Deja Bru Homebrew Competition is a one-of-a-kind competition showcasing lost and historical styles, giving brewers and judges a unique opportunity to experience styles that are far outside of the everyday tap list. In this episode we talk with competition organizers and judges about what sets this competition apart from other contests, why it was so
We’re getting pro tips from Imperial Yeast on fermenting high-gravity lager beers. Adam McClure, Technical Support Specialist at Imperial Yeast, discusses special considerations for higher alcohol lagers including yeast cell count and pitch rate, staggered aeration, fermentation temperature, and extended lagering techniques. Plus, the importance of performing both forced fermentation and VDK (or diacetyl) tests
We’re gearing up for Big Brew Day 2023 with our friends at Imperial Yeast by going grain-to-glass on Que Frio Cold IPA, a most aromatic and delicious take on the style packed with Cryo Hops from whirlpool to double dry-hop and fermented with Imperial Yeast L09 Que Bueno. See how this beer was brewed and
It’s a rock n’ roll lager of delicious proportions. Chip and his coworker pal William Richartz brew Dawson’s recipe for Artimus Pils, a characterful lager inspired by our long-time theme song artist Abstract Artimus, loaded with Bohemian floor-malted Pilsner malt and Czech Kazbek hops. The 10-gallon batch is split; half fermented with Imperial Yeast Hygge
In this episode we get pro tips on brewing Hazy IPA from Falling Knife Brewing Company, using their Hidden Temple Hazy IPA as a great example of the style. From ingredient selection and fermentation, to dry hopping and carbonating, chief brewing officer Tom Berg and head brewer Robbie Denaway get real nerdy on the do’s
We’re eating and drinking good in celebration of Mardi Gras! The Krewe of Chop & Brew gathers for a Carnival-themed lunch of homemade Creole food: chicken and sausage jambalya, shrimp etouffee, pork belly rillons, greens, cornbread, king cake and bread pudding. Plus, a homebrewed Black Rose Imperial Stout brewed and fermented just in time to
Embark on a most epic flight of traditional meads with two mead masters, Steve Fletty and Josh Holbrook. Traditional meads are made with a single variety of honey and very little else as a way to showcase the characteristics and flavor attributes of that honey. Over the course of almost a dozen examples we try
In this episode of Chop & Brew we’re celebrating the season – Girl Scout Cookie Season, that is – with a pint of Thin Mint Stout. An amped-up Rye Irish Stout brewed with crushed Thin Mint cookies in the mash and a quick conditioning for a wonderful chocolatey, minty treat… for grown-ups. You can follow
We have a very festive and Carnivalesque grand finale to this year’s Mardi Gras Madness mini-series as we taste and talk about three Mardi Gras themed beers from Zony Mash Beer Project in New Orleans with owner-brewer Mitch Grittman: Zony Pop Hurricane Spiked Seltzer, a fruited hard seltzer; Mystic Brewe of Mardi Gras, a Hurricane-inspired
We’re brewing up something extra fun for Carnival season: a King Cake Spiced Pastry Ale with chopped up King Cakes in the mash and some spices in the boil to pay tribute to that most inconic of Mardi Gras treats! Homebrewing Recipe: King Cake Spiced Pastry Ale My original King Cake Ale Episode & Recipe
A Chop & Brew tribute to one of the finest shows on the internet. Prepare to watch some faces get melted! Related Links Immerse yourself in the fiery goodness of First We Feast’s Hot Ones. See this document for ingredients and more information on the sauces from Hot Ones Season 16. Shout-out to Heatonist Hot
We’re starting the new year with a renewed interest in smoked beers and starting a series of smokey episodes by going all-in with a 100% alderwood smoked beer. Lawton Boone and Jackson Stucker sent us their Stjørdal-Style Farmhouse Ale, brewed with alderwood-smoked malt from Sugar Creek Malt Company, and it absolutely brew our minds! Join
You’ve heard of cover songs? Well, this is a cover beer! We go from grain to glass on a very Guinness-like Dry Irish Stout brewed in honor of the late MF DOOM for enjoying on the anniversary of his passing, Halloween night. Chip brews an all-grain version of the beer with his new mini-masher and
We have a Halloween treat for you in the form of a wacky tasting notes video. But we’re not sampling beer here; we’re tasting a bunch of different candy corn varieties, and it includes everything: the good, the bad, and definitely the ugly. Chip and Elsa are joined by friends Damon and Andi for a
This recipe comes to Chop & Brew by way of our friend and MVP Chop & Brew Homebrew Club member Brooks Edman. Brooks is a boss when it comes to wild, sour, and funky beers and this refreshingly tart and fruity beer is no exception. Below Brooks explains the inspiration for the beer and
Bad Weather Brewing Company head brewer Andy Ruhland shares the first beer from the brewery’s Heritage Lager Series and tells Chip the story behind the brew. Andy also talks about his goal for recreating historical lagers and chasing down vintage styles to bring them back for modern beer lovers. FYI: Andy and crew will be
Valkyries Horn is one of the a newer mead competitions, but is already highly regarded among mead makers and mead judges. In 2020, comp organizers pivoted and persevered to create a fun and unique virtual judging experience, and by doing so helped rewrite the rules and guidelines on coordinating contests in the age of COVID.
