Come and Brew It Radio

Tune and listen while Brandon and James evaluate and taste 3 submissions. Tasting notes and style guidelines for each.

Just when you thought it was safe…..we’re back!!! In this episode we are going to we are going to continue many of our regular features but also discuss our new series, “Make Beer Beer Again”. Last episode we discussed our American Pale Ales. Tonight we discuss their British counterparts, and specifically Strong Bitters. We have several variations on the same idea, both commercial & those that we have brewed to varying success. We will talk about how they came out, and what we will do different in the future. We also have a couple of guests with us with examples of their own.

In this episode, we discuss a Belgian Dubble brewed by one of our superfine. And Also a unique London Brown style ale not may are familier with.

In this episode we are going to we are going to get back to our new series, “Make Beer Beer Again” by tasting the results of our pale ale brews. We have several variations on the same idea, and likely several levels of varying success. We will talk about how they came ou, and what we will do different in the future.    In the second half, we are going to dive into stouts. Most examples you find today are big and boozy, some are barrel aged, and many of them are stuffed with big bold flavor additions like chocolate, coffee, even sweeteners. We are going to get back to the roots of a style that used to be a staple for all craft breweries, and see if we can remind everyone of the bold but drinkable versions we cut our teeth on.

Sorry it has been a while since we have uploaded and episode. We have had a tragic time.

In this episode, we discuss a variety of topics, but primary on the plate is brewing beer that everyone would consider beer again. The current climate offers a wide variety of beers with additions and it's almost hard to find straight forward versions of styles that used to be ubiquitous. This time around, we talk about Pale Ale and building a recipe for one. In future episodes, we'll bring in our examples. In addition to that, we discuss several aspects of kegerator cleaning and maintenance that every new kegger needs to consider.

In this episode, we discuss the Biere de Garde style and cover a few details about brewing those bigger end-of-year beers that go so well with the seasons, including pumpkin beers. 

In this episode, we finally get around to discussing hard seltzers and how to "brew" them with a broad sampling of both commercial and homebrewed versions. Plus, we have the Denton County Homebrewers in studio to tell us about organizing their new homebrew competition aimed specifically at English beer styles, The Redcoat Challenge. 

In this episode, we discuss the use of Munton's new Planet malt in Brandon's ESB and then we get into low ABV brewing techniques while sampling some low percentage commercial examples and discussing Greg's 1.7% Pale Lager and 2% Pale Ale. You CAN brew a tasty beer without much alcohol that makes for an enjoyable lawn mower or long evening beer.

In this episode, we finally catch up on some recent events as of the time of this recording, then we get into a fun blind tasting of several commercial beers to see who can nail the style and better yet, the actual beer. Finally, we have Josh in from Rabbit Hole Brewing to help us discuss and formulate a recipe for a hard to find style that combines honey and malt: The Braggot.

In this episode, we discuss a Belgian pale style ale that was brewed with Kveik yeast received through a yeast exchange against the same beer fermented with strains of Brett and an Abbey ale yeast, then we go onto a Beer Gone Wrong that Brandon brought in from an impromptu brewday.

Final gravity the show where we take evaluation to a whole new level beyond judging. We evaluate recipe to glass. This is not a style show, its a “Your Beer” show. Unlike blind judging, Brandon Martin and James Lallande will evaluate you beer along side of your recipe and process based on what You wanted to brew then provide perception, feedback, and a little unsolicited advice. In this first episode, we examine a customer submitted Belgian Golden Strong and a listener submitted Chocolate Hazelnut Porter.

In this episode, we are going to talk about aging and cellaring your beer. We have all had that special rare find that we want to age to perfection before pouring at a special occasion and hopefully we have all had that one batch of homebrew that was so good we wanted to save a few bottles as long as possible. Cellaring beer has almost become a hobby of its own, but what exactly happens to that beer as it sits in the bottle, and how long is too long. We are going to try a few cellared beers and talk about when to drink and when to save.

