Firestone Walker doesn’t rest on its laurels. Innovation and new product development are constants within the creative boundaries of flavor that define the brewery. Underpinning all of that is an expectation of quality—i.e., it’s Firestone Walker, so it has to be great.

Sam Tierney, who heads up Firestone Walker’s Propagator brewery in Los Angeles, has carved out space in this high-performance organization, earning respect for flavor-driven experimentation that continues to feed into the evolution of Firestone Walker beers.

In this episode, Tierney discusses:

The parameters of the innovation process
Triangulating experimental beers with new hops against existing brewery knowledge
The consumer-focused tasting and evaluation process using Firestone taprooms
Mind Haze and hop evaluation in the world of hazy beer
The influence of Bavarian hefeweizen and Belgian witbier on hazy IPA
How appearance affects flavor perception
Moving to malted more than flaked ingredients
How ABV affects hop expression
Pushing beers to the “ester breaking point”
Tailoring base recipes to ingredient approach in IPA
Exploring hoppy lager and the impact of sulfur on hop expression

And more.

*This episode is brought to you by: *

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203: Sam Tierney of Firestone Walker Takes the Dynamic Approach to Flavor

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast