Corey, David, and Tanner record in person with Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, a strong influencer of AG Policy. She shares with you beer from Brightside AleWorks, challenges our refined palette, shares what's in her garden, and gives us all a hard time!
Topics covered
Beer from Brightside Aleworks
https://brightsidealeworks.com/
Promotion for:
https://foundrydistillingcompany.com/privatebarrel/
Make your own heritage whiskey with grains from your farm.
Iowa State University
Great Resumes
Back to School plans
Gardening
DIY
Encouraging youth into AG Policy
Future President of the US Run
4 Fantastic Beers
Beer 1 : Sunbeam NEIPA - typical of the New England IPA style, this beer is hazy and juicy. The stand out hops are Citra, Moutere (moo-tear), and Julius. These hops provide the flavor similar to tropical fruit, tangerine, and melon without actually adding fruit to the beer. The grain bill features triticale from Iowa ag producer Buck Creek Farm in the Cedar Valley. Oats are typically used in this beer style, but triticale (hybrid between rye and wheat) provides a similar smooth mouthfeel while being an Iowa product.
Beer 2 : Suburban Lifestyle Dream - this fruited ale features generous amounts of raspberry, blueberry, pomegranate, and lemon in the recipe. We have produced many sours this year and approached this beer as a challenge to produce a sour-tasting beer without going through the souring process. The souring process consists of inoculating the wort (sugar water from the grain mash) with lactobacillius and similar strains of bacteria that produce lactic acid instead of alcohol. This lactic acid lowers the pH and gives the tart taste that one expects from a sour beer. We played around with different ratios of fruit and are happy with how the lemon plays with the berry additions.
Beer 3 : Redside Irish Red - one of the more traditional beers on tap at Brightside. This beer started out as a seasonal beer in March for our Ain't Paddys Day celebration (our party the week before St Paddys). This beer has the typical malt backbone with notes of toffee and toast while small additions of wheat and oats and a much smoother mouthfeel than a traditional red ale.
We at Brightside Aleworks will have been open for 3 years this October in Altoona, Iowa. My wife Molly, and I are the owners and head brewers. We met many years ago at Iowa State like many of your listeners I bet, ha. We started homebrewing together since it fit into both of our backgrounds (Molly - Food Science; Andrew - Agricultural Engineering). We kept upgrading equipment and techniques over the years until fate brought us to Altoona. After seeing a gap in the market, consulting local leaders, and putting together a business plan we opened Brightside Aleworks in 2017. We strive to use local ingredients whenever possible and contribute to many local charities.