Homebrewing Articles, Reviews, How-Tos, And Recommendations

yeast starter yeast plate cell count

What is a yeast starter?

If you are a homebrewer, you have at least heard of yeast starters. You are probably even thinking that you want to make one for your next batch of nutty…

biab brew in a bag all grain brewing guide

How To Brew In A Bag

Are you looking to make the switch from extract to all grain homebrewing? Or are you an all-grain brewer looking to simplify your brew day? Brewing in a bag may…

Automated Brewing Systems - Pinterest Image grainfather pico c pro

Best Automated Brewing Systems

Brewing your own beer can be a fun and rewarding experience. But it takes knowledge and patience to transform raw ingredients into delicious beer. What if there was a way…

anvil propane homebrew burner best propane burners for homebrewing

Best Propane Burners For Homebrewing

Propane has been the fuel of choice for homebrewers for decades. Efficient and inexpensive, propane’s power and flexibility make brewing a breeze. Whether you’re brewing 5, 10, or 20-gallon batches,…

how to use a hydrometer to measure abv alcohol content

How To Use A Hydrometer

One question we get from a lot of new homebrewers is, “How do I know how strong my beer will be?” Luckily, the answer is easy: use a hydrometer! In…

All Grain Brewing, homebrewing beer with malt

All Grain Brewing From A To Z

All grain brewing is a rewarding experience. Transforming raw materials into delicious beer is a skill, test of patience, and an admirable hobby. If you’ve brewed beer using malt extract,…

best grain mill for homebrewing malt

The Best Grain Mills for Homebrewing

Choosing the right grain mill is an important decision for a homebrewer. Mills can be expensive but they’re a crucial investment to ensure consistent and great quality brews.  Where to…

how to keg homebrew with force carbonation

Force Carbonating Your Homebrew Kegs

Most homebrewers invest in a keg system eventually. Kegs are easy to clean, quick to fill, and fun to have around the house! Bottling beer can be tedious and takes…

beer ingredients including hops yeast and liquid malt extract

How To Brew Incredible Extract Beer

Brewing beer is where art meets science. Creativity mixed with process and chemistry help transform hops and barley into delicious beer. Many creative beer lovers shy away from homebrewing due…

first wort hopping with hops in the mash tun

Fun with First Wort Hopping

First wort hopping was lost for decades, before being rediscovered in 1995. It’s a simple technique to try out and could have major benefits. First wort hopping consists of adding…

three differently colored tilt hydrometers to be reviewed

Tilt Hydrometer Review: A Data Nerds Fantasy

Keeping a close eye on fermentation is one of the most important things you can do to make consistently high-quality beer. The most useful measurements for brewers are temperature and…

lots of syringes full of hop extract

Hop Extract: Loads of Lupulin

Hops give beer its bitterness along with its distinctive floral, herbal, and fruity flavors. As an agricultural product, hops vary crop to crop and have a limited shelf life. Hop…

partial mashing bags of malt

How To Partial Mash

Are you ready to move past extract brewing, but don’t have the equipment or time to jump into all-grain brewing? Partial mashing is an excellent way to split the difference….

1-gallon glass fermentation jugs for small batch brewing

Small Batch Brewing: Micro-Homebrew

Homebrewing can be a bit of an investment. Making good beer requires time, money, space, and effort. There are many ways to brew great beer, some easier than others. Small…

saison or farmhouse beer being held up to the sun in a field of wheat

How To Brew A Saison: Farmhouse Beer at Home

Crafting a great Saison is one of brewing’s most rewarding experiences. The style doesn’t have to be complicated, in fact, simple is often better. With the right philosophy, technique, and…

best stir plate for yeast starters

Best Stir Plates for Homebrewing

All healthy fermentations start with healthy yeast. To give your beer the best chance of fully fermenting with no off-flavors, you need to pay attention to yeast health and pitch…

