204: For Julian Shrago of Beachwood Brewing, There Are No Additives, Only Ingredients

Julian Shrago is not afraid to ruffle feathers. The outspoken brewmaster for Beachwood Brewing (Long Beach, California) has cultivated an intense persona, but that passion and focus is evidenced in the beers they brew and the awards they’ve racked up over the past ten years, including 19 GABF medals and 9 World Beer Cup medals.

In this episode, he discusses:

Beachwood’s flavor-first creative process

Building predictive sensibilities around recipe development

The evolution of West coast IPA in general, and the particular evolution of Beachwood’s IPAs

The cross-pollination between New England and West coast IPA brewing techniques

Bittering contribution from dry hopping

Creating a saturated wall of flavor in IPA

Using acidity to temper bitterness

Setting up biotransformation precursors through hop choice and terpenes

Building expressive balance in dark beers with coffee

and more.

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