Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast - 205: Jeremy Grinkey of The Bruery Puts His Faith in the Blend

205: Jeremy Grinkey of The Bruery Puts His Faith in the Blend

Explicit content warning

09/17/21 • 65 min

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Jeremy Grinkey worked in wine for the better part of a decade before joining The Bruery in Orange County, California. That winemaking background still informs the way the director of brewing operations and the Bruery itself make beer. From their club-focused sales approach—with special access for their best customers—to the focus on blending and the use of wine grapes as an ingredient, the influence is palpable.

In this episode, Grinkey discusses:

Their process of developing new beers and growing them as they move through the various “tiers,” from special events through smaller and then larger clubs
Putting faith in barrels and the aging process
Developing a sensory-based understanding of how barrel-aged beer will evolve with time
The freedom to let things go and to make beers what they can and should be
The difficulty in forecasting brewing for barrel-aged stock years before a beer’s release
Leaving space and place for sweetness in beer design
The technical process behind wine-beer hybrids
Using fermentation aids as well as heat to your advantage
Bottle-conditioning to amplify funk
The changing tastes for high-gravity beers

And more.

*This episode is brought to you by: *

G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): Like your flagship beer you can rely on G&D Chillers for the same quality and consistency. G&D guarantees that every chiller they build will hit 28 degrees without breaking a sweat. They never stop. They draft, they craft, they service each and every brewery – big or small. All in an effort to build one hell of a chiller. For nearly 30 years, G&D's been committed to cold. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com.

BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/) Even the best yeast deserves a helping hand with seltzer fermentation, which is why Pathfinder N-Pure Seltzer Nutrient ensures reliable and complete fermentation of a seltzer base, while providing a clean, neutral fermentation profile. Not to mention it provides all the essential nutrients required by yeast for production of hard seltzer bases fermented from those sweet refined sugars. Give your seltzer yeast a boost by visiting bsgcraftbrewing.com and searching for Pathfinder N-Pure Seltzer Nutrient, or call BSG at 1.800.374.2739.

Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): The most common complaint about hard seltzers? They need more flavor. Extract alone is a weak flavoring agent and can leave a chemical aftertaste. But there's a better way. The craft concentrate blends from Old Orchard are packed with REAL FRUIT FIRST, no added sugars, and just enough natural flavor. Breweries are turning to Old Orchard concentrates for seltzer with more body, color, and aroma. Turn seltzer skeptics into supporters with seltzer that drinks like a beer. Get started at www.oldorchard.com/brewer.

ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com): Still emptying those overflowing wastebins of crushed, low-fills or under carbonated cans every canning day? It’s time to Fill Like a Pro. ProFill Can fillers from ProBrew use rotary, true-counter-pressure gravity filling and seaming technology to run at speeds of 100 to 300 cans per minute with minimal DO pickup. Stop wasting perfectly good beer. Email ProBrew at [email protected] today!

Clarion Lubricants (https://www.clarionlubricants.com/Welcome.do): When it comes to brewing, nobody has your back like Clarion. Because their food-grade lubricants are formulated to help make your brewing system 100% food safe. That means, when you switch to Clarion, you can put the costly potential of contamination and recall out of your mind. All you need to worry about is brewing great beer. And since you already do that, well, it’s more like focusing on business as usual. Go to clarionlubricants.com to learn more.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

In this episode, Grinkey discusses:

Their process of developing new beers and growing them as they move through the various “tiers,” from special events through smaller and then larger clubs
Putting faith in barrels and the aging process
Developing a sensory-based understanding of how barrel-aged beer will evolve with time
The freedom to let things go and to make beers what they can and should be
The difficulty in forecasting brewing for barrel-aged stock years before a beer’s release
Leaving space and place for sweetness in beer design
The technical process behind wine-beer hybrids
Using fermentation aids as well as heat to your advantage
Bottle-conditioning to amplify funk
The changing tastes for high-gravity beers

And more.

*This episode is brought to you by: *

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Previous Episode

204: For Julian Shrago of Beachwood Brewing, There Are No Additives, Only Ingredients

Julian Shrago is not afraid to ruffle feathers. The outspoken brewmaster for Beachwood Brewing (Long Beach, California) has cultivated an intense persona, but that passion and focus is evidenced in the beers they brew and the awards they’ve racked up over the past ten years, including 19 GABF medals and 9 World Beer Cup medals.

In this episode, he discusses:

Beachwood’s flavor-first creative process
Building predictive sensibilities around recipe development
The evolution of West coast IPA in general, and the particular evolution of Beachwood’s IPAs
The cross-pollination between New England and West coast IPA brewing techniques
Bittering contribution from dry hopping
Creating a saturated wall of flavor in IPA
Using acidity to temper bitterness
Setting up biotransformation precursors through hop choice and terpenes
Building expressive balance in dark beers with coffee

and more.

