Brewing Techniques and Advic


A Wee Spot of Malt: Scottish Strong Ale

When you want malt to take center stage, turn to a Scottish wee heavy, which offers the perfect example of malt writ large.

Brewer’s Perspective: New England–Style IPAs

Getting great results brewing a New England–style IPA requires more focus on process than recipe alone. Ryan Brooks, formerly of Coronado Brewing in San Diego, shared their process of developing a New England–style IPA in the West Coast IPA heartland.

4 Reasons to Try Open Fermentation

Despite the potential risks for contamination, some brewers insist on fermenting in open containers.

Make Your Best Belgian Blond Ale

Belgian Blond is a tough style to nail down, but here Josh Weikert shows you how to create one that is wonderfully fresh and clean and uses the spice, esters, and “Belgian” character as an accent, not a headline.

Step-By-Step: A Mashing Primer

Multi-step mashing may seem like a historical curiosity, but it’s good to understand the intent because there are still some useful ideas. Jester Goldman walks you through the traditional rest points and what they’re all about.

Saison: The Poster Child of “Local” Beer

Local ingredients made saison what it was, and while we tend to think of that in terms of yeast, grains, and spices, there’s no reason to exclude hops from that list.

Experimental Experience Part 3: Suggested Experiments

Developing experiments can help dial in recipes and create more interesting flavors in your beer. Long-time homebrewer Jester Goldman suggests three experiments to get you started.

St. Paddy’s Day: The Homebrewer’s Edition

While your friends are out drinking St. Paddy’s Day beers, why not spend a day at home brewing for the occasion? We’ve compiled highlights on how to brew your best Irish red ale and dry Irish stout and have pulled together some recipes to get you started!

Make Your Best Rauchbier

The Rauchbier is a smoky style of lager that has some surprising ingredients. Longtime homebrewer Josh Weikert walks you through the steps to make your best.

Experimental Experience Part 2: It’s a Matter of Taste

Experimenting with your brewing is a great way to ramp up your game, but one way to really know how well you’ve done is to get others to help you by participating in a blind-tasting panel. Longtime homebrewer Jester Goldman walks you through the basics.