Experiment
After reading through Drew Beechum and Denny Conn’s Experimental Homebrewing book, I thought through some of the questions that I see repeatedly asked. Drew and Denny touch on some of them. The spirit of their book resonates with me... find the answers on your own through experimentation. The reality
Brewer's Notes
I see a lot of questions asked about WHEN one should measure mash pH. I thought it would be useful to walk through the steps first and discuss the acid and buffering system of a mash in the real world, as well as some thoughts on a good meter. Using
Brewer's Notes
The original walk through of the Bru'n Water Spreadsheet remains one of the most popular features of Accidentalis.com. While the core information remains relevant, there is a significant difference in workflows between the Free and Subscriber version of the spreadsheet. This tutorial is focused on the Subscriber
Measurement
So from the Big Badda Boom event, I decided I need to build something to help prevent over-pressuring and make it idiot proof. In my discussion with SSBrewTech, they make a recommendation to build a connector with a 5 PSI pressure gauge. This allows you to adjust the pressure from
Brew-Magic
I continue to field a lot of questions about efficiency (especially on the Brew-Magic) and I thought I would try to clear up a few myths, and give some practical advice. While this is generally applicable to any brewing style, I am going to focus on the Brew-Magic V350MS to
Brew-Magic
In my previous post on the Magic-Soft V3 update for the Brew-Magic V350, I walked through my perceptions of how the Brew-Magic performed with the software update, and was very pleasantly surprised at the ease of hitting strike temperatures. I have had a few more chances to brew, but been
Measurement
Adapted from http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=At_home_water_testing A simple water tool for the brewery can be home water testing kits popularly used to manage aquarium water. In particular, titration kits that measure both GH or General Hardness and KH or Carbonate Hardness are preferred
Brewer's Notes
What an ugly surprise. Yesterday, I was adding some sugar into my split batch saison, and saw this. Unintentionally I managed to contaminate the batch with Brettanomyces. I have played with Brett quite a bit in the brewery, but how it managed to sneak into this batch remains a mystery.
Brewer's Notes
I do like to mix things up a bit. One of the more frustrating problems I have with small batches on the stove is the consistency of temperature. I am so spoiled by the Brew Magic’s ability to maintain a consistent temperature – I have been seeking ways to replicate
Brewer's Notes
In the last post, Building a Recipe: Saison, I went through some of my thought processes and research in building a new recipe. Something I didn't cover was the source for a recipe, and that varies greatly. A great place to start is Brewing Classic Styles, Zymurgy or
Process
I am on a saison kick… maybe more like a saison obsession - they taste like summ and it has been cold this winter. I thought I might do some “rambling” and exploration here about saisons and water profiles, since there seems to be some confusion relative to what is
Brew-Magic
Remember somewhere I posted that I liked shiny things? I do, very much, but I also like being lazy and letting PBW and Sani-Clean do most of the work for me. I have spent a lot of afternoons at the local brewery drooling as they did a simple CIP of