Topic: Fermentation
Multi-Purpose Fermentation Chamber
MEMBERS ONLYDISCLAIMER: WE ARE WORKING WITH 115V. IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR ABILITIES, CONSULT AN ELECTRICIAN OR SOMEONE WHO IS. Looking back on my early years of homebrewing I can quickly recall the one improvement I made to my brewing process that took my beer from “meh” to “ooh, I didn’t make enough of
Fermenting and Conditioning
MEMBERS ONLYRunning a healthy fermentation depends on pitching an appropriate amount of healthy yeast. Beyond that, creating proper wort conditions (with respect to aeration and nutrition) and controlling your fermentation temperatures are the keys to success. How you treat your yeast is a huge factor in determining beer quality. In this stage of brewing, the brewer
Fermentation Temperature Control
MEMBERS ONLYAs you learn to homebrew, you will hear over and over again that you will need to maintain control over the temperature of your fermentation to maintain some control over the profile of your finished beer. This is because yeast behaves differently when it ferments at warmer or cooler temperatures. There are easy ways to
Fermentation Cabinet
FREEHow can I make my homebrew better? That was and still is the #1 question for most homebrewers. Temperature control during the fermentation is very important but it was difficult for me
The Forced Ferment Test
MEMBERS ONLYA forced ferment is a test used by many professional brewers and brewery labs to determine the minimum final gravity possible from a freshly-made batch of wort. By diverting a sample of wort from the main batch and causing it to undergo a rapid fermentation — through some combination of overpitching, elevated temperature, and/or agitation or
Stuck Fermentations
FREEAvoid a stuck fermentation with these simple tips.
Fast Lager Experiment: Traditional vs. Quick Fermentation
MEMBERS ONLYMany homebrewers avoid making lager styles due to how convoluted and time consuming the process is. In addition to recommendations calling for yeast pitch rates nearly double that needed for ales, step mashing, and extended boil lengths, many believe genuine lager character can only be produced by following an already lengthened cool fermentation stage with an
Transferring to Secondary Fermentation
MEMBERS ONLYFortunately for homebrewers there are convenient ways to move beer around without ruining your homebrewed suds with the ill effects associated with oxygen. As you mention in your question, one handy method to help reduce oxygen pick-up during racking is by using carbon dioxide as a blanketing gas. While this method is handy, it does
Build a Fermentation Temperature Control System
MEMBERS ONLYWhether the topic is brewing techniques or DIY projects, learning and sharing with others have played a huge role in my homebrewing hobby. A common problem that I’ve found a lot of homebrewers have (this included myself) is how to keep beer fermenting at a consistent, desired temperature. My first solution to this problem was
Fermentation Heater
MEMBERS ONLYFermentation temperature control can mean a world of difference in the quality of beer. One of my early hurdles in homebrewing was keeping my carboy cool enough through the warmer months. Too hot of a fermentation can encourage the production of fusel alcohols and esters leading to off flavors and aromas. This can be solved
Immersion Lid Temperature Controller
MEMBERS ONLYFor the past few years I’ve been doing small batch brew-in-a-bag (BIAB); brewing 2.5 gallons (9.5 L) of delicious beer at a time, in my kitchen, by my lonesome. Something was missing in my homebrew life, and that was the social aspect of brewing with friends. Determined to start up a monthly collaborative “experimental brew”
Build a Fermentation Chamber
MEMBERS ONLYAs homebrewers, we know that the steps in crafting a fine homebrew typically involve recipe formulation, gathering ingredients and at least several hours of brewing time to create the precious wort. Once we pitch the yeast to that wort, the next step in the process is fermentation. Controlling the fermentation temperature is critical to ultimately