487: Ben Allgood and Brady Jones of Geisthaus are Finding their Brewing Identity by Focusing on Lager

For brewing industry veterans Ben Allgood and Brady Jones, the chance to open their own brewery in Sacramento, California—Geisthaus—meant endless possibility, but they chose to intentionally limit themselves to lagers. Despite that self-imposed restriction, they’re finding space for a range of creative expressions within the familiar worlds of pilsner and helles—but they’re also not shying away from experimenting with hazy pale lager. In this episode, Allgood and Jones discuss: the choices they make in seven different pils recipes hops such as Spalt Select and Mittlefrüh and their impact on pils brewing pils with local and regional craft malts building “rustic robustness” in helles finding character with the White Labs WLP833 German Bock strain testing lager recipes head-to-head with house yeast and 34/70 the importance of high carbonation pulling levers to boost haze in pale lager the ins and outs of Lallemand’s NovaLager strain using New Zealand hops for haze stability in lager And more. G&D Chillers G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series runs on a Natural Refrigerant with near-zero Global Warming Potential—built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. They recently built one for New Belgium Brewing, delivering around 50% energy savings over CO₂ systems and 9% more efficiency than A2Ls. That’s real-world impact from a brewery that knows what it takes. With 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Learn more about sustainable chiller solutions at gdchillers.com/podcast. Berkeley Yeast Berkeley Yeast just launched Dry Tropics London! Our best-selling liquid yeast strain, now with all the ease-of-use benefits of dry yeast. Dry Tropics London delivers the soft, pillowy mouthfeel and juicy character you’d expect from a top-tier London Ale strain, but with a serious upgrade: a burst of thiols that unleash vibrant, layered notes of grapefruit and passion fruit. A lot of brewers love the clean passion fruit you get from Tropics, but they don’t want every IPA to be a tropical-fruit bomb. At the dry yeast price point, you can pitch and ditch without breaking the bank. Or, you can co-pitch with your house strain to adjust the intensity of the notes. And with nationwide free shipping, there’s never been a better time to try Dry Tropics. Order now at berkeleyyeast.com and experience the ease and impact of Dry Tropics London Yeast. PakTech This episode is sponsored by PakTech—delivering craft-beer multipacking you can trust. Our handles are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and are fully recyclable, helping breweries close the loop and advance the circular economy. With a minimalist design, durable functionality you can rely on, and custom color matching, our carriers help brands stand out while staying sustainable. Trusted by craft brewers nationwide, we offer a smarter, sustainable way to carry your beer. To learn more, visit paktech-opi.com. Indie Hops Oregon hop country is heaven to world-class lager varieties, and Indie Hops is proud to have introduced Oregon’s newest lager hop, Lórien, in 2022. Lórien is in a growing list of beers that have found their way to the podium and—more importantly—into the hearts of lager lovers across the country. Discover Indie Hops Lórien. (Side effects may include rampant festivity, sales bumps, and exceeded expectations.) Indie Hops—Life is Short. Let’s Make It Flavorful. Midea 50/50 Flex If you’re like many podcast listeners, you’ve got a lot of beers at home, and your regular fridge is at capacity. Enter the Midea 50/50 Flex—the industry’s first dual compartment three-way convertible freezer. Here’s what all that means for you: options! The 50/50 has the power to be all freezer, all fridge, or a little bit of both. But you’ll probably want to use those 20 cubic feet as a massive, garage-ready beer fridge. You can also change which side the door is on