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.
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.
0:00 Intro: Whimsical Brewing at 93 Octane
0:41 Meet Alex Makowski
2:06 93 Octane’s Origins: The Gas Station Brewery
3:51 Nano Brewery Life: From a 400 Sq Ft Closet to Expansion
5:14 Scaling Challenges: Mobile Canning & Palate Positions
6:47 Expanding to Elmhurst: A One-Month Renovation
8:05 Brewing Philosophy: “Make Great Beer, Period”
9:18 Community Support & Maintaining Two Taprooms
11:00 Homebrewing Roots: A Father-Son Project at 18
12:22 Youngest Certified Cicerone: Studying Underage
13:33 Inside the Cicerone Exam: Off-Flavors & Glassware
15:25 Industry Reality Check: Lessons from Finch’s Brewing
17:01 Rising Through the Ranks at Two Brothers Brewing
19:39 Global Brewing Science: Learning from International Experts
22:02 Underrated Styles: The Love (and Struggle) for Alt Beer
24:03 The Elmhurst Vision & Designing the New Space
26:10 Passion Project: Crafting the Perfect Coffee Porter
28:21 Diversity on Draft: From Lagers to Sours
30:08 The Evolution of “Piper” Hazy IPA
32:05 Pro Tip: How to Identify Beer Bitterness (IBUs vs. Palate)
34:16 The Comeback of Classic Styles & Shelf Life Realities
36:13 Freshness First: Why Pack Dates & “Facing” Cans Matter
38:16 Spotting “Bad” Beer: Cardboard & Library Book Smells
40:05 The Science of Off-Flavors: Trans-2-nonenal
41:30 Redefining Porters: Why This One is Different
43:23 The Secret to Mouthfeel: Using Flaked Oats
45:20 Rotating Cream Ales: Keeping the “Clown Car” Fresh
47:36 Brewing for a Cause: Golden Pour Purpose
49:18 Innovative Techniques & The Whimsical Approach
51:02 Barrel-Aging Experiments: Bourbon & Maple
52:57 The Great Pumpkin Beer Debate
54:40 Understanding Salinity & Salt in Fermentation
56:18 Mastering American Pilsners & Lager Timelines
57:58 Taproom Culture: Legit Nachos & Community
59:38 Behind the Design: Moving Motorcycles with Scissor Lifts
1:01:18 Final Thoughts & Supporting the Channel
1:01:55 Closing Toast: Knight Rider Black IPA
About 93 Octane Brewery: 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 https://93octanebrewery.com/
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Our executive producer and editor is award-winning podcaster Cody Gough. 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.