<p>A young master brewer of craft beer shares the science behind fresh, shelf-stable beer, cake batter cream ales, coffee beer off-flavors, and more.</p><p>93 Octane Head Brewer Alex Makowski details his journey from becoming one of the youngest certified Cicerones to scaling 93 Octane from a tiny gas-station nano brewery to a full Elmhurst taproom. He also dives into the technical science of avoiding off-flavors in coffee beer and his philosophy of crafting a diverse lineup that appeals to both casual drinkers and craft beer geeks.</p><p>0:00 Intro: Whimsical Brewing at 93 Octane<br>0:41 Meet Alex Makowski<br>2:06 93 Octane’s Origins: The Gas Station Brewery<br>3:51 Nano Brewery Life: From a 400 Sq Ft Closet to Expansion<br>5:14 Scaling Challenges: Mobile Canning &amp; Palate Positions<br>6:47 Expanding to Elmhurst: A One-Month Renovation<br>8:05 Brewing Philosophy: &quot;Make Great Beer, Period&quot;<br>9:18 Community Support &amp; Maintaining Two Taprooms<br>11:00 Homebrewing Roots: A Father-Son Project at 18<br>12:22 Youngest Certified Cicerone: Studying Underage<br>13:33 Inside the Cicerone Exam: Off-Flavors &amp; Glassware<br>15:25 Industry Reality Check: Lessons from Finch’s Brewing<br>17:01 Rising Through the Ranks at Two Brothers Brewing<br>19:39 Global Brewing Science: Learning from International Experts<br>22:02 Underrated Styles: The Love (and Struggle) for Alt Beer<br>24:03 The Elmhurst Vision &amp; Designing the New Space<br>26:10 Passion Project: Crafting the Perfect Coffee Porter<br>28:21 Diversity on Draft: From Lagers to Sours<br>30:08 The Evolution of &quot;Piper&quot; Hazy IPA<br>32:05 Pro Tip: How to Identify Beer Bitterness (IBUs vs. Palate)<br>34:16 The Comeback of Classic Styles &amp; Shelf Life Realities<br>36:13 Freshness First: Why Pack Dates &amp; &quot;Facing&quot; Cans Matter<br>38:16 Spotting &quot;Bad&quot; Beer: Cardboard &amp; Library Book Smells<br>40:05 The Science of Off-Flavors: Trans-2-nonenal<br>41:30 Redefining Porters: Why This One is Different<br>43:23 The Secret to Mouthfeel: Using Flaked Oats<br>45:20 Rotating Cream Ales: Keeping the &quot;Clown Car&quot; Fresh<br>47:36 Brewing for a Cause: Golden Pour Purpose<br>49:18 Innovative Techniques &amp; The Whimsical Approach<br>51:02 Barrel-Aging Experiments: Bourbon &amp; Maple<br>52:57 The Great Pumpkin Beer Debate<br>54:40 Understanding Salinity &amp; Salt in Fermentation<br>56:18 Mastering American Pilsners &amp; Lager Timelines<br>57:58 Taproom Culture: Legit Nachos &amp; Community<br>59:38 Behind the Design: Moving Motorcycles with Scissor Lifts<br>1:01:18 Final Thoughts &amp; Supporting the Channel<br>1:01:55 Closing Toast: Knight Rider Black IPA<strong>About 93 Octane Brewery: </strong>Born from a passion for craft beer and quality, 93 Octane Brewery offers an innovative, rotating tap list of IPAs, stouts, pilsners, sours, and creative seasonals at their taprooms in St. Charles and Elmhurst, Illinois. Learn more on their website at <a href="https://93octanebrewery.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://93octanebrewery.com/</a> </p><p>—</p><p>Learn more about Crafty Brewers at <a href="https://craftybrewerspod.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://craftybrewerspod.com</a> </p><p>Support Crafty Brewers on Patreon! <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/c/craftybrewers</a> </p><p>Crafty Brewers is a production of Quantum Podcasts, LLC, an enterprise podcast growth consultancy. If your brand would like to capture a loyal audience to drive business results with the power of podcasting, then visit <a href="https://quantum-podcasts.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://quantum-podcasts.com/</a></p><p>Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/codygough/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Cody Gough</a>. He insists that we tell you that in this episode, you’ll learn about: cold extraction coffee method, espresso-strength coffee additions, green bell pepper flavor in coffee beer, parts-per-billion flavor detection, off-flavor blind tasting, Cicerone certification exam structure, draft system cleaning and maintenance, craft beer freshness dating, best-by date on beer cans, IBU measurement, bittering hops vs. aroma hops, no-boil IPA hopping technique, cold-side dry hopping, hazy IPA vs. West Coast IPA, perceived bitterness in craft beer, Folds of Honor military scholarship program, craft beer veteran support, Siebel Institute, international brewing school Germany, metric system in brewing, barrel measurement system, and craft brewery career paths.</p>