Mr. Wizard
Maximizing Malt Aroma and Character
I have been on this same journey before and it can be a real challenge chasing elusive flavors that sometimes seem impossible to capture, and perfect malt flavor is one such genie.
Tuning In to Water Profiles
I have never written extensively about brewing water profiles and cannot knowingly comment about why this topic is usually addressed by reviewing the water profiles of historically important brewing centers. But I
Appropriate Carbonation Levels
In the United States, carbonation level is expressed in volumes of carbon dioxide. A volume of carbon dioxide is defined as the volume of gas that could be removed from a volume
Cold Conditioning a Keg
I prefer to cold condition after carbonation, because you can remove yeast by racking the beer from keg to keg without worrying about having enough yeast in the beer at bottling time
The Dynamics of Lukr Faucets
Lukr beer faucets, often referred to as “Lukrs,” have been popping up all over North America in recent years due to the rising popularity of traditional Pilsners and other lagers by beer-loving
Avoiding Dough Balls
Dough balls are an undeniable nuisance to brewers of all sizes because the malt in the dough ball is not wetted and does us brewers no good. Unless you are stirring with
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
How long hops can be stored
This question has two very different answers depending on the source of the hops. Let’s start with pelletized hops sold to commercial breweries. These hops begin their journey at the farm, where
Bottle Bombs
This question has a rather short, but important answer. Most breweries in the United States use “one-way” glass bottles for packaging. These bottles are lighter in weight compared to returnable bottles and are not intended
Hop Oils
I consider my knowledge on this topic typical for the average craft brewer and will answer your question from my perspective and comment on some of the topics brewers and hop researchers
Airlock Blowout
In the commercial world of brewing, one of the biggest fears is a fermentation that is slow to start or one that lacks vigor when it does come to life. These traits
High Gravity Fermentation
This is one of the questions that makes me scratch my head, and for more reasons than one. My first response actually has nothing at all to do with the question. And
