Mr. Wizard
Homebrewer’s Uses for a Spare Fridge
Glad to see you following one of the most important homebrewing rules of thumb; accept anything for free that can be used to further your pursuit of great beer! For what it’s
Using a Corny Keg For Chilling & Primary Fermentation
There are a few possible problems with this plan, but none are insurmountable. What you are describing is something akin to coolships that were ubiquitously used by lager and ale brewers before
Beer Clarification Advice
My preference of clarification method is based more on process constraints than any true affinity for a particular method. Gravity plus time, finings plus time, filtration, centrifugation, and combinations of these can
Calibrating a pH Meter With Distilled Water
On paper, using distilled water as a pH 7.0 makes sense because the ionization constant is 1 x 10-14 and the concentration of hydrogen ions is 1 x 10-7 molar at 77
Troubleshooting A Smoky Off-Flavor
I like to troubleshoot off-flavors by thinking through the brewing process as a way of brainstorming. Plugging these thoughts into a visual aid like a fishbone diagram really helps to identify possible
Do Corn and Rice Adjuncts “Dry Out” Beer?
Dryness is a perception when used as a sensory term and as an analytical/numerical thing when used to describe fermentation. When wort is “fermented to dryness,” all fermentable sugars have been fermented
Clues To Identifying An Infection
Identifying beer spoilage by visual observation can be a challenge, but the photo of your brew does look suspect. If I were to wager a bet, my money would be on Acetobacter
Mr. Wizard’s Guide to Cleaning Your Draft System
Clean draft lines and faucets are key to any properly maintained draft beer system. The good news for the homebrewer is that our draft lines tend to be relatively short and contain
Is There a Difference Between Rolled and Flaked Grains?
Thanks for the great question, Tony! An interesting topic to dive into for sure because there are some real differences among adjunct grains that are invisible to the eye. For starters, the
Using Beer Burp to Help Judge a Beer?
This just goes to show that learning never stops. I can state with conviction that I have never heard or read about this method in decent circles. But I am choosing to
Aging Your Homebrew Beer
Hey Bob, before I attempt to answer this question I just want to let you in on a secret. If I could really answer this question, I would be retired on an
Brewing Beer With Fresh-Picked Hops
Thanks for the fun question! This topic is a great reminder that beer has been brewed way longer than our scientific understanding of raw materials, brewing, and beer. It wasn’t long ago
