Writer: Kristin Grant
Breakfast of Champions (Oatmeal Stout)
Breakfast of Champions (Oatmeal Stout) (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) OG = 1.052 FG = 1.013 IBU = 33 SRM = 25 ABV = 5.0% Ingredients 8.5 lbs. (3.9 kg) 2-row pale ale
Yearly Brewery Checkup
Once a year it pays to give your brewery the once-over. Clean everything that needs to be cleaned, check your inventory, map out your brewing calendar and the only surprise you’ll have all year is how smoothly your brew days proceed.
Brewing with Oats
Grandma put them in her cookies. Now you can put them in your beer. Oats lend a creamy, silky feel to stouts or witbiers. Get the lowdown on the grain for "grouters" and learn the differences between using raw oats, rolled oats or oat malt in your beers. Plus: Breakfast of Champions; an oatmeal stout recipe
Food and Beer Pairing
Food comes in a wide variety of flavors. Beer comes in a wide variety of flavors. And, if you pair them correctly, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. From our interview with Garrett Oliver — Brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and author of the book "The Brewmaster’s Table" — learn how to analyze the flavors in food and beer to make a harmonious pairing.
Plant a Backyard Beer Garden
This beer garden doesn’t have guys in lederhosen, but it may have the ingredients for your next herb or spiced beer. Learn what plants are easy to grow to spice up your witbiers, gruit or spiced ale. You can’t get fresher ingredients than those you yank out of your beer garden on brew day.
Growing Hops
At your local homebrew supply store, the grains are probably stored in bins or barrels at room temperature. In contrast, the hops are — or should be — refrigerated. The hops are stored cold for a reason — because fresher hops taste better.