Craft Brewing Magazine
Podcast Episode 501: Perspectives on Fresh-Hop Brewing With Bale Breaker, Single Hill, and Russian River
In this panel discussion from the 2026 Brewers Retreat, Kevin Smith of Bale Breaker, Zach Turner of Single Hill, and Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River explore fresh-hop brewing from the early days of craft through the present.
Recipe: The Big Friendly Galaxidion
From the Big Friendly in Oklahoma City, here’s a recipe for the dry-hopped, Brett-fermented saison that won gold at the 2025 Great American Beer Festival.
Ask the Pros: Brewing Cosmic Mixed-Culture Gold with the Big Friendly
The Big Friendly in Oklahoma City has won nine Great American Beer Festival medals for its beers over the past four years, including six gold medals. Key to that success has been the team’s thoughtful, patient approach to dry-hopped, oak-aged, mixed-culture saisons.
Recipe: Buckwheat Honey Bitter
This honey ESB makes for a fun ride on the palate: Between the ample crystal malts, the honey flavors—buckwheat is rich and spicy—and yeast, you end up with a lot of candy, strawberry, earthy, spicy, and malty flavors.
Make Your Best Honey Ale
Highly fermentable yet often quite flavorful, with many types available, honey is the queen bee of alternative sugars in the brewhouse. So, let’s ponder how it can shine in conjunction with a particular base style—in this case, an ESB.