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Brew-day technique, fermentation, chilling and equipment guides, written from the workshop in Vancouver. Pick a topic or search.

Brau Brewing Kettles Equipment3 min read How to Choose a Brewing Kettle, With a Size ChartBuy a kettle about 1.5 to 2 times your batch size. Here is a size chart by batch, plus what matters in material, ports, drains and electric versus gas. Illustration: Crafting Beer: A Journey Through History, Science, and Flavor Styles & recipes3 min read Crafting Beer: A Journey Through History, Science, and FlavorBeer basics: the four ingredients, how they become beer, a short history, and where the flavours come from, with links to our detailed guides. Illustration: How to Bottle Homebrew Beer Properly: Step-by-Step Guide and Priming Sugar Chart Packaging10 min read How to Bottle Homebrew Beer Properly: Step-by-Step Guide and Priming Sugar ChartHow to bottle homebrew beer properly, step by step: when the beer is ready, what you need, exactly how much priming sugar to use, how to fill and cap, how... Illustration: The Ultimate Guide to KVEIK Yeast: Unleashing Its Fermentation Potential Fermentation3 min read The Ultimate Guide to KVEIK Yeast: Unleashing Its Fermentation PotentialKveik is Norwegian farmhouse yeast that ferments hot, fast and surprisingly clean. Here are its temperatures, pitch rates, flavours and the beers it suits. Illustration: Revolutionizing Home Brewing: The Simplified Art of No Sparge Brewing Brew day3 min read Revolutionizing Home Brewing: The Simplified Art of No Sparge BrewingNo-sparge brewing mashes with the full water volume and drains once. Here is what you gain, what efficiency you lose, and how much extra grain to plan for. Amber Horizon recipe card: 5.9% ABV, 29 IBU Styles & recipes3 min read Amber Ale Recipe (All-Grain) and Style Guide: Amber HorizonAn all-grain American amber ale recipe you can brew at 5 to 30 gallons: 5.9% ABV, 29 IBU, with late Cascade, Centennial and Zeus. Plus the style at a glance. Illustration: Mash pH: The Ideal Range, How to Measure It and How to Adjust It Brew day4 min read Mash pH: The Ideal Range, How to Measure It and How to Adjust ItThe ideal mash pH is 5.2 to 5.6, measured at room temperature. Here is why it matters, when and how to measure it, and exactly how to bring it down... Illustration: What Causes a Fermenter to Heat Up? Fermentation4 min read What Causes a Fermenter to Heat Up?Fermentation gives off heat, so beer can run 5 to 10°F warmer than the room at peak. Here is why, what it does to flavour, and how to keep the... Lagering: What It Is, Temperatures, How Long, and How to Do It at Home Fermentation5 min read Lagering: What It Is, Temperatures, How Long, and How to Do It at HomeLagering is the cold conditioning that makes a lager taste like a lager. Here are the temperatures for each stage, how long to hold them, what is happening in the... Illustration: Electric Brewing for Beginners: 120V vs 240V, Systems and Setup Equipment3 min read Electric Brewing for Beginners: 120V vs 240V, Systems and SetupElectric brewing heats with an element and a controller instead of a burner. Here is 120V vs 240V, how big an element you need, single-vessel vs two- and three-vessel systems,... Illustration: Troubleshooting Fermentation Problems in Brewing: A Comprehensive Guide Fermentation4 min read Troubleshooting Fermentation Problems in Brewing: A Comprehensive GuideMost fermentation problems come down to yeast, oxygen, temperature or sanitation. Here are the common symptoms, their likely causes, and how to fix each. Illustration: Ultimate Guide to Porter and Stout: Discovering the Differences & Brewing the Perfect Porter Recipe Styles & recipes2 min read Ultimate Guide to Porter and Stout: Discovering the Differences & Brewing the Perfect Porter RecipePorter and stout overlap more than most people think. Here is how they differ today, where each came from, and the main styles of each. Brau supply Unitank conical jacketed fermenter Fermentation5 min read Stainless Unitank Fermenters: The Honest Pros and ConsA unitank lets you ferment, dry hop, carbonate and transfer under pressure in one sealed vessel. It also costs more, weighs more and needs cooling. Here is what you actually... Illustration: 15 Proven Methods to Maximize Mash Efficiency in Home Brewing Brew day4 min read 15 Proven Methods to Maximize Mash Efficiency in Home BrewingMash efficiency is how much of the grain’s sugar ends up in your wort. Here are typical numbers and the fixes that make the biggest difference. What Is a Fermenter? What It Does, the Parts, and How to Choose One for Beer Fermentation5 min read What Is a Fermenter? What It Does, the Parts, and How to Choose One for BeerA fermenter is the vessel where wort becomes beer. What it has to do, the parts that matter, every type from bucket to jacketed unitank compared, and how to pick... The benefits of electrical brew-in-a-bag systems Equipment4 min read The benefits of electrical brew-in-a-bag systemsElectric brew-in-a-bag and single-vessel systems mash, lift and boil in one kettle. Here is why homebrewers like them and how they compare with three-vessel setups. Pressure Fermentation: The Complete Guide (Benefits, Downsides, Equipment, PSI Chart) Fermentation7 min read Pressure Fermentation: The Complete Guide (Benefits, Downsides, Equipment, PSI Chart)What fermenting beer under pressure does to yeast, esters and hop aroma, the gear you need, a step-by-step method, and a pressure and carbonation chart you can pin to the... Illustration: Avoiding a stuck mash and dry firing a brewing element when brewing Brew day3 min read Avoiding a stuck mash and dry firing a brewing element when brewingA stuck mash stops wort flowing through the grain; dry firing burns out an electric element in seconds. What causes each, and how to prevent them.
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