In this episode, we cover a variety of topics including brewing methods with a focus on decoction, we sample a wet hop Kolsch experiment, we have an excellent prepared food pairing discussion prepared by our Cicerone-in-Training, Sandra, and we finally get around to trying Mikey's Canadian beer haul. 

In the episode we are going to talk about our favorite event of the year: The Bluebonnet Brewoff! Along with all the judging and scoresheet interpretation that goes with it. Also, we are talking about summer brewing! 

In this episode, we focus on the American Lager and Light Lager, BJCP Categories 1A and 1B. We know these are styles that are easy to poke fun at. However, it is hard to not recognize the skill it takes to make a beer that light. With little room for error, the big boys have figured out a way to make these “lawnmower” beers taste exactly the same no matter where they are brewed. We have a selection of the mass-produced American beers to discuss, plus we will be sampling some local interpretations of the styles as well as some style variants. So grab a tall boy and kick up your feet.

In this episode, we will be discussing the somewhat newly named pastry beer trend. It’s been around in a form with breakfast stouts and other stouts and porters for a while, but has been taken to many new levels in a variety of other styles--all to capture the flavors of pastries. It could be the use of spices and specialty grains or even actual pastries to get the right flavors to make a beer that captures the flavor of baked goods and desserts. And to have this discussion, we’ve enlisted some of our local specialists with Sherman’s own Jeremy and Natalie Roberts, owners of 903 Brewers. Plus, we may even have a donut pairing to go with it all.

In this episode, we have the folks from Wild Acre Brewing Company in the studio with us to talk about their beers, building their brewing water, and to do one of our favorite things--develop a new recipe on-air to brew together! But we all know what you’ve really been wanting to know when we mention Wild Acre, and it’s true--J-to-the-Roid is back in the house and on the mic! He is now the Co-Head Brewer with Zack Hawkins at Wild Acre and we’re glad to have them in to pick their brains on brewing. So, pour yourself a cold one, put down that bag of dicks, and let’s get started!

In this episode, we’re going to step off the usual beer path and have a conversation about kombucha. And luckily for us, we have some experts in the studio to talk about it! Tonight we have some of the crew from Holy Kombucha in Dallas, which just happens to include a voice you’ve heard before from our own Cedric Freeman. We also have a few interesting things to discuss in recent happenings and we’ll be hitting up the Leipzig Gose, a historical BJCP style that we’ve discussed in the past, but tonight we have some from the source and wanted to give it a little more focus. So, pucker up buttercup because it’ll be a tart one.

In this episode, we have our local BJCP Grand Master II back in studio with us to discuss the Jovaru Lithuanian Farmhouse yeast from Omega Yeast. He was in when we had our recent call with Omega co-founder Lance Shaner about their Kveik yeasts and has since brewed up a couple of more traditional batches to try their new Jovaru strain. Plus, we have a west coast style IPA fermented with Jovaru to find out how it might be with something less traditional. 

In this episode, we will be discussing a few Patreon listener submissions and trying the samples of Czech pils that Stubby brought back from his last trip to Germany. Being a Patron has it’s benefits and tonight we’ll be speaking with Patrons Aaron Rogers and Joey Carter about their beers. Plus, we have a few odds and ends for your enjoyment. So, pour some pivo and prepare yourselves because it’s time to release the kraken!

In this episode, we cover BJCP style category 16A Sweet Stout, that dark, rich, sweet, and slightly roasty version of a stout of varying ABV levels that’s perfect for an autumn or winter evening. It’s listed under category 16 Dark British Beer, but where it may not be modified as often overseas, it’s frequently found with additions here in the states. Why? Because it’s a great base style to work with a large variety of flavors. Plus, we have Ryan McWhorter of Panther Island Brewing Co in studio with us to help us talk about this versatile style and one of their more popular brews is Sweet Fang, a seasonal chocolate peanut butter milk stout.

