western Standard Time.

The conversation, of course, turns to West Coast IPA, and stays there, as McCall walks through his award-winning IPA. Along the way, McCall covers:

optimizing the beer lineup to eliminate lower performers

driving leaner malt in West Coast IPA

using group hop selection to his advantage

brewing with wheat to boost body without affecting dryness

moderating chloride levels in West Coast IPA

shaping bitterness to hit strongly and quickly then disappear

using active fermentation dry hopping to push fruitier hop notes

building complexity with hot side hop additions

constantly evolving even award-winning recipes

And more.

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