496: Tonya Cornett and Ian Larkin of Upp Liquids Continue Their Tradition of Challenging Each Other and Winning Together

While Upp Liquids may be their latest home, Tonya Cornett and Ian Larkin have been brewing together, then apart, then together again, across three different breweries over the past decade and a half. Over that time, they’ve won countless medals in competitions large and small, Cornett was awarded the coveted Russell Schehrer award for Innovation in Craft Brewing, and they continue that tradition of winning while pushing and challenging each other at Bend’s Upp Liquids. When they ran the category for German-Style Sour Ale at the 2024 World Beer Cup, it was with drastically different takes—the beers were so different from each other, judges had a hard time believing they were made by the same brewery. But that’s the energy Cornett and Larkin bring, and sometimes there are equally great ideas at opposite ends of the spectrum. In this episode, Cornett and Larkin discuss: the unexpected success and evolution of Pinball Wizard oatmeal stout raising pH and increasing finishing gravity to smooth out roast character in stout building body with crystal malt and chocolate rye using Golden Promise as base malt in imperial stout finding the right places for difficult malts like Thomas Fawcett pale chocolate and amber building a bit of punk rock into imperial stout lowering IBUs to shorten conditioning time in imperial stout entering aged Berliner Weisse into competitions developing and maintaining a 17-year-old mixed lactic acid bacteria culture optimizing beers for competition from style and recipe to packaging understanding judging dynamics And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers G&D’s new Elite 290 Micro-series is built for brewers who care about sustainability and performance. It runs on a Natural Refrigerant with near-zero Global Warming Potential, has a compact footprint, and features variable speed fans for efficiency. They’ve chilled beer for over 3,000 breweries across North America, and with 24/7 support and remote monitoring, your cold side stays dialed in—day or night. Get the details on natural refrigerant technology at gdchillers.com/podcast. Berkeley Yeast Here’s a brewer nightmare. It's the night before packaging. You walk into the brewery, straight to the tank. You pull a sample to do a forced diacetyl test and you wait for it in silence. Something feels not quite right. You reach into the water bath and bring the flask to your nose… And it’s a butter bomb. The logistics start running through your head. Do we hold the tank? We have accounts waiting. How many days until it clears? And then you wake up and remember that you use Berkeley Yeast's FRESH™ Chico. It’s got ALDC inside every cell, so diacetyl can’t even form in the first place. Through primary. Through dry hopping and hop creep. Diacetyl stays ultra-low. So you don’t have to add ALDC, or wait for diacetyl to clean up. And most importantly, you don’t have to wake up in a cold sweat, worrying about scary stories like these. FRESH™ Chico is now available in dried bricks for as low as $88 at berkeleyyeast.com. 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 This podcast is sponsored by the Midea 50/50 flex—the industry’s first dual compartment three-way convertible freezer. T