CS&D Podcast Episode 4: Reade Huddleston of Monster Brewing Shares Perspectives on RTDs, Water Quality, and More

Reade Huddleston’s career has bounced back and forth between the brewing and distilling worlds, picking up valuable lessons along the way. Here, he shares important perspectives on packaging RTDs for long-term stability, understanding the impact of water chemistry throughout the distilling process, and more.

Molly Troupe Apr 18, 2024 - 4 min read

CS&D Podcast Episode 4: Reade Huddleston of Monster Brewing Shares Perspectives on RTDs, Water Quality, and More Primary Image

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Are distillers really just “dirty” brewers? How do you stabilize ingredients and flavors in canned RTDs? How can water chemistry at the municipal level potentially wreak havoc via arrested fermentations? Throughout his career, Reade Huddleston has seen it all, and now—as director of distillation and spirits at Monster Brewing—he’s putting into daily use the best-practices wisdom gleaned from years of brewing and distilling as well as focused study.

In this episode, Molly and Reade explore a range of subjects, including:

  • similarities and differences in brewing and distilling practices
  • testing and optimizing RTDs for long-term stability
  • can-liner interactions in RTDs
  • testing water quality with taste and odor acceptance tests
  • measuring water-supply shifts over the course of a day
  • common chemicals in supplied water and how to neutralize them

And more.


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With a Bachelor degree in Chemistry (with an emphasis in forensics) and a Master degree in Brewing and Distilling from the legendary Heriot Watt University, Molly Troupe uses her education and experience to create products focused on localized ingredients and masterful flavor combinations. As Master Distiller and Partner at Freeland Spirits in Portland, Oregon, she has released six different products ranging from gin to whiskey to canned cocktails.

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