The Modern Brewer Podcast

BREW-DO - The Whodunnit? Show.

Welcome to the first episode of BREW DO, a brand new brewing mystery series from the Modern Brewer Podcast.

Think brewing, meets Cluedo with a sprinkle of Inspector Clouseau 🕵🏻‍♂️

Each episode presents a real world brewing problem. Strange results. Confusing symptoms. A brew team scratching its head wondering what on earth is going on.

Your job is to figure out the culprit.

In this first case something has gone badly wrong. Beer is developing disinfectant like flavours that simply should not be there. Everything looks normal on paper. The process appears correct. The brewery team are confident in their procedures.

Yet something is clearly contaminating the beer.

So what is it?

In this episode Chris Lewington & Murphy’s European Technical Expert, Jonas Trummer walks you through the clues step by step and challenges listeners to solve the mystery before the answer is revealed.

If you enjoy solving brewing problems, testing your technical knowledge and learning from real brewery scenarios, this new series is for you.

We want you to submit your answers, test your knowledge, and win some exclusive BREW-DO merch. Submit your answers here: 
https://forms.gle/JK3VWsonJeHT2S687

In this episode

•⁠  ⁠The strange disinfectant flavour appearing in multiple beers
•⁠  ⁠Why the brewhouse process looked completely normal
•⁠  ⁠The hidden ways contamination can enter a brewery
•⁠  ⁠How sanitation practices can backfire
•⁠  ⁠The moment the real culprit is uncovered

Grab a notebook, listen closely and see if you can solve the case before the answer is revealed.

Because in brewing, the smallest detail can ruin an entire batch.

Welcome to BREW DO.
Thank you to Murphy and Son's for supplying the problems for us to scratch our heads over.

Oh the excitement!! 
Last episode Tuur shared one of the most challenging brewing problems I've heard. In this episode, he reveals the root cause! 
Also I announce an exciting new mini-series coming soon. 
If you have follow-up questions, please email [email protected]
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
02:06 Discussion on Gushing Issues
03:18 Non-Alcoholic Beer Talk
04:35 Episode 18 and Brewing Challenges
06:56 Exciting Announcement: New Miniseries Coming!!!
08:52 Sensory Workshop and Training
12:34 Recap and Reveal of Brewing Problem
18:51 Crystalline Particles in Brewing
20:03 Troubleshooting the Gushing Issue
21:34 Identifying the Root Cause
23:44 Solving the Problem
w31:44 Lessons Learned
34:47 Final Thoughts and Future Plans

Can you solve a real brewery issue?

Tuur Mertens brought us a real life “gushing” problem faced in a historic brewery.

We share the symptoms and context…

But can you diagnose the root cause and the fix? Test your skills in this weeks episode.

How to play:
•⁠  ⁠Listen and take notes
•⁠  ⁠⁠Email your answer (root cause + fix) to [email protected]
and [email protected]

We will share the correct answers on LinkedIn and a follow up post

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and special guest
01:37 Meet Tuur Martens
02:31 Tuur’s research and approach
03:37 The brewing mystery setup
05:20 Inside the brewery: process and constraints
07:31 The gushing problem: investigation begins
12:37 Breakthrough in the case
15:27 Can you solve the mystery
16:24 Wrap up and next steps

Show sponsor - Brew Resourceful

Is This The Future of CO2 in Breweries?
Can algae capture your fermentation CO2 and turn it into useful biomass?
Dr Alla Silkina and Emily Hutchinson walk us through a real pilot at Bluestone Brewery. Setup, quality, cost and how this could scale.
This one for those looking to the future, a truly sustainable one.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview
00:57 Sustainability in Brewing
02:41 The Algae Project: Concept and Goals
04:54 Meet the Guests: Dr. All Sina and Emily Hutchinson
06:07 Project Details: Algae as a Carbon Capture Mechanism
09:07 Technical Insights: Algae Cultivation and CO2 Utilisation
19:08 Challenges and Future Prospects
32:01 Discussing Financial Summaries and Investment
33:36 Cost Breakdown and Return on Investment
35:15 R&D Tax Relief and Brewery Involvement
38:18 Potential Applications of Algae Biomass
39:07 Other Industries and CO2 Utilisation
40:14 Quality and Commercial Potential of Algae Biomass
43:05 Future Steps and Commercialisation
51:53 Collaboration and Research Opportunities
56:51 Conclusion and Next Steps
Links and references
Research paper by Dr Silkina et al: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/23/6125
What the setup looks like in practice: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkI6CFGjMX9/?iigshMnFobWx4Y2JtZWZi
Contact the guests:
•⁠  ⁠[email protected]
•⁠  ⁠[email protected]
For a copy of the SIBA sustainability guide co authored by Chris: [email protected]
Bluestone socials: www.instagram.com/bluestonebrewingco
Women In Beer: www.instagram.com/womeninbeeruk
Show Sponsor: Brew Resourceful. New look. Same mission. Reduce brewery COGS with practical efficiency

Are Non Alcoholic Beers Safe?

With demand for no and low alcohol beer BOOMING, more and more breweries are brewing their own.

But when you remove alcohol, you remove one of the strongest safety mechanisms in beer.

And with the rise of unfiltered, unpasteurised NA beers hitting shelves, this episode asks a simple but essential question:

How do you make NA beer safe?

To help answer it, I’m joined by Dr Greg Rachon and co host and brewing legend, Sean Knight - Siren Craft Brew. 

We dig into the risks, the latest microbiological research and the practical steps brewers need to know.

What we cover:

- Why alcohol has been silently keeping beer safe for centuries
- What happens when you take it away
- The key safety mechanisms left behind for NA products
- New research on pathogens and spoilage microorganisms in NA beer
- The role of carbonation, packaging and preservatives
- Why beer line hygiene matters more than ever

This episode features some of the most up to date research on NA beer safety from Dr Greg Rachon, alongside industry insight from Sean Knight.

Huge thanks to Lallemand for supporting the show and for their ongoing work with the LoNa yeast strain.

Connor Bartlett - The Growth of Pathogens and Beer Spoilage Organisms in No and Low Alcohol Beers and Strategies to Prevent Their Growth (https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/74590/)

Preservative Dosing Limit Document - [email protected]

Alix Blease - Lallemand - [email protected]
Andy Patterson - Lallemand - [email protected]

Chris Lewington - 
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lewington/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chris__brewington/

Dr Grzeorgz Rachon (https://www.linkedin.com/in/grachon/)

Chapters 

00:00 Welcome to the Modern Brewer Podcast
00:25 Introducing Co-Host Sean Knight
02:22 Upcoming UK Brewing Events
03:52 Revolutionising Non-Alcoholic Beer with Lallemand's LoNA Yeast
05:41 Discussion on NA Beer Safety with Sean Knight
09:45 Introducing Dr. Grzegorz Rachon
10:31 Understanding Pathogens in Non-Alcoholic Beer
12:04 Research on Pathogen Growth in NA Beer
20:30 The Role of Carbonation in Pathogen Suppression
28:20 Challenges in Draft Beer Hygiene
39:57 Preservatives and Pasteurisation in NA Beer
47:27 Cold Alternatives to Pasteurisation
54:14 Challenges in Detecting Beer Spoilage Microorganisms
01:05:07 Research on Beer Line Cleaning and Flash Pasteurisation
01:12:02 Sean's Concluding Thoughts on Beer Safety and Research