Beer Styles

The Rise of Craft Beer Lagers

by Brad Smith on March 23, 2023 · 3 comments

This week I take a look at the recent trend towards lagers in Craft Brewing. While they certainly won’t replace IPAs in the US Craft Beer market, we’re seeing more finely crafted lagers entering the market in the past few years. Craft Lagers on the Rise IPAs continue to absolutely dominate the Craft Beer market, […]

Beer Design Case Study: Marzen

by Brad Smith on November 18, 2022 · 0 comments

This week I present a design case study for developing a Marzen beer recipe. Along the way I describe my thought processes as I work through creating and brewing a new recipe. Designing a Marzen Beer Before I start a new beer, I sit down and describe what I’m trying to accomplish. This beer was […]

Roasted Malts in Beer Brewing

by Brad Smith on September 22, 2022 · 0 comments

This week I take a close look at the roast malt group, and explain when and why you would want to use these malts in your beer. The Roast Malt Group The roast malt group includes pale chocolate, chocolate malt, carafa I, II and III, black patent malt, red malt and stout roast. These are […]

Beer Design Case Study: A Robust Porter

by Brad Smith on August 4, 2022 · 2 comments

This week I though I would share a case study in beer recipe design to explore how I approach beer recipe design and some of the critical decisions made along the way. I will be designing a robust porter, which is one of my favorite beer styles. Defining the Robust Porter Before I start on […]

Brewing The Dunkles Bock Beer Style

by Brad Smith on May 20, 2022 · 0 comments

This week I take a look at the Dunkles Bock beer style from Northern Germany and examine its history and how to brew one. Dunkles Bock is a dark, strong, malty German lager. Dunkles Bock History Bock beer traces its history to Einbeck, a small German town between Kassel and Hannover. Brewing records mentioning bock […]

The 2021 BJCP Beer Style guidelines were released on 29 December, 2021 by the Beer Judge Certification Program, and are now available for BeerSmith web and desktop. The 2021 guidelines are considered a modest revision of the 2015 style guide, and an effort was made to maintain the majority of the categories and style names […]

Golden Stout Beer Brewing

by Brad Smith on December 8, 2020 · 0 comments

Though not a recognized beer style, Golden Stout has been popularized by many craft breweries as a bit of a novelty beer. This week we take a look at how to brew one. What is a Golden Stout? A golden stout is technically a beer that tastes like a rich dark stout, but without the […]

Berliner Weisse Recipes and Fast Sour Beer Brewing

by Brad Smith on November 6, 2015 · 6 comments

Berliner Weisse is a light, refreshing sour wheat beer originally brewed by just a handful of breweries around Berlin. I recently had a chance to interview Michael Dawson for Podcast 108, and he provided some great tips on rapidly brewing a Berliner Weisse that could also be applicable to other sour beer styles. History of […]

Brewing the Perfect Lager at Home

by Brad Smith on January 24, 2014 · 7 comments

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Lagers present a special challenge to the homebrewer. Despite the dominance of lagers in the commercial markets both in America and Continental Europe, brewing a lager at home is more difficult than ales. This week we take a close look at what’s needed to brew a lager at home and discuss some lager recipes. Lagers: […]

Blonde Ale Recipes and Beer Style

by Brad Smith on March 21, 2013 · 6 comments

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Blonde Ale is a light, slightly malty beer popularized by the American craft beer movement. This week we take a look at the history of Blonde ale, how to brew it at home and some recipes. History of Blonde Ales It is difficult to trace the precise origin of the term “Blonde Ale”, but it […]

Bière de Garde Recipes and Beer Brewing

by Brad Smith on February 28, 2013 · 2 comments

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Bière de Garde or “beer for keeping” is a French pale ale traditionally brewed in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. It is a strong pale ale, cellar aged for an extended period before consumption. This week, I take a look at the history of this style and how to brew it at home. History Bière de Garde […]

Brewing German Rye Beer (Roggenbier) at Home

by Brad Smith on August 27, 2012 · 7 comments

Germany rye beer (Roggenbier) is a fairly rare style today that predates the German purity laws, made from a grist where the majority of the grain bill is malted rye. This week we take a look at the history of rye beer, the style itself and how to brew it at home. The History of […]

Baltic Porter Recipes – Beer Styles

by Brad Smith on December 9, 2011 · 3 comments

Baltic Porter is a very strong, robust Porter brewed to fight off the harsh winters of thriving 18th and 19th Century Baltic trade routes. Though the style originated in England, it was subsequently brewed throughout Northern Europe. This week we take a look at the Baltic Porter beer history, style, recipes and how to brew […]

Sweet Stout and Milk Stout Recipes

by Brad Smith on November 3, 2011 · 11 comments

Sweet stout and milk stouts are increasingly popular beers that form a counterpoint to Dry Irish Stouts. This week we take a look at the history of Sweet Stout, how to brew it and recipes for making it. History of Sweet and Milk Stout Milk Stout (also called Cream or Sweet Stout) traces its origins […]

Oatmeal Stout Recipes – Great Beer Styles

by Brad Smith on September 23, 2011 · 11 comments

Oatmeal stout is a popular variant of Stout introduced in the late 19th century and famous for its smooth, creamy, silky texture. This week we’ll talk a bit about the history of oatmeal stouts, the beer style, how to design a recipe for one and how to brew it. The History of Oatmeal Stout As […]