October 2020
Mr. Wizard
Dial In Your Brewing Water No Matter The Source
Thanks for the great question about water. I will jump into the middle of the pool here and try not to stray towards the deep end where the abyss of things not
Article
Enzymes Ex Machina: Explore the world of exogenous enzymes
For a long time the only enzyme most brewers would ever think about adding was some amylase enzymes . . . boy have times changed. Learn about the rapidly expanding world of exogenous enzymes.
Article
The Sandbank Brewing Co.: A once-a-year (or lifetime) experience
After three hard days of riding a mountain bike through the turbulent escarpment zone in Zambia, what awaits riders is some finely crafted beer, made at home by the race organizer. Check out this unique story.
Project
DIY Draft Trunk Lines: When you want to run long draft lines
When your keg storage unit (kegerator) and home bar aren’t going to be located in the same area of your house it’s time to run trunk lines. Here is how to build them yourself with the help of a glycol chiller.
Article
Session Beers: The drive to go little
Bigger is always better, right? Not according to fans of session beers. Denny and Drew lay out some keys to crafting a fine example of a low-alcohol beer built with enough character to feel “big.”
Article
English IPA: Yes, you can call this India pale ale
Many view their India pale ale to require certain character
istics, but those may not come close to what the classic rendition looked like. Gordon Strong takes us back to the prototypical IPA; the English IPA.
Recipe
Gordon Strong’s English IPA
OK, this is about as simple as it gets: One malt, one hop, and single infusion mash. When you only use a small number of ingredients and you don’t do extra work to transform them, you really have to make quality choices. So, don’t skimp with your ingredients selection.
Article
Bitterness & The IBU – What’s It All About?
In the earlier days of the American India pale ale, bitterness was king. The more Bitterness Units (BU), the better. We didn’t have the hazy-juicys, we had bitter and hoppy, piney, ashy,
Article
10 New Hops to Brew With
It still strikes me as a little odd when I see a beer can boldly declaring “hops” as an ingredient. Sure, hops are an ingredient in almost every modern beer, but the
Recipe
Lupulin Brewing Co.’s Sophistry 06 clone
Lupulin Brewing Co.’s Sophistry 06 clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.072 FG = 1.015IBU = 27* SRM = 5 ABV = 7.5% * Beers heavily dry hopped can differ greatly from
Recipe
Icarus Brewing Co.’s Pineapple Hindenburg clone
Icarus Brewing Co.’s Pineapple Hindenburg clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.064 FG = 1.016IBU = 17.1 SRM = 6 ABV = 6.2% This recipe was born out of a collaboration with the Ocean
Recipe
Indeed Brewing Co.’s Triumph Pale Ale clone
Indeed Brewing Co.’s Triumph Pale Ale clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.055 FG = 1.011IBU = 45 SRM = 6 ABV = 5.7% This single-hop pale ale from Indeed Brewing features juicy/berry/tropical flavors
Article
A Decade in the Making
It takes at least 10 years (and often more) from the time a new hop is initially crossed to its release. That is, if it even gets released, which is incredibly rare considering how many crosses are made every year. For a hop to be released, it has to check all of the boxes.
Mr. Wizard
Yeast Propagation From A Bottle
I love these two part questions that begin with great fundamentals and then segue into the meaning of life. You want to propagate yeast from bottles and are attracted to skipping the
Article
Yeast Propagation, Dialing in Your Brewing Water Profiles
Feed yeast and they will grow . . . so why bother with these multi-step growth methods advocated by pundits? Mr. Wizard has some reasons. Also, find out about dialing in your water profile, whether using tap or reverse osmosis (RO) water.
Recipe
Traditional Umqombothi
Traditional Umqombothi (~2.5 gallons/10 L, all-grain)ABV = ~2.5% Recipes for umqombothi vary wildly. Some use double the amount of sorghum-to-maize, others use more maize than sorghum. Some start with a vast amount
Article
A Sip of Tradition
Umqombothi is an ancient South African beer made from maize and sorghum and spontaneously fermented. Explore the traditions and techniques around this unique beverage.
Recipe
Varietal Beer Co.’s Africanized Wolves IPA clone
Varietal Beer Co.’s Africanized Wolves IPA clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.054 FG = 1.005IBU = 42 SRM = 4 ABV = 6.5% This New England IPA relies almost entirely on
Article
South African Hops
Several years ago, when Anheuser-Busch InBev finalized its deal to purchase its closest rival, SABMiller, one bit of the sale caused particular angst among craft beer drinkers. That hops farms controlled by
Article
Late Hopping: Tips from the Pros
Hop additions have been pushed back later and later in the brewing process of hoppy beers as brewers look to maximize aroma and flavor. We asked three pro brewers renowned for their
Recipe
Outer Banks Brewing Station’s Lemongrass Wheat Ale clone
Finally, use the freshest lemongrass that you can find; pinch it and smell your fingers, it should have a citrus, ginger aroma.
Article
Outer Banks Brewing Co.
A reader looks for a way to remember his late wife with one beer that she loved most — enjoyed in one of the settings she enjoyed most — the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Article
Basic Tricks of Cider
Making hard cider can be an extremely easy task but you may end up with a lackluster drink. Find out some simple tricks to getting the most from apples.
Project
The Moonlighter Challenge: Dangling a beer carrot
If you’re looking for big laughs in a group atmosphere while maintaining a safe distance, you need to check out the Moonlighter Challenge build.
