Writer: Ashton Lewis
Brewing Beer With Fresh-Picked Hops
Thanks for the fun question! This topic is a great reminder that beer has been brewed way longer than our scientific understanding of raw materials, brewing, and beer. It wasn’t long ago
Keys To Brewing A Great Weizen
I also love hefeweizens and enjoy brewing and drinking weizen beers! Weizen is definitely a yeast-driven style, where fermentation products really define the flavor profile. Let’s set yeast aside for a moment
A Beer’s Changing Profiles, Copper Questions, and Kräusening For Homebrewers
A homebrewer trying to clone a beer finds his version has a changing taste profile. Mr. Wizard has some thoughts as to why this may be. Also learn about cleaning copper equipment and the old-school technique of kräusening.
Kräusening For Homebrewers
Kräusening is a lagering method with two main uses. And both are based on the same basic technique of adding some beer in the “high kräusen” stage of fermentation to beer that
Question About Cleaning Copper
Many brewers and cooks love copperware for its heat transfer properties and attractive appearance. One of the downsides, however, to copper is that pretty, honey-like color turns brown over time and requires
A Beer’s Changing Flavor Profile
Just reading this question makes me want to stop writing and go find one of these great beers! Describing off-flavors can be difficult, especially in beer styles with a combination of special
Selecting a Fermenter
This is a straight-up opinion question and I will give you my thoughts sans specific type or brand. And as a reminder to seasoned readers and news to newer readers, 20 years
The Intricacies of Shelf Stability
Wow, this is quite the rabbit hole of a question. Let’s start out with why a fermented beverage, be it beer, wine, seltzer, cider, or some other tasty tipple, may be packaged
Selecting A Fermenter And The Intricacies Of Shelf Stability
With a plethora of options available to homebrewers, selecting a fermenter is not a simple task. Mr. Wizard explores some of our options as well as how to stabilize beverages that have been sweetened just prior to packaging.
Brewing with the Wizard
Ashton Lewis has been giving homebrewers advice about brewing on their own systems for 26 years in the “Help Me, Mr. Wizard” column. Now, he lets readers in on the thought process behind his own newly designed homebrewing system where simplicity meets creativity.
Troubleshooting A Recipe
Nice description of the character in your beer you don’t like. Before getting into an answer, I want to comment on how important good descriptions are when attempting to problem solve. Aromas
Priming A Keg With Sugar
This is one of those rules of thumb that always makes me scratch my head. Bottle, keg, and tank- conditioned beers all contain carbon dioxide from a combination of the CO2 remaining
