Author: K. Florian Klemp
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Home Brewing -
Home BrewingAutumn: Made for Cider
September 12, 2016 - K. Florian Klemp Now that summer has given way to autumn, our attention turns to fall seasonal beers. We also have our annual chance to make fresh cider. Apple cider, the original American “microbrew,” has never been more fashionable, and the artisanal cider industry is blossoming. Homemade cider is the ultimate taste of autumn and quite easy to... View Article -
Home BrewingHomebrewing: Experimental Design
September 1, 2016 - K. Florian Klemp Once modern American brewers mastered a few of the basic beer styles, the urge to experiment kicked into high gear almost immediately. It’s why we now have such extraordinary and vast choices. Nailing down the basics before tackling the adventurous and radical is sound advice for homebrewers as well. This inquisitive itch often comes early... View Article -
Home BrewingUnblemished Brewing: Basic Cleaning and Sanitizing
July 1, 2016 - K. Florian Klemp While one of homebrewing’s most engaging elements is its broad creative latitude, clean, sanitary techniques and conditions are two things that cannot be compromised. The two go hand in hand: Clean equipment sanitizes easily and sanitary equipment eliminates the nuisance of contamination. Clean and sanitary are distinctly different, but symbiotic, things. Thorough cleaning eliminates the... View Article -
Homebrewing FeaturesBrewing German Rarities
May 7, 2016 - K. Florian Klemp German beers often get lost in the shuffle among the craft crowd. They are neither flashy nor overdone, just solid brews made from simple recipes with distinctive German ingredients. But there are three that break that mold: gose, Münster altbier and dampfbier. They are obscure outliers, stylistic survivors of the dozens of regional styles that... View Article -
Home BrewingBrewing Pilsner
May 1, 2016 - K. Florian Klemp Making pilsners involves the finesse of pale-beer brewing and diligence of bottom fermentation, two of the thorniest tests of homebrewing. However, pilsner (pilsener, pils) is, by no means, off limits to any brewer. The three most common styles of pilsners are Bohemian, German and the Classic American pilsners (CAP). All are quite different and can... View Article -
Stylistically SpeakingLambic: The Pinnacle of Natural and Native Brewing
March 1, 2016 - K. Florian Klemp If the concept of terroir can be applied to beer, it would be with the spontaneously fermented, wild lambics. Lambic is inoculated by airborne microbes of the landscape and banked within barrels. They are the pinnacle of natural, native, organic brewing—a cascade of countless transformations that separate them from the rest of the beer world.... View Article -
Home BrewingGruit: Just Brew It
January 1, 2016 - K. Florian Klemp Long before hops were first cultivated for brewing a millennium ago, beers were either unflavored or infused with a mélange of herbs, roots, blossoms and spices. Popular through the Middle Ages in Europe, these botanicals often served the same antiseptic purpose as hops later would, but were also used for their medicinal or healing properties.... View Article -
Stylistically SpeakingWinter Warmer and Holiday Ale
December 2, 2015 - K. Florian Klemp Brewed to match the rich, sweet and fragrant cuisine of the holidays, winter warmers and spiced holiday ales are stout enough to warm the soul and savory enough to abide the hearty fare. After the tease of autumnal Märzen and pumpkin beer, we have come to anticipate these specialties greatly. Winter warmers are typically loaded... View Article