BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog

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FAQs about BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog:

How many episodes does BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog have?

The podcast currently has 37 episodes available.

BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog episodes:

August 06, 2026Craft Malting with Jeff Bloem – BeerSmith Podcast #348
Jeff Bloem joins me from Murphy and Rude Malting in Virginia to discuss challenges his business has had producing craft malt, his new partnership with Carolina malts and his craft malt offerings.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (39:25)
This week I welcome back Jeff Bloem. Jeff is the founder and head malster at Murphy & Rude Malting in Charlottesville, VA. Opening in 2018, they are Virginia’s first dedicated commercial specialty malt house producing a wide variety of base, high kiln and specialty malts for brewers and distillers. He has partnered up with Carolina Malt House to produce a number of joint malts.

Jeff ran into a series of difficult challenges with his malting business this Spring. He explains how a production move, and bad batch of malt created unsolvable problems for his business.

We also discuss how he partnered at the last minute with Carolina malting to rescue the business and Jeff tells us how his production partnership works.

Jeff tells us about his partnership with Carolina malt in detail.

I ask about the Craft Beer industry which is under a lot of pressure to cut costs, but he says Craft malting is still doing well.

We talk about the strong business case for locally and artisanal brewing ingredients and Jeff tells us about what these ingredients bring to beer.

Jeff talks about his current production lineup of Craft malts as well as the malt Carolina Malting has brought to the partnership.

We discuss his “GrainStore” shop which is temporarily offline. Jeff is hoping to reopen it shortly if he can find the right partner.

Jeff tells us where you can buy Murphy and Rude and also Carolina malts.

He shares his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
The podcast is sponsored by BeerSmith 4, and BeerSmith Web. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
0min
July 28, 2026Abita Brewing, NA Beer and Hops with Mitch Steele – BeerSmith Podcast #347
Mitch Steele joins me from Abita Brewing to discuss his new position as Director of Operations, Non-Alcoholic (NA) beer brewing and his experience with hop derived products.

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Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (49:27)
This week I welcome back Mitch Steele. Mitch is author of the book IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale (Amazon affiliate link). Mitch is also the former brewmaster at Stone brewing and is has recently taken a new job as Director of Operations at Abita Brewing.

We start with a discussion about Mitch and his transition this year from New Realm Brewing to Director of Operations at Abita which is a fairly large regional brewery.

I ask Mitch about his brewing career which actually spans Annheuser-Busch, Stone, New Realm and now Abita.

After discussing his career, we switch to talking about Non-Alcoholic (NA) beer. While Mitch was previously using vacuum distillation, he has now switched to instead using a combination of high mash temperatures, maltose negative yeast, and other process changes to make NA beers.

Mitch and I discuss lower alcohol beers (3%) and whether this might be a new trend or just a fad?

We next switch to discussing the many new hop derived products which can be applied to just about any phase of the brewing process to reduce losses, and enhance bitterness and aroma.

Mitch explains the advantages and disadvantages of using many of these new hop products.

We have a short discussion on fruit beers, which are very popular at Abita. Mitch tells us how he best applied fruits to accent his beers. He also explains which fruits work best for providing structure and flavor.

He shares his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!

Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
0min
July 10, 2026Home Brewing with Drew Beechum – BeerSmith Podcast #346
Brewing author Drew Beechum joins me this week to discuss homebrewing, his homebrew story, Homebrewcon in Asheville, and the American Homebrewer’s Association.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (42:45)
This week I welcome back Drew Beechum. Drew is the author of Experimental Homebrewing, The Everything Homebrewing Book and Homebrewers Journal (all Amazon affiliate links). Drew joins us to talk about homebrewing topics.

We start with a discussion of the major American Homebrewer’s Association (AHA) spin-off into an independent entity separate from the Brewer’s Association.

Drew shares some of his projects the last 18 months including his involvement with the AHA.

