Ask most American brewers about their first experience with New Zealand hops, and nine out of ten will probably name one single beer—Alpine Beer’s Nelson. Alpine founder Pat McIlhenney was one of the early ones to import southern hemisphere hops, and it’s hard to speak about the hop now without acknowledging the importance of that singular beer. Son Shawn McIlhenney inherited his dad’s love of hops and experimentation, and today continues to push the limits of ingredients and techniques through McIlhenney Brewing.

In this episode, McIlhenney touches on:

the evolution of San Diego IPA
using enzymes to manage a flaked rye mash
combining Nelson Sauvin and Nectaron hops for maximum effect
first wort hopping for less aggressive bite
blending whole leaf hops with advanced hop products like Incognito
pushing the fine line between enough and too much
selecting Southern hemisphere hops
recipe considerations when scaling up to double and triple IPA
avoiding the flavor effects of over-aeration
rediscovering the personal joy of making beer

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

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