Sparking Spring Sima for Vappu (May Day)

"We're brewing Sima this weekend." "ZIMA? ummmm..."

Sima, pronounced SEE-MAH, is the Finnish homebrew of May Day, known in Finland as Vappu. It is a brew that celebrates the light and sweetness of a new spring.

Jeremy's Favorite 1,892,700,000,000

1,892,700,000,000 cells is the maximum number of yeast cells ever produced in a 5 gallon fermentation. This is a magnificent number.

Make wine for better beer

Winemaking taught me how to brew better beer.

Grain Malts Demystified

Golden Promise ... pale malt? Two row? What's the difference?

School's in:

Brewer's log: Floor Malt Experiment #2

MD had his fun, now's my time.

I got my hands on several pounds of Warminster floor-malted Maris Otter. Last Saturday found me without the fiancee for the afternoon. So I rolled out of bed, made up the sanitizer, gathered the ingredients & lit up the hot liquor on the stove...

Carboys among us

There is an artificial divide among us, oh my brewthren, fueled by half-truths and slander: the followers of the delicate ancient glass, and the believers in better buoyant plastics.

The Complete Joy of (bottling) Homebrew

Bottling beer is probably the least enjoyed part of brewing, and not without reason.

Brewer's log: Mighty Arrow Clone

Bring forth the pale ones!

Shameless plug alert

All for brew, brew for all!

Why beer tastes so good with food

As the long summer days of grilling and enjoying your hard labors of spring brewing approach, here's a little food for thought.

Nutrient vs. Energizer: Which Should I Use and When?

Nutrients and Energizers sound pretty beneficial - and they can be! But, what the heck are these products!?

A Fresh Take On Soda

Now, I'm sure many of you homebrewers out there have considered making soda at one time or another. It only makes sense: those who homebrew often make a lot of things for themselves. Soda should be no different.

30th Level Beer Nerd

Brewing beer is a lot like playing pen and paper RPGs. There are numbers and things to keep track of, it is a great social activity, and you get to use your imagination a lot.

Get Hip to (Your Own) Hops

As a homebrewer, there are certain things you can do to save money and there are certain things you can do to increase your ownership of the beer. Growing hops is way to do both.

Say it Belgian

I love it when you talk Flemish to me. 

 Geuze? Geuze gueze gueze ... geuze. Geuze!

Better Brewing Through Chemistry

Additive-free brewing is awesome and noble and delicious. But some chemical additives can make brewing life easier and more consistent.

Here are some additive products that I am a fan of:

Buffer 5.2:
Relax, don't worry, use Buffer 5.2.

All Grain Simplicity: Easy Batch Sparging

The leap from extract to all-grain... Like graduating from Velveeta to Wisconsin Cheddar; steel frame bicycle to alloy; Guitar Hero to guitar lessons...

Mini-Hefe-Hydro-Melo-Mel

Problem: Meads tend to take a long time to age and are too high gravity to quaff as a refreshment. Solution: Mini-Hefe-Hydro-Melo-Mel.

Summit India Style Rye Ale

Last weekend I picked up Summit's new India-Style Rye Ale (IRA) and have to say that I'm impressed.

Notes on a Brew Day: AK-747 Pale Mild

Brew day! English ale = bored dog. She only likes lagers.