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This week I take a look at some of the key process factors when lautering and sparging your all grain beer. Last week in part one, I discussed equipment design and how a filter bed forms around grain husks and creates channels that the wort flows through. I explained why a poorly designed lauter tun […]
This week I take a look at how yeast ferments wort into beer by looking at a simple graph from White Labs on the fermentation timeline. Fermentation Over Time Most of us know the basics of fermentation where yeast consumes simple sugars from the wort, chiefly maltose, and converts them into alcohol, carbon dioxide gas […]
This week I take a look at the differences between alpha and beta amylase which act during the mash to convert longer starch chains to simple sugars in beer. Alpha vs Beta Amylase Enzymes are naturally produced in malted barley during the malting process. Chief among these are alpha amylase and beta amylase. They are […]
This week I take a look at the fundamentals of modern mead making, including staggered mead nutrients, degassing and finishing a mead. Modern Mead Making I started making mead a few years back, and it has been an enjoyable addition to my beer brewing hobby. Most home brewers have the equipment for mead making with […]
A video tutorial explaining the new mash pH tools in BeerSmith 3. BeerSmith 3 now has mash pH estimation and adjustment built into the recipe builder. You can calculate unadjusted mash pH as well as estimate and add mash pH acid adjustments to your ingredients list so you get a proper adjusted pH. The video […]
This week I offer a tip for extract brewers about steeping grains and why its important not to steep your grains with too much water. Many extract brewers start by steeping their grains with their entire boil volume, which can lead to excessive tannin extraction. Steeping Grains in Extract Brewing and Tannins Tannins are a […]
Astringency, a bitter tea-bag like flavor in beer is closely associated with mash problems and all-grain brewing, but this week we’ll look at the risk of astringency for extract beer brewers as well. It is not well known that you can introduce astringency when steeping grains for extract. In particular using too much water when […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Controlling your mash pH is a critical concern for all brewers using all-grain, but can be a special concern for those using Brew-in-a-bag (BIAB) or decoction mashes with high water to grain ratios. The larger water to grain ratios used in these mashes can lead to higher mash pH during conversion, so brewers need to […]
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 […]
This week my guest is Bob Hall. Bob shares with us some great tips for managing your brewing water and mash pH. Bob teaches biology and ecology at the University of Wyoming and has been homebrewing for 23 years. Download the MP3 File – Right Click and “Save As” to download this mp3 file [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/beersmith/BSHB-61-Hall-Water.mp3] […]
This week my guest is John Palmer. John joins us to discuss brewing water and pH control for mashing in beer brewing. He explains why understanding your brewing water and controlling your mash pH is very important as well as describes how to calculate residual alkalinity for your local water source. Download the MP3 File […]
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