Date: September 2020
Orval: A Study on Tradition, Innovation, & Craftsmanship
MEMBERS ONLYThere are not many breweries on this planet that evoke more reverence than Brasserie d’Orval. The Trappist brewery in the south of Belgium, just a few scant miles from the French border, is not as old as many of its other brewery compatriots but has captured the attention of drinkers from around the world thanks
Fundamentals of Stainless Steel Conicals
MEMBERS ONLYConical fermenters provide a lot of options for homebrewers that other fermentation vessels don’t. Explore the various uses, benefits, and best practices of stainless conicals from the man who helped popularize them in the homebrew market two decades ago.
Adjusting Flavor Using Brewing Salts
MEMBERS ONLYThe Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) training material outlines a sensory training process for brewers and clubs using ingredients found around the home or the brewery. As Education Chair for the Aurora City Brew Club in Aurora, Colorado, I’ve expanded this test to include other flavors and particularly, solutions of brewing salts. In the past,
Celebrating Milestones
MEMBERS ONLYThe year was 1995. Toy Story, Apollo 13, and Batman Forever dominated the big screen. Hootie and the Blowfish, TLC, and Better Than Ezra were climbing the Billboard charts. The OJ Simpson trial dominated headlines. Craft beer big guns like AleSmith, Allagash, and Bear Republic were founded. And a magazine named Brew Your Own was
Hill Farmstead Brewery’s Old World, Wild Mary Pilsner clone
MEMBERS ONLYHill Farmstead Brewery’s Old World, Wild Mary Pilsner clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.048 FG = 1.010IBU = 42 SRM = 3 ABV = 4.9% According to Shaun Hill, Owner of Hill Farmstead Brewery, “This is an unreleased beer (at press time) that we internally refer to as Old World, Wild Mary. The base
Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.’s Hallertau Haze clone
MEMBERS ONLYUrban Chestnut Brewing Co.’s Hallertau Haze clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.050 FG = 1.011IBU = 25 SRM = 5 ABV = 5.2% A departure for a brewery known for its lagers, this groundbreaking hazy IPA, designed for Urban Chestnut’s tenth anniversary, uses the best of Old World brewing tradition and modern craft innovation, and is
New Realm Brewing Co.’s Radegast Triple IPA clone
MEMBERS ONLYNew Realm Brewing Co.’s Radegast Triple IPA clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.098 FG = 1.009IBU = 100+ SRM = 5 ABV = 11.5% Named after the Czech god of hospitality, Mitch Steele’s Radegast IPA was first created with friends at Refuge Brewing in Temecula, California before becoming the annual anniversary beer at his brewery, New
Avery Brewing Co.’s 20th Anniversary Mephistopheles’ Stout clone
MEMBERS ONLYAvery Brewing Co.’s 20th Anniversary Mephistopheles’ Stout clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.102 FG = 1.020IBU = 45 SRM = 70+ ABV = 11% A “devil” of a beer, this iteration of Mephistopheles’ was made specifically for the 20th anniversary 2020 Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines festival. This decadent imperial stout was aged in
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Hoppy Anniversary Ale clone
MEMBERS ONLYSierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Hoppy Anniversary Ale clone (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.056 FG = 1.011IBU = 65 SRM = 6 ABV = 6.0% A tribute to the best of the West Coast IPAs, and craft beer’s long strange journey, Hoppy Anniversary Ale can be considered both a celebration and an autobiography of the craft
Ode to val d’or
MEMBERS ONLYOde to val d’or (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)OG = 1.056 FG = 1.002IBU = 33 SRM = 9 ABV = 6.9% Orval pours orange-brown with a big, rocky head. The very spritzy levels of carbonation with a slight sour note and distinctive Brett character make the beer feel prickly on the tongue. Orval is dry
A Taste of the Season
MEMBERS ONLYBrewing with fruit can add amazing depth, flavor, and aroma to your beer, but fruits also present significant challenges. Selecting the correct fruit, understanding its fermented flavor profile, the practical considerations of fermenting fruit, and getting the right overall flavor balance is difficult but also rewarding when you get it right. Back in 2015 I
Who Inspired the Wizard to Brew?
MEMBERS ONLYEach issue we pose a fun question to our staff, contributing writers, and review board members that appears on page 6. This issue, our own Mr. Wizard had such an interesting response that we gave him a full page to explain.