Episode Details

With 19 Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup medals, an Alpha King win, and nine beers scored 95-plus by Craft Beer & Brewing—including two in our upcoming Fall issue—Sunriver has become a medal-winning powerhouse of a production brewery and brewpub. But while their hop-forward offerings get much of the attention—and a fair amount of time in this podcast episode—they’re equally adept at brewing beers with left-field culinary ingredients. The throughline? Palates they’re constantly training and challenging, and a sense for quality of flavor, refinement, and integration.

In this episode, head brewer Patrick Raasch discusses:

• differentiating between American and West Coast IPA
• blending pils and two-row malts in IPA
• using lager yeast to lean into sulfur with more pungent hops
• brewing their Alpha King–winning double IPA with 34/70 yeast
• bittering with Mosaic CO₂ extract
• dry hopping under pressure at cooler temperatures
• competition bottling for minimal oxygen ingress
• taking IPA from great to medal-winning
• integrating hops in barrel-aged American barleywine
• brewing “garden party” rice lager with Japanese cucumber, yuzu, and basil

And more.

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D Chillers
A quick word for the brewers out there staring down a broken chiller. You know the pain—warm fermenters, stressed yeast, and that sinking feeling when the repair quote lands in your inbox. With refrigerant regulations changing and the cost of obsolete refrigerants skyrocketing, sometimes the fix costs more than the unit’s worth. G&D Chillers is there to help, whether you're a small brew pub or large full-scale production brewery. Don’t throw good money at bad equipment. Invest in a solution that grows with your brewery—and keeps your tanks cold when it counts. Big thanks to G&D Chillers for supporting this podcast since 2019, reach out to them at gdhillers.com/podcast to learn how they can support these next years of your brewery’s growth.

Berkeley Yeast
It’s here! Berkeley’s FRESH™ Chico is now available dry. You’ve heard here on the podcast just how many medal-winning brewers use FRESH™ Chico as their house strain because of how clean and versatile it is. If you want to make world-class IPA, your fermentation must avoid unwanted or distracting flavors, and Berkeley’s robust low-diacetyl technology is a game changer with healthy and highly viable cells that ferment fast and clean every time. Bringing that level of fermentation innovation to dried yeast is no small feat, but the experts at Berkeley Yeast love making the impossible possible. With bricks priced as low as $88, it’s a cost-effective solution, and you'll save even more by eliminating ALDC from your brews. Head over to berkeleyyeast.com and start leveling up your IPA today.

PakTech
This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit

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