What are hops?
Hops are flowers that grow on vines and are used as a flavoring or bittering agent in beer.The hop plant is a type of vine, usually grown in a field.... |
Yeast
Beer brewers classify yeasts as top-fermenting and bottom-fermenting.
Top-fermenting yeasts are called this because they form a foam at the top of t... |
Home Brew Overview
Brewing at home is simple and fun. All you need to get started is basic brewing equipment, an in... |
What is a yeast starter?
Liquid yeast is added to a small amount of malt and water (wort), to allow full activation of the yeast before it is pitched. This should be done 24 h... |
What is mashing?
Mashing is the process by which the malted grain is converted into fermentable wort. Heat and moisture are needed to convert the remaining starch to s... |
Sediment at the bottom of beer bottles.
The sediment that is at the bottom of your beer is also known as spent yeast. It will not hurt you if you drink it. However, if you want to drink a cl... |
How to get clear beer
Although beer will clear itself after bottling, sediment will form (see [a][http://www.whosbrewing.com/KnowledgeBase/1006/SedimentAtTheBottomOfBeerBot... |
How long until my beer is carbonated?
Carbonation in beer is produced in about 2 weeks at room temperature. After this time the beer can be stored at a cooler temperature. Carbonation occu... |
What is a Hydrometer?
A Hydrometer is a device used to measure the specific gravity, sugar content, and potential alcohol. It measures the amount of sugar in your wort. Thi... |
What can I use to strain my grain?
We suggest a muslin bag. You can put your grains in this bag to create a type of tea bag for straining your grains. These can purchased at any beer su... |
What is a Carboy?
A carboy is a container for fermenting beer. It is usually made out of glass and ranges in size from 3 to 6 gallons. |
What is a Fermentation Lock?
A Fermentation Lock is an airlock which serves the purpose of letting fermentation gas out your fermentor and to keep air from reaching the beer or wi... |
Can I filter my beer?
Filtered beer has been deliberately cleaned of significant contact with yeast through filtration. The process of filtering removes carbonation and ren... |
What is an Ale beer?
Ale yeasts ferment at warmer temperatures normally between 60-68°F, and occasionally as high as 75°F. Ale yeasts form foam on the surface of the ferme... |
What is a Lager?
The Lager over time has become the most popular type of beer in the world. It's light taste though mild in flavor has been a favorite for 500 years an... |
What is a Lauter tun?
A Lauter Tun is the traditional vessel used for separation of the extracted wort. |
What is Lautering?
Lautering is the separation of the extracts during mashing from the spent grain. It is achieved in either a [a][http://www.whosbrewing.com/KnowledgeBa... |
Wort Chilling Process
Once the boil is completed, the wort must be brought down to fermentation temperatures before yeast is added. This can be achieved by either an ice ba... |
How long will the beer take?
This depends on your recipe. Usually ales are 3-4 weeks and lagers are 4-6 weeks. Some recipes age beer for months or years. |
Why should I sterilize my equipment?
You should sterilize your equipment during every step. Cleaning removes dirt and any other matter that is visible. Sterilizing, however, is the proces... |
Can I change my recipe?
Although you have the choice to alter recipes to your taste, most recipes have been created and posted with the ingredients included to make the batch... |
Are bottles and caps reusable?
Yes, at least the bottles are. There are different types of caps and some are reusable and some are disposable. Be sure to clean and sterilize the bot... |
Does the fermentation smell?
Fermentaion does have a slight odor. It is usually stronger at the beginning stages, but after the first week the smell has dulled. The cause of the o... |
What are Adjuncts?
Adjuncts are unmalted grains (such as corn, rice, rye, oats, barley, and wheat) used in brewing beer which supplement the main mash ingredients (such ... |
What is an Airlock?
An airlock is a device that fits into a vessel's lid and is filled with water or other liquids, enabling expanding gas inside a fermenter to escape wi... |
What does Aerate mean?
Aerating is dissolving air into a liquid. Do you remember when you were a kid and you would get in trouble for blowing bubbles in your chocolate milk?... |
Alpha Acid
Alpha acids are resins from hops that provide bitterness in beer. Hops with a higher alpha acid content will contribute more bitterness than a low alp... |
What is an autoclave?
An autoclave is a pressurized, steam-heated vessel or chamber used for sterilization of equipment or materials. Click here to find autoclave and other... |
What is a carbon filter used for?
A carbon filter is specifically used to filter chlorine out of water. |
How to carbonate beer.
If you are using bottles, activate the yeast with priming sugar. The yeast releases CO2 which will carbonate your beer. This is also called priming.
... |
What goes on during fermentation?
