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:

G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across the country along the way, and they’re proud of the cool partnerships they’ve built over the past 30 years. Reach out for a quote today at gdchillers.com or call to discuss your next project.

BSG Craft Brewing (https://BSGCraftbrewing.com): BSG is a proud distributor of New Zealand Hops Ltd. and invites you to experience Nectaron®, an aromatic New Zealand hop, drenched by tropical waterfalls of grapefruit, passionfruit, pineapple, and peach. Contact your BSG sales rep with any questions or visit BSGCraftbrewing.com/Hops to learn more.

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Tabski (https://tabski.com): Tabski QR Code Ordering is the future of brewery ordering! With Tabski, your customers can order and pay for their beers right from their phones by scanning a QR Code on the table. Get rid of lengthy lines and increase check size by up to 30%! Learn how you can get started today at tabski.com.

Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Thiolized yeast are a new tool for brewers to bring intense guava and passionfruit aromas out of your malt and hops. And wait, there’s more! Omega Yeast makes yeast-to-order with a consistent one week lead time ensuring peak freshness and reliability.
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311: Shawn McIlhenney is Rebrewing the Family Legacy

Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast

311: Shawn McIlhenney is Rebrewing the Family Legacy