Writer: Dawson Raspuzzi
Oak Alternatives for Beginners
Aging your homebrew in an oak barrel can add more dimensions to your beer by imparting complex wood characteristics such as vanilla, cloves, coconut, or caramel, but barrels are not ideal for
Using Fresh Hops for Beginners
One of the best things about growing your own hops is the opportunity to then experiment with them in your homebrew. One way to do this is to try fresh hopping (sometimes
Crushing Grains for Beginners
Whether it is grains, hops or adjuncts used in brewing, the freshness of your ingredients makes a huge difference. When it comes to grains, you can order them pre-crushed, but if you
Nitro Beers: Tips from the Pros
Joe Schiraldi is Vice President of Brewing Operations at Left Hand Brewing Company in Longmont, Colorado. In 2011 Left Hand was the first American craft brewery to release a nitrogen version of
Diacetyl Rest
One of the most common flaws in the beers brewed by homebrewers who are new to the hobby, particularly in lagers, is diacetyl. Diacetyl, which has a taste and aroma of butter
Filtering for Beginners
Many homebrewers bypass the step of filtering their homebrew and instead use fining agents and cold crashing (storing the beer after fermentation has completed in a cold place for a week or
Brewing with Spices for Beginners
Spices allow for countless variations and experiments in homebrewing — in styles that require it like pumpkin ales and Belgian wits, to saisons or wheat recipes that you may want to add
Wort Aeration
Aeration can be done immediately before adding your yeast or right after, but you don’t want to aerate your wort until it is cooled to fermentation temperature. Aerating hot wort can lead to unwanted color pick-up and decreased solubility.
Maximize Partial Boils
If you are an extract brewer, there is a good chance you will hear (if you haven’t already) that you need to be doing full-wort boils (boiling your entire 5-gallon/19-L batch of
Cooking with Malt Extract
In addition to the purpose we know it best for — making beer — malt extract can be a tremendous ingredient to keep on hand in the kitchen. Next time you find
Roasting Your Own Grains
Part 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
Lagering for Beginners
Brewing 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,
