Episodes
Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs, are a hot topic in the food world, and the craft beer scene is no different. On today's show, Jamil welcomes back special guest host Mitch Steele to cover this complex issue. Mitch and Jamil cover some new yeasts that have been modified to produce certain flavors, to malts that have been engineered to produce more yield. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 11/07/22
Jamil and John give the mail bag a break this week, and instead talk about a more commercial-leaning subject: Standard Operating Procedures. SOP's are common in industrial settings, and breweries (and wineries and distilleries) are very much industrial workplaces. Jamil and John talk about what SOP's a brewery might want to have, and if some of that stuff can translate over to homebrewers who share equipment. Spoiler: it can! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 04/05/22
Water is a complicated part of your brew day, but it allows you to really fine tune any beer. Jamil and John dig around the Listener Library and gather all the submitted questions they can find about water. Mash salt additions, adjusting the pH in almost every stage of the brewing process, lactic acid, RO water adjustments, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 02/25/22
It's back to the time machine/mail bag for Jamil and John on today's show! Questions came in from all across the homebrewing spectrum, once again testing the mighty grey matter of our hosts. Topics today include final gravity solutions, why hop selection matters, paths to oxidation, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 02/17/22
While distilling is still illegal at home in the US, that hasn't stopped it's rise in popularity. Today, Jamil and John chat with Aaron Hyde, author of "How To Distill", and got a great overview on what home distilling entails, what some of the key points are to focus on, and where to go from there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 02/09/22
Jamil and John take questions from the road, in this live broadcast from BrewChatter HQ! The boys ambled their way up to Sparks, Nevada to settle in and answer some live questions - and to give away some Heretic beer. Yeast harvesting, pH, and fermentation issues were just some of the topics covered on today's show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 01/25/22
It's that time of year again, when the shelves are stocked with winter beers, and homebrewers are huddled around their boil kettles, making their own winter warmers. One of the best in the business, Fal Allen of Anderson Valley Brewing Company, joins Jamil and John as they discuss what makes a great winter warmer. Plus, you know ... all the usual BS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 12/28/21
Jamil and John are back, pondering your homebrewing questions! The guys talk about mash pH in commercial breweries and how the big guys do chemical adjustments, if boiling really adds that much color to a wort, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 12/07/21
On today's show, Jamil and John dig into those homebrew questions nobody else is qualified to answer! Well, nobody within arms distance of you, anyway. The mail bag opens and we chat about storing diluted StarSan, fighting with the air quality control board, debate coco powder vs. nibs, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 11/17/21
Jamil and John are back, diving deep into the Brew Strong Mail Bag in order to answer your questions! On this week's episode, the boys talk about the best way to prepare yourself for the homebrewer-to-pro transition, how to fix poor head retention in your homebrews, dry hopping techniques, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 11/08/21
Dipping further into the archives, Jamil and John wrap their heads around more of your questions! Are all crystal malts really equal? Can they be used interchangeably? Find out what the boys said, plus pH issues, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 10/14/21
Jamil and John are back, and they have rummaged around the Brew Strong Homebrewer Email Archives for more of your brewing questions! From home glycol usage to brewing at 10,000 feet, the Brew Strong Boys cover it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 10/08/21
Yeast. The most crucial ingredient in homebrew. Without it, random bacteria would take over, turning all of your hard work into a contaminated, infected soup that even the drains would recoil at! On today's show, the boys take your questions on yeast. How to brew with it, how to wash it, and how much of it to pitch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 09/17/21
A blast from the past joins "Brew Strong" for today's show, as Taylor (AKA Porno Steve) returns to the pod! Jamil and John get caught up on all the latest from him, and then reach into the digital mailbag for your homebrew questions. Topics range from "how clean should you keep your boil kettle", to "just how much plastic am I consuming"? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 09/10/21
Jamil has been saving up your homebrewing questions until such time as they can be released into the wild, fully answered. Well, that time is now! John and Jamil take your brewing questions on this episode of "Brew Strong", as well as bringing back "Jamil's Medical Corner". So ... you've been warned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 09/06/21
Jamil and John are joined by Dr. Jonathan Hughes, of UC Davis, to discuss the best ways to develop a quality control lab on a budget. For the homebrewer or the craft brewer, staying on budget is important, and Dr. Hughes gives us some great information on how to do just that! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 08/06/21
Jamil and John talked Fal Allen to stick around and help answer some burning homebrewing questions! The boys cover draft system tubing, mash tun cleanliness, and pitching rates - plus a lot more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 07/23/21
Gose is one of those styles that is hard to do well, and that many brewers disagree on how to achieve a well-brewed version of. On today's show, Jamil and John sit down with Fal Allen, head brewer at Anderson Valley Brewing Company and author of "Gose: Brewing a Classic German Beer For The Modern Era" (all about brewing Gose, duh), to get at the bottom of just what makes a great Gose and how to get there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 07/16/21
Jamil and John were lucky enough to convince beer historian Greg Casey to sit in for another trip into the history books, uncovering even more fascinating facts about the American brewing scene of long ago. From the proposed "American Reinheitsgebot", to the reception of adjuncts in beer, Greg shares it all! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 07/09/21
Greg Casey has worked for several large breweries in his long brewing history, but it wasn't until retirement that he started to really focus on the long road that lager beer has traveled over the course of American history. Jamil and John sat down with Greg to get his take on not only how lager beer changed, but why. From adjuncts to lobbyists, the story of American brewing is, of course, complex and rich! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 07/07/21
Nick Galton-Fenzi who went from homebrewer, to brewery owner, to brewery consultant in a variety of countries. We hear his story about beer that has spanned 25 years, starting in Australia and taking him all over the world! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 06/25/21
It's time to dig back into our spam filter and fish out more listener questions on Brew Strong! Jamil and John tackle only the hardest of homebrewing questions on this show, as you all know, and this episode is no different. The boys talk about factors that can alter your SRM in your beers, post-fermentation oxygen reduction, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 06/10/21
Homebrew knowledge knows no bounds on Brew Strong, and to that end, John and Jamil sit down to answer more listener questions! Topics include spruce tips, mash tun decorations, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 05/17/21
Jamil and John talk a lot about brewing beer on this show, but not too much about mead. So they invited Michael Fairbrother from Moonlight Meadery to come on the show and school them both on the art of mead making. Michael is a former homebrewer turned pro-meadmaker, and has been active in the judging community for many years. On today's show, he shares his passion for meads, how he got started, and drops some tips along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 05/07/21
Taking your homebrew to the "next level" can mean many things. Often times, it involves some kind of contact with wood. On today's show, we examine barrel aging in all of it's facets, how do do it properly, and what it can to to benefit - and harm - your beer! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 05/05/21