philambic solera in better bottle with bootleg biology sticker on it

PhiLambic Solera Year 3: Top Off Wort

Last week I shared the tasting notes for my two (plus) year old Solera and how things had been progressing to date. The sample I took was prior to bottling…

glass of hopwards, a clone of Tired Hands' HopHands

Tired Hands HopHands Clone Recipe Revisited

It has been over a year since I posted my recipe for the Tired Hands HopHands “clone”, and since that time I have re-brewed the beer somewhere between 10-12 times…

brett trois ipa sitting on kegerator

Brett Trois Riverwards IPA Tasting

As if 100% Brett fermented beers weren’t already misunderstood enough it turns out WLP644 Brettanomyces Bruxellensis Trois is actually Saccharomyces and not a strain of Brettanomyces. This is not breaking…

mesh sack of aged hops

PhiLambic Solera Year Two: Top off wort

Bottling the first pull of the Solera prior to brewing the top-off batch gave me the flexibility to make some changes to the wort composition based on the flavors and…

bottle and filled glass of lambic beer

PhiLambic Solera: Pull #1 tasting

I am repeating myself here but it has been a painstakingly long wait to try the first bottle from my newest Solera. I decided to bottle the first pull straight…

pH Meter

Solera pull #1, bottling straight

It feels like a lifetime ago since I started this Solera Project in a Sanke keg. I have been really anxious to remove the first portion to bottle but I…

lambic brew day

PhiLambic Solera: Brew Day

With my Solera Plan in place I prepped for the brew day, normally I will crush my grains a day in advance but I didn’t have the time leading up…

solera barrels

PhiLambic Solera: Planning Stages

Ever since reading the Sour Solera Barrel post by Michael Tonsmeire, I have wanted to start my own project just like it. I kicked around the idea of getting a…

wort chiller connected to a hose inside of a boil kettle

Best Wort Chillers

For homebrewers, chilling wort down to pitching temperature is one of the final steps of a long brew day. The faster the wort cools, the sooner you’ll be able to…

Best Homebrew Pumps for brew systems

Best Homebrew Pumps

Homebrew pumps make your brew day easier and more efficient in many ways. Transferring hot wort or water when sparging, recirculating, or chilling is also quicker and much safer when…

How To Brew New England IPA Hazy Beer In 2020

How to Brew New England IPA (NEIPA)

New England IPA – hazy, juicy, and hop-drenched – has taken over the beer world. Craft beer lovers wait in hour long lines in hope of scoring the latest can…

How to Brew Milkshake IPA

Getting your hands on a fresh can of milkshake IPA can be a struggle. As such a popular and hyped-up beer style, breweries sell out their latest releases almost instantly….

BeerSmith 3 Review

BeerSmith 3 Review

Brewing software is necessary to design, brew, and keep track of your homebrew recipes. There are many options available, from online recipe builders to mobile apps and computer based software….

how to brew german gose

How to Brew Gose

Sour and salty, gose is a unique style of beer. The unconventional flavor profile comes together for an ultra refreshing and satiating experience. Homebrewing gose is a fun and creative…

fermzilla review pressure fermenter

FermZilla Review: High Pressure, Low Budget

Never before have homebrewers had so much selection when choosing a fermenter. From low budget buckets, to expensive stainless steel unitanks, the market is flooded with a wide variety of…

LalBrew Platinum Series Voss Kveik Ale Yeast Review

LalBrew Voss Kveik Ale Yeast Review

Traditional Norwegian farmhouse yeast, called kveik, has recently exploded in popularity world-wide. Brewers are embracing this unique type of yeast for its range of uses and high fermentation temperatures. This…

how to brew with fresh wet hops

How to Brew with Fresh (Wet) Hops

The harvest – finally reaping summer’s bounty. Nothing is more satisfying than picking a crop which has been carefully grown for months and experiencing its freshness. For brewers, this fleeting…

