Mr. Wizard
Reduce tannins during the steep
The two most influential factors affecting the extraction of tannins from malt into wort are pH and temperature. All-grain brewers are very careful not to allow wort pH to reach more than
Krausen removal
The topic of kräusen removal is not discussed much in commercial brewing circles because most modern fermenters are not designed to remove kräusen. And it is frequently the case that “blow over”
Storing crushed grains
The key to storing grain is keeping it dry. Whenever crushed grain is left to sit around, it begins to take up moisture from the air. Most malts have a moisture content
Cold conditioning kegs
I prefer to cold condition after carbonation, because you can aggressively remove yeast by racking the beer from keg to keg without worrying about having enough yeast in the beer at bottling
Storing wort after mashing
Some brewers use a technique called flotation to separate cold trub (the solid matter) formed during wort cooling from the wort. The old method of flotation occurs before yeast is pitched and
Mash tempereratures
There is more to mash temperature than finished beer flavor. Mash temperature has an effect on wort viscosity and ease of lautering, it affects the gelatinization of starch (“melting” of the bonds
Hot Side Aeration Debate
Before I jump head first into this colorful debate about hot-side aeration (HSA), I would like to explain where some of the comments in BYO mail and in some of the BYO
Substituting honey for sugar
Cane sugar is well known to give beer a cidery or winey flavor. If you want to get rid of this flavor, using honey in place of sugar is one of several
What is “whirlpooling” your beer
Whirlpooling is a common method used in commercial breweries to separate hop pellets and trub from wort after the wort boil. Essentially the wort is pumped into the whirlpool vessel at rapid
Hop Utilization
This question brings up three key points: water pH and its affect on brewing methods used to adjust pH and adjusting bitterness. The first point regarding water pH pops up every so
Temporary hardness vs. permanent hardness in brewing water
The most basic difference between hard and soft water is that hard water reacts with soap to form solid soap scum, and soft water does not form soap scum. The formation of
The Salty Truth About Softeners
Potassium chloride is commonly sold as an alternative to sodium chloride. Those companies that market potassium chloride make the point that it doesn’t do all the terrible things to the body that
