Writer: BYO Staff
Recipe Formulation: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis month’s professional brewers dispense some sage advice on recipe formulation. From the basic task of learning your system to some very specific brewing formulae, these tips will take you beyond the standard brewer’s recipe-formulation software to creating your recipes by hand (with the help of basic algebra). It will also link the art to the science of brewing.
Extract varieties for yeast starters
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis question asks for opinions rather than any real facts. I can do that! Strictly speaking, any wort with a gravity ranging from 1.040 to 1.052 works well in starters with respect to growing yeast. But this can raise some real flavor questions if the starter and the wort the yeast is going into are
Cleaning a soda keg
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAh, the old birch-beer beer. This reminds me of a time when I screwed up a beer experiment with the remnants of a root beer experiment. We had three groups in our brewing lab class and each group would brew a beer that had one ingredient or process step changed. The results were assessed both
Fermentation & Flavor Compound Science
Digital and Plus Members OnlyHow to understand flavor compounds produced during fermentation.
Lagering: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyExpert advice on better beer blending through prolonged cold storage.
Brewpots made from other materials than stainless-steel
Digital and Plus Members OnlyA pot really only needs to satisfy a few simple requirements to become a qualified brew pot. For starters, it ought not to leak — a leaky kettle is a problem. A good candidate for the job should also be large enough to hold a whole batch of wort. In your case, that means 5.5
Pectic enzyme in fruit beer recipes
FREEThis question reminds me of one of the goofiest names I ever gave a batch of beer — Strawberry Fields For Alever. It was a wheat beer with strawberries added after primary
Understanding Diacetyl
Digital and Plus Members OnlyDo you dread diacetyl? Tips on taming those unwanted butterscotch flavors and aromas.
Taking original gravity readings
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis question brings up some issues that I have experienced over the years and I have been somewhat surprised by my observations. I usually collect a wort sample from a sample valve placed in-line between the wort cooler and the fermenter. I do this because I want to know my wort density prior to pitching,
Silicone hosing lifespan
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe hoses used in homebrewing are similar to the hoses used in beverage and food-processing plants, except the industrial-grade hoses are reinforced to increase their pressure rating and usually covered by a durable protective outer covering to increase ruggedness in a plant environment. At first glance, a commercial-quality brewery hose looks like a completely different
Aeration: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyLearn about aerating your wort from three professional brewers.
Brewing Smoked Beers: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyExpert advice on brewing smoked beers and smoking your malt at home.