Mr. Wizard
Fermenting Beer Under Pressure
Yes, using gravity to monitor fermentation status is the best method for use at home because observing bubble activity and kräusen appearance are simply not reliable indicators. I am a fan of
Boiling Off the Alcohol In Beer
Wow! Talk about a blast from the past and a reminder of how brewing trends often slowly develop. The topic of no-alcohol and low-alcohol beers is certainly gaining traction in the world
Using Sprouted Grains in Brewing
Sprouted grains have been used for thousands of years for cooking and brewing, with malt being the ultimate sprouted grain product. The history of food and cooking is largely comprised of stories
Carbonating in Kegs or Growlers
This is a great question and one I always like answering. Beer can be conditioned, a.k.a. naturally carbonated, by capturing carbon dioxide produced by yeast in a conditioning tank, bottle, can, or
The Effects of Cold-Water Extraction
Homebrewers are always pushing the envelope for cool ideas and this one is certainly doable. Let’s start with a quick review of what happens in a cold mash. When milled grains, be
An Unexpected Drop in Gravity
I want to begin with a true confession about how I write this column. Using no special system, I select questions for discussion from those that are sent into BYO. The best
Ways to Brew Low-Alcohol and Non-Alcohol Beers
Before jumping into a review of some of the methods used to produce no- and low-alcohol beers, so-called NABLABs where NABs (non-alcohol beers) contain less than 0.5% ABV and LABs (low-alcohol beers)
A Dive Into Honey Malt
The rule of thumb when brewing with extracts is to steep crystal, caramel, and roasted specialty malts, and to mash specialty malts that contain starch. When crystal and caramel* malts are made,
Balancing A Draft System
For starters, thanks for the great link. Mike Soltys, PhD. is the brains behind the hose length calculator you referenced and he has taken a fluid dynamics approach to beer line calculations
The Importance Of Fermentation Temperatures
Fermentation temperature definitely affects beer flavor and fermentation rate, however some yeast strains are more influenced by temperature than others. I will come back to this in a moment. Brewers who have
Get The Scoop On Dip Hopping
Perhaps the most interesting things about dip hopping are the amount of data about the technique along with its relatively low-profile presence in the weird world of brewing hype. Before jumping into
The Importance of a Diacetyl Rest
Diacetyl rests or colloquially known as d-rests, whether brewing lagers or ales, are good insurance policies to help ward off diacetyl. Many recipes focus on wort production and provide little in the