How To Roast Your Own Malt

How to Roast Your Own Malt

From pale yellow, to jet-black, beer comes in a massive range of colors. The darker the beer, the more toasty and roasted it will taste. Brewers use roasted grains to…

How To Crush Your Own Malt

How to Crush Your Own Malts

Crushing grain is the first step of the brew day for homebrewers. Properly crushed malt is one of the most important parts to making great tasting all grain beer. Instead…

How To Clean Your Grain Mill - Pinterest Image

How to Clean Your Homebrew Grain Mill

Have you ever cleaned your grain mill? Many homebrewers often neglect their grain mill, leaving it months, if not years, without cleaning. Like all of your other brewing equipment, however,…

best hop spider for homebrewing

The 5 Best Hop Spiders for Homebrewing

Are you tired of hops clogging your homebrewing system? Or are you looking for a way to get clearer beer? Then you might want to invest in a hop spider….

Decoction Mashing for homebrewers

Decoction Mashing for Homebrewers

Looking for a rich malt flavor, beautiful head retention, and sparkling clarity in your homebrew? Decoction mashing – that often misunderstood traditional technique – might be worth trying. Decoction mashing…

10 ways to improve your homebrew

10 Ways to Improve Your Homebrew

There’s no reason why you can’t brew beer as good as the pros. Often a few simple changes to your process or mindset will take your homebrew to the next…

how to use dextrin malt

What Is Dextrin Malt?

A mainstay in homebrew recipes for decades, dextrin malt is said to boost mouthfeel, body, and head retention in beer. Considered a simple fix for many homebrewing problems, dextrin malt…

what is a kveik ring

What Is Kveik?

Norway is famous for its striking fjords, beautiful scenery, and more recently – at least in the beer world – farmhouse ale yeast. Brewers all over the world have become…

What Is Landrace Yeast

What Is A Landrace Yeast?

There is a rich history of brewing throughout Scandinavia, Northern Europe, and the Baltic countries. From Norway, to Lithuania, to Russia, traditional farmhouse beers have been drunk by locals for…

how to brew a dessert stout

How To Brew A Scrumptious Dessert Stout

Thick, sumptuous, and sweet, dessert stouts have a reputation for bombarding your taste buds (in a good way) and soothing your sweet tooth. Brewing a dessert stout is all about…

How To Brew Brut IPA

How To Brew World Class Brut IPA

Pale, dry, fizzy, and hoppy, Brut IPA is a niche style of beer. If you’re searching for how to brew a beer with a champagne-like finish coupled with a burst…

Non-Enzymatic Cold Mashing

The Complete Guide To Non-Enzymatic Mashing

Looking for a low alcohol and flavorful brew? Would you like to boost the flavor of your beer without adding too many additional fermentables? A method known as Non-Enzymatic Mashing…

How to Brew Czech Pilsner

How to Brew An Excellent Czech Pilsner

Czech Pilsner has become the catchall name for a much broader and more diverse group of beers from Czechia. Let’s dig into what this style really is and how to…

How to brew Dunkelweizen

How to brew A Great Dunkelweizen

An often neglected and overlooked style, Dunkelweizen delivers a perfect balance of malt and hops and will leave you thinking, “this is beer!” It may be hard to find on…

How To Brew With Tea

How to Brew Interesting Beers with Tea

Discover a world of flavors to add to your beer brewing repotaire. Discover the world of brewing with tea. When adding tea during the brewing process, timing and type are…

How To Brew A Belgian Tripel

How To Brew A Belgian Tripel

When brewing Belgian-style beer, it’s always fun and challenging to respect tradition while adding your own personal touch. Belgian Tripel – that strong, pale, and luxurious ale – is an…

Yeast Washing Explained

Yeast Washing Explained

If you like brewing a wide variety of beer styles, you’ll need to use a wide variety of yeasts. At $3 to $10 per pack, yeast can be expensive! What…

What is a Stuck Fermentation?

What is a Stuck Fermentation?