*This episode is brought to you by: *

BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/) This episode is brought to you by Rahr North Star Pils. A new base malt to set your compass by. Rahr North Star Pils is crafted for brewers looking for a domestic pilsner malt with low color and low modification. North Star Pils carries overtones of honey and sweet bread, supported by flavors and aromas of hay and nutty character. Suitable for any beer style, but particularly craft brewed versions of classic lagers. Let Rahr North Star Pils guide your craft by visiting bsgcraftbrewing.com, or contact us at 1.800.374.2739.

Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): The world of craft beer is a different place now. Margins are more important than ever, so why not lower your ingredient cost? Craft juice concentrates from Old Orchard are the cost-effective solution for your fruit-forward needs. Old Orchard produces high volumes of their retail juice brand, so economies of scale keep prices low for their bulk supply program. A little concentrate goes a long way, and you won't lose some of it through filtering like you would with purees. To start increasing your margins now, head on over to www.oldorchard.com/brewer.

ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com): What if you could take your favorite recipe and make a nonalcoholic version without sacrificing the flavor, color or beer quality? N/A? No Problem! The Alchemator from ProBrew uses proprietary membrane technology to strip the alcohol from the beer without sacrificing all the elements – like flavor and color - that make the beer great! Are you ready to Brew Like A Pro? The Alchemator from ProBrew. NA? No Problem! Email [email protected] for more info.

Clarion Lubricants (https://www.clarionlubricants.com/Welcome.do): Your beer deserves all your attention. Clarion makes that a little easier. Their food-grade lubricants will help keep your system running smooth, while also safeguarding your product from costly contamination and recall. Because then you’ll be in full compliance with food safety standards. And it’s all thanks to a simple switch to Clarion. A food-safe system that lets you focus on your craft? We’ll drink to that. Go to clarionlubricants.com to learn more.

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

Next Episode

206: Shaun Berns of Phase Three Brewing Prefers the Pragmatic to the Romantic

Breweries making barrel-aged beer tend to lean heavily on romance. From name-checking the origins of their barrels to weaving stories of long, laborious boils and careful searches for the perfect ingredients, there’s no story today’s brewers can’t embellish. But for Shaun Berns and Phase Three Brewing in Lake Zurich, Illinois, it’s the quality of the end-product—and not the romanticized mysteries of barrel-aged beer production—that matter.

In this episode, Berns walks us through their barrel-aged stout process, from base malt through barrel selection. Along the way, he touches on contrarian choices such as using dried malt extract in lieu of long boils, fermenting with dried yeast, weaning off higher finishing gravities, and not overthinking barrel selection. He discusses the challenge of forecasting consumer trends several years out, the benefit of debittered malts such as Carafa Special II, using malted oats more than flaked oats, selecting lighter crystal malts to control the expression of dark fruit flavors, the challenge of scaling when using low-efficiency ingredients, and more.

“It’s not romantic, it’s the truth,” Berns says, while behind the curtain of a market niche full of fancy beers. These stouts don’t need fantastic tales to sell. The proof is in the glass.

*This episode is brought to you by: *

BSG (https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/) Meet the latest in the BSG Hop solutions portfolio, Citiva. Strong expressions of stone fruit, floral, and resinous/pine flavors and aromas define this blend, crafted specifically for use in hazy IPAs, and other hop-forward beers. Citiva is ideal for aroma, whirlpool, and dry hop additions to Hazy and Juicy IPAs, or for any other hoppy styles where a combination of citrus, tropical fruit, and pine aromatics are desired. Go to bsgcraftbrewing.com to learn more, or call 1-800-374-2739.

Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): A brewery might have 99 problems, but your fruit supplier shouldn't be one. Old Orchard is already known for their quality concentrates, but they also pride themselves on consistent product and reliable supply. When brewers need assistance, Old Orchard is just an email, phone call, or even a text away. Based in Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan—better known as Beer City, USA—Old Orchard is core to the brewing community. To join their fruit family, learn more at www.oldorchard.com/brewer.

ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com): Are you ready to Brew Like A Pro? ProBrew has the equipment, systems and technology to take your brewery production to the next level. Check out www.probrew.com for ProCarb inline carbonation technology, ProFill rotary filling & seaming can fillers, the Alchemator inline alcohol separation system, 7 – 50bbl Brewhouses and more! ProBrew offers the craft beer industry innovative solutions to help you Brew Like A Pro! Go to www.probrew.com for more info!

Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast