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For Portland, Oregon\u2019s Breakside Brewery, beer should offer maximum enjoyment without losing its character and sense of identity. Dual core IPAs Wanderlust and Breakside IPA scratch different hoppy itches, Salted Caramel Stout satisfies those with a sweet tooth, Pilsner offers a slightly less \u201caustere\u201d drinkable option, and the sour and wild beer program gives brewers the chance to play and discover. In this episode, Cofounder and Brewmaster Ben Edmunds discusses the inception and development of their now-classic IPAs, how gravity adjustments impact hops flavors, the \u201cje ne se quoi\u201d of award-winning beers, designing hoppy beers to hit their sweet spot in the time frame when consumers will drink them, hops with greater shelf life, anchoring hops blends with familiar flavors, the vast differences between the core West Coast-style and evolving hazy IPAs that Breakside brews, and more.

\u201cThe thing I like about competition is\u2026 the beers that win, are the beers that are the most pleasant,\u201d says Edmunds. \u201cThey\u2019re the most pleasant to a most discriminating group of judges. If you can shave your beers in ways that are optimizing for the most pleasant, you\u2019re going to do well.\u201d

Beyond hoppy beers, Edmunds discusses brewing lagers like their year-round Pilsner, their sour process, the challenges brewers face in naming and describing beers for consumers, and the need for brewers to take risks while honoring tradition.

\u201cWhen we put 60 barrels of Marzen out into the trade, we\u2019re taking a withdrawal from our customers, asking them to trust us. But I think that\u2019s how you move the needle. You have to have breweries (who have the brand equity) be willing to spend a little of that [equity] to push the needle with consumers to see if things work. They don\u2019t always work, but if no one is doing that and we\u2019re just giving people more IPA and more IPA, it may be better business, but to me it\u2019s a lot less interesting and I don\u2019t know that it\u2019s good business over the long haul.\u201d

This episode is brought to you by:
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