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Beverage Ingredients

A wide range of information pertaining to ingredients used in the brewing process.

Dr. Richard Priess Discusses Brewing with Kviek Yeast

posted Oct 18th, 2022 by John Holl

In a relatively short time, historically speaking, brewers have rediscovered Kveik and been using it in earnest. The Norwegean yeast has helped cut fermentation times way down, a boon for small breweries looking to quickly get beer, especially IPAs to market.

Dr. Richard Priess the director of Escarpment Labs recently spoke on the All About Beer podcast about how the yeast has gained in popularity and what is still being discovered and mapped out.

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Brewing with Oats – Tradition and the Future

posted Oct 13th, 2022 by Andy Crouch

Over its relatively short lifespan, the New England IPA style has generated more than its fair share of controversy. In the beginning, brewers both professional and on the home side debated what made the beers cloudy and hazy.

Was it flour or some other agent of haze? And what accounted for that softness on the palate or the extreme juiciness in the aroma? As brewers and brewing scientists dug further into the biology of these beers, they expanded their understanding of the importance of biotransformation, thiols, and other components of the DNA of hazy and juicy beers. Near the center of the attention is the use of oats, flaked, rolled, or malted, in the grain bill.

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Phantasm: The Magical Mystery of Thiols Explained

posted Oct 11th, 2022 by Andy Crouch

It’s not unusual for brewers to trade information about new hop varieties and text or email one another about how to best use experimental varieties. The products usually involve a big hop company that has heavily invested in a years long research project, sending the new varieties out for testing to a few select breweries. But some ingredients fly even further under the radar.

Phantasm is one of the lowest key ingredients out there. Very difficult to source, challenging to find information about, word of Phantasm spread largely through the brewing underground in the past year.

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Sustainable Solutions for Clean Water in the Brewing Industry

posted Oct 6th, 2022 by John Holl

The importance of water cannot be understated, not just for beer but for life. As draught conditions persist in certain areas of the country and polluted supplies are becoming more common in others, brewers are taking the necessary steps now to be thinking about clean water.

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‘Tis the Season – Zach Beckwith Talks About How to Best Serve Fresh Hop IPA’s

posted Oct 4th, 2022 by John Holl

There is a certain love that comes with a fresh pint of fresh hopped IPA that gets beer fans of all stripes a sense of wonder and delight. While some will think that these beers should be consumed within hours of being brewed or packaged there are some brewers who believe giving these beers a little bit of time is beneficial to everyone.

Zach Beckwith formerly of Bend Brewing talked with Beer Edge Editor John Holl about his thoughts of how to best serve fresh hop IPAs.

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Is My Fruit Pureé Aseptic (and Why Should I Care)?

posted Sep 30th, 2022 by Puree Arete

What is aseptic fruit pureé?

The word aseptic comes from two Greek roots that mean, in essence, not toxic. The aseptic manufacturing process preserves foods and beverages through rapid heat treatment followed by rapid cooling under sterile conditions. By using aseptic processing, potentially harmful microbes are eliminated from products, making perishable fruit pureés shelf-stable and safe for consumption. But that’s not all that aseptic processing and packaging does.
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2022 Hop Products Preview

posted Sep 29th, 2022 by John Holl

Hop harvest is in full swing around North America and countless brewing professionals are making the pilgrimage to the Pacific Northwest to visit farms, walk the fields, and conduct rubbings that will lead to lot selections.

The hop industry has grown in the United States and become more diverse as the craft beer segment has grown and looked for new varietals and products that they can add to recipes to bring vibrant aromas to the glass.

Companies in the hop space are eager to keep up and innovation has come fast and furious. From freeze dried Cryo fresh hops to varieties grown for a specific style of beer, there is a dizzying amount of choice these days.

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2022 Flavor Trends that Brewers Should Know About

posted Sep 28th, 2022 by Puree Arete

In 2022, people are more motivated than ever to eat and drink healthier. Retro themes are popping up as people escape to pre-pandemic days. On the other hand, they’re also feeling a little stir crazy and ready to travel. It’s likely that two years of global pandemic are having a big impact on lifestyle trends. As a result, consumers are motivated by health concerns, nostalgia, and the call to adventure. That combo should give daring brewers plenty of inspiration for novel fruit beers.
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Yakima Brewer Kevin Quinn on a Changing Climate and Hop Farming

posted Sep 27th, 2022 by John Holl

Climate change is on the mind of every farmer and grower in the Pacific Northwest these days. From the average temperature rising over two degrees over the last several decades, to wildfires, and unusual rain patterns, there is a lot to be thinking about and acting upon not to mitigate problems in the future.

Kevin Quinn of Bale Breaker Brewing in Washington’s Yakima Valley spoke with Beer Edge editor John Holl about this year’s harvest on Loftus Ranch, where the brewery is located, and how they are thinking about the future.

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Sugar Creek Malt’s Caleb Michalke Discusses Rauchmalt

posted Sep 22nd, 2022 by John Holl

As craft malting continues to rise in popularity and farmers are reviving traditions, brewers are looking for ways to have their beer stand out on the marketplace. While rauchbiers aren’t breaking any sales records there is a loyal set of fans who are looking for a smoky fix.

Some craft maltsters, like Caleb Michalke, the owner and maltster of Sugar Creek Malt in Indiana has taken to creating specialty smoked malt that appeals to today’s modern brewer. He spoke to Beer Edge editor John Holl.

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Lance Shaner of Omega Yeast Talks About Latest Innovations in Yeast

posted Sep 20th, 2022 by John Holl

While hops get a lot of the attention from brewers and drinkers alike, and malt has intrigue, especially as the craft segment of that ingredient is on the rise, there is another area that deserves renewed focus.

