Peter Bouckaert has been an integral figure in the craft beer industry in the United States for the past 20+ years as the brewmaster for New Belgium Brewing Company. During his time there, New Belgium has gone from a locally known start up brewery in Fort Collins, Colo. to an internationally renowned brewing institution.
The AHA is thrilled to sit down with Bouckaert to discuss the History of the Use of Wood in Beer. Members of the AHA can log on with us for this live presentation on Thursday, September 22 at 7:15 p.m. ET, 6:15 p.m. CT.
We caught up with Bouckaert to pick his brain on a few things and see what he has in store for the webinar:
Zymurgy Live: Your webinar is going to discuss the history of wood and beer. Can you give us a quick preview of the kinds of things you’ll be covering in the presentation?
Peter Bouckaert: I was stunned by the history of wood and beer. I did not know anything about this history in the U.S., and that was fascinating to discover. I would love to do a short walk through this part of history since I believe it’s relevant for anybody thinking about recreating beers from the past.
ZL: What is the first tip you would give a homebrewer who is thinking about experimenting with wood in their next batch?
PB: My first question is always “Is the wood for flavoring or oxygen diffusion?” The tip depends on the answer to this question.
ZL: Tell us a little more about your newest book, Wood & Beer?
PB: I am happy it’s out! This was the first time I worked on a book. Luckily I had Dick Cantwell, who had more experience and did the heavy lifting of turning my bullet points, loose notes, and email exchanges into a text. I will think twice before accepting another assignment.
ZL: As the brewmaster for New Belgium (NB), you’ve played an integral role in the growth of beer culture in America. What were some of your favorite beers you’ve made with NB over your 20-year career?
PB: It’s mostly the next one. Every new beer has its own intriguing parts. I love to experiment with different ingredients and processes to create the next. Recent highlights were collaborations with De Koninck and with Anne-Françoise Pypaert, the brewmaster from Orval (and Orval’s first female brewmaster). But it has been a lot of fun to reproduce Fat Tire in Asheville. Jeff’s Fat Tire is a damned difficult beer—never take a homebrew commercial.
ZL: Can you give us a peek into some of the new projects you and your team at NBB are working on for future beer releases incorporating wood?
PB: We finally started applying some of the analytical tools we have on wood-aged beers. We never really bothered since we were always in flux, scaling up the cellar. Not sure where this will take us, since we are generating more questions than answers right now, but I am sure it will be lovely in the end.
Space is limited! Reserve your seat now for Thursday’s webinar with Peter, History of the Use of Wood in Beer.
The post A Zymurgy Live Preview with New Belgium Brewmaster appeared first on American Homebrewers Association.
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