In this episode, we discuss the emerging Brut IPA sub-style with an example of the Social Kitchen recipe Greg brewed and one that Rahr and Sons brewed for their 14th anniversary party. Then we get into the discussion of splitting batches for experimenting to get the most from a recipe while trying a version from Nigel. We had a few technical issues with the equipment at the beginning of the show that lead to losing the first five or so minutes of Brandon's audio and more or less the first 30 minutes of live video on YouTube. But, we do have that audio and video in the related Facebook video for the episode.

In this episode, we continue our coverage of the beers Nigel brought back from his recent visit to England and hear about some of the places he went and how the beer scene is there. Tonight’s beers have a strong focus on the darker British ales, like porters and stouts, but there are a few others in there too, including some that were bottled as he was there. Plus, since he’s the traveling type, he stopped in to visit the new digs of our friends down at Guadalupe Brewing Co in New Braunfels, TX and brought back a few samples of their recent batches that we want to dig into. So, pour yourself a cask ale and put on your best S&M gear to kick back because we’re gonna get British!

In this episode, we have a discussion with Lance Shaner, co-founder and owner with Mark Schwarz, of Omega Yeast Labs. They’ve been having a huge impact on the homebrew scene not only due to their high viability, high cell count liquid yeast packs, but because they are offering such a variety of flavors with their strains. Tonight, we have a set of experiments we did with their Voss, Hothead, and Hornindal Kveik offerings that we will be discussing, as well as simply having Lance enlighten us about the company and their offerings, particularly the background and possibilities of the Norwegian Kveiks.

In this episode, we dive into a discussion of Stubby’s recent trip to Germany and Nigel’s recent trip to England--all while we sample a few of the beers they brought back! Stubby had a great time visiting Ireks, but he also was there for a hop harvest and more. Nigel hit up a variety of breweries, got some interviews, and searched for a bunch of beers. Here, we try a set of Bitters he brought back and see what kind of trouble he got into. So, put on your fancy lederhosen and grab a plate of bangers and mash because it’s show time!

In this episode, we discuss BJCP style category 8B Schwarzbier and discuss a few examples we can get locally. It’s a quaffable dark style with a light enough body and flavor character that it’s easy to drink year around, but always great as we move into the cooler months of the year. We will also hear a little about Stubby’s recent trip to Germany and do some side by side comparisons of German brewed beer bought in Germany with the same beer bought here to see what differences we might notice.

In this episode, as summer starts to come to an end, we’re going to cover a favorite style for the Fall--BJCP cat. 10C Weizenbock! It’s a strong wheat beer that matures quickly and if you brew it now, it’ll be in perfect shape for cooler evenings in October and November. Plus, we get into some discussion of homebrew in pop culture, water treatments, and more!

In this episode, we talk about fast turnaround primary fermentation for lager beers or what is commonly called Fast Lagering. It’s sort of a misnomer because lagering means cold storage, which does take time to properly do its thing. But it takes far less time when you work the primary fermentation of a lager yeast strain to get the best results in the fastest time possible, so you get better, more drinkable lagers in weeks instead of months. Plus, we another Hop-o-Rama that covers a few of the more popular high alpha varieties that work as bittering hops as well as finishing hops. 

In this episode, we aim at discussing some of the things to think about when brewing in the summer heat to make for a better, more productive brewday, like timing, chilling, and of course, what styles might be best for the situation and season. Which will include a listener requested discussion about the possibilities for styles that can be quickly soured--like Berliner Weisse, Gose, and Sour Golden Ales--for a refreshing summer treat.

In this episode, we recap some of our experiences at the 2018 Homebrewcon in Portland, OR and we have the results of our second British Golden Ale recipe experiment in studio to discuss the recipe changes we made and whether they resulted in a better version of the style and a more crushable beer.

In this episode, we have our friends from The Collective Brewing Project back in studio with us to discuss what they’ve been up to recently and to help discuss making additions to your beer to change that flavor profile. It’s most often fruit and wood, but we hope to branch out into a few other interesting areas and lately The Collective has been catching some nationwide notoriety for some of their experiments. Then, later in the show we have a phone-in discussion with Josh Noel, beer writer for the Chicago Tribune and author of the recently released Barrel Aged Stout and Selling Out: Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch, and How Craft Beer Became Big Business.

