September 05, 2025

434: Frank Bilello of Noble Savage Lets the Beer Become What it Wants to Be

1 hour 1 minute

The Untappd Community Awards offer an interesting barometer of consumer excitement around breweries and beers, but for Noble Savage in Glen Cove—east of New York City, on Long Island—landing two beers among the top three hazy IPAs in the United States proved quite an accomplishment. Founder and head brewer Frank Bilello has kept things small, tinkering as he goes and using an unusual creative process; his milky-pale beers get little to no boil and showcase the delicate yet pungent notes of New Zealand hops.

In this episode, Bilello discusses:

using 100 percent New York–grown craft malt for all his beers

employing large amounts of malted wheat, flaked oats, and malted oats to soften hazy IPA mouthfeel

managing pH in the mash for function and flavor

making on-the-fly decisions about hopping while brewing

blending yeast strains for flavor and attenuation

staging dry hopping with a sacrificial round to pull out larger particulate matter before hitting with a harder second round

Enigma’s benefit as a hot-side hop and Southern Cross in the dry hop

minimizing boils to lower heat stress, retain more protein, and keep the color light

using New Zealand hops almost exclusively for hazy IPA

spunding IPA for natural carbonation

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across North America and beyond. With our 24/7 service and support, your brewery will never stop. Remote monitor your chiller for simple and fast access to all the information you need, and gain peace of mind your operation is running smoothly.

Berkeley Yeast (https://berkeleyyeast.com). Berkeley Yeast bioengineers ordinary strains and make them extraordinary—enhancing the flavors you want and eliminating the ones you don’t. Visit berkeleyyeast.com to learn more and start brewing with science on your side.

Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): As breweries expand beyond beer into other segments like mocktails and CBD beverages, Old Orchard is here to help. We can formulate custom blends featuring specialty ingredients. More information and free samples are waiting at oldorchard.com/brewer.

Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com) Celebrating 16 years of delivering compelling new hop varieties along with classics that thrive in Oregon’s terroir, Indie is the original source for Strata, Luminosa, Lórien, Meridian, and their newest variety Audacia. Release your creativity with the magic of pure, uncut Oregon hops from Indie. Indie Hops — Life is short. Let’s make it flavorful.

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Canoe Wild Rice (https://breweryworkshop.com) Brewers, have you ever considered brewing with North America’s only Ancient Grain—Wild Rice? Joe at Canoe Wild Rice has a stockpile of this unique roasted grain ready to ship to you. Send Canoe Wild Rice an email at [email protected] or give the office a call at 1-800-626-3809

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