November-December 2024
Article
Brewing With Russian River
Russian River Brewing Co.’s beers have been some of the most sought-after from the time Vinnie Cilurzo was brewing them in their downtown Santa Rosa, California, brewpub. The brewing operation has grown, but the quality, dedication, and appeal hasn’t wavered. Vinnie opened up the brewery (and recipe books) for us to share his story, brewing advice, and five clone recipes with readers.
Article
The Effects of Aged Hops on Beer Quality
Post-harvest processing and packaging of hops has changed dramatically over the years to significantly reduce the effects of oxygen and temperature on hop acid degradation during storage; however, it still takes many months to process a lot of the hops on the market. We do not fully understand the changes that these hops undergo, yet we do know that hop variety seems to play a role in how hops age and that storage conditions will affect how quickly hops change. Interestingly, data tells us that moderately aged hops can positively impact beer aroma.
Article
2024 Homebrew Label Contest Winners
We received hundreds of submissions for our 29th Annual Homebrew Label Contest and are happy to reveal the winning labels.
Article
Deviant Wolfe Brewing Co.
Deviant Wolfe Brewing Co. in Sanford, Florida, brews for their hot climate — meaning lots of crisp lagers and refreshing fruited kettle sours. They also utilize kveik yeast in a hazy IPA that caught the attention of a reader. Lucky for us, they were happy to share the recipe.
Article
Yeast Nutrients, Dry Hop Oxidation & Low-ABV Beers
The Wizard explains why some recipes call for yeast nutrients and others don’t — but why you should consider using it more often than not. Plus, tips to stop beer from oxidizing when dry hopping, and the latest on the no/low-alcohol beer trend.
Article
Eis, Eis, Baby
Due to legal and practical constraints, eisbock is one of the few beer styles that is more geared for homebrewers than pros. The secret is freeze concentration, transforming the beer from one style into another.
Article
Dip Hopping Techniques
Dip hopping maximizes good aromas while suppressing off-aromas. Learn how to do this technique at a homebrew scale to get the most from your hops.
Article
Understanding Malt COAs
As an agricultural product, barley from crop-to-crop, maltster-to-maltster, or location-to-location varies. If you want to be precise in your brewing, understanding the information that comes with a malt’s certificate of analysis is a big step in that direction.
Article
Those Who Came Before
A homebrewer reminisces about how he started in the hobby 15 years ago and the man he credits for teaching and inspiring him. As he’d later find out, that man, Byron Burch, was a legend in homebrewing circles.
Recipe
Russian River Brewing Co.’s Blind Pig IPA clone
“My first version of Blind Pig IPA was in 1994 at my very first brewery, Blind Pig Brewing Company, which was located in Temecula, California. This recipe originated from my homebrew days starting in 1989. Years later after Natalie and I took over Russian River Brewing Company from my former employer, Korbel Champagne Cellars, we were able to obtain the trademark for Blind Pig IPA so we brought her back to life.” – Vinnie Cilurzo
Recipe
Russian River Brewing Co.’s Pliny the Elder clone
We first made Pliny the Elder in 1999, initially for a Double IPA festival at The Bistro in beautiful downtown Hayward, California. Previous to that, in 1994 I had made what is now considered to be the first modern double IPA in recent brewing history. So making a big, over-the-top IPA was not something new to me. In 2004, after Natalie and I took over Russian River Brewing Company . . . Pliny the Elder became a year-round beer and quickly became our top selling beer, which it still is today. – Vinnie Cilurzo
Recipe
Russian River Brewing Co.’s STS Pils clone
Because STS is dry hopped using European-type hops, it would technically be classified as an Italian-style Pilsner. However, if you read the side label on the STS Pils can, it says it is a Keller-style Pilsner as we treat it as an unfiltered beer, leaving a little yeast and haze behind. – Vinnie Cilurzo
Recipe
Russian River Brewing Co.’s Happy Hops clone
As hazy IPAs were gaining popularity, and before Russian River had brewed Mind Circus, our hazy IPA, I wanted to see if I could brew a beer that had all the juicy notes of a hazy IPA, but that was clear to the look. So Happy Hops became what I jokingly called our, “not so hazy, hazy IPA.” It is more of a progressive/modern IPA in that it has a lower bitterness compared to our other IPAs, but it carries lots of rich, juicy hop notes due to backloading the whirlpool with a sizable hop addition as well as a good size dry hop charge. – Vinnie Cilurzo
Recipe
Russian River Brewing Co.’s Consecration clone
Consecration is a dark ale that is initially fermented with Belgian Abbey Ale yeast. After the beer is done fermenting and all the primary yeast is removed, the beer goes into barrels (this homebrew version calls for oak chips, for ease) with dried currants and Brettanomyces yeast initially. After 2–3 months, the bacteria is added. All of this is left to age in used Cabernet Sauvignon wine barrels until it is ready to rack off the fruit and be packaged. – Vinnie Cilurzo
Recipe
You Dip, I Dip, We Dip West Coast Pilsner
This West Coast Pilsner is meant to showcase the twin powers of the all-around craft hop – Citra – and the power of dip hopping. This is a crisp, quick pilsner with a zippy hop presence that leans into the more tropical citrus and pineapple notes of Citra. Don’t have the ability to lager? Choose your favorite neutral ale yeast and ferment as cool as you can. It won’t be as “lager polished” but it will still be tasty!
Recipe
Deviant Wolfe Brewing Co.’s Norwegian Wizard Crisis clone
This hazy IPA is a staple in Deviant Wolfe’s lineup that relies on kveik yeast for a quick, warm fermentation. There are significant hops additions, all of which come post-boil.
Recipe
Gordon Strong’s Eisbock
The secret of eisbock is the freeze concentration, transforming the beer from one style into another.
Mr. Wizard
Using Yeast Nutrients
This is a great question. Before digging into details, you make an interesting observation about the “Oak It Up” article. On the surface, a brewer may assume that recipes calling for nutrients
Mr. Wizard
Avoiding Dry Hop Oxidation
Oxidation associated with dry hopping is a challenge faced by homebrewers and commercial brewers alike. The frustrating thing about this problem is the thin body of solid references related to the topic.
Mr. Wizard
No/Low ABV Beer Trends
I recently attended the 2024 World Brewing Congress (WBC). The WBC is a joint meeting of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, the American Society of Brewing Chemists, the European Brewery
Article
2024 Holiday Gift Guide
This holiday season give the gift of beer! Check out all of the great beer gear in our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide for gift ideas for friends and family or make your own homebrew holiday wishlist…
