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At a recent homebrew club meeting, one of the members asked me a brilliant question – when and how should you adjust your mash pH when all grain beer brewing? This is a devilishly complex question as you want to adjust your mash pH quickly if brewing with modern malts. The Mash pH Conundrum I […]
The pH meter has become a critical piece of equipment for all grain beer brewers as well as for cider, wine and mead making. This week I take a look at selecting, calibrating, and using a pH meter to brew beer. Uses for a pH Meter In the last 10 years or so, our understanding […]
This week we take a look at how to set up and use BeerSmith with the “Brew in a Bag” (BIAB) home brewing method. Brew in a bag offers simplicity in all grain brewing with less overall equipment expense and less cleanup. Brew in a bag methods and equipment are outlined here. A large number […]
This quick brewing tip video takes a look at the primary cause for low original gravity and poor efficiency when brewing all grain beer recipes. It also explains how to fix it. BeerSmith Quick Brewing and Software tips are some short 1-3 minute video clips I’ve put together for brewers. For more clips visit my […]
While water chemistry and adjustments are very important for all grain brewers when mashing grains, extract beer brewers may get their best results using neutral (distilled, deionized) water instead since the liquid malt was already made with the proper water additives before it was concentrated. BeerSmith Quick Brewing and Software tips are some short 1-3 […]
A controversial subject in home brewing is whether to treat your sparge water the same as you do your mash water when home brewing beer? This week we look at several competing camps and try to answer this difficult question for home brewers. Treating your brewing water may include adding salts (Epsom salt, baking soda, […]
When brewing high gravity (big) beers, it is important to adjust your brewhouse efficiency down a bit. You simply won’t get the same number of gravity points from a pound or kilogram of malt on a “big” beer. BeerSmith Quick Brewing and Software tips are some short 1-3 minute video clips I’ve put together for […]
This week I take a look at Residual Alkalinity, and what it means for your mash pH for all grain beer brewing. Residual Alkalinity is an important characteristic of your brewing water that you need to understand if you’re going to get the mash chemistry right. The Importance of Mash pH I’ve written previously about […]
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 what to do when your mash temperature comes in a little too high or a […]
Christian Krzykwa from Industrial Test Systems joins me to discuss how to measure your beer brewing water, understanding a water report and also managing your mash pH. With the introduction of test kits and pH meters you can use at home you can get more control than ever over your brewing water and the beer […]
John Blichmann from Blichmann Engineering joins me this week to discuss brewing “big” high gravity beers. John covers some of the special challenges including reduced mash efficiency, split mashing, balancing your big beer and fermentation and aging. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version Download the MP3 File – Right Click and Save […]
Astringency, which is a dry, vinegar like off-flavor in your beer, can be caused by oversparging or sparging your grains too hot while brewing. This week I take a look at astringency, oversparging and sparging your grains too hot. Astringency Astringency in the finished beer is usually the result of excess tannins extracted from the […]
Hops and spent hops are poisonous to dogs. Last week I received another heartbreaking note from an owner who had lost their dog after it consumed some spent hops left in a compost pile. Over the years I’ve received several of these notes, so I thought I would put together a short article to raise […]
Parti-Gyle brewing, sometimes incorrectly called party-gyle brewing, is an ancient technique where more than one beer is made from multiple runnings of a single mash. This week we’re going to take a look at this technique and how you can use it to brew great beer at home. The term parti-gyle is the English name […]
Mash pH is an important concept for all grain brewing. While you can make “good” beer without worrying about pH, brewing truly great all grain beer relies on understanding the concept of mash pH and its impact on beer. Understanding pH You probably had a simple introduction to the concept of pH in your High […]
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