Tim Sciascia, Co-founder and Director of Brewing and Blending at the renowned Cellarmaker Brewing Co., has officially joined the Berkeley Yeast team. For those unfamiliar, Cellarmaker has earned a devoted following and numerous accolades, including being named one of the Top 20 Small Craft Breweries by Craft Beer & Brewing in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Tim utilized Berkeley Yeast strains to craft some of Cellarmaker’s most celebrated beers. Now, as Berkeley Yeast’s Brand Ambassador, he’s excited to share how brewers can harness these innovative strains to create award-winning beers. Notably, Cellarmaker’s house strains—Fresh Chico and Tropics London—were instrumental in producing the clean, vibrant, and hop-forward beers that became their hallmark.
As Tim shares, “I’ve always believed in pushing the boundaries of brewing, and I’m joining Berkeley Yeast because they’re the most innovative team in the industry today. Their commitment to excellence and their vision for the future of fermentation aligns perfectly with where I see the industry heading. I’m excited to help brewers everywhere take their beers to the next level.”
With Tim on board, we’re thrilled to offer brewers not only the most advanced yeast strains on the market but also the hands-on expertise to help you maximize their potential. Whether you’re brewing a hop-forward IPA, a nuanced barrel-aged stout, or anything in between, Tim is here to share his knowledge and insights to help you create your best beers yet.
Stay tuned for more from Tim and the Berkeley Yeast team.
Questions for Tim? Ask Away!
Tim@berkeleyyeast.com
The Latest At Berkeley Yeast
Tim Sciascia’s Tropics Boosted Hazy IPA
Looking to lower costs on your Hazy IPA but not at the expense of aromatic potency? This recipe relies on a heavy dose of Berkeley Yeast’s Tropics Boost and fermentation with Tropics London yeast strain for an attention grabbing bouquet of passionfruit.
Recipe: Tim Sciascia’s NA West Coast IPA
Brewing a tasty nonalcoholic beer is dramatically different from brewing one of normal strength—but this recipe provides a great jumping-off point for making something pleasurably hoppy but without the alcohol.
Recipe: Tim Sciascia’s NA Light “Lager”
Drinkers who are familiar with American light lager will be impressed by this crisp nonalcoholic version. Even more amazing, nonalcoholic beer production’s shortened fermentation can move this “lager” from grain to glass in as little as one week.
Brewer Stories
Turning Off Unwanted Flavors: How Berkeley Yeast’s Fresh Strains Create Low Diacetyl IPAs and Lagers
Like most brewers, Danny Priddy has a pretty discerning palate. The director of brewing operations at Riip Beer Company in Huntington Beach, California, is particularly sensitive to diacetyl, an organic compound that, at low concentrations, can mute hop notes in beers like Riip’s aroma-charged IPAs. At high concentrations, diacetyl can add an unwanted buttery note.
How Tropics Strains Are Helping Brewers Create More Aromatic IPAs
J.C. Hill, the cofounder of Alvarado Street Brewery in Monterey, California, wanted to make a hazy IPA that’s welcoming in both flavor and price point; increasing the hopping rate increases a beer’s price tag, and a $24 four-pack is a hard sell to many drinkers. So he built a recipe around Tropics London and three hop varieties that impart flavors evocative of kid-favorite candies including Lifesavers, gummy bears, and peach rings. “They line up super-well with the passion fruit and guava flavors you get from the yeast,” says Hill, who calls Tropics “a game changer.”
How Berkeley Yeast’s Superbloom Builds Highly Drinkable Hoppy Beer
Over the last decade, boom-and-bust cycles have defined the IPA category. Sour IPAs, overly bitter palate wreckers, and bone-dry brut IPAs have mostly disappeared, a dry-hopped gold rush that didn’t quite pan out. Session IPAs also fizzled out, even though the concept seemed like a certain winner. Drop an IPA’s alcohol by volume to a more restrained 4 or 5 percent, keep flavor and aromatics high, and count the profits. Outside of Founders All Day IPA, many session IPAs were too dry and thin to support hop bitterness.