Reuben’s Brews’ Adam Robbings has always been a thoughtful and mission-driven brewer, who focuses as much on building a business that delivers on the promise of “craft” as he does on compelling beers that fit within the craft category. That approach to brewing has been a successful one, with GABF and FOBAB medals and a Craft Beer & Brewing Beer of the Year earned all in the space of the past year.

In this episode, Robbings dives into the theory and practice around popular Reuben’s beers like Three Ryes Men barrel-aged rye barleywine and Triple Crush hazy triple IPA. Along the way, he touches on:

The growth and importance of “variants”
This year’s developed “No man’s land” in ABV
The growth of interest in west coast IPA
Reuben’s approach to their award-winning Three Ryes Men barleywine
How barrel age impacts finished beer
Choosing competition categories for barrel-aged beers based on flavor gestalt rather than production methods
Building specialty beers with a consumer focus for drinking occasions
The resurgence of pumpkin beer
Scaling recipes to different sized brewhouses
Bench testing new hops crops to gauge changes year over year

“There’s a whole lot of game theory behind competitions,” says Robbings. “It’s not just ‘the best beer wins.”

*This episode is brought to you by: *

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ABS Commercial (https://www.abs-commercial.com): ABS Commercial is excited to be a part of today’s Podcast! ABS is a full brewery outfitter offering brewhouses, tanks, keg washers and small parts. ABS wanted to do something fun for the craft beer industry, and gave away an ABS Keg Viking Keg Washer LIVE this past December 7th. Congratulations to Lazy Horse Brewing & Winery in Nebraska who are the new proud owners of a Keg Viking! To make sure you’re on the list for future giveaways, go to www.abs-commercial.com, click on “Keg Viking” page and fill out the contact form to stay in the know!

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167: Adam Robbings of Reuben’s Brews Reflects on the Brewing and Business Impacts of 2020

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