It’s Christmas in July and we’re cracking open a bottle of well-aged homemade egg nog, a gift from friend-of-the-show Vince Green. Vince talks Chip through the Alton Brown recipe and they sample the boozy yumminess with lifted spirits. She’s a beaut, Clark! Aged Egg Nog Recipe (Alton Brown) Become a C&B Patreon Supporter
We take a road trip to F.H. Steinbart Company, the oldest and longest continually operating homebrew shop in the U.S, to reflect on 100 years of homebrewing and brew up a special commemorative collaboration beer. We also join the Portland homebrewing community in mourning the loss of store owner John DeBenedetti, who passed away on
It’s a unique springtime treat as Chip is joined by Steve Fletty to sample his lilac mead, an orange blossom traditional mead back sweetened with homemade lilac simple syrup. We see how the syrup and mead were made, and get tasting notes from the guys. Homemade Lilac Mead Recipe (includes Lilac Simple Syrup recipe) More
Paul Illa brews up a tribute beer based on a homebrew clone recipe for Jedi Juice NEIPA (now called simply J-Juice) from Hop Nation Brewing Company in Melbourne, Australia. Why? Because our good friend Bob Sodman was craving that hazy juice! (What a nice guy.) We taste the beer and Illa shares some of the
In this episode of Chop & Brew, a group of us got together to brew seven different takes on the popular Janet’s Brown Ale homebrew recipe, created and popularized by the late and great Mike “Tasty” McDole. The American Homebrewers Association chose Janet’s Brown Ale as one of their suggested homebrew recipes for this year’s
Chip talks with pro brewers Aaron Herman (Arbeiter Brewing Co.) and Nick Walby (Fair State Brewing Cooperative) about the exciting technique of dip hopping, which involves making a hop tea with a portion of brew day wort in the fermenter before filling completely and fermenting. Check out the May/June 2021 issue of Brew Your Own
Smoked beer meets hard apple cider in this episode of Chop & Brew. Chip shares the story of his rauchgraf or smoked graf, a hybrid beverage fermented from a blend of rauchbier wort and orchard fresh apple cider. The result is something delightfully smoky and slighty tart with a bit of malt and apple sweetness.
The Norwegian Kornølfestival is like the Homebrew Con and GABF of Norwegian farmhouse ales fermented with kveik. In this episode, Chip talks with two festival organizers — Lars Marius Garshol and Stig Seljeset — about this year’s virtual version of the festival before discussing more widely the global interest in and appreciation of kveik yeast
Chip and DonO sample three beers sent to us from fan Dean Symborski including two brews inspired by Chop & Brew shenanigans and a Hopslam Ale homebrew clone. Three cheers for the great homebrew AND for sharing the recipes below! Homebrew Recipes: Spruce Tip Cream Ale Hopslam Ale Clone Fat Proper: Double Rye Stout +
In this Chop Episode, we get down with a special dog-friendly birthday burger for Charlie P. the Dog… and grill-smoked burgers for humans. This video was brought to you with support from our Patreon Party People. Join them in showing support for C&B.
