September 2020
Article
Orval: A Study on Tradition, Innovation, & Craftsmanship
There 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,
Article
Fundamentals of Stainless Steel Conicals
Conical 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.
Article
Adjusting Flavor Using Brewing Salts
The 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
Article
Celebrating Milestones
The 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
Recipe
Hill Farmstead Brewery’s Old World, Wild Mary Pilsner clone
Hill 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
Recipe
Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.’s Hallertau Haze clone
Urban 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
Recipe
New Realm Brewing Co.’s Radegast Triple IPA clone
New 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
Recipe
Avery Brewing Co.’s 20th Anniversary Mephistopheles’ Stout clone
Avery 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
Recipe
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Hoppy Anniversary Ale clone
Sierra 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
Recipe
Ode to val d’or
Ode 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
Article
A Taste of the Season
Brewing 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
Article
Who Inspired the Wizard to Brew?
Each 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.
Project
Heat Shield: Retain that wasted energy
An engineer sat down to create the ideal heat shield to make best use of his newly designed kettle burner stand, maximizing the heat from his propane burner.
Article
Cash Is King: Mastering your cash flow statements
Cash is king in the small-scale brewing world. Learn from accounting wiz Audra Gaiziunas about the major differences between a brewery’s cash flow statement and their income statement. It could make or break a nanobrewery.
Article
Yeast Nutrition: Feed your yeast to ensure success
Yeast nutrients may not always be needed. Learn what they are made from, when you should add them, and why, in certain situations, they are highly recommended.
Article
Malted “Others”: Adjuncts that are no longer raw
There is a big world of malted grains outside of barley. Explore some of those options and some best practices when stepping outside of craft brewing’s “comfort zone.”
Recipe
Gordon Strong’s Roggenbier
I’m balancing the beer to be somewhat like the original Schierlinger, a 5% ABV beer. I’ll shoot for 18 IBUs since there will be some malty sweetness to balance.
Article
Roggenbier: A rye twist on a dunkelweizen
Rye malt is a necessity to make a roggenbier. While that may be obvious, the techniques required to optimize your efforts (and time) to brew one are not. Gordon Strong takes us on a journey to explore this rye twist on a dunkelweizen.
Mr. Wizard
Maximizing Your Pressure-Rated Conical
Thanks for the question from down under, Terry! Although the fermenter you describe is pressure rated and has a conical bottom, you can use it as you normally do with your carboys.
Mr. Wizard
Tips For a Quality Hazy IPA
Welcome back to the world of homebrewing after your quarter-century hiatus! Not sure where you are in the process of brewing your current batch of New England IPA and hope this answer
Mr. Wizard
Trying to Gauge the Speed of Oxidation
This is a terrific question and is well suited for a terrifically short answer. Beer oxidation can occur shockingly fast, especially if a beer is the sort to easily show off oxidized
Article
Oxidation Rates, Creating the Haze, and Pressure Fermenting in a Conical
Learn how quickly beer can oxidize after packaging. Also a homebrewer has a question about getting hazy and another about making the most of their new conical.
Article
Highland Brewing Company
The Replicator travels to Asheville, North Carolina to visit the first modern craft brewery that opened in the city and whose founder recently won the coveted Brewers Association Recognition Award. He explores their tasty Oatmeal Porter.
Recipe
Highland Brewing Co.’s Oatmeal Porter clone
Highland Brewing Company’s Oatmeal Porter is more akin to an American porter than a British porter with oatmeal. It’s big, bold, and roasty.
Article
The Ester Family
Esters drive a lot of the fruit aromas in beer. Learn the factors that go into their production and how to control them in your beer.
Article
The Hop Dropper
Dry hopping is being practiced excessively these days. Quite a few IPAs are double and triple hopped. But for a long time only pale ales and IPAs were treated on cold side
