Here’s a riddle: When does smaller mean bigger? Answer: When it’s your homebrew pipeline. A lot of novice homebrewers start with small batches and that makes a lot of sense. You don’t want to invest money, time, and space on a hobby that might not … [Read more...] about Small Batches = Big Results
Homebrewing Tips Category on HomeBrewAcademy
Reiterated Mashing: Brewing High Gravity Beers
After I brewed my Oktoberfest, my mind started wondering to big beers. You know, those beers that look forward to after shoveling the snow in December or January. Those beers that warm your bones as you sip it next to the fire. After brewing a … [Read more...] about Reiterated Mashing: Brewing High Gravity Beers
Cornelius “Corny” Kegs for Homebrewing
“For a quart of ale is a dish for a king,” an appreciative William Shakespeare wrote in A Winter’s Tale. And yet – while Bard’s father was an official ale taster, and he enjoyed an occasional pint at The Windmill when not inserting drinking … [Read more...] about Cornelius “Corny” Kegs for Homebrewing
How Spirits and Liquors Are Made
Spirits and liquors are all created using a millennium-old process called distillation. While many of the ingredients and processes vary dramatically, they all rely on this ancient process. Good distillation is part art, part science. It takes an … [Read more...] about How Spirits and Liquors Are Made
Competition Brewing: Part I
Step up to the plate Okay, so you’re making progress with your homebrews. You’ve made some beers that you and your friends really like. Everyone who tasted your last IPA said you really hit it out of the park. You feel as if you’re ready to take … [Read more...] about Competition Brewing: Part I
What To Do When You’re New To Homebrew
If you were one of the fortunate ones to get a beer-making kit during the holiday season, you’re probably experiencing a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and abject terror. I know those were my feelings when my wife got me my first kit eight … [Read more...] about What To Do When You’re New To Homebrew
Mashing Pumpkins – How To Turn Post-Halloween Pumpkins Into Amazing Homebrew Beer Recipes
Autumn is upon us. With the coming harvest, crisp mornings, colder nights, and fireside, family get-togethers, comes the time of year to brew one of my favorite seasonal beers: Pumpkin beer! Pumpkins have been used in American beer recipes as an … [Read more...] about Mashing Pumpkins – How To Turn Post-Halloween Pumpkins Into Amazing Homebrew Beer Recipes
Wet Hops Vs. Dry Hops: Is It Worth The Effort?
Every homebrewer has used dry hops, those little pellets of aroma and flavor that have such a huge impact on your final product. You may even have a favorite hop variety, one that offers just the right flavor profile to tickle your particular taste … [Read more...] about Wet Hops Vs. Dry Hops: Is It Worth The Effort?
DIY Counterflow Wort Chiller
Let me start with a warning: This project is not for everyone. It involves more knowledge than the average DIY project and it will take up a lot of time. I built this wort chiller for just under $50, but I already had all of the tools and the … [Read more...] about DIY Counterflow Wort Chiller
Craft Malting is Ready for Prime Time. Here’s What You Should Know.
It was bound to happen. We have new & experimental hop varieties, small yeast suppliers, and now -- craft maltsters. I’ve been seeing the words like “craft malting” and “micro malting” and “floor malting” before, but what do they mean? And … [Read more...] about Craft Malting is Ready for Prime Time. Here’s What You Should Know.
Marshall Schott of Brülosophy and His Fascinating ExBeeriments
Marshall Schott and his team at Brülosophy tackle the questions all homebrewers wonder about but few are brave enough to answer. Questions like: Does transferring the trub into the fermenter really matter? Can you tell the difference … [Read more...] about Marshall Schott of Brülosophy and His Fascinating ExBeeriments
Low Oxygen aka “LODO” Brewing: What You Need to Know
Before you read this article, take a deep breath.. aaand exhale. Feel better? Yes, oxygen does the body well! It’s ironic that oxygen is one of the essential requirements of life yet also a bringer of destruction. We see the results of oxidation … [Read more...] about Low Oxygen aka “LODO” Brewing: What You Need to Know
The Life of a DIYer: Hobbies Within the Hobby
Anyone who takes homebrewing seriously is bound to learn a little about A LOT. For me, homebrewing has been a hobby in which many more hobbies were born. Let's face it, most homebrewers are already do-it-yourselfers. So we're already are more … [Read more...] about The Life of a DIYer: Hobbies Within the Hobby
A hop that tastes like strawberries? Yes please.
I've always found Single Malt and Single Hop (SMaSH) beers to be fascinating. When I first started homebrewing, I did them fairly often to help understand each hop on it own, as well as the grain. There's a fairly new hop called "Belma." It was … [Read more...] about A hop that tastes like strawberries? Yes please.
How to Ditch Your Gas Brewery for Electric (without electrocuting yourself)
Are you are a master electrician? Do you understand all of the ins and outs of capacitors, potentiometers, and ground wires? Most importantly, are your skills so good that you’d be willing to touch a stainless steel kettle filled with 10-gallons … [Read more...] about How to Ditch Your Gas Brewery for Electric (without electrocuting yourself)
Evolution of a Recipe: From a Mediocre Pale Ale to 8 Delicious Variations
Brewing used to seem like magic to me. It was a mix of expertise and alchemy that seemed unattainable. I assumed that my first all-grain recipe, pulled off the internet, was created by someone with special knowledge. As I looked at the grain bill … [Read more...] about Evolution of a Recipe: From a Mediocre Pale Ale to 8 Delicious Variations
How to Choose the Right Malt Before You Commit to a Batch
This June, I attended Homebrew Con in Baltimore, MD. So much beer, so many seminars, such delicious crab cakes. Also, so many samples. Hop samples, yeast samples, and malt samples. Between Jon and I, we walked out with two bags stuffed full of … [Read more...] about How to Choose the Right Malt Before You Commit to a Batch
Things You’ll Only Understand If You Brew With a Partner
As I write this article, the NBA finals are creating a buzz in the sports world. Who is gonna take the title? I have to say, I really don’t care.. (Wonder how much shit I will get for that statement? I am a ‘Cuse girl myself. I know. That’s … [Read more...] about Things You’ll Only Understand If You Brew With a Partner
How to Build a Randall
Looking for an easy way to take your base beer and experiment with different hops and adjuncts? Interested in giving your beer an extra punch of hop flavor and aroma? I know a guy named Randall who can help you out. Who is Randall? Invented by the … [Read more...] about How to Build a Randall
Dry Hop Like the Pros
Dry hopping is one of the easiest techniques for introducing bright aromatics to your brew.It's simple, right? Just rack your beer to a secondary vessel, then throw in your hops for however long you want, and then you have aroma-city. Or is that … [Read more...] about Dry Hop Like the Pros