In this episode, we finally have our follow up to the NEIPA brew challenge we started a while back with Turning Point Beer. If you haven’t seen the discussion video on our Come and Brew It Facebook page, we had some of our local award winning homebrewers Mike Treadway, Sean Vreeland, and Jeremy Sanders chat with Alex and the guys from Turning Point about how they might “clone” one of their beers and get a feel for the hazy styles in general. Well, tonight we have the resultant beers in studio and to compare them and let the guys from Turning Point weigh in on them. Did our local guys manage to clone their Double Dry Hopped Extra Pulp or did they just come up with a tasty NEIPA?

In this episode, we had David Clark from New Main Brewing in studio with us to discuss the benefits and methods of record keeping to become a better brewer, along with the possibilities you can discover when you use flavor flights to see where you can take your beers. New Main is a recent addition to the DFW brew scene in the Pantego area. David has been blogging about beer for a long time and is also a member of the Casually Lit podcast.

In this episode, we revisit our discussion on what might be our favorite piece of brewing equipment, The Grainfather! And to do it, we have several of our Grainfather brewers on the podcast to share their experiences. There’s been a whole lot of brewing going on with both the old version and the new Connect, so hopefully you learn something useful! Plus, we have local artist J/O/E in studio to delve into the craft beer music scene. 

In this episode, we have Macy Moore from HopFusion and Ned Steele from LUCK in studio to help us discuss infusing your beer with a variety of flavors as you serve it and to get back into the discussion of cooking with beer.

In this episode, we’re going to revisit two of our continuing segments with Yeast-o-Rama and Malt-o-Rama and also talk about a few competition beers and their judging results. In Yeast-o-Rama, we talk about three of the yeasts we have experience with for NEIPAs--because that’s about all anyone is talking about--and then we talk about a couple of dry lager yeasts. Then, in Malt-o-Rama we’ll be going over some of the variety for Rye malt.

In this episode, we recap some of our experience at the 2018 Bluebonnet Brew Off--including content related to our Omega yeast saison experiment--and we get into the topic that always comes up around BBBO, judging concerns. Plus, we do it with the help of Rahr and Sons' Barrelmaster, Austin Heisch! And we finish off with discussion of some out of state beers.

In this episode, we revisit the British Golden Ale style with the results of an experiment Nigel and Greg did with developing a recipe based on all the beers we tried in our style specific show. Plus, we have a few beers to try from the Tennessee area and we see what we might be able to do with a new in-shop competition to develop new kits with the many spices we have available. So, sit back, pour a pint, and enjoy the show!

In this episode, we go over the 3 versions of one of our favorite styles: The Pilsner. The 2015 BJCP guidelines have reorganized the previous descriptions, but there are generally 3 variations including German, Czech, and American. Yet, the core of each is that easy to drink, crisp, refreshing light lager character, backed up with a nice hoppiness. We try a few and discuss the differences and considerations for brewing them.

In this episode, we go back to “re-do” our Belgian Dark Strong/Quad episode because our last episode got a little out of hand and completely unintelligible at times. In fact, it was the first time we got the suggestion to add a bouncer for the show! Well, we just wanted to go over the style again and we even have Shawn Kidwell from Cowtown Brewing back in studio to help. Also, to go with the subject, we’re also going to discuss cellaring your beer to keep it at it’s best and what might happen if your storage methods aren't tip top.

In this episode, we start some new short segments, get into our second Malt-o-Rama topic with a focus on wheat malts--because there’s often some confusion between what’s available, what’s in a recipe, and what people really want when using wheat. Then we continue our Making Plans for Nigel discussion by answering more of the questions we had on our list from the last time. 

In this episode, we’re going back to another segment of our Making Plans for Nigel discussion where we cover more of the questions we had leftover from our first round. All aimed at answering the questions of newer and intermediate brewers. We had a good response to what we discussed last time and could have easily filled up a few more hours on most of the questions, so here we are again!

