Mr. Wizard
Explaining Hop Utilization
The term “boil efficiency” typically refers to “hop utilization” and relates hop alpha acids added to wort to iso-alpha acids in beer. I will use the standard term “hop utilization” in this
Why do some batches exhibit hop creep?
Let me start this answer off with a brief review of hop creep. This term refers to dry hopped fermentations that slowly ferment to a lower final gravity than they would without
An alternative way to judge beers in competition
Takeaways from the Japan Brewers Cup — Yokohama, Japan, February 9, 2024 Earlier this year, I had the great opportunity to travel to Japan to visit some breweries, give a presentation to a
Scavenging Oxygen
Oxygen is a problem for beer at all stages of the process following the early stages of fermentation because many of the flavor-active compounds created by yeast are changed, i.e., chemically oxidized,
Control Mash Temperature with a Propane Heating System
I think I have a solution to your quest that will work well without costing much money. All you need for this project is your propane burner, a pot, an immersion wort
Predicting Mash pH
Being able to predict mash pH based on brewing water composition and grist bill is something of great practical use to brewers. Clearly not all beer styles brewed in Munich, for example,
Can LED Light Skunk Beer?
Before I jump into this great question, I want to confess that I am feeling a bit skunky for being a bit behind on this column because I have been traveling too
Step Mashing Efficiency Vs. Infusion
I have a solid explanation of what may be causing your problem but must admit that what follows includes one very big assumption. And that assumption is that your mashes typically drop
Blending Fruit Wine in Beer
Sounds like you have access to some great stuff! Love the idea of blending fruit wine into beer and hope to give you some ideas on how to make this practical. Perhaps
Questioning Boil Duration
Thanks for the great question, Darrell! This is not a topic I recall addressing and is certainly a modern brewing topic of interest. Before digging into your specific question about the relation
Calculating Ice Requirements For Wort Chilling
Cold water tanks are commonplace in commercial breweries because they are handy reservoirs of cooling potential and help to spread the cooling load on refrigeration systems associated with wort cooling from as
Getting Into the Nitty Gritty on Apparent Attenuation
This is a great question that touches on several topics. I’ll start with a brief description of what you already know about mashing. For a given malt, wort fermentability is a function
