Episode 480: Anthony Chen of AleSmith Shares the Inside Story Behind the Award-Winning Handgeplukt Kriek cover art

Episode 480: Anthony Chen of AleSmith Shares the Inside Story Behind the Award-Winning Handgeplukt Kriek

Episode 480: Anthony Chen of AleSmith Shares the Inside Story Behind the Award-Winning Handgeplukt Kriek

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Summary

 For San Diego’s AleSmith, funky Belgian-style mixed-culture beers aged on whole fruit may not be impactful to the bottom line. As brewers, however, they love the process challenge of these multi-phase beers as well as the unique flavors made possible by complex fermentations and highest-quality fruit. Late last year, our blind panel at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® rated their Handgeplukt Kriek a 98, and our editors we selected it as one of our Best 20 Beers in 2025. Then, at the 2026 World Beer Cup, the beer further cemented its elite status by taking home a gold medal. In this episode, AleSmith head brewer Anthony Chen walks us through the brewing and maturation process, from ideation and ingredients to step-mash, barrel-aging, maceration, and more. Along the way, he discusses: why commercial pitches work better for them then culturing dregs for mixed-culture beerhow malted and flaked wheat produce more “chunkies”using a pre-acidification process to protect the beer in the early stage of fermentationavoiding Pediococcus in mixed fermentation cherry processing and maceration And more. G&D Chillers G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series is built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. It runs on a Natural Refrigerant with near-zero Global Warming Potential, has a compact footprint, and features variable speed fans for efficiency. They’ve chilled beer for over 3,000 breweries across North America, and with 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Get the details on natural refrigerant technology at gdchillers.com/podcast. Berkeley Yeast Berkeley Yeast just launched Dry Tropics London! Our best-selling liquid yeast strain, now with all the ease-of-use benefits of dry yeast. Dry Tropics London delivers the soft, pillowy mouthfeel and juicy character you’d expect from a top-tier London Ale strain, but with a serious upgrade: a burst of thiols that unleash vibrant, layered notes of grapefruit and passion fruit. A lot of brewers love the clean passion fruit you get from Tropics, but they don’t want every IPA to be a tropical-fruit bomb. At the dry yeast price point, you can pitch and ditch without breaking the bank. Or, you can co-pitch with your house strain to adjust the intensity of the notes. And with nationwide free shipping, there’s never been a better time to try Dry Tropics. Order now at berkeleyyeast.com and experience the ease and impact of Dry Tropics London Yeast. 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 paktech-opi.com. Indie Hops Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful. Midea 50/50 Flex If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual-compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on or how you want the shelves to be arranged—the 50/50 totally flexes to fit your life. Plus, it’s designed to maintain a stable temperature even in non-climate-controlled conditions—so you can crack a cold one even on the warmest days in the man cave. Take your garage to the next level! Check out Midea.com/us/ to get more info about this game changer today. Old Orchard If your brewery is using fruit-juice concentrates, purees, and blends, then why not source everything from a one-stop shop? We might be best-known for flavored blends, but if you need 100 percent purees or concentrates, then we can likely help—even with options not listed on our website. Let us know what you need at oldorchard.com/brewer. ADM Are you ready to shake up the beverage world? ADM is passionate about helping you craft your next breakthrough. From cutting edge natural ingredients like hops to advanced technologies, ADM brings together science and creativity to elevate taste, quality, ...
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