New Zealand’s population is smaller than the state of Colorado, but country’s exports have had an outsized impact on craft beer over the past decade. From hops such as Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, and Riwaka, to the cutting-edge thiol-optimized Phantasm powder, New Zealand has made undeniable contributions to the flavor evolution of American IPA over the past decade.

Jos Ruffell, cofounder of the Wellington-based Garage Project, has had a front seat for his country’s evolution from craft beer follower to craft beer influencer. An avowed geek whose pivotal beer experience involved Pliny the Elder, Ruffell and partner Pete Gillespie founded the brewery with Pete’s brother Ian in 2011. Their goal was to tap into the creative energy they felt from influential independent breweries half a world away.

Today, they’ve become creative drivers, pushing exploration with their local hops, developing new ways of creating signature Southern Hemisphere thiol-driven flavors, and embracing dramatic service strategies in public-facing events.

In this episode, cofounder Jos Ruffell discusses:

engaging with ingredients as any chef or brewer should
bringing transformational growth to the NZ hop industry through the Hāpi Research center
using less glamorous but incredibly important supporting hops in blends
maximizing for thiols using a variety of brewing techniques
thiol stability and expression in fermentation
phantasm powder and the variety of ways to use it in the brewing process
the entourage effect between thiols and terpenes
the outsized impact of thiol optimization in combination with other hops
considering texture and time in beer flavor experience

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

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BSG (https://go.bsgcraft.com/Contact-Us) Support for this episode comes from BSG. Support for this episode comes from Hop Solutions by BSG. The Hop Solutions portfolio is a joint effort between the brewers, hop specialists, and brewing scientists of BSG and the Rahr Technical Center that takes a flavor-first, application-specific approach to hops. Whether you’re seeking biotransformation in a juicy IPA or dialing in a classic West Coast profile, BSG has a Hop Solution for that. Get in touch with the hop nerds at BSG by emailing LetsTalkHops@bsgcraft.com for samples, spots, and contracts.

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242: Jos Ruffell of Garage Project and Phantasm Muses on New Zealand Hops, Thiol Expression, and Dramatic Festival Experiments

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