The Beer Craft, Homebrewing Podcast

We sit down with Sam Thierstein to talk about his latest project, Smoke + Temple Brewing. In the earliest stages of development, Sam wants to bring Punk Rock flavor- rebellious and uncompromising. Big Deli, bold brews, local suppliers, CRAFT flavor at every degree to Skagit Valley. Check him out at Smoke and Temple Brewing | Explore Bold Flavors & Experience More.

Musci Attribution

"Twisted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"RetroFuture Dirty" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Not long ago, a client was looking for a gluten free whisky yeast. I had never looked for something like that and boy oh boy did the rabbit hole get deeper. From the Science department, to the FDA, just about everyone has something to say on the subject. So sit back and pour yourself a finger or four, it's time for...The Beer Craft.

Music Attribution

"Twisted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"RetroFuture Dirty" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

I had an interesting experience in the homebrew shop the other day. A thirsty brewer had a hankering for Rogue Brewing's " Dead Guy Ale." The grain bill he asked me to fill was... different. The gravity looked normal, but the 15+ pounds of base malt and Munich didn't make much sense. I asked if his brewhouse efficiency was super low because you don't have to be a good brewer to get over 6% ABV with 15lbs of grain, and the gravity for this beer was lower still!

I didn't know that AI can suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect. The chatbot was so confident in the recipe output that it reminds me of the one guy you know. The one with the hair, the drives that car, the one who thinks he knows everything, and clearly doesn't.

This week on the show, we break down what you can use ai for and what to avoid, right here on....The Beer Craft.

The Herbalist and a Brewer are walking through the forest...

There ought to be a joke about that, and if I were a better writer, there would be. I do have the next best thing. This week we sat down with Erin Vanhee, Herbalist and Instructor of Trillium School of Herbal Medicine, to get some more insight on the herbal traditions and what we can play with in our favorite carbonated libation.

If your interested in learning herbalism, more information is available at https://erinvanhee.com/immersion2027

In this episode of The Beer Craft, Ben and Andrew dive into Northwest Brewers Supply's new Summer Brewing Series—four recipes designed to keep you brewing through the hottest months of the year.

We tackle the biggest reasons brewers put the kettle away when summer arrives: warm fermentation spaces, busy schedules, and the misconception that you need a fermentation fridge to make great beer. Then we introduce four beers built to solve those challenges.

You'll hear the story behind:

• Easy Summer Blonde – the perfect comeback batch for brewers who haven't brewed in a while.

• Lemondrop Wheat – a crisp, citrus-forward American wheat built for patios and sunny afternoons.

• Hot Garage Pale Ale – proof that with the right yeast and recipe, summer brewing is still on the menu.

• Sunset Amber – a smooth, malt-forward amber made for BBQs, fire pits, and those Northwest evenings when the hoodie comes back out.

Whether you're dusting off your brew kettle after a long break or looking for your next seasonal recipe, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you brew with confidence all summer long.

Resources Mentioned

• Summer Brewing Series blog: [Insert Link]

• Summer Brewing Series recipe kits: [Insert Link]

• Previous episodes mentioned: [Insert Links]

Make your next beer, your best beer. Music

Some debates may never be settled: Ford vs. Chevy, Miller vs. Bud, the Yankees aren't that good...

As unlikely as we are to redraw the battle lines, we are going to give you the good, the bad, and the not quite so bad as you may have thought, unless we are talking about the Yankees.

The questions about the topic are as varied as there are brewers. Ask 10 brewers what they prefer, and you're just as likely to get 12 different answers, but is that what makes beer better? Spoiler alert. It isn't.

Time to crack open a cold one and get ready for....Beer30, as we take up the age-old debate. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, this time we brought beer!

Before refrigeration. Before vitamin supplements. Before anyone knew what vitamin C even was.

People brewed with trees.

This week, Ben and Andrew trace the surprising history of spruce beer, a drink that helped sailors survive long ocean voyages, supplied British troops in colonial North America, and became one of the earliest regional brewing traditions on the continent. From the decks of exploration ships to frontier settlements, spruce beer was more than a curiosity. It was a practical solution to a deadly problem: scurvy.

Along the way, the guys discuss their recent NORWA brew day, where a 42-gallon batch was split among brewers and Ben decided to throw fresh spruce tips into the kettle. Was this a brilliant historical recreation, or did he accidentally brew a Christmas tree?

You'll hear stories of explorers, soldiers, homebrewers, and the science behind why spruce may have worked in the first place. You'll also learn what spruce contributes to a beer, how modern brewers use it, and why local ingredients still matter.

Beer has always been more than a beverage. Sometimes it was survival.

For People Who Thought Tree Beer Was a Joke: https://byo.com/articles/tips-from-pros-brewing-with-spruce-tips/?ref=84 If you buy through this link, it helps the show at no extra cost to you.

Music Attribution

"Twisted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"RetroFuture Dirty" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

If you take corn, rye, and barley, add some yeast, and what do you get? You could be brewing a Kentucky common beer, and no one will bat an eye, but the moment you run that through a still...

Recently, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling that the prohibition on homedistilling was unconstitutional. Does that mean we can fire up ol' Smokey on the front lawn?

This week on the Beer Craft, Homebrewing Podcast, we are going to take a good look at what it all means.

Sit back and pour yourself a couple of fingers of Kentucky's finest.

"Twisted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

RetroFuture Dirty

"RetroFuture Dirty" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The ancient alchemists never figured out how to turn lead into gold, but they did help crack open the door to modern chemistry, laboratory science, and the very human habit of asking, "What happens if I put this with that?"

Which, honestly, sounds a lot like brewing.

In this episode of The Beer Craft, Ben and Andrew look at beer through the lens of old alchemy: taking base materials, applying heat, time, transformation, and a little misplaced confidence, then hoping something amazing comes out the other side.

We still haven't figured out how to turn lead into gold, but malt, hops, water, and yeast can get us pretty close.

Want to go deeper into the actual ingredients behind the magic? BYO's Beer Ingredient Bundle includes workshop replays on yeast, water, malt, and hops from brewing experts.

https://byo.com/product/byo-beer-ingredient-boot-camp-bundle-2023-includes-4-online-boot-camps/?ref=84

Affiliate link. Helps the show, costs you nothing.

"Twisted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

"RetroFuture Dirty" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Way back at the beginning of this podcast I sat down with Greg Pore co-owner and brewer at Terramar brewing and we had a fantastic talk about Berlinerweisse. Unfortunately we weren't ready to have him in the studio at the time, but I promised him one day we would do so. Well, after over a year I'm finally making good on my promise. We had Greg into the studio and three beer geeks put their heads together, yak about beer, and share a few laughs. Enjoy the show.