482: Stephen Bossu of Hopewell Finds Lager Inspiration in the Occasion

482: Stephen Bossu of Hopewell Finds Lager Inspiration in the Occasion

From Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast by Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine

May 22, 2026 · 1h 12m · Episode 482

About this episode

Stephen Bossu discusses Hopewell's unique approach to brewing lower-ABV beers and their design philosophy.

Chicago’s Hopewell has, from its start, charted a different aesthetic and stylistic path than many of its contemporaries. In this episode, cofounder Stephen Bossu shares their approach to building a compelling array of lower-ABV beers designed around the times in which one might drink them. From the eight-ounce stubby can of Lil’ Buddy—it makes a perfect shift beer—to Pocha, the Korean-style lager designed for accompanying food, the beers of Hopewell are tuned to real-life consumption without pretense. In this episode, Bossu discusses: designing and brewing an all-malt Korean-style lager building core beer recipes without imported malts integrating pour style into the design of specific beers the bitterness and flavor impact of carbonation adjusting recipes depending on service style entering the cannabis beverage space with Choom And more. G&D Chillers G&D now offers their Elite 290 Micro-series with 5H chillers—bringing even more flexibility to their propane-powered lineup. In fact, they’re building one right now for Red Clover Ale Co in partnership with Efficiency Vermont. It runs on a Natural Refrigerant with near-zero Global Warming Potential—projected to deliver…

People in this episode

Guest: Stephen Bossu

Topics covered

  • lower-ABV beers
  • Korean-style lager
  • beer design
  • cannabis beverages
  • sustainability in brewing

Keywords

  • Hopewell
  • lager
  • craft beer
  • lower-ABV
  • Korean-style
  • cannabis beverages
  • sustainability
  • beer recipes
  • carbonation

Sponsors

G&D Chillers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hopewell, Efficiency Vermont, Berkeley Yeast

Products: Lil’ Buddy, Pocha, Elite 290 Micro-series, A2L refrigerant, Choom

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