Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

Controlling Fermentation Temperature with a Fermentation Chamber

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013

Controlling fermentation temperature is a key factor in making repeatable high quality beer. You’ll be amazed at how much your beer will improve by focusing on consistent fermentation temperature, and a related component the yeast pitching rate. Yeast give off different flavor profiles depending on the temperature the fermentation takes place ...

Posted in Equipment, Lagering | 4 Comments »

Dude Your Beer Line Stinks! Wash It Out!

Friday, August 16th, 2013

Every so often beer lines need to be cleaned. They can get so dirty the poured beer will smell and taste funny. This is a normal issue that all home brewers, bars, and restaurants have to contend with. The off colored crystalline sediment is officially known as beer stone (Calcium Oxalate). ...

Posted in Equipment, Kegging and CO2 | Comments Off on Dude Your Beer Line Stinks! Wash It Out!

Lifting Carboys and Kegs with a Pulley in the Brew Shed

Friday, July 12th, 2013

Lifting carboys full of beer in and out of keezers can be bad for the lower back.  My brew shed is setup with freezer chests for both the fermentation chamber and keezer. Freezer chests require awkward bending and lifting to get carboys and kegs in and out. There is no ...

Posted in Equipment | 2 Comments »

Pro Grade Refractometer Atago PAL-1

Friday, June 14th, 2013

The Atago PAL-1 is a professional grade digital refractometer that we got to test out over the past few brew sessions.  Compared to my $40 refractometer from Amazon, it is a night and day difference. The PAL-1 is super accurate reading to reading, varying only +/- 0.05 Brix. Contrast that ...

Posted in Equipment | 1 Comment »

Using your Refractometer Correctly for Maximum Accuracy in Home Brewing

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

A refractometer is a nifty brewing instrument that allows a gravity reading to be taken with just a single drop of wort. It beats wasting 6-8 ounces for a hydrometer sample. The drop of wort is spread across a flat lens with a clear plate that snaps down over it ...

Posted in Equipment | 2 Comments »

Beer on the Go in PET Bottles

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

Check out this nifty method of packaging beer from the keg into light weight plastic bottles. I started kegging after almost 2 years of bottling. I fell in love with the fact that I now had one big "bottle" to clean and sanitize rather than about 50. One of the challenges that ...

Posted in Equipment, Kegging and CO2 | 3 Comments »

Precision Hydrometer, Cool a New Toy!

Friday, March 8th, 2013

A precision hydrometer is a fun upgrade and only runs about $15. Yeah, taking measurements, entering brew logs, and doing brewing science - this is fun! I've broken a few hydrometers on accident over the years and normally bought the cheap ones that read from 1.00 to 1.16. These are all ...

Posted in Equipment, Fun | 5 Comments »

Broken Carboy Alert

Thursday, February 7th, 2013

To everyone who is using glass carboys, you may find this of interest.  This is a re-post from a wine maker we know in the area who had some serious trouble with glass carboys breaking lately! ------------------------------------------------- This morning I discovered a small pool of wine underneath a 5 gallon glass carboy ...

Posted in Equipment | 7 Comments »

Jockey Box Setup For Parties

Friday, January 11th, 2013

When I first started kegging, I soon realized how much simpler taking beers to parties would be. I’d take ONE big container of beer, and dispense it. No more super heavy coolers of glass beer bottles to lug over and bring the empties back for cleaning and reuse. Until this fall ...

Posted in Equipment, Fun | 5 Comments »

Detailed Guide for Cleaning a Better Bottle

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

A while back I posted about my Better Bottle blowoff setup. During my search for a good blowoff arrangement, I ended up calling the manufacturer of Better Bottles (BBs). The man I spoke with was super helpful and knowledgeable. During that conversation, I decided to ask him about cleaning. The main ...

Posted in Equipment | 3 Comments »