Course Reviews

Steve Smit

“I've enjoyed Dobis for years and it's great to get some brewer's insight into the philosophy behind the beer. I've found that my own brewing has progressed in the same direction after years of seeking out the most bitter west coast IPA's I'm now b...”

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“I've enjoyed Dobis for years and it's great to get some brewer's insight into the philosophy behind the beer. I've found that my own brewing has progressed in the same direction after years of seeking out the most bitter west coast IPA's I'm now brewing a hybrid west coast with a more subdued, 50-70 IBUs, bitterness but an aggressive dry hop schedule to boost aromatics and arrive at a moderately hazy, but not milky, soft mouthfeel IPA. Every section has had some great nuggets. I really appreciate the transparency to dig into the details of times/temps/pH etc. Extremely practical and I will be incorporating several insights into the new brewery.”

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Robert Fawbush

“I found this course to be very informative and inciteful regarding West Coast Hazy IPA production.”

“I found this course to be very informative and inciteful regarding West Coast Hazy IPA production.”

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Bryan Hickey

“A lot of information here, stop and smell the flowers.”

“A lot of information here, stop and smell the flowers.”

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About This Course

This course includes 75+ minutes of video

In this 76-minute video course, cofounder and head brewer Tim Sciascia details Cellarmaker’s whole approach and process to brewing these modern pale ales. Among other topics, he discusses:

  • how to maximize drinkability and balance in hop-forward pale ales
  • selecting the best hops available
  • hop varieties and when to use them, from the kettle to dry-hopping
  • the importance of bittering hops for structure
  • why to restrain your whirlpool hop additions
  • advantages of post-fermentation dry-hopping
  • rousing dry hops with CO2 to maximize aroma
  • using enzymes to prevent diacetyl from hop creep
  • yeast and fermentation in support of other components
  • finagling some haze from the Chico strain
  • brewing brighter West Coast–style pale ale
  • building a malt bill to support the hops
  • mashing high for sweetness to balance bitterness
  • water profiles for hazy and West Coast pale ales

And much more.

Instructor

Tim Sciascia of San Francisco’s Cellarmaker Brewing has a well-earned reputation among peers as savants when it comes to hops. From the colorful descriptive language he has developed for describing hop attributes, to the tightly iterated processes around blending hops lots, he has developed ideas and techniques around hops use that have influenced the way other brewers now brew.

Tim Sciascia

Cofounder and Head Brewer, Cellarmaker Brewing

Course Curriculum

  • 01

    Introduction

    Show Content

    • Welcome + Intro to Cellarmaker and its Pale Ales

    • Brewer’s Perspective: Cellarmaker’s Connor Casey on West Coast Haze
  • 02

    Constructing Pale Ale Recipes

    Show Content

    • Balance, Yeast, and Hop Varieties

    • Selecting and Evaluating Hops

    • American Pale Ale: Hops in Harmony
  • 03

    Hop Additions + Techniques

    Show Content

    • Kettle, Whirlpool, and Knockout Hops + Volatizing Hop Aromas

    • Dry Hopping Tips: From Rousing to Preventing Hop Creep

    • Rethinking Dry Hops: Quicker, Colder … and Better?

    • West Coast Pale Ales and Bitterness
  • 04

    The Other Elements

    Show Content

    • Yeast: Getting Stable Haze from Chico + Healthy Pitches

    • Malt: The Bill, Milling, and Mashing

    • Water: Adjustments and Mouthfeel
  • 05

    Anatomy of a Cellarmaker Pale Ale

    Show Content

    • Tiny Dankster (Hazy Pale)

    • New Beer Smell (West Coast Style)
  • 06

    Wrap Up

    Show Content

    • Thank You
  • 07

    Recipes + Further Reading

    Show Content

    • East-West Hybrids and More: The Accelerating Dialectic of IPA

    • Balancing Act: The Classic American Pale Ale in a Changing World

    • Recipe: Cellarmaker Mt. Nelson Pale Ale

    • Recipe: Cellarmaker Kilning Me Softly IPA

    • Breakout Brewer: Cellarmaker Brewing

    • CB&B Podcast Episode 144: Cellarmaker’s Tim Sciascia and Connor Casey on Ethereal Hops and Hazy West Coast IPA

    • Bonus Recipe: Cellarmaker Underberg and Cigarettes

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