Archive for the ‘Brewing’ Category
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
Hops contribute four elements to beer: stabilization, bitterness, flavor, and aroma. Using the right hops, added to the boiling wort (pronounced wert) at the right time, is every bit as crucial as using the right grains or yeast.
Hops resins contain two types of acid, one (Beta) that contributes to aroma, ...
Posted in Brewing | No Comments »
Saturday, May 9th, 2009
Brewers are always interested in improving the flavor and aroma of their beer, and there seems to be an endless array of techniques by which to accomplish this. One technique that is receiving much attention is first wort hopping. Also known as, and referred to as, FWH in ...
Posted in Brewing | 14 Comments »
Saturday, April 18th, 2009
Many homebrewers are interested in achieving that sparkling clarity that they see in mass produced beers. A clear beer doesn’t taste any different, and if it is free, your friends won’t be complaining if it is a little hazy! Clearing your creation will further highlight the care and ...
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Sunday, March 29th, 2009
Consistency is the Virtue of Homebrewing
Part 3: Process improvements
To brew a consistent beer from one batch to the next, it helps to have clean, sanitary equipment each and every time. This is discussed in depth in Part 1 of this series. If you’ve just stumbled upon this article, I recommend ...
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Saturday, March 28th, 2009
It pays to listen to your grist, it can tell you a lot about your brew day before you ever mash in, if you look and listen to what it is telling you. Do not underestimate the importance of a good crush and the pitfalls of a bad crush ...
Posted in Brewing | 1 Comment »
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
One variable that all-grain brewers may not consider is mash thickness and how it affects efficiency and wort quality. It turns out adjusting the water to grain ratio in the mash might help. Increasing efficiency in all-grain brewing reduces the amount of grain required to reach your target OG, ...
Posted in Brewing | 5 Comments »
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
Understanding water chemistry in brewing is an important step to refining home brewing skills. It turns out less than a teaspoon of a couple key brewing salts can make a big impact in a batch of beer. This is applicable only to all grain brewing where full ...
Posted in Brewing, Ingredients | 9 Comments »
Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Consistency is the Virtue of Homebrewing
Part 2: Record Keeping
It’s no good to brew a great beer once, only to fail to recapture that glory every other time. In the last article, I discussed the importance of good hygiene procedures in brewing consistent beer. Good hygiene practices mean your beer contains ...
Posted in Brewing | 1 Comment »
Saturday, February 21st, 2009
Consistency is the Virtue of Home Brewing
Part 1: Cleanliness
One of the most frequent comments heard about home brewed beers is “this guy brewed a batch of really good beer, this one time...” meaning he never managed to duplicate the feat. Consistency is the first, best virtue of a home brewer. ...
Posted in Brewing | 2 Comments »
Sunday, February 8th, 2009
Mashing and lautering are terms used in all grain beer brewing to describe how brewers go from malted grain to wort in the kettle.
Mashing is the process of of creating sweet wort. We are lucky because in today's world we start off with malted grains. Malting is a time ...
Posted in Brewing | 4 Comments »
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