During the fermentation process, yeast is used to break down sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol. During this time, temperatures should be kept at ... |
What is a fermenter?
A fermenter is a container used for the process of fermentation. The fermenter can be a large bucket (one specifically designed for fermentation), or... |
What is pitching yeast?
Pitching yeast is the process of putting the yeast into the wort after the wort is cooled. |
What is racking?
Racking is transferring beer from one container to another, leaving sediment at the bottom of the first container. Racking is usually done when cert... |
What is siphoning?
Siphoning is transferring liquid using gravity. There are two ways to siphon your beer. You can use a hose and start the siphon yourself. You can a... |
What is wort?
Wort is the liquid extracted from the mashing process. It contains sugars that will be fermented whil brewing yeast to produce alcohol. Before adding ... |
What is the slime in my beer?
If your wort is exposed to oxygen, an organism called Acetobacter pasteurianus may develop in your beer. This organism is aerobic and oxidizes alcoho... |
What is an acid malt?
An acid malt contains lactic acid, and lowers mash pH. Acid malt also gives a rounder, fuller character to the beer. |
What is aerobic?
Aerobic is any organism that needs oxygen to metabolize. |
What is all-grain brewing?
All-grain brewing is brewing beer using all malted grains, and no malt extracts. Using only malted grains will make the beer lighter in color. |
What are Alpha Acid Units?
Alpha Acid Units, or AAU, is the product of the ounces of hops being boiled multiplied by the alpha acid percentage. |
What is anaerobic?
Anaerobic is any organism that does not need oxygen to metabolize, such as a bottom fermenting yeast. |
What is autolysis?
Autolysis is when yeast cells metabolize each other when there are no nutrients in the beer. |
What are balling degrees?
Balling degrees are used to indicate the density of sugars in wort. |
Barley
Barley is the most basic grain in beer. It is usually used in the process known as "mashing." Once the malt is mashed down to cooler temperatures the... |
Beta Acid
A beta acid is a non-dissolving hop flower resin that, when oxidized, produces a bitterness. |
What are bittering hops?
Bittering hops are hops that are added to give your beer bitterness. Bittering hops are usually left in the boil for the longest amount of time. |
What is black malt?
Black malt is very dark malted barley. Black malt will give your beer a dark color, as well as a slight burnt or smokey flavor. Use discretion with ... |
What is body?
Body is a term used to describe the weight and texture of beer. |
What is bock?
Bock beer is a style that originated in Germany. Bocks can be pale, amber, or dark. Bocks are full bodied and strong. |
What is bottle conditioning?
Bottle conditioning is the process of adding carbonation to your beer by natural processes. It is done in the bottle by the actions of live yeast. |
What is bottom fermenting?
Bottom fermenting is done by lager yeast that settles at the bottom of the fermenter. |
What is bouquet?
Bouquet is a term used to describe the aroma of your beer. |
What does a bright beer mean?
Bright is a term used to describe beer's brilliance and clarity when it is tasted. |
What is a cask?
A cask is a barrel, usually made of wood, which contains live yeast sediment. A cask can be used in lieu of a keg for carbonation. |
What is cask conditioning?
Cask conditioning is carbonating your beer from natural refermentation in the barrel it was dispensed from. |
Why is my beer hazy?
A finished beer could have haziness or cloudiness, a "chill haze", as a result of undegraded proteins. |
What are chlorophenols?
Chlorophenols can produce an unpleasant taste and smell, and can be caused by using chlorine based sanitizers. |
What are chocolate malts?
Chocolate malts are similar to black malts because it is a dark malt. However, instead of having a smokey flavor, chocolate malts produce a rich, nut... |
What is decoction?
Decoction is extracting something by boiling. This is usually done when mashing grains, some of the mash is removed, boiled, and returned to the mash... |
Degrees of Extract
The degree of extract is a measurement of the specific gravity in one pound of fermentables in one gallon of water. |
What is dextrin?
The unfermentable carbohydrate produced by the enzymes in barley. It gives the beer flavor, body, and mouthfeel. Lower temperatures produce more dextr... |
What is dry hopping?
Dry hopping is adding unboiled aroma hops to an airtight beer container for ten or more days to help produce hop bouquet. |
What is a Stout Beer
The Stout Beer is a dark beer made using roasted malts or barley. Usually having a smooth, deep flavor to it, the stout beer is mostly loved by brewe... |
Cigars and Beer
After a long week at work if you are a true connoisseur of beer, then you might be able to relate to this ideal picture. What goes the best with an ic... |
Are Flavored Beers Manly?
Back in the day when the first cold, foaming beer touched the lips of man I doubt that their next words were "damn I wish this tasted like pomegranate... |
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