Mr. Wizard
Pre-Boil vs. Post-Boil Water Ion Concentrations
This is a really good question. Water chemistry is discussed in terms of pre-mash concentrations with minimal attention given to the concentration of ions following mashing (and boil). Perhaps the primary reason
Using Water Profile for Brewing
Rick, water chemistry can indeed be confusing. I think one of the reasons that the topic is so frustrating to read about is partly due to the number of different units that
A Beer’s Changing Flavor Profile
Just reading this question makes me want to stop writing and go find one of these great beers! Describing off-flavors can be difficult, especially in beer styles with a combination of special
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
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
Brewing Water Tweaks
Grain bill, grist ratio (mash thickness), and salt additions all affect mash pH. I am not going to address specific how-to details related to the EZ Water Calculator in this answer, but
The Subtleties of Beer Gas
Years ago I was talking to a crusty dude named Larry who worked for a local beer distributor about the dirty draft beer tricks that can be played by competing distributors. Larry
Cask Ale Beer In A Bag
The bag-in-box method has never really been common among homebrewers, but is a technique used by many pubs around the world. The reason your beer is not carbonating is that a rigid
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
Temperatures affects on beer stored in kegs
The answer to this question has plagued brewers since beer was first conceived or however it came into being. Many famous scientists studied the spoilage of beer and wine, and Louis Pasteur
Are Bottles or Kegs better for long term beer storage?
So how do bottles differ from kegs? If bottled properly, they really should have similar storage properties. The big difference with bottling a five-gallon batch versus kegging a five-gallon batch is roughly
Removing Soda Flavor from a Keg
Ahhh, the old root-beer beer. This reminds me of a time when I screwed up a beer experiment with the remnants of a root beer experiment. We had three groups in our
