In this episode, we have Shannon Carter, the brewmaster and founder, of Shannon Brewing Company in studio with us to tell us about his brewery, his brewing processes, and the styles of beer he brews. Shannon Brewing is located on the northern end of Keller, TX in the same area as Samantha Springs water company--which is also the source of the exceptional natural spring water Shannon uses for brewing his beers. Their brewery leans toward Irish and English styles, but their lineup also includes IPAs and lagers, all brewed with a direct fire process using the most wholesome and natural ingredients.

In this episode, we took a moment to try the two versions of our Palo Pinto Pale Ale recipe using regular pellet hops and the fresh wet hops we were lucky enough to get from a local brewery. Then, we go on to sample and discuss five different lager yeasts used in the Brewing Classic Styles Helles Bock recipe. 

In this episode, we discuss the process of setting up and judging the Best of Show round of a homebrew competition. It takes more effort than you would think because you have a variety of styles competing for the best beer.

In the BOS round, you really need to give your full consideration to each of the beers that won their category because you aren’t comparing a style against itself like a normal round of judging. Instead, you have multiple styles that need to be appropriately placed in the sample order to give each beer its chance--without the character of the previous beer affecting your perception. And what better way to discuss the topic, than to actually have a Best of Show judging with our local BJCP Grandmaster Judge, James Lallande! For this episode, we have the category winners of the 2016 O’Zapt Is homebrew competition ready and waiting for us to pick the best of the bunch. So, congrats to all of you who won 1st place in your categories!