In this episode, we have Ross Hughes the Brewing Sales Executive for the US midwest region for Muntons malting company. Most of you know Muntons, but for those who don’t they are a leading global player in the supply of malts, malt extracts, flours, flakes, and many other malted ingredients relevant to the food and drink industry. After our discussion with Ross, we open up a few of our bottle conditioned Omega Yeast Brett blend saisons from Learn to Homebrew Day. We try the Saisonstein's Monster, the American Farmhouse, Where Da Funk, and Bring Da Funk. 

In this episode, our resident Brit Nigel brought back a haul of beer brewed in England including a series of Golden Ales, Milds, Christmas Ales, and Winter Warmers. Last week we learned a lot focusing on the Golden Ales and Milds, but tonight we are going to give our focus to the second half of that haul and talk about the English Christmas Ales and Winter Warmers that fall under BJCP categories 30C Winter Seasonal Beer, 17A British Strong Ale, and 17B Old Ale. So again, we want to give a big thanks to Nigel for all the effort he went to bringing home a set of beers from the source so we could help educate you about the styles.

In this episode, our resident Brit Nigel brought back a haul of beer brewed in England including a series of Golden Ales, Milds, Christmas Ales, and Winter Warmers. Tonight we focus on half of that haul and talk about BJCP category 12A British Golden Ale and the far too uncommon category 13A - Dark Mild. Plus, we also had our local BJCP Grandmaster Judge, James Lallande, back in studio to help! So, we want to give a big thanks to Nigel for all the effort he went to bringing home a set of beers from the source so we could help educate you about the styles.

In this episode, we have Kevin Lane from Fermentis back in studio with us to tell us about some of the newer Fermentis products and have a discussion about getting higher attenuation out of your fermentations. He has some new things to tell us about and at least one of them (HA-18) is a serious weapon as far as getting an incredible amount of attenuation out of your higher ABV brews, so hopefully you’ll see it as a new option for your brewing toolbox soon!

In this episode, we cover some previous territory and revisit the basics of packaging and priming to fill in some listener requests. We know that many of you have questions about the best methods and especially, how you might--and we stress might--be able to save something that didn’t turn out as planned. Plus, we also get into a new segment describing a few details about malts and the differences between some of what’s available that we will call Malt-o-Rama. Other than that, the usual shenanigans and arseholery that you all know and love us for.

In this episode, we address several questions we recently received from listeners, and dive back into water and water treatments. Water treatments can help bring out a variety of different flavors in your beer and Nigel and Mikey recently did an experiment with one of Nigel’s favorite clone recipes to find out if they could get the hop flavor to match the original beer from across the pond. We then discuss how different crystal malt additions effect that beer as well. And speaking of well, we look at a water report from the well water at Brandon’s new house and address a listener question about working with well water. 

In this episode, we wanted to introduce another new segment for beginning and intermediate brewers coming from the point of view of our resident Brit called Making Plans for Nigel. Perhaps some of you recognize the song reference. Basically, Nigel comes at us with a list of questions that he had as a beginning brewer through to his current practices. It's a broad range of subject matter to cover, so we're sure to revisit his questions again in the future! After that, we also hit our 4th installment of Hop-o-Rama!

In this episode, we discuss a variety of topics that have been on our minds the last few weeks. First off, we missed out on our holiday beers episode, but we did brew a spiced dark holiday ale for our Patron James Castellano on Learn to Homebrew Day--so we wanted to talk a little about recipe dev and the best yeast choices for a beer like that. Especially considering everyone loves around this time of year. (Well, everyone but Stubby) But we also wanted to talk about an interesting little project Chris cooked up for outings that he’s calling his camp kegerator. It rolls. It has taps. It fits three kegs. It stands up to the elements to give you beer where you need it. And last but not least, we did some BIAB experiments recently and wanted to discuss some our findings about efficiency and overall process timing.