Yeast is the workhorse of beer and while it is critically important, it can sometimes be taken for granted. Still, there are several advancements happening with the microbe in labs across the globe and Lance Shaner, the owner of Omega Yeast recently spoke with Beer Edge editor John Holl about innovation in the yeast space.

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Best Practices For Fruit Purees

posted Sep 15th, 2022 by Andy Crouch

Fruit beers are having a moment. Once subjected to derision among serious beer geeks, often due to the abundance of sickly sweet versions, modern fruit beers often employ a steadier hand and seek to achieve some balance. The days of adding blueberry juice to a bland base beer are in the rear view and the technology fruit infusions employ have substantially improved from the days of having to hand juice fresh fruit.

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Brewers Publications Releases ‘Gluten-Free Brewing: Techniques, Processes, and Ingredients for Crafting Flavorful Beer’

posted Sep 14th, 2022 by Tom McCormick

No barley, no wheat, no rye? No problem! Gluten-Free Brewing: Techniques, Processes, and Ingredients for Crafting Flavorful Beer is the latest book release from Brewers Publications.

The book explores the world of gluten-free grains and walks readers through how to make delicious gluten-free beers with a variety of ingredients. Author Robert Keifer addresses the wildly flavorful gluten-free ingredients available today, where to source such ingredients, the malting process, fermentation challenges, and more.

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Dan Suarez on Using Local Farms for Fresh Brewing Ingredients

posted Sep 13th, 2022 by John Holl

While the act of adding fruit, vegetables, and herbs is nothing new for beer, the pace in which brewers have been tinkering with recipes using those ingredients has certainly increased. There are companies that make it easier than ever to get garden-fresh flavors into beers via powders, purees, and extracts, but for smaller operations or special one-offs, using fresh is still best.

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Chris Lohring of Notch Brewing Discusses Brewing Craft Beer with Corn

posted Sep 8th, 2022 by Andy Crouch

Chris Lohring once called corn “the most vilified grain in all of American brewing.” He also argues that it is one of the most traditional and historically important brewing ingredients. As the founder of Notch Brewing in Massachusetts, Lohring has long fought against such unjust brewing notions, has brewed multiple beers with corn, and offers some advice for those who may be interested in exploring this historic often ridiculed ingredient.

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BA to Hold Hopsource in Yakima for Its Fifth Year

posted Sep 6th, 2022 by Tom McCormick

Brewers Association (BA) staff will conduct the Hopsource hop sensory assessment in Yakima, Washington again in 2022. Brewers and industry members visiting Yakima for hop selection will have the opportunity to evaluate over 20 varieties of hops that are being considered for advancement in the BA-funded United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Public Hop Breeding Program.

The purpose of Hopsource is to gauge brewer interest in experimental public hop varieties, by harnessing the power of dozens of noses to crowdsource hop variety acceptance.

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James Priest Talks About Using Honey as an Ingredient

posted Sep 1st, 2022 by John Holl

In a world where just about everything is added to beers to increase flavor or bring new delight to a pint, it is fitting that honey, the sweet nectar that mankind has been enjoying for more than 8,000 years, is enjoying a renewed turn in ales and lager.

Honey is showing up in all manner of ways, from flavoring during the boil, to being added during fermentation.

“The way we use it most regularly is as a sugar source for bottle conditioning, as opposed to dextrose,” says James Priest of The Referend in Pennsylvania. “There’s not really a qualitative flavor difference at least early on. Given that honey is more expensive, I don’t think its for everyone.”

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2022 Hop Yield May Be Down by 20% in Germany – Average Yield Expected in US

posted Aug 30th, 2022 by Tom McCormick

The global hop company BarthHaas has said in its August report that its German hop crop is estimated to be down by as much as 20% vs. 2021. The early maturing varieties such as Hallertau Mittelfrüh, Northern Brewer, Traditional and Perle) have been affected the most.

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Understanding Your Water Footprint and its Impact on the Climate

posted Aug 2nd, 2022 by Andy Crouch

When it comes to sustainability, one issue rises above all others: water usage. Without water, there is no beer. And as any brewer knows, water doesn’t just comprise more than 90-percent of the final product, it’s also used in nearly every step of production. Cold water cools down wort, hot water cleans and sanitizes equipment, water rinses floors and bottles and cans after filling. All the way down to employee hand washing and rinsing glasses in the tasting room, water is ubiquitous.

With the impacts of adverse weather and climate events on the rise, having an understanding of your water footprint is key to managing this critical resource in the future.

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Keith Villa on CBD and THC in Drinks: Now and in the Future

posted Jul 7th, 2022 by Andy Crouch

The buzz around CBD and THC infused drinks has steadily grown in recent years, from faint whispers to celebratory screams. Once a pipe dream for cannabis enthusiasts, spiked seltzers and other beverages are increasingly big business. And near the center of the action is an unlikely advocate, the creator of the famous Blue Moon Belgian White.

Keith Villa spent more than 30 years working for various permutations of Coors, including as the founder and head brewmaster of its Blue Moon Brewing Company. With a doctorate in brewing science, Villa has long been a student of the minute details of brewing. After retiring from MillerCoors in early 2018, Villa turned his hunger for knowledge to a new area: brewing non-alcoholic beers. He and his wife Jodi co-founded Ceria Brewing Company and released Grainwave, a Belgian-style White Ale, and later a non-alcoholic IPA called Indiewave. From there, Villa became interested in infusing his NA beers with both THC and CBD. He dove into the subject matter, researching all manners of production and exploring all the related details. It culminated in Ceria’s release of two infused beers and in late 2021, the release of a book, Brewing With Cannabis: Using THC and CBD in Beer. We recently spoke with Villa to explore the growing interest in CBD and THC drinks and to get some advice on how brewers can get involved with this expanding product area.

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