Articles
How to Become a Certified Beer Judge
Being a homebrewer, it’s only a matter of time before you come into contact with the world of beer judging. You’ll meet judges at homebrew club meetings. You’ll overhear conversations or read
Best of Show: 5 Award-Winning Brewers Share Tips & Recipes
There’s no thrill for a competitive homebrewer that compares to hearing your name announced as the Best of Show (BOS) winner of a competition, and it’s even more impressive when that competition
Choosing & Using Growlers
With the increasing amount of draft-only beers created by breweries and local brewpubs, growlers are becoming required gear for craft beer drinkers. For the homebrewer that faces the decision of whether to
Understanding the Color of Beer
We use a wide variety of words to talk about beer color — words such as white, pale, straw, blonde, beige, golden, yellow, honey-like, latte, orange, bronze, brown, mocha, caramel, chocolate, black,
New Zealand Pilsner: Style Profile
This style is driven by New Zealand-type hops . . .
Getting Judging Feedback on your Homebrew: Tips from the Pros
Judge: Annie Johnson, nationally ranked BJCP judge in Seattle, WA The two most common reasons brewers send off some of their precious homebrew to competitions is for the judging notes and for
Low-Dissolved Oxygen Lagers
“I don’t know if it is a general problem to comprehend or follow instructions properly but hopefully others can break out of these habits and actually give [low dissolved oxygen brewing] a
Brewing Water Adjustments
“Does your water taste good? Then it’s probably good for brewing.” That quote embodies the mantra of homebrewers for decades when it came to the fourth ingredient in beer. Good water should
Making Dark Versions of Pale Beers
A recent trend over the past few years in craft and homebrewing is making dark or black versions of pale colored beers; the first, and still most popular, being IPA. Recently I
Evaluating Hop Profiles with SMaSH Brewing
Over my 11 years of homebrewing, the one aspect of the hobby that has always captivated me is the myriad of ingredient descriptions for the different ingredients of beers. When I first
Buying and Storing Bulk Hops
Hops make up a small percentage of a beer recipe, but they have arguably the biggest impact on the flavor and aroma. Even stouts and darker styles, typically seen as malt-centric, require
Choosing and Using Different Forms of Hops
Hops have been the herb of choice to preserve and flavor beer for centuries, but only during the last several decades has there been such a wide variety of hop products available
