September 06, 2024

377: Shaun Yasaki of Noble Beast Makes Quirky and Nuanced Lager Work at Pub Scale

1 hour 3 minutes

After an early stint at Cleveland staple Fat Head’s, and a brief foray into brewery operation with the now-defunct Platform, Shaun Yasaki set out in 2016 to create a brewpub that reflected his interests as a brewer—well-made beers that don’t chase trends but earn repeat business for both flavor and drinkability. To achieve that goal, he designed a 10-barrel brewhouse that could brew any style of beer without compromise, thanks to its dedicated cereal cooker and decoction vessel. Now, with Noble Beast, he squeezes more beer from every batch using high-gravity brewing methods, and the results have garnered notice—two GABF medals for Baltic-style porter Murder Ballads, plus a number of high scores from our blind-judging panel at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine®.

In this episode, Yasaki discusses:

designing a 10-barrel brewhouse with flexibility for cereal mashes, decoction, parti-gyle brewing, and more

exploring “weird” mash regimes to optimize flavor and fermentation performance

finding space for expression within traditional lager styles

maintaining foam-positive proteins through mashing and decoction

finding complementary esters in specific lager yeast strains

milling and cooking raw rice to create “negative space” in beer for other flavors to fill

decocting and cereal mashing IPA

using non-diacetyl-producing yeast in IPA fermentation

high-gravity brewing on a small pub system

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

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Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Berry Blend, Blood Orange, Lemonade, and Tart Cherry are the latest additions to our lineup of flavored craft juice concentrate blends. To learn more and request your free samples, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer

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RSS Maclin (https://rssmaclin.com) offers audits and repairs for can seamers and can integrity training. We provide solutions for can damage, seam training, and help your facility become self-sufficient without relying on OEMs. Questions about your can line? Call us at (330) 299-8210 or email at [email protected]

Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com) breeds new hop varieties to help brewers captivate beer lovers. Brewers worldwide trust Indie’s unique varieties — Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, Meridian and Audacia — to modernize, brighten and diversify their beer lineup. Visit indiehops.com/podcast to discover what’s new in hop flavors.

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Brewery & Distillery Workshop (https://breweryworkshop.com): If you’re a brewery or distillery in planning, or interested in adding a brewery or distillery to your existing craft beverage business, visit breweryworkshop.com now and secure your spot in our upcoming Brewery and Distillery Workshop, this September.

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