Mr. Wizard
Adding Water to a Boil
Brewers, and those of us brewers who write about brewing, have all sorts of rules of thumb to help guide us through our brewing journeys. Boil time is one such rule. Some
Hot-Side Aeration
Identifying that one problem, the thing responsible for the majority of brewing issues, is the dream of every brewer who knows that their beer is just one step away from greatness. And,
Terminal Gravity Woes
Alpha amylase can be added to the fermenter to aid in attenuation, but it has limited efficacy in converting dextrins and starch into fermentables. The primary role of the endoenzyme alpha amylase
Hop Creep Revisited
I rarely answer similar questions in a single column, but this question pairs well with Greg Hutchinson’s question in this issue about over-carbonation and is a good follow-up to my “Hop Creep
Bottle-Condition Like A Champ
I am not sure how Affligem goes about bottling their beers, but your question generally applies to bottle-conditioned beers, especially those that have very little yeast sediment in the bottle. There are
Over-carbonation issues
This general phenomenon is loosely referred to as gushing and has numerous causes in beer. Typically there is a primary culprit in a case of gushing, but it is not unusual for
Feeling the Pressure
Atmospheric pressure does affect beer carbonation and dispense, but the answer to this question is a little confusing depending on where the beer being dispensed was carbonated, and how carbonation is defined.
Tips for Unitank Users
The best treatise I have read about the development and use of unitank fermenters is in the textbook Brewing Yeast and Fermentation by Boulton and Quain. Although the subject is covered in
Maximizing Malt Aroma and Character
I have been on this same journey before and it can be a real challenge chasing elusive flavors that sometimes seem impossible to capture, and perfect malt flavor is one such genie.
Maximizing Honey Flavor and Aroma
Joe, thanks for the good two-part question about using brewing sugars like honey for special flavors and the question about how to bottle condition beers that may contain fermentable sugars. These are
Hop Creep Explained
Hop creep is a term that has been recently popping up in commercial craft brewing circles to describe increased attenuation following dry-hopping. Reports in brewing literature indicate that a small handful of
Planning a Nano’s Cellar
The method of fermentation described above works with fermenters over a fairly wide range of sizes, mainly depending on the shape of the fermenter. The dissipation of heat from the fermenter into
