Episode Details

The craft beer industry owes much of its success to the modern IPA. While IPA is a historic beer style, it has exploded in popularity in the last few decades, spawning new interpretations of the style. West Coast.  East Coast.  Double IPA.  White IPA.  Black IPA.  Cold IPA.  New England.  Sour.  Wild.  And many, many others.

Does “IPA” mean anything anymore?  If it does, what motivates a brewer to push the limits of what IPA is and can be?  How do brewers think about IPA recipes, especially when redefining it?

Guests:
Diana Locatelli was born and raised in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and from there went out to Boulder to study Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado. Having fallen in love with Colorado, one thing she could not ignore was the local beer scene. At some point after graduating, Diana got herself a homebrew kit along with some buddies, and that's where she really sunk her teeth in. From that point on, it became a major focus for her anywhere she went and Diana just loved seeing what a new city had to offer in the beer world. She got inspired to see if it was something she could make a career of, and lo and behold, she landed herself a job as an assistant brewer at Oskar Blues, where she brewed for about 4 and a half years. From there, Diana moved to Odell Brewing Company, where she spent another almost 5 years. After that, Diana picked up everything she could from those experiences with experienced breweries, and found an opportunity to move back to the homeland in Wisconsin where she started at Hinterland Brewery, which turns 30 this coming May. She became the head brewer at the beginning of the year, and has been continuing the learning journey!  Diana loves hops and all things IPA.  In her free time, Diana loves to camp, play soccer, watch football, and hang out with her two dogs. 

Alexandra Nowell has been in the brewing industry for over 15 years. She is the Co-founder and Brewer at Mellotone Beer Project in Cincinnati, Ohio and Technical Brewing Advisor for CLS Farms in the Yakima Valley. Alexandra’s love of beer and inspiration for brewing is found in the roots of the recipe, where she strikes a balance between science, art, and intention. Over the course of her career, Alexandra has taken a special interest in the raw ingredient supply chain, with a focus on the crucial relationships linking brewers, growers, brokers, all facets in between, and how that plays out to create the highest quality beer possible.

Natalie Rose Baldwin is the brewmaster at lager-focused brewery Wayfinder Beer in Portland, Oregon.  She worked as a research and development brewer at Breakside Brewery from 2017 to 2023, and has been brewing since 2014. Natalie's brewing interests vary with a predominant focus on esoteric lagers, hop and malt innovation and specialty beers using seasonal flowers, tea, spices, and fruit.  Natalie is a professional judge at the Great American Beer Festival  and the World Beer Cup as well as other international competitions. She works with the Oregon Brewers Guild Diversity and Equity Committee, was a Pink Boots Portland Chapter co-leader, and was the recipient of a Pink Boots scholarship in 2018. Outside of work, Natalie enjoys traveling, backpacking, baking, and forever frolicking in fields of flowers with her dog Beef.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Brewery Branding Co.
Since 2009, Brewery Branding has been crafting merch that helps breweries thrive.They’re born and raised in Portland, Oregon, giving them front row seats to the craft beer revolution and inspiring them to serve as your industry ally for everything branded: apparel, headwear, drinkware, and all the “wouldn’