Has your latest fermentation come to a screeching halt? Or did it never really get started? Put down the champagne yeast… we’re about to cover the causes and solutions for…

Best Ways To Aerate Wort

Best Ways To Aerate Wort

Yeast needs oxygen to convert sugars in wort into alcohol and CO2 – turning sugary, malty water into delicious and complex beer. During the wort boiling process, most oxygen is…

What Are Noble Hops?

What Are Noble Hops? The Brewer’s Finest Crop

The world’s finest beers are brewed using noble hops. From pristine German lagers to assertive Belgian ales, these European hops bring elegant nuance. Noble hops are a cornerstone of traditional…

How to Brew Clear Beer

How to Brew Crystal Clear Homebrewed Beer

Achieving brilliantly clear beer can be a challenging task. Today we’re taking a close look at everything you need to know to brew a batch of truly clear beer! How…

How To Dry Hop Beer

How To Dry Hop Beer

Dry hopping is essential for bright hop flavor and aroma in beer styles like IPA and American Pale Ale. Even in Pilsner and Saisons, dry hopping can add a delicious…

What is a Diacetyl Rest?

What is a Diacetyl Rest?

Diacetyl is a common off-flavor in beer. If you’ve ever tasted a buttery or butterscotch-like flavor in a beer, this is diacetyl. Luckily for brewers, it can easily be controlled…

What does beer taste like?

What Does Beer Taste Like?

One of my favorite things to do in recent months has been hosting beer tastings with a few friends. It’s cheaper than the bar, the selection is as good as…

How to Bottle Beer

How to Bottle Your Homebrewed Beer

You’ve brewed and fermented your batch; now it’s time to package it. Bottling is the most economical option and is almost a rite of passage for every brewer. We’ll cover…

What does beer taste like

How to Design Homebrew Recipes

There is something innate in all us that wants to design and create. You’ve probably brewed a batch or two of beer following someone else’s recipes. This is a great…

How To Clean Your Brew Kettle

How To Clean Your Brew Kettle

Near the end of the brew day, one of the last big pieces of equipment to clean is the brew kettle. Stuck on hops, slimy proteins, and sticky wort can…

Homebrewing Mistakes: 10 Common Brewing Blunders

Homebrewing Mistakes: 10 Common Brewing Blunders

Even the most perfectionist, veteran homebrewers make mistakes. If you’ve ever been to a homebrew club meeting, or perused the posts of a homebrewing message board, you’ll see all types…

How to Remove Bottle Labels

How to Remove Bottle Labels

Naked and elegant, a bottle stripped of its label is a thing of beauty to any homebrewer. We’re going to cover the best methods, step-by-step, for removing labels from your…

What is Saison Stall?

What is Saison Stall?

Many brewers used to avoid using some of the best Saison strains available because they were notorious for “stalling” midway through a fermentation. Now we have science to lead us…

How to Brew Grisette

How to Brew Grisette

Grisette has seen a massive resurgence in the last few years. The enigmatic style, once almost erased from existence, is often misunderstood. We’ll clear up some misconceptions about Grisette and…

How to Brew Altbier

How to Brew Altbier

Refreshing. Complex. Crowd pleasing. Altbier is one of the most underrated styles that threads the needle between crisp lager and malty amber ale. What’s even better is that the style…

All about RIMS and HERMS

HERMS vs RIMS

Many homebrewers endeavor to brew with the utmost precision. If that describes you, it’s time to embrace your inner engineer and take a further look at two similar brewing systems…

How To Grow Hops - Pinterest Image

The Complete Guide On How to Grow Hops

There are a lot of reasons to grow your own hops. Unique flavors, fresh hop beers, organic hops, and plain-old-fashioned badassery to name a few. This guide contains everything you…

Best Homebrewing Podcasts - Pinterest Image

Best Homebrewing Podcasts

There’s a podcast for everything these days. Homebrewing is certainly no exception. Wondering which one to try first or looking for a great discovery? We’ve narrowed it down to the…