Chip makes the best of cancelled Oktoberfest celebrations by taking the party online with Vince Hucek, a Milwaukee homebrewer who is uber-obsessed with Oktoberfest. Chip and Vince drink their way through four examples while discussing the finer points of the style, their emotional attachment to Oktoberfests, their favorite riffs on the tradition, and Vince’s epic
In this collaboration chop episode, Brian Huntley (Short Circuited Brewers) shows us the ways of homemade sausage made using a marble-y cut of pork shoulder and some of his favorite spices. Check out Brian’s brewing adventures, equipment reviews and more at Short Circuited Brewers YouTube page. Support Chop & Brew via Patreon
NanoCon is an awesome conference for nanobrewers and homebrewers looking to upgrade into the nanobrew space. In this episode, we go behind the scenes to see what the conference is all about and to talk beer gadgets and equipment with vendors, and about the motivation to start a nanobrewery with attendees from the
We talk with Niko Tonks, head brewer at Fair State Brewing Cooperative in Minneapolis about his Black is Beautiful variant, which is a blend of the suggested imperial stout recipe blended with a previous batch of barrel-aged Pecan Pie Stout. Niko shares some process tips for brewing big imperial stouts. He also talks more in
The Mustard Beer has arrived! We taste the eagerly awaited (by us anyway) collaboration between French’s Classic Yellow Mustard and Oskar Blues Brewing. And, it is quite pleasant! Links Mustard Beer Homebrew Recipe (Note: puree quantities are in pounds, not gallons) Support Chop & Brew via Patreon
Bad Ass Bryon Adams had an idea: one wort, nine different saison-friendly yeasts. What could go wrong? Turns out, not much actually. BABA and Chip deliver tasting notes on some of the beers. Chip finally got around to editing this from video shot in summer 2018, but with ambient temps skyrocketing this week all across
Opening a brewery is a marathon, not a sprint. And that marathon is full of unexpected potholes and hurdles along the way. We share a beer with and talk to Aaron Herman and Juno Choi, two of the guys working to start Arbeiter Brewing Company in South Minneapolis about their experience planning and building out
Black is Beautiful is a worldwide beer collaboration and social initiative powered by a big imperial stout. Chip talks with Marcus Baskerville, head brewer and founder of Weathered Souls Brewing Company in San Antonio, about the recipe and social justice cause behind this beer. Marcus also gave us some tips to homebrewers who want to
Black is Beautiful is a worldwide beer collaboration and social initiative powered by a big imperial stout. In this episode of Chop & Brew we talked with Marcus Baskerville, head brewer and founder of Weathered Souls Brewing Company in San Antonio, about the recipe and social justice cause behind this beer. Marcus also gave us
All Together IPA is a worldwide collaboration project to support hospitality professionals affected by COVID-19, inspired by an open source recipe from Other Half Brewing. Paul Illa and Chip get together to do quick tasting notes on a version from Black Stack Brewing and talk about how homebrewers can help the cause. All Together Campaign
Forgot the malts and hops, we’re making Spruce Tip Wine! Chip ferments a beverage from homemade spruce tip simple syrup for a wonderfully refreshing and citrus-y summer slammer. Helpful Links How to Make Spruce Tip Syrup Meet the Brewer: Nico Lingg | Wappler Brewing – bonus video beer tasting and interview Support Chop & Brew
Austrian homebrewer and nomad collaborator Nico Lingg stops by Chop & Brew HQ to share a very unique beer he created, a sour ale fermented with a native zirben pine cone, and to tell us about the homebrewing scene in Vienna. Related Links Nico’s Wappler Brewing Also hear from Nico in Chop & Brew –
Chip reunites with Jake Keeler and Michael Dawson to discuss the Brewing TV webshow, their favorite moments from production, the lasting effect on their careers, and present BTV 0: The Lost Episode. Huge thanks to Northern Brewer Homebrew Supply for allowing us to share the 2010 footage. Support Chop & Brew via Patreon Chop &
There’s nothing like a high-gravity brew day with the boys! Chip and Dawson gather to help… errr… watch DonO brew an epic barleywine recipe from Dawson’s Mashmaker book. Brainstorming, good times, and never-ending wort ensues! Storm in a Teacup Golden Barleywine Homebrew Recipe SMASHASS Second Runnings Homebrew Review You really should own Dawson’s Mashmaker Book
Epic mead episode ahead! Chip sits down for a flight of fantastic mead and enlightening conversation with mazer Jared Ro Bear of Superstition Meadery (Prescott, AZ). Topics include blending, dry-hopping, and working with unique ingredients. Superstition Meadery BOMM Mead Recipe Become a Chop & Brew supporter on Patreon
