Writer: Ashton Lewis
Cask Ale Beer In A Bag
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe bag-in-box method has never really been common among homebrewers, but is a technique used by many pubs around the world. The reason your beer is not carbonating is that a rigid vessel is required to house the bag. This allows the beer to be pressurized above atmospheric pressure and to become carbonated. The challenge
Wort Aeration Temperature For Kveik Yeast
Digital and Plus Members OnlySeveral years ago, I was on a panel discussion at an annual MBAA (Master Brewers Association of the Americas) meeting held in Chicago. A question related to general suggestions about “stuff” was lobbed to the panel. Thanks moderator! Luckily, I waited to comment after the other panelists offered their sage advice about stuff. This gave
Measuring Mash pH, Wort Aeration, and Beer In A Bag
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAll-grain brewers know it takes a few minutes of mixing to get the mash temperature to stabilize. But how about mash pH? The Wizard also offers advice on wort aeration temperature and cask ale-style beer in a bag.
Racking Question
Digital and Plus Members OnlyRacking beer from your stainless conical to a PET secondary fermenter is a great way to free up your stainless fermenter. If you have yeast in the cone or trub, I would suggest either clearing the bottom and moving all of the beer to your All Rounder, or transferring out of the racking valve if
Dry Hops in a Narrow-Neck Carboy
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThere are some problems best solved by changing tools. The easiest way to add and remove hop bags to a carboy is to use the types with large openings. Just guessing that’s not the reply you were seeking! Another approach is to put your hop pellets in an over-sized hop bag to allow plenty of
Fine-Tuning Bitterness, Reusing Yeast, Dry Hops in a Carboy, and a Racking Question
Digital and Plus Members OnlyA reader wants to know his options for adjusting a beer’s bitterness post-fermentation. Also, multi-generational yeast, dry hopping in a narrow neck carboy, and early racking dynamics.
Problems Arising From Reusing Yeast
Digital and Plus Members OnlyA Troubleshooting issues with harvested and washed yeast is difficult without having more information, but you have provided lots of good discussion points. In your case, you are taking yeast from NEIPA fermentations, rinsing/washing your yeast presumably with water, and re-pitching. And your major problems are increased attenuation and less haze, but you are also
Fine-Tuning Bitterness Post-Fermentation
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAt times it is helpful to review why some brewing problems are not so easy to fix and discuss how to prevent these problems in the future. Under-hopped beers are an example of a problem that is not so easy to correct after a certain point in the process. You have noted several possible fixes,
The Raw Deal With Raw Ales
FREEThis question makes me want to try brewing raw ales because the method certainly saves time and really addresses one of those nagging questions to young brewers who don’t think outside of
The Raw Deal With Raw Ales, Seltzer Nutrients and Grain Milling Considerations
Digital and Plus Members OnlyNot boiling your wort then pitching with a traditional strain of yeast has been dubbed brewing a raw ale. The Wiz delves into questions surrounding this technique of brewing as well as hard seltzer nutrients and milling already crushed grains.
Is There Any Harm Milling Twice?
Digital and Plus Members OnlyTo mill once, or to mill twice? That is the question — but why shall a brewer mill at all? Brewers mill malted barley for two purposes, extract yield and husk preservation, and these purposes are opposed in terms of process optimization. Extract yield, measured by comparing wort density and volume to malt weight, increases
Digging Into Seltzer Nutrients
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe answer to this question requires an upfront disclaimer about any bias or product promotions that may accompany my answer. I work for BSG (Brewers Supply Group) and we carry several products used by producers of seltzers, and some of these products will be mentioned in this answer because they are most familiar to me.