223: Matt Sampson of Hacienda Believes in Flavor Over Style
b'
Matt Sampson, director of brewing operations for Hacienda Beer and Door County Brewing in Wisconsin, never set out to be a brewer. The PhD chemist figured on life in a lab\\u2014but life had something else in store. He found his way into brewing through the side door\\u2014vaulting from a somewhat unique position as brand manager and QC tech. That led to cellar and brewing work. Now, years later, Sampson still manages the Hacienda brand while overseeing all brewing for both Hacienda and Door County.
\\n\\nDoor County focuses on the reliable, tried-and-true craft standbys. Hacienda, meanwhile, is their hub of experimentation\\u2014where flavor and exploration are priorities\\u2014and their Milwaukee taproom is the best place to experience it.
\\n\\nIn this episode, Sampson focuses on the Hacienda approach, where a focus on tropical flavor spans beer styles, from their high-volume hazy IPAs to their mixed-culture and spontaneous beers. Along the way, he discusses:
\\n\\n- \\n
- focusing on tropical Brettanomyces flavors over \\u201cbarnyard\\u201d \\n
- fermenting directly in oak with Brett primaries \\n
- transitioning from grown and dreg cultures to commercial pitches \\n
- brewing spontaneously with a coolship in the Upper Midwest \\n
- foregoing aged hops to allow more tropical hop flavors to emerge \\n
- using hops directly in the coolship \\n
- understanding Michigan- and Wisconsin-grown hop flavors \\n
- taking a fruit-first approach to choosing blending stock \\n
- prepping cherries for beer maceration with a carbonic process \\n
- controlling THP in finished beer \\n
- the importance of dry-hopping every mixed-fermentation beer \\n
And more.
\\n\\n*This episode is brought to you by: *
\\n\\nG&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has set the mark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands above the rest as the only chiller manufacturer that engineers your glycol piping for free. G&D also stands alone as the only chiller manufacturer with an in house team of installers and engineers, with 30 years of real world, field labor experience in breweries, wineries and distilleries. Contact the total glycol system design experts today at gdchillers.com
\\n\\nBSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Support from this episode comes from BSG and The Malt Haus by Rahr. The Malt Haus is your online source for cool and exclusive Rahr Malting Co. gear that you can\\u2019t get anywhere else. T-shirts, hoodies, hats, socks, glassware, and even gear for your pets. Rep the malt you brew with and look sharp doing it! Take the tradition home at themalthaus.com
\\n\\nOld Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Is your brewery struggling to source or afford berry ingredients? Historic heatwaves devastated U.S. berry crops, causing supply to dwindle and prices to skyrocket. That\\u2019s why brewers are switching over to Old Orchard\\u2019s craft concentrate blends, which mimic straight concentrates but at a better price point\\u2014and with more reliable supply. Is it any surprise that Old Orchard\\u2019s best-sellers are Raspberry and Blackberry flavors? Reclaim your margins and order your craft concentrates at oldorchard.com/brewer
\\n\\nPrecision Fermentation (https://precisionfermentation.com/brewing): BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first real-time, comprehensive fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature, and conductivity in real-time, from any smartphone, tablet, or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed insight into your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce tank-time, and increase overall efficiency\\u2013saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. Visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing.
\\n\\nSs Brewtech (https://www.ssbrewtech.com): From the rotatable pick-up tube on Rogue Brewing\'s pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks on Sierra Nevada\'s twin prototyping brewhouses, Ss Brewtech has taken technology they invented working with world-renowned industry veterans and made them available to every craft brewer. To learn more about Ss Brewtech\'s innovation list, head over to SsBrewtech.com
\\n\\nFive Star Chemicals (https://fivestarchemicals.com): Are you involved in your local Homebrew Club? Want to receive even more benefits? Sign up today for Five Star Chemicals Homebrew Club Program. It\\u2019s free, and you could have the chance to test out new products before they hit the market, receive exclusive swag, and enjoy discounts on brewing cleaners and sanitizers. Head on over to their website to sign up. You won\\u2019t want to miss it.
'