Episode 97 | We celebrate another 311 Day with a hazy, hop bomb of a beer featuring flaked maize, flaked oats, and spelt malt in the mash with a whole lot of Cluster and Mosaic hops in the kettle and dry hop. Paul Illa is in the house for tasting notes on our From Chaos
Chapter 71 | The Upside Down (Cake) is a deliciously dark treat and Chop & Brew food tribute for Stranger Things. Think of it as gingerbread meets a pineapple upside-down cake. While we made it for the upcoming premiere of Stranger Things 2, it would also make a nice addition to the dessert table at
Episode 63: Chip & Meadmaker of the Year Steve Fletty continue their conversation about meadmaking. Topics include fruit meads, yeast health, ageing, and blending. See link below for the first part of this session. [Original postdate: July 31, 2017] Related Links Steve Fletty Mead Recipes Orange Blossom Session Mead Holy Cacao! Chocolate Mead Mesquite
Chop & Brew | Mead Masters: Steve Fletty (Part 1) Episode 62: Steve Fletty (Meadmaker of the Year 2007 and 2016) hosts a flight of three meads and a discussion of his meadmaking process. See link below for the second part of this session. [Original postdate: August 1, 2017] Related Links Watch Mead Masters:
Episode 61: Chip and Don go to work on a short flight of Irish craft beer presented by Brian Condron from the Irish Craft Beer Show. Beers include Yellowbelly Lager, Yellowbelly Castaway Passionfruit Sour, and Whiplash Brewing Company’s Surrender to the Void (Beoir Beer of the Year 2017). We discuss the Irish craft beer scene
Quick video to preview everything that is going on for Chop & Brew at Homebrew Con 2017 in Minneapolis (Thurs-Sat, June 15-17) including pre-con events like the St Paul Summer Beer Fest (Sat, June 10) and the Chop & Brü Prefunk Party at Insight Brewing (Weds, June 14). Related Links Homebrew Con Website HBC Events
You’re invited to Chop & Brew and Brülosophy’s Chop & Brü Prefunk Party at Insight Brewing the night before American Homebrewers Association’s Homebrew Con 2017. There’s going to be great beer (including a special release beer brewed with ingredients donated from BSG Craftbrewing and Imperial Yeast), food from New Bohemia Food Truck, brewery tours, and
Below is the homebrew-scale recipe for Short Vacation, a Belgian table beer brewed by Insight Brewing specifically for the Chop & Brü Prefunk Party. The beer will be on tap for the party. If you are coming to the party, consider brewing your own version and bringing it to sample alongside the pro version. (Note: all
In Chop & Brew – Episode 60, we discussed at length the process of making dandelion wine at home. We also sampled three different dandelion wines, two from Don Osborn and one from Chip Walton. Unfortunately, Chip is a horrible note-taker when it comes to fermentation. It wasn’t always that way. Early on in
Episode 60: Spring is here, and so are the dandelions. Don’t let them get you frustrated. Put them to good use by making them into dandelion wine. Chip and Don Osborn discuss the how to make dandelion wine at home and give their tasting notes on three different versions from their cellars. [Original postdate: April 28,
Episode 59: Chop & Brew visits Dublin, Ireland for BrewCon, the country’s annual homebrewers conference and party. The event and competition is organized by the National Homebrew Club. Come with us to learn more about BrewCon and about homebrew culture on the Emerald Isle. [Original postdate: April 9, 2017] Related Links BrewCon website National Homebrew
Here are a two recipes related to Chop & Brew – Episode 59: BrewCon & Homebrewing in Ireland. See below for the following recipes: Saison’s in the Sun (Table Strength Saison) brewed by Adrian Crombie. This beer won Best of Show at the 2017 Irish National Brewing Championships. Sweet Brown (Almond Cherry Brown Ale) a bonus recipe from Sarah
Episode 58: We’re back at Bad Weather Brewing Company to taste Solar Wave Golden IPA, the pro-am style collaboration beer we brewed there a month ago. The discussion includes some thoughts on the new Idaho 7 hop, filtering hoppy beers, and some advice for homebrewers making Solar Wave at home. [Original postdate: March 1, 2017]
In Episode 57, Chip, Don O., and Dawson discuss the regional beer style known as Northeast Ohio Style Holiday Ales by way of tasting notes and input from two craft brewers in Cleveland, OH — Andy Tveekrem from Market Garden Brewery and Vaughn Stewart from Portside Distillery & Brewery. [Original postdate: February 25, 2017] Related
The following recipe for and discussion of Ice Cutter Winter Warmer was graciously shared with Chop & Brew by our good friend Vaughn Stewart, director of brewing and distilling operations at Portside Distillery & Brewery in Cleveland, OH. Ice Cutter is a winter warmer style ale spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon and allspiced, and dosed with
