Dry Hopping
Previously I have talked about hops as a means of providing bitterness by boiling them to extract the alpha acids present..
So you can add hops at the beginning of the boil to provide bitterness and towards the end to give you a sense of…
Making A Yeast Starter
When making beer it is imperative to get the fermentation started as soon as possible. We want to ensure an adequate amount of yeast is pitched to get the beer fermenting straight away and also to form a protection against infection from bacteria.
The…
Cooling and Pitching Yeast
To get the beer ready for fermentation we need to start cooling the wort down. Yeast require a specific temperature range to thrive in. Ale yeasts need be kept around 16°C – 24°C any colder and the yeast will begin to hibernate and not ferment…
Primary and Secondary Fermentation
The fermentation of your beer is one of the most important parts of the brewing process. It may seem like the part where you don’t really do much but it is also the stage of the process where many things can influence the taste of…
How Strong Is My Beer?
When I started brewing I made a beer using malt extract a little bit of crystal malt and some East Kent Goldings hops. I had found a process online and followed it, I brewed the beer, waited for it to ferment and then bottled it. It tasted…
Citra Pale Ale Recipe
American Pale Ales are a great showcase for some of the boldest and newest varieties of hops available to the home brewer. Differentiating themselves from European Pale Ales, US versions use clean tasting strains of yeast and neutral light…
German Hefeweizen Recipe
Wheat makes up the bulk of the grain used in a Hefeweizen. Originating in the South of Germany up to 50% or more of the grain used in the grist is wheat and this plus the yeast used for fermentation are the main drivers of the distinct flavour…
London Porter Recipe
A beer originating in London, Porter was a style that was born from a blend of beers in the 18th century called three threads, eventually a beer brewed that recreated the blend of beers and this became known as Porter. The name porter is supposedly…
A Guide To Carbonation
Something that I think that is often overlooked when it comes to packaging or bottling beer is the carbonation (or the level of fizz).
The level of carbonation can contribute to the beer in a variety of ways. It affects the level of perceived…
Carbonation Levels For Different Beer Styles
NAMETYPECARBONATION RANGE
American Amber AleAle2.3-2.8 vols
American BarleywineAle1.8-2.5 vols
American Brown AleAle2.0-2.6 vols
American IPAAle2.2-2.7 vols
American Pale AleAle2.3-2.8 vols
American StoutAle2.3-2.9 vols
Belgian…