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This week I take a look at some of the factors affecting how bitterness in beer is perceived and how they interact in a finished beer. Bitterness Perception in Beer For many years, I thought that the International Bitterness Units (IBU) level drove the overall bitterness level in a finished beer. As I matured as […]

What is Hop Isomerization in Beer Brewing?

by Brad Smith on August 21, 2021 · 3 comments

This week I take look at hop isomerization in beer brewing and how it applies to brewers. Isomerized alpha acids in beer are the primary bittering compound used to offset the sweetness of the malt in beer. What is Isomerization? Isomerization is a process where a molecule is transformed into another molecule that contains the […]

This week I take a look at IBU levels in beer, how they are estimated and how they are measured in ways that may surprise most brewers! This article started with a question from a brewer who simply asked “Is the IBU estimate produced by BeerSmith a measure of IBUs before fermentation or in the […]

Recipe Adjustment Tools in BeerSmith Web

by Brad Smith on June 20, 2021 · 0 comments

An overview of some of the recipe adjustment tools available in the BeerSmith Web beer recipe editor. These same tools are also available in the desktop and mobile versions. Related Videos: Recipe Design Tab | Building a Recipe | Find/Scale Recipes | Pro Recipe Tips | All Videos

This week I feature a short video tutorial no how to use the new altitude and elevation adjustment features in BeerSmith 3 for high altitude beer brewing. BeerSmith 3 is one of the only software packages to offer a simple adjustment for the change in hop utilization when brewing at altitude. You can find additional […]

The Sulfate to Chloride Ratio and Beer Bitterness

by Brad Smith on February 11, 2016 · 5 comments

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 impacts of water as a beer ingredient. The Sulfate to Chloride Ratio Chloride ions tend […]

Five Critical Tools for Beer Recipe Design

by Brad Smith on November 25, 2014 · 0 comments

Designing a recipe from scratch can be a challenge for new brewers or those who are transitioning from brewing with kits to making their own beer recipes. I’ve written before about my approach to designing recipes, but this week I thought I would explain the critical “dials” brewers use when building a new recipe. First, […]

This week I invite Dr Charles Bamforth to talk with us about beer bitterness, isomerization, alpha acids and hops in your home brewed beer. Dr Bamforth is a Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California at Davis, and author of numerous books. Download the MP3 File – Right Click and “Save As” to […]

Dr Glenn Tinseth, the author of the Tinseth equation for estimating bitterness is my guest this week. The Tinseth equation is the most widely used equation for estimating bitterness by brewers from around the world. Glenn talks about hops, bitterness, international bitterness units, hop utilization and much more. Download the MP3 File – Right Click […]