Topic: Mr Wizard
Pouring Nitro Beer, Dip Hopping & Lagering Temperatures
Watching the cascading effect of a nitro pour is a joy for nearly all beer consumers, so when a homebrewer’s nitro faucet comes up short he reaches out to the Wizard for help. Plus, follow-up dip-hopping questions and the impact of lagering at basement temperatures.
Brewing with Fonio, Subbing DME for LME, & Dip Hopping
Fonio is an ancient African grass that has been gaining attention in the craft beer world in recent years. Learn more about brewing with this flavorful ingredient. Plus, advice on swapping dried for liquid malt extract and following up on previous discussions around dip hopping.
Stressing Yeast, Dough Balls, & Remote Brewing
The discussion of stressing yeast to increase phenolics for styles like hefeweizens has been around for a long time. The Wizard weighs in on if this is necessary and shares other options if you aren’t getting the aromas you want from your yeast. He also answers questions on preventing dough balls and offers up advice for homebrewing in environments where climate and remoteness prove challenging.
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.
Yeast Slants, Candi Sugar, & Cold Crashing
The Wizard answers questions about creating yeast slants and building up a population of yeast from them. He also defines and offers advice around candi sugar and cold crashing.
Protein Rests, Freeze-Drying Yeast, & Simplifying Homebrewing
Is a protein rest necessary when brewing with a high percentage of wheat? The answer depends on the goals of the brewer, so understanding what this rest does, and doesn’t do, is important. The Wizard also discusses freeze-drying yeast and ways to make the homebrewing hobby simpler.
Hop Creep, Hop Utilization, and a Different Approach to Beer Judging
Hop creep isn’t new, so why are we hearing so much more about it in recent years? Brewing scientists now believe it has to do with a push from brewers for hops to be kilned at lower temperatures to preserve aromatics. The Wizard also gets geeky about hop utilization and shares a different approach to beer competitions.
Scavenging Oxygen, a Propane Heating System, and Water Chemistry
It’s long been proven that bottle-conditioned beer lasts longer than those bottled already carbonated. The Wiz dives into the reasoning behind this and it may surprise some people. He also shares ideas for a propane heater and takes a dive into the daunting world of mash pH chemistry calculations.
Can LED Light Skunk Beer? Step Mashing Efficiency and Blending Wine in Beer
Can LED lights skunk beer the same way incandescent and fluorescent lights do? Mr. Wizard dives into the topic. He also shares advice for blending fruit wine into your beer and explains why a brewer’s starting gravity may be lower from single-infusion mashes.
Adjusting Boil Times and Ice Requirements for Wort Chilling
Mash and boil durations used to be practically set in stone but questions about their nearly static nature have arisen. Mr. Wizard recently dove into mash duration and now leans into the sanctity of boil length. Also, a brewer is looking for advice in regards to using ice to chill wort.
Faucet Dynamics, Apparent Attenuation
A homebrewer recently acquired a Lukr faucet for his home draft system and wants some advice on how to properly use it. Also, learn about the details of apparent attenuation.
Hitting Target FG, Knowing Your OG and Magnesium Salts in Beer
A pair of homebrewers are struggling to hit their target gravities, although one is focusing on final gravity and the other is looking at original gravity. The Wiz talks them through his thoughts on each topic as well as an anonymous brewer’s question on using magnesium salts in their brewing water.
