Mr. Wizard
Filtering Homebrew
The first question that really should be answered is why do brewers filter beer? Some brewers filter beer to make it clear and pretty, some filter beer so that they don’t have
Malting Wheat
Grains are malted so that starch contained in the grain endosperm can be released into solution during mashing. The changes that happen during malting are collectively termed modification. And the thing that
Hop Quality
The HopRocketTM is an in-line hopping device intended for use with whole cone hops. These types of brewing tools can be used between the kettle and wort cooler for aroma additions, similar
Bottling from a Keg
Most bottled beers do fall into the 2.5 to 3.0 volume carbonation range, but there are styles that are typically carbonated to a much higher level. Many Belgian styles and German hefeweizens
Yeast Starters for Yeast Blends
If I had to choose between using an old mixed yeast culture that has the “correct” ratio of yeast cells that the yeast supplier used in the blend or using a vital
Stopping Fermentation
Halting a fermentation is certainly possible and some brewers do indeed use this technique to produce beer with residual sweetness. I don’t think you are looking for residual sweetness, but the topic
Higher Alcohols
The “hot” and solvent-like aromas you describe are associated with higher alcohols. The term “higher alcohol” is used to describe alcohols that have a higher molecular weight than ethanol, and grammatically, the
Hot Liquor Tank Temperatures
Paul, the direct answer to your question is “no”; using 200 °F (93 °F) water to heat wort with a copper coil heat exchanger is not going to hurt your efficiency. The important
Scaling Down Recipes
I have been designing beers using math since I first learned how to calculate a brew 25 years ago. There is something rewarding in the formality that goes into crunching numbers and
Kettle Souring with a Heating Element
Kettle sours have become quite popular with commercial craft brewers who want to brew sour beers without turning their breweries into funk factories and the technique really works quite well. It’s also
Freezing Fresh Hops
This is a really interesting question about hop storage. Brewers can, at times, be skeptical about observations reported by newer brewers, especially when the observations have to do with changes in flavor.
