139: Andy Farrell, Brewing Innovation Manager for Bell's Brewery, on the Delicate Design of Low-Cal IPAs

Published: June 17, 2020, 5 a.m.

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Making a great low-ABV, low-calorie beer is a lot more work than just scaling down a larger recipe, so when Bell\\u2019s Brewery decided to enter the very hot low-calorie category with a lighter riff on their popular Two Hearted Ale IPA, Brewing Innovation Manager Andy Farrell knew he had his work cut out for him.

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In this conversation, he leads with a general discussion of the hops selection and validation process\\u2014from building a common lexicon in the team around aroma and flavor notes, to selection process/scoring and testing then integrating new crop years into the production cycle. The conversation then turns to bitterness, where Farrell mentions that Bell\\u2019s has always dry hopped mainstay Two Hearted during active fermentation. When translating that signature Two Hearted character into the smaller format of Light Hearted, the team made clever choices, like adding a bit of Australian-grown Galaxy hops to the mix, and he explains the testing and design process behind that small but bold choice. In light IPAs, body is a big concern, and Farrell dives into the specific ways they fill in the otherwise hollow middle, only using traditional brewing ingredients\\u2014hops, water, yeast, and malt.

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While exploring this new territory is always a process of iteration, Farrell believes that the idea drives the product, rather than the process resulting in a product. \\u201cYou want to build a beer with the destination in mind,\\u201d says Farrell, \\u201cand the recipe being the map. Not with the destination unknown.\\u201d

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