We first discuss the rich history of beer brewing and making beer at home which dates back many thousands of years. As homebrewer’s we are the guardians of brewing and also the training grounds for many thousands of professional brewers.

Drew shares a bit of his story, having started brewing in 1992, and again with a renewed passion in 1999 in Los Angeles.

He explains how home brewing promotes mental wellness and can be good for the soul.

Drew talks about “Defensive Brewing” and how it is still very relevant even in the age of craft brewing because there are still only a small set of beer styles that are commercially viable.

We discuss the homebrewing community, AHA, local clubs and the critical role they play in promoting the hobby.

I ask about the loss of many social gatherings in general post-COVID, and we talk about bringing people back together through homebrew.

Drew talks about how to make brewing less quirky, less technical and more approchable.

He shares his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!

Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
44min
June 23, 2026Twelvenote Brewing with Bryan Pietrzak – BeerSmith Podcast #345
Bryan Pietrzak, co-founder of Twelvenote Brewing joins me this week to discuss his new brewery, beer design, and trends in Craft beer.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (43:06)
This week I welcome Bryan Pietrzak, co-founder and Brewmaster at Twelvenote Brewing in Bridgeport, CT. Bryan is a former machinist, welder and touring drummer for a rock band. He is also a Siebel Institute graduate, who founded Twelvenote in 2025.

We start with a bit of Bryan’s background and how he got into brewing.

Bryan tells us about Twelvenote which corresponds to the notes on the scale and how that fits into his music-driven brewery.

We talk about how Twelvenote is different from other breweries.

Bryan shares his philosophy on recipe development and how he designs a new beer from scratch.

We discuss bringing a beer from a concept into full production, including scaling a recipe up from pilot to brewery size batches.

Bryan gives us an example of a popular beer and how it was developed over time.

We talk about some of his most popular offerings including Hazy, his lower alcohol beer line and new lagers.

He shares some unique ingredients and techniques he has used

We discuss opening a Craft brewery in what is a very competitive and declining overall Craft market

Bryan shares his web site, location and where you can find his beers

Bryan gives us his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!

Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
0min
May 20, 2026Advanced Dry Hop Techniques with Michael Tonsmeire – BeerSmith Podcast #344
Michael Tonsmeire from Sapwood Cellars joins me to discuss dry hopping techniques and advanced hop products.

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Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (49:42)
This week I welcome back Michael Tonsmeire. Michael is a founder of the brewery Sapwood Cellars in Columbia, MD. He is the author of the book “American Sour Beers“(Amazon Affiliate Link) as well as the blog The Mad Fermentationist online. He’s also a certified beer judge.

Michael tells us a bit about the new developments at his brewery Sapwood Cellars.

We talk about why advanced hop techniques have become so important for modern IPA brewing.

Michael tells us about the techniques he uses to reduce oxidation when dry hopping.

We discuss using agitation to improve dry hop oil transfer.

Michael talks about some of the tradeoffs made when we dry hop like time versus temperature.

We discuss haze and how you can choose specific yeasts and hops to maximize or minimize the haze in the finished beer.

Michael explains how the techniques, products and ingredients all play a role in the final flavor of the beer.

We talk about some of the many new hop products available to brewers including extracts, concentrated hop pellets, hop oil extracts and more.

Michael explains how all of these products have advantages and disadvantages and why the brewer is ultimately making tradeoffs.

Michael gives us his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!

Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
0min
April 30, 2026Global Beer and Malt with Dr Axel Goehler – BeerSmith Podcast #343
Dr Axel Goehler, the CEO of Bestmalz joins me this week to provide a global perspective on the beer market and also talk about malts.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (44:19)
This week I welcome back Dr Axel Goehler, the CEO of Bestmalz in Germany. Dr Goehler did his PhD in Switzerland on German family breweries, and worked at Boston Consulting group for 10 years. He is the grandson of the founder of Bestmalz, Max Goehler, and has spearheaded the company’s international expansion since 2014 to over 85 countries.

