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Being frugal and making friends with beekeepers have benefits for the experimental meadmaker, and occasionally I get to play with crystallized comb or rinsings from extruded frames. But because the sugar concentration of washed honey is unknown, the density (specific gravity) of diluted honey has to be checked. Today we enjoy access to the wonderful glass hydrometer, but hydrometers have a habit of rolling off the counter when brew day rolls around. In the absence of a hydrometer, brewers in the past often used an egg. Really.

How the Floating Egg Test Works

The floating egg technique works thanks to the internal anatomy of an egg, which includes an air sac at the rounded end for the bird embryo to breathe.… Read the rest “Egg over Mead-ium: Measuring Gravity With an Egg”

The United States is home to more than 18,000 islands, and for travel lovers, many are worth adding to a list of must-see destinations. Luckily for craft beer enthusiasts, there are breweries located on several of these islands.

Brewing on an island isn’t always a sunny vacation, though. For some, it can mean shipping challenges, an increased cost of materials, and relying on tourism season for business. On the other hand, these breweries are creating a unique community gathering place for locals and travelers alike, often adding an unforgettable experience to a trip itinerary.… Read the rest “These 19 Breweries Are on U.S. Islands”

The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) has developed a homebrew club Code of Conduct template, with a review by the AHA Governing Committee.

After customizing the template, suggestions of where to publish include:

• Post your code of conduct on your website
• Link to it on all club social media accounts and groups
• Link to it in all event materials and promotions
• Have members review and agree to the code of conduct when renewing their membership
• Make QR codes available at meetings for attendees to scan, review, and/or submit code of conduct violations

Reporting
Clubs can offer members third-party resources, including apps like #NotMe, as a means for independent reporting.… Read the rest “Customizable Homebrew Club Code of Conduct”

Coffee and beer go together like peanut butter and jelly. Individually, the two beverages claim some of the most passionate followers who pine over different styles, processes, and stories.

Together, coffee and beer blend to create a world of interesting flavor adventures. Stouts and porters have stepped into the role of go-to styles when devising a coffee beer, but the opportunities are endless as brewers explore new styles and innovations that bring coffee into the beer-drinking experience.

Brewing coffee beers at home is fun and easy! Use the resources below to learn how to roast your own coffee, how to prepare coffee to be used in beer, and how to homebrew a coffee beer.… Read the rest “A Guide to Coffee (and Coffee Beer) for Homebrewers”

Krysta Boisvert was a new brewery quality manager who had found her groove. Fermentations were to spec, microplate tests were coming back clean, and everything was going swimmingly—until one day, she found traces of pediococcus and lactobacillus.

This is a moment no brewery employee wants to witness. Thankfully, Boisvert is a trained microbiologist and determined the cause and solution before any major issues arose—exactly what the brewery had hired her to do.

Quality matters at any size brewery, especially if you can’t see it. And the team behind beer quality is what matters most since data doesn’t analyze itself.… Read the rest “The People Behind Beer Quality”

Brew in a bag (BIAB) process:

1. Mash Grain at 148°F (64°C) for 60 minutes (pH between 5.30-5.35)
2. Pull bag and add first wort hops
3. Bring to boil and boil for 60 minutes
4. Whirlpool hop addition at 170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes
5. Cool wort to 55°F (13°C) and pitch yeast.
6. Let ferment at 55°F (13°C) until about 60% complete with fermentation about 4-6days
7. Bump temp to 65°F (18°C) and finish out fermenting (this is usually when I add the dry hops)
8. Cold crash to 38°F (3°C) and add gelatin to fine for 24-48hrs and then keg.

60-minute mash at 154°F (67.8°C)

60-minute boil.

Ferment at 65°F (18.3°C) until 5 points from final gravity. Then increase the temperature to 75°F.

Cold crash, then package.

The post A Mild Case Dark Mild appeared first on American Homebrewers Association.

American Homebrewers Association… Read the rest “A Mild Case Dark Mild”

Visiting Denver for the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) tops the bucket list of many beer lovers around the world. This annual celebration of American craft beer, innovation, and passion happens in late September/early October and boasts a one-of-a-kind experience for all those who enjoy craft beer. The year 2022 saw 40,000 beer lovers descend on the Mile High City to sample nearly 2,000 beers from 500 of America’s craft brewers. Why does this festival top the “must-do” lists of so many beer lovers? What exactly can a beer enthusiast expect from the festival?… Read the rest “10 Reasons to Attend the Great American Beer Festival”