Writer: Dawson Raspuzzi
Roasting Your Own Grains
Digital and Plus Members OnlyPart of the joy in homebrewing is making a beer that is uniquely your own, and one way of taking that a step further is by roasting your own malt. All you’ll need is base malt, an oven, and a cookie sheet in order to toast malts to your desired level. The technique for most
Lagering for Beginners
Digital and Plus Members OnlyBrewing lagers can be very intimidating for new homebrewers — which is one of the reasons most begin with brewing ales. But, if your favorite beer styles to drink are Pilsners, märzens, bocks, etc…, then you can’t run from lagering! Once you understand the differences between brewing lager and ale, the extra steps really aren’t
Make Your Own Cheese At Home: Tips From the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyIf you can brew beer at home, then you can make cheese. Get advice from three cheesemakers on how to get started.
Hop Stands
FREELearn the basics of post-boil hopping additions, a technique many brewers will call either a hop stand or whirlpool hopping.
Harvesting Homegrown Hops
Digital and Plus Members OnlyGrowing your own hops is a fun way to make your homebrew a little more homemade and can provide the freshest hops in your beer. We’ve run plenty of articles on how to grow hop plants (Humulus lupulus), so we’ll skip that here and instead focus on tips for harvesting and processing the hops as
Pairing Hops and Fruit: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyYou should always take into account the intensity of fruit aroma and flavor when deciding how to hop your beer. Brewer: Adam Bailey, Bonfire Brewing in Eagle, CO Whether you call them fruit IPAs or hoppy fruit beers, one thing we can all agree to call them is delicious when done well. But, pairing two
Getting Judging Feedback on your Homebrew: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyJudge: Annie Johnson, nationally ranked BJCP judge in Seattle, WA The two most common reasons brewers send off some of their precious homebrew to competitions is for the judging notes and for the bragging rights. Whatever side of that reasoning you fall on, or if it’s somewhere in the middle, having trained judges critically analyze
Experimenting with SMaSH: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyBrewers: Sam Clemens and Ian Harbage, Long Trail Brewing Co. in Bridgewater, VT Brewing SMaSH (single malt and single hop) beers is a great way to familiarize yourself with new ingredients by highlighting their characteristics. And it’s not just homebrewers who benefit from SMaSH brewing. Three pros offer their best tips to make your next
Brewing with Nuts: Tips from the Pros
FREEThey don’t get the attention that some non-traditional ingredients may receive (like fruit beers), but nuts of all kind make for fun brewing ingredients. Get tips on the types of nuts (and their various forms from chopped to extracts) to use, as well as when and how to use them from three pros who aren’t afraid to go a little nuts.
Crafting Pilsner: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyPilsner —be it the Czech or German variety — is a classic style that some will say needs not be messed with. However, craft and homebrewers alike are a creative bunch and experimentation is part of the fun. Use this advice from two pros who aren’t afraid to put a twist on the style to
Brewing with Smoked Malt: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyBrewer: Scott Smith, East End Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, PA Beers with smoked malts aren’t for everyone. Or, possibly, not everyone has had the right style of smoked beer? As with any ingredient, the style and amount used can result in an array of flavors and as the brewer you get to dictate that to
Making Hard Cider with Brett: Tips from the Pros
FREEWith the ever-increasing popularity of Brettanomyces in the craft and homebrewing worlds, it’s a wonder that cider makers haven’t caught the “bug.” That may soon change, and with advice from these two