We start with a brief discussion of some of the developments in the 2 years since I last had Axel on the show.

Dr Goehler gives us his thoughts on the recent Craft Brewer’s Conference (CBC) held in Philadelphia, where Bestmalz was chosen as the malt for the Official Commemorative Beer of CBC 2026!

Axel provides us with his thoughts on the current global beer market, which has faced some challenges in the years since COVID, including the Craft Beer decline here in the US.

We talk about changing consumer preferences including the trend towards less alcohol consumption in the new generation, and shifting consumer preferences.

Axel shares his thoughts on the German beer market which is surprisingly seeing a drop in volume consumed as well as a lot of consolidation in the brewing industry.

In spite of challenges in both the US and many European markets, the overall global beer market is expected to grow by 2030. We discuss which countries are still growing.

Shifting gears we discuss some of the innovations at Bestmalz starting with the new line of smoked malts.

Axel tells us about his new line of Ultra-pale malts which have an incredible sub 3 lovibond color rating, and provide a blank slate for brewers to work with. These malts also comply with the Reinheisgebot (purity laws) in Germany.

Axel has also started a related biotech company to work on new research lines. We discuss this development.

Dr Goehler gives us his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!

Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
0min
March 31, 2026Craft Brewing with John Mallett – BeerSmith Podcast #342
This week John Mallett from Bell’s Brewery joins me to discuss his new role as Course Directory of the MBAA, his 30+ year brewing career, malts, and craft brewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (41:21)
This week I welcome back John Mallett. John is a former VP and Director of Operations at Bell’s Brewery. He also recently took a new role as Course Director at the MBAA. John is the author of the book “Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse” from Brewer’s Publications.

We start with a brief discussion of John’s hobbies Skiing and Sailing and how they are related to his brewing.

John talks about his new role as Course Director for the MBAA and he shares some of their courses and where you can learn more.

We spend some time discussing John’s long career in brewing which spans some 38 years including the early days in Craft beer.

I focus on his time at Bell’s Brewery and we talk about some of the unique offerings from Bell’s as well as some of the things John learned working there.

John talks about his malt book, how malting has changed and the key role malts plan in brewing beer in spite of the recent focus on hops and IPAs.

We discuss Craft beer on the global stage and how it is rapidly evolving outside of the US.

John shares his thoughts on the recent Craft beer decline as well as the longer slump in home brewing.

He gives us his thoughts on Pilsners and lower alcohol beers, both of which have been growing in the Craft market.

John gives us his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!

Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
0min
March 01, 2026IPA Balance and Hop Products with Max Shafer – BeerSmith Podcast #341
Max Shafer joins me from Roadhouse Brewing to discuss achieving the perfect IPA balance, using new hop products and perfecting your Hazy IPA.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (35:18)
This week I welcome back Max Shafer from Roadhouse Brewing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Max was previously a brewer at Grand Teton brewing. Max sits on the Hop Research Council, is the Idaho ambassador to the Hop Quality Group, and associate member of the American Malting Barley Association. Max is a graduate of the Siebel Institute and has over 10 years as a professional brewer.

We start with a short discussion of some of the new beers and offerings at Roadhouse Brewing where they continue to innovate.

Max starts the technical discussion with a discussion on hop balance, and what he means by the proper hop balance for a Hazy IPA.

We talk about boil hops which lay the foundation for bitterness, and how his boil hop additions have evolved into a single 60 minute addition combined often with a shorter 20 minute addition.

Max next moves on to whirlpool additions, and we discuss the use of pellets here as well as some of the new hop products like Dynaboost and Incognito.

Next we discuss dry hopping and why pellets are still important here. He also talks about concentrated hop products like Subzero Hop Kief and Abstrax. We discuss the use of isomerized hop products and aroma additions for final tweaking of a beer as well.