The Krewe of Chop & Brew visits Bad Weather Brewing Company to collaborate on a new beer called Solar Wave Golden IPA. BWBC head brewer Andy Ruhland introduces the beer and provides a homebrew-scale version of the recipe. [Original postdate: February 4, 2017] Related Links Solar Wave Golden IPA Homebrew Recipe Bad Weather Brewing Company BWBC
We’re back in the basement homebrewery of Cody Myers-Miller, tasting and learning about the unique brewing process for his Gotlandsdricka Style Ale and Christmas Wit. [Original postdate: January 22, 2017] Related Links Homebrew Recipes from Episode 55: Cody’s Gotlandsdricka Style Ale Cody’s Christmas Wit Michael Jackson: “The Goodland island and its ancient beers” For more
We learn to homebrew a Swedish style of beer called svagdricka with the advice and help of our friend, Swedish homebrewer/craft brewer Mikael Holmlund. Think of it as an even more sessionable version of an English dark mild. It’s a fun beer to brew and drink. [Original postdate: December 31, 2016] Related Links: Svagdricka Homebrew
Tis the season for a high-gravity doppelbock treat called Samichlaus. Join Chip, Don O. and Michael Dawson as they tell the tale of this wonderful super-lager, and enjoy examples from the Austrian brewery and our Minnesota homebreweries. [Original postdate: December 22, 2016] Related Links: Samichlaus History & Homebrew Recipes Samichlaus information via Schloss Eggenberg website
The Krewe of Chop & Brew takes the One Chip Challenge with Paqui Torilla Chips’ Carolina Reaper Madness! Self-proclaimed to be the world’s hottest pepper chip, it is made with Carolina Reaper, Ghost, Cayenne and Chipotle Peppers. When they say it’s HOT, they ain’t lying! See what happens when we take the fiery challenge. [Original
Autumn is here and we have comfort food on our minds. Irish comfort food! We cook a batch of Irish Coddle to share with our friendly Irishman Damian McConn and discuss the tradition of the dish in his mother country. [Original postdate: November 3, 2016] Related Links: Irish Coddle Recipes Get Your Chop & Brew
As Damian McConn joked/explained in Chop & Brew – Episode 51: Irish Coddle, for every twelve Dublin cabbies you ask about their ma’s coddle recipe you’ll get thirteen different replies. For the recipe we made in Episode 51 we took influence from several sources, primarily the recipe below from Irish Countrywoman’s Association. Below are links to
We celebrate Chop & Brew’s 50th episode with a homebrew worthy of Carnival season! Chip collaborates on a King Cake Ale recipe as tribute to one of the most famous foods of Mardi Gras. [Original postdate: October 17, 2016] Related Links: King Cake Ale Homebrew Recipe History of King Cakes at Mardi Gras Get Your
Homebrew icon and guru Charlie Papazian delivers a homebrew history lesson of epic proportion tracing the early days of the homebrew hobby and culture in the United States. This presentation is nothing short of essential knowledge for homebrewers and craft beer geeks alike. [Original postdate: September 6, 2016] Related Links: American Homebrewers Association Get Your
En route to Florida from Minnesota with his family, Bryon Adams stops by the Tennessee home of C&B fan and friend Benjamin Valentine. The guys do a quick tasting notes session on a beer that Benjamin has been sitting on for a while – a split batch fermented with wine yeast and brett. [Original
We step in the kitchen and out to the grill with Chef Zander Dixon for a taste of his unique twist on the classic Juicy Lucy aka Stuffed Hamburger. Zander’s lessons include a stripped-down approach to making burger patties and creating jazzed-up fillings including The Popper and Garlic Fiend. [Original postdate: April 17, 2016] RELATED
It’s a rice lager summer! Three homebrewing neighbors try our hand at three different takes on this light, refreshing, surprisingly fun-to-brew beer style. We talk about what makes the style tick, document a couple brew days, and share tasting notes on the final beers. Shout-out to Imperial Yeast and RahrBSG for helping us out with
Yamanote-sen is inspired by the “premium” lagers of Japan, which rely on rice to lighten body. Rice lends a crispness to this style of beer and helps dry out the finish. Unlike big macro-lagers, though, you’ll find plenty of hop flavor and aroma here, including the characteristic lemony contributions of Sorachi Ace, a hop variety
Join the Krewe of Chop & Brew for a pro-am collaboration with Unmapped Brewing Company! Mindspin Midwest IPA is a special brew project to celebrate 311 Day, brewed with high-quality corn syrup and a very unique hop variety HBC 1019 – think peaches and cream meets pina colada. Come along for the excitable brew day
