History of Imperial Stouts Perhaps, it all started with a request. On a 1698 trip to England, Peter the Great is said to have tasted of a black nectar called stout, and upon first sip, he immediately had fallen in love. He wanted much to imbibe in this new found love even when he returned home … [Read more...]
I recently wrote about how I, like many homebrewers, like to experiment and evaluate new ingredients that we come across. This is especially true when it comes to a new type of hop. In order to evaluate the new hop to get a better idea of the aromas and flavors I can expect, I like to make hop tea … [Read more...]
Quick Characteristics Brewery: North Coast Brewing Company Location: Fort Bragg, CA Style: Old Ale ABV: 11.9% IBU: 34 Hops: Fuggles & East Kent Goldings Appearance: Deep Mahogany Brown with Foamy … [Read more...]
SMaSH Brewing: The Best Way to Evaluate a New Hop Every brewer I know loves to experiment. Most brewers I know revel in trying new processes, ingredients, and flavors in their beer, so whenever we get a new hop variety, we can get a little excited. When I am evaluating a new hop variety, I … [Read more...]
One of my favorite types of hops out there right now are Mosaic. They have a wonderful intriguing aroma that is hard to put a finger on. Some people say they smell fruit juice, some say they smell garlic, dill, onions, others say that they get a lot of floral characteristics. I get a bit of … [Read more...]
Quick Characteristics Brewery: La Cumbre Brewing Co. Location: Albuquerque, NM Style: Red Rye IPA ABV: 6.5% IBU: 75 Original Gravity: 1.066 Final Gravity: 1.017 Hops: CTZ, Meridian, … [Read more...]
One of the best things about being a homebrewer is the freedom that comes with the hobby. Homebrewers are free to experiment in many ways which would be considered impractical, expensive, and even crazy in a commercial setting. This freedom often creates some fantastic ingenuity at the homebrew … [Read more...]
Quick Characteristics Brewery: Alaskan Brewing Co. Location: Juneau, AK Style: American Pale Ale ABV: 5.7% IBU: 45 Original Gravity: 1.050 Appearance: Sunny Copper Color with Off-White Frothy Head … [Read more...]
Dry hopping is a process in which, after the beer has completed primary fermentation, hops are added back to the beer to steep. This process is very much like making tea by steeping tea bags in room temperature water. It is a slow process, and it contributes huge amounts of aroma to your beer … [Read more...]
I previously discussed my favorite tips on how to brew a Black IPA, and in that article I mentioned that I have a great recipe to start with. Because the final product is so delicious, I thought it deserved it's own article, specifically focusing on the recipe itself. No matter if your an … [Read more...]
Quick Characteristics Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Location: Chico, CA Style: German Pilsner (Pils) ABV: 5.2% IBU: 38 Hops: German Perle, Saphir, Tettnanger, Strisselspalt Malts: Two-Row Pale, … [Read more...]
There are a lot of conversations in the home brewing and craft brewing world about creating a “New Style” of beer called Black IPA (also called the Cascadian Dark Ale or the American Black Ale). The truth is that, even without its own style designation, the Black IPA is here to stay, and it is … [Read more...]
