Topic: Mr Wizard
Mash Stirring
This is a pretty weighty topic because stirring the mash does a few things to the mash. To avoid a geeky treatise I will cover this from a treetop level. So why
Food-grade CO2
This is an interesting question that has a less than satisfactory answer. When brewers discuss carbon dioxide purity the elephants in the room often include oxygen, oil and sulfur compounds. While all
Cold Crashing with an Airlock
This is a fairly common question and is clearly a concern to many homebrewers. Although I have answered a similar question before (in the October 2012 BYO), I will give a slightly
Low-Alpha Acid Double IPA
You are not alone in your belief that certain hop varieties, especially many high alpha varieties, impart a harsh and unpleasant bitterness to beer. Some very large breweries also share this belief
Dry Hopping in Dispensing Keg
Dry hopping is a wonderful way to impart hop aroma to beer and is very simple to do. In my experience there are a few things to be mindful of to prevent
Recipe Creation
Developing new recipes is really one of my favorite things about brewing and I have some fairly strong opinions about this topic. Before I begin with my answer I think it is
Transferring Hop Trub to the Fermenter
Right or wrong, I long ago viewed the production of beer to include many steps where things are modified, separated and moved to the next step of the operation. The malting process,
Brewing Rauchbier
Thanks for asking about our “I Wanna Rauch” rauchbier! This beer was brewed in collaboration with Keith Wallis as a Pro-Am entry at the Great American Beer Festival. Keith’s “I Wanna Rauch”
Mash Temperatures
Unfortunately, enzymes do not “renature” once they have been heated to the point of thermal inactivation and later cooled. Enzyme denaturation can be likened to cooking an egg, since egg whites and
Warm Fermenting Yeast
What’s that old adage? When the Pacific Northwest presents you with warm, summer weather get outside and enjoy it before the rain returns. Or is that just the hype intended to ward
Adjusting Water pH
This is a question that I have never been asked and did a little digging. The reason for the digging is the very low pH of your well water. Most well water
Barrel Aged Cider
Cider certainly has become quite popular in recent years and with the popularity has come many very nice ciders on the market. In my opinion this is all the more reason
