Writer: Ashton Lewis
Using Sprouted Grains in Brewing
Digital and Plus Members OnlySprouted tricale grain. Photo courtesy of Epiphany Craft Malt Sprouted grains have been used for thousands of years for cooking and brewing, with malt being the ultimate sprouted grain product. The history of food and cooking is largely comprised of stories of trial and error, and the consumption of sprouted grains naturally began without people
Carbonating Thoughts, Star San Water Temperature, and Sprouted Grains
Digital and Plus Members OnlyA homebrewer wonders about carbonating his beer in a keg or growler. Mr. Wizard explains the safety concerns with these two options. Also, is Star San supposed to be diluted in warm or cool water? Get the answer and the scoop on sprouted grains.
Carbonating in Kegs or Growler
Digital and Plus Members OnlyHomebrew draft systems provide users a level of safety in the form of pressure relief valves. Photo by Christian Lavender This is a great question and one I always like answering. Beer can be conditioned, a.k.a. naturally carbonated, by capturing carbon dioxide produced by yeast in a conditioning tank, bottle, can, or keg. The most
Low-Alcohol Beer Production, Gravity Drops and the Effects of a Cold-Water Extraction
Digital and Plus Members OnlyLow- and no-alcohol commercial beer production has seen a noticeable uptick in recent years, especially in the craft beer world. Mr. Wizard explains how to produce one in your homebrewery. Also, an unexplained drop in gravity and re-using cold-mashed grains.
The Effects Of Cold-Water Extraction
Digital and Plus Members OnlyHomebrewers are always pushing the envelope for cool ideas and this one is certainly doable. Let’s start with a quick review of what happens in a cold mash. When milled grains, be they unmalted or malted, are mixed with ambient water, soluble carbohydrates, proteins, and enzymes are brought into solution. Although malt certificates of analyses
An Unexpected Drop in Gravity
Digital and Plus Members OnlyI want to begin with a true confession about how I write this column. Using no special system, I select questions for discussion from those that are sent into BYO. The best questions are those with enough wiggle room to find some fun rabbit holes and angles. And most of the questions I select are
Ways to Brew Low-Alcohol and Non-Alcohol Beers
FREEBefore jumping into a review of some of the methods used to produce no- and low-alcohol beers, so-called NABLABs where NABs (non-alcohol beers) contain less than 0.5% ABV and LABs (low-alcohol beers)
Fermentation Temperatures, Balancing a Draft System, and Honey Malt
Digital and Plus Members OnlyA lot of attention is paid to fermentation temperature, and for good reason. But are we focusing on the right details? Get the meaning of this statement, along with the Wizard’s explanation on calculated draft tubing length disparities and honey malt.
A Dive Into Honey Malt
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe rule of thumb when brewing with extracts is to steep crystal, caramel, and roasted specialty malts, and to mash specialty malts that contain starch. When crystal and caramel* malts are made, the malt starch is largely converted to fermentable sugars and dextrin in a step called stewing; this is basically mashing within the grain
Balancing A Draft System
Digital and Plus Members OnlyFor starters, thanks for the great link. Mike Soltys, PhD. is the brains behind the hose length calculator you referenced and he has taken a fluid dynamics approach to beer line calculations using the Bernoulli, Darcy Weisbach, and Swamee-Jain equations to develop his very cool tool! Pouring beer on draft and determining the ideal line
The Importance Of Fermentation Temperatures
Digital and Plus Members OnlyFermentation temperature definitely affects beer flavor and fermentation rate, however some yeast strains are more influenced by temperature than others. I will come back to this in a moment. Brewers who have a spot at home with a relatively constant temperature should consider making this their norm. My basement stays right at 64 °F (18
Removing Trub, Munich Malts Explained, D-rests, and Dip Hopping
Digital and Plus Members OnlyHow important is it to remove the trub before fermentation? Get the Wizard’s thoughts on this topic as well as an in-depth look at Munich-style malts, the importance of diacetyl rests, and a primer on dip hopping.