Writer: Ashton Lewis
Mash Hopping
Thanks for the good question, Keith. I have always thought that the notion of adding hops early in the process, either as mash additions or pre-boil additions to the kettle, in an
Kräusen Rings & Shelf Stability: Mr. Wizard
Q Does the dried-up kräusen ring at the top of my fermenter after primary fermentation present a bacterial contamination risk? Daryle Sewell Frankfurt, Germany A Fermenting beer can at times appear unusual
Carbonation Bubble Size & Microwave Decoction: Mr. Wizard
Q How does one control the size of the carbonation? Some beers seem to have very fine bubbles where others have large bubbles. Mike Bourcier Mason, Michigan A I have to admit
Cleaning & Sanitizing Bottles, Scaling Recipes: Mr. Wizard
Q I would like some information on methods for cleaning and sanitizing bottles. Also what is the best way to store the bottles after they are cleaned/sterilized? We like to reuse our
Keg Hopping, Residual Sweetness: Mr. Wizard
Q Some questions came up in our homebrew club about keg hopping. First, will you get the same effects in a cold keg as you would a warm secondary? and if it
Airlock Suck Back, Bottling Carbonated Beer: Mr. Wizard
Q When cold crashing or lagering beer from a relatively warmer temperature to a colder one, negative pressure of condensed air in the headspace can draw in liquid and air through the
Starches in the Mash: Mr. Wizard
Q Do starches quickly become solubilized or do they remain trapped in the grist when the strike water is added? This question is regarding how a recirculating system behaves and whether there
Sparge Water & Yeast Viability: Mr. Wizard
Q So much fuss has been made about mashing in grains with the correct ratio of water to grains for the initial mash. So if I’m doing a batch sparge, can I
Freezing Glasses, Yeast Cultures & Priming Brett Beer: Mr. Wizard
Q I have found that reusing a previously used beer glass affects how much foam comes from pouring more beer into said glass. Typically I place my used glass back into my
Cleaning Wort Chillers, Mash Hopping: Mr. Wizard
Q I’m Requesting your advice for cleaning and care of copper wort chillers. Like other brewers, after the cool down I pull my wort chiller out of the pot and it’s usually
Perfect Priming & Kettle Souring: Mr. Wizard
Q I can’t seem to find any information that I feel like I can trust on the amount of priming sugar to use if I cold crash my homebrew. I have heard
Hop Shelf Life & Egg Finings: Mr. Wizard
Q I have a random assortment of leftover hops in the back of my freezer that is about a year old. I always freeze the unused portions right away so they don’t
