In preparation for a brew day, homebrewer Brian Haslip has a slightly different routine than most homebrewers. After gathering the malt, hops and yeast he’ll need for his all-grain recipe, he drives a few miles outside Troutdale, Oregon, where along the roadside at the bottom of a hill, a pipe emerges from a leafy bank.... View Article
Last summer, I joined my local homebrew club, Bridger Brew Crew, on our annual camping trip. A mountain stream, clear weather, the backdrop of Montana’s Absaroka Range and the company of fellow homebrewers set the scene for the weekend. In that interim, I also became better acquainted with an ancient and loosely defined beer type... View Article
Carboys, airlocks, racking canes, siphons … just reading through a list of tools needed for conventional homebrewing can be deterrent enough for some considering the hobby. Add the lengthy process of sanitizing each constituent piece before getting to the “fun” stuff, the manual labor involved in hauling 30- and 40-pound buckets to and fro, and... View Article
The voice of Ron Popeil came into my head as I hit the button on the Pico. “Set it and forget it!” The familiar refrain from the kitchen appliance TV pitchman is apt for this steam-generating homebrewing machine from PicoBrew that is user-friendly if not a little impersonal. I’m not a homebrewer, although I have... View Article
Lager to most means the ubiquitous pale golden brew that arose from the original pilsners of the 1840s. But by that time, the Bavarians had likely been honing bottom-fermentation and cold-conditioning since at least the 14th century, and possibly as early as the 11th century. Those original lagerbiers were dark, as pale malted barley didn’t... View Article
Have you run the table on brewing strong beers? If imperial everything, barley wine and quads no longer excite you, how about taking a stab at eisbock? For the uninitiated, eisbock is bock subjected to freezing, creating a fraction of ice that is then removed, concentrating the beer. Eisbock is a rarity, made by scant... View Article
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
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
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
