Master Brewers Podcast Episode 218: Including Fermentation in Your Beer Recipe
Apr 7, 2025
Tim Faith, the Global Cross Brewing Manager at Goose Island Chicago, shares insights into fermentation quality control. He emphasizes the importance of having a thorough fermentation recipe just like brewhouse recipes to ensure consistent beer. Tim discusses tracking key fermentation parameters, such as pH and cell counts, and highlights the significance of standardized processes and documentation. He also explains the role of yeast air contact time and how to optimize pitching rates for desired sensory profiles. Visual fermentation charts and digital SOPs help align global teams and improve processes.
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Yeast Air Contact Drives Flavor
- Yeast air contact time (aeration rate × duration) strongly affects biomass and ester production.
- Small variations in this contact time can cause large changes in beer character.
Use Cell Count Curves To Optimize Pitching
- Build cell count curves using a hemocytometer to optimize pitch rates and growth.
- Avoid routine overpitching; map curves and adjust to hit desired profiles.
Make Sensory Part Of QC
- Train a small, consistent sensory panel familiar with each beer and record tasting notes.
- Link sensory observations to phys-chem data for effective troubleshooting and trials.
