Category Archives: beer

Sour Beer Do’s and Dont’s

Posted on September 2, 2016 by alex

Few things get a beer geek ready to talk your ear off than name-dropping a sour beer or two. Sour beers are more of a distinct continent on Planet Beer than a style as there are many styles of sour … Continue reading →

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Using Hop Extracts for Beer Brewing

Posted on September 2, 2016 by alex

Hop extracts have the potential to revolutionize many aspects of both commercial and home brewing. While bittering extracts have been used for many years by large commercial brewers, we are now seeing a new generation of hop extracts entering the … Continue reading →

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Brewing Pumps: How to Pick the Best Pump for You

Posted on August 22, 2016 by alex

For most homebrewers, buying your first pump is a significant investment in your brewing system. A good brew pump will speed up wort transfers and allow you to recirculate your mash. This will not only improve the clarity of the … Continue reading →

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Breaking the Sugar Habit with Kräusening

Posted on April 12, 2016 by alex

The German beer purity law, the Reinheitsgebot, allows for four basic ingredients: water, hops, malt, and yeast. It’s a fine tradition, although we’re happy to make exceptions for oatmeal stout, Belgian styles, and fruit beers, to name a few. Still, … Continue reading →

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What is Beer Haze and How Can You Fix It?

Posted on April 10, 2016 by alex

What are Polyphenols? Polyphenols are a group of flavor-contributing compounds introduced from grain and hops. They contribute flavor, astringency, perception of bitterness, haze, oxidative effects, and antioxidative effects. Like a model built from LEGO®* blocks, polyphenols are made up of smaller … Continue reading →

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What is the Function of Boiling Wort?

Posted on February 18, 2016 by alex

Many homebrewers who are new to all grain brewing ask us if it’s possible to reduce the time spent on their brew day by cutting down the amount of time they spend boiling their wort, Often their thinking is along … Continue reading →

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The Sulfate to Chloride Ratio and Beer Bitterness

Posted on February 11, 2016 by alex

This week I look at the Sulfate to Chloride ratio and how it can have a significant impact on the perceived bitterness of your beer. In fact, it is probably second only to mash pH when we discuss the flavor … Continue reading →

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Mash Temperature Adjustment for Home Brewing

Posted on January 15, 2016 by alex

Even the best brewers occasionally miss their target mash temperature. Whether its due to a calculation error, water temperatures being off or perhaps just a cold mash tun it eventually happens to us all. So today I’m going to cover … Continue reading →

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The Tsar’s Kvass

Posted on January 6, 2016 by alex

Kvass is an ancient Russian beverage that has been around for much of the country’s history. The style ferments bread or flour along with other locally available ingredients to create a low-alcohol, bready ale with a hint of tartness from … Continue reading →

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Beneficial Brew: The Unexpected Health Benefits of Beer

Posted on December 14, 2015 by alex

Beer suffers from a bad rap. Red wine is often celebrated as a healthy beverage in moderation, but beer is put down as a fattening party drink. Despite this stigma, beer drinkers may want to raise a pint to their … Continue reading →

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