My First Barleywine®

I can't believe that after 7 years of homebrewing, I just made my first barley wine.

Brew Dog Day

First outdoor brew day of 2010. First brew day with our new dog Sasha. I can get used to this.

Citrus Wine

I opened my fridge one morning and poured myself what I expected to be a nice glass of OJ, but it smelled like Pee-Yew (much like rotten veggies and diaper)!

Mmmm...... pork........mmmm...... beer....

I love food, and I love beer, and as a homebrewer I love to incorporate my homebrew into my food.

Hunter S. Thompson on Homebrewing

Among the ranks of celebrity homebrewers: Dr. Thompson himself.

Lawnmowers and Weddings.

Summer is just around the corner, which means that the season for weddings and lawnmower beers is also around the corner.

The plight of over using crystal

There is an evil living among us!

Today's Reading

All rise. Today's reading will be from Brewing, 12.4.1 ... Decoction mashing.

How to Make a Bicycle Pump Keg Dispensor

What I'm about to detail is sacrilege to many homebrewers, so let me preface this with some disclaimers.

Mysteries of the Yeast Starter Revealed

Anyone can make a yeast starter. Don't believe me? Ok, raise your hand if you've ever made a beer. Is your hand in the air? Congratulations, you've made a yeast starter before.

NHC? What's that?

What THAT is, my fellow homebrewers, is the National Homebrewers Conference.

My Favorite Brewing Sites: Brewing Calculators

On-line brewing calculators can help you figure out questions as simple as what you should expect as a final gravity, or as complicated as what color beer you will get with which grains. Here are a few that I use on a weekly - if not daily - basis:

The toy you'll inevitably need

Three reasons to own a handheld CO2 keg charger:

Subsistence brewing

Friends, a toast:

To subsistence brewing!

An Ode to Bitter

British bitter is one of my favorite styles to brew. It's simple, cheap, and well balanced, much like yours truly.

2 Things Literature Says You Should Do That You Shouldn't

1. Rehydrate dry yeast.

Some folks worry about osmotic shock and then make a practice of rehydrating dry yeast in warm water before pitching into wort. Please don't rehydrate in water. Rehydrating dry yeast in water can strip your yeast of essential free amino nitrogen (FAN) that is needed for growth and proliferation. Rehydrate in wort (just sprinkle over the top, don't stir, don't do anything but sprinkle).

2. Vorlauf or Wort Recycling in the mash

The collecting of wort as it runs out of the lauter tun and pouring it back over the grain bed is commonly practiced. Many brewers claim that recycling should be done to settle the grain bed. Please don't recycle. This practice can not only lead to hot side aeration, but will strip out fatty acids that are essential for proper yeast nutrition. In particular, North American grains tend to be low in fatty acids to begin with, so please don't Vorlauf domestic grains.

Be the Envy of Your Peer Group

I do not miss the old days of bottling. In fact I loathe them.

Brewer's log: Mardi Gras Bock Clone

What is a party beer? I'd say it depends on the party.

Cherry Chevapravatdumrong

So I have 25 lbs of cherries in my freezer... Well, I had 25 lbs of cherries until I took these 5 easy steps that put those little stone fruits to excellent use!

Here's what I recommend to those of you with 25 lbs of cherries to burn:

Something to try

I was recently browsing my library of cookbooks, searching for inspiration for beer-friendly recipes.