Max tells us how he works backward from a finished beer to try to determine the best place to tweak hop balance – be it in the boil, whirlpool or dry hopping. He also makes extensive use of his small pilot brewery.

We next talk about gravity in the context of Hazy IPAs and how there seems to be a sweet spot in terms of the ideal gravity to balance out a Hazy IPA.

Max discusses drinkability as well as the push to lower gravity beers.

He tells us where to visit Roadhouse as well as their website (linked above) and how you can get their products.

He also gives us his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!

Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
36min
February 26, 2026Belgian Trappist Style Ales with Denny Conn – BeerSmith Podcast #340
Brewing author Denny Conn joins me this week to discuss brewing Trappist style Abbey ales including their history, ingredients and brewing techniques used.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (37:50)
This week I welcome Denny Conn. Denny is a nationally ranked certified beer judge. He is also co-author of the books Simple Homebrewing, Experimental Brewing and also Home Brewing All Stars (All Amazon Affiliate Links).

We start with a discussion of Denny’s 630 batches of beer over a period of 28 years, and how he is brewing a lot of Trappist/Abbey style Belgian ales now.

Denny provides some of the rich history of Trappist ales which originated in Abbeys primarily around Belgium.

We discuss how the International Trappist Ale association now enforces the term Trappist Ale as only applying to a small number of approved Trappist abbeys. So we now instead use the term Abbey ales or perhaps beers brewed in the Trappist style.

Denny explains the basic styles which are single, dubbel, tripel and quad, though there are variations of each.

Denny discusses how these ales often vary by region and color.

We next move to ingredients and how to brew these styles, starting with the malt bill. Denny explains why he prefers to use primarily Belgian pale malts along with a substantial portion of sugars. We also discuss the tradeoffs between simple sugars and expensive Belgian candi sugars.

Denny explains how these beers are simply hopped, often using local hops and also why they are sometimes more bitter than they appear.

We discuss brewing yeasts and Denny provides his favorite yeast to use.

We discuss brewing techniques and in particular how the mash profile is important for achieving a high attenuation in these styles which makes them more drinkable.

Denny provides advice for brewers looking to make the perfect Belgian ale.

He also gives us his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!

Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
0min
January 20, 2026Craft Beer and Schlafly Beer with Jared Williamson – BeerSmith Podcast #339
Jared Williamson joins me from Shlafly Brewing in St Lous, MO to discuss Shlafly, their strategy for lower alcohol beers and trends in Craft Brewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (26:28)
This week I welcome Jared Williamson. Jared is the head brewer at Shlafly Brewery in St Louis MO. Jared has nearly 20 years of brewing experience as a professional brewer, and leads recipe development and ingredient innovation at Shlafly.

We start with a brief history of Jared as a brewer, and how he became head brewer at Shlafly.

Jared explains his Pale Ale and new IPA non-alcoholic (NA) beer offerings and why he thinks NA beer is an important emerging market segment for craft brewing.

We discuss the methods he used to create non-alcoholic beer including high mash temperatures and managed fermentation. He also talks about the changes he had to make to adopt existing recipes to NA beer.

Next we discuss his line of 3% beers which are targeting more casual brewers or those who want to be able to drink a few beers without all of the alcohol. This is another part of Shlafly’s strategy to adopt to the changing beer market.

Jared shares some of the changes he had to make to create his 3% beer lineup.

He shares his advice on those looking to make lower alcohol beers at home.

We talk about the rapidly changing Craft beer market and pressures on many craft breweries as the market has declined since COVID.

Jared discusses his Winter beer offerings including Winter Stout, Oatmeal Stout and Coffee Stout.

He shares where to find Schlafly beers and also their location.

Jared provides his closing thoughts.
Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!

Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.
iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.
Thoughts on the Podcast?
Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.
Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes
you can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address
Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)

Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )

Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.
...more
50min

FAQs about BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog:

How many episodes does BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog have?

The podcast currently has 37 episodes available.