Podcast Episode Details
Back to Podcast Episodes
Victor Novak of Figueroa Mountain Builds Modern Beers on Traditional Foundations
Episode 371
Victor Novak has been racking up medals at major competitions for decades now. Through stints at significant Philadelphia and southern California breweries, he’s made his mark on the development of contemporary beer styles while also working with a number of younger brewers who’ve done significant work themselves. Now, as director of innovation for Figueroa Mountain in Westlake Village, California, he’s blending the many beer avenues he loves—lager, fruit, and more—to build a robust program with beers that even non-beer-lovers can enjoy.
In this episode, Novak covers:
- adjusting chloride-to-sulfate ratios in dark lagers
- building easy-drinking dark beers with pilsner malt, rice, and small amounts of roasted malts
- limiting Munich malt to avoid astringency
- single-infusion mashing with modern malts
- managing sulfur production with Augustiner lager yeast
- the differentiating factors in award-winning lagers
- dialing in pH in either pale and dark lagers to optimize hop or malt expression
- biotransformation with lager yeast in West Coast pils
- creating a perception of sweetness (without actual sweetness) in tart fruit beers
- Choosing Lactobacillus strains for the intended level of acidity
- adding top-notes to fruit flavors for aromatic punch
- working terpenes into hop-forward and nonalcoholic beers
And more.
This episode is brought to you by:
G&D Chillers (https://gdchillers.com): At G&D Chillers they always strive to Build Great Chillers. Partner with them as you Build Great Beer. Choose G&D Chillers on your next Expansion or Brewery start up and receive 1 free year of Remote control and Monitoring of your new G&D Chiller!
ProBrew (https://www.probrew.com) By partnering with ProBrew, brewers can fill and seam their canned product at ranges from 100-600 cans per minute. Our unique filling process also ensures low dissolved oxygen pickup and focuses on product quality during the entire process. Visit probrew.com or email us at contactus@probrew.com.
Old Orchard (https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer): Berry Blend, Blood Orange, Lemonade, and Tart Cherry are the latest additions to our lineup of flavored craft juice concentrate blends. To learn more and request your free samples, head over to oldorchard.com/brewer
Omega Yeast (https://omegayeast.com): Experience distinct transparency and juiciness with Omega Yeast’s DayBreak-V. We've genetically eliminated haze in the popular British-V strain, allowing you to preserve the fruit-boosting prowess while achieving crystal clarity. Learn more at info@omegayeast.com.
RSS Maclin (https://rssmaclin.com) offers audits and repairs for can seamers and can integrity training. We provide solutions for can damage, seam training, and help your facility become self-sufficient without relying on OEMs. Questions about your can line? Call us at (330) 299-8210 or email at service@rssmaclin.com
Indie Hops (https://indiehops.com) breeds new hop varieties to help brewers captivate beer lovers. Brewers worldwide trust Indie’s unique varieties — Strata, Lórien, Luminosa, Meridian and Audacia — to modernize, brigh
Published on 1 year, 4 months ago