-Peter McMindes- As homebrewers, we pride ourselves on delivering delicious tasting beer to our friends, family and ourselves. While demonstrating how well-made fresh beer tastes, we also like to focus on the presentation. When seeing the brightness and clarity of other homebrewers’ beer, you may wonder how they achieve such a level in the finished product, and the answer is usually a fining agent known as gelatin. Many commercial and larger craft breweries may filter their beer and use … [Read more...] about Fining Your Beer With Gelatin
brewing
Using Enzymes In Brewing Production
-Ryan Blankenship- Enzymes have been used in beer production for some time now, whether for gluten reduction, turning some non-fermentable sugar into fermentable sugar, or increasing clarity. For brewing, enzymes can, among other things, increase starch liquefaction and saccharification, which in turn increases the production of fermentable sugars. These enzymes can also help reduce viscosity, support yeast during the fermentation process, and even extend the shelf-life of a beer. In … [Read more...] about Using Enzymes In Brewing Production
Making Beer Kits at Home with Brewer’s Best
-Gabrial House- With fall in full swing, why not start a batch of home brew? If you are new to the art of brewing and not sure where to start then you should take a look at some of our awesome beer equipment and ingredient kits! We have lots of different ingredient kits for this cooler time of year, ranging from American Ambers, to Red Ale, to English Browns and even Robust Porters. You can make up to 5 gallons of your favorite hearty beer enjoyably at home! The Brewer’s Best equipment … [Read more...] about Making Beer Kits at Home with Brewer’s Best
New England IPA Part 1: Clarifying a Murky Style
-Ethan Johnston- The saying goes that a rising tide lifts all boats, and the rise in craft/artisan beer has certainly had a similar impact on the various beer styles. Styles like Gose and Grätzer, which were bordering on extinction until recent years, are enjoying exponentially more of a market share than they ever have. However, no style has been lifted to the height of India Pale Ale and its various sub-styles. IPA has been the hottest craft beer style on the market since the most recent … [Read more...] about New England IPA Part 1: Clarifying a Murky Style
All Grain Brewing: Step Mash vs. Single Infusion
-Ryan Blankenship- All great beer begins with the mash. So what actually happens when we’re mashing grain? In a nutshell, the mash is a process in which malted grains are mixed with water at a specific ratio, temperatures, and pH in order to activate the enzymes in the malt and convert the starches in the grain into fermentable sugars. If grain goes unmalted, then the starches bound in the grain are inaccessible to yeast due to the size of the molecule. This can sometimes be desirable, … [Read more...] about All Grain Brewing: Step Mash vs. Single Infusion
Intro to Kegging Beer
-Tyler Newman- In this blog post, I will address the basic steps of kegging, so that you can safely and properly keg your delicious beer! Before I get to the specifics, it’s good to remember that brewing is mostly cleaning. Every piece of your brewing equipment needs to be cleaned AND sanitized before each piece’s involvement in brewing your beer. First, we clean! I suggest using a product called PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) to clean all the organic and inorganic material that has built … [Read more...] about Intro to Kegging Beer
Coffee Porters
Hello! My name is Tyler Newman and I’m a beer lover and brewer. While in Seattle, I was privileged to work for some of the best breweries in the United States, but I have since moved to Charlottesville where I am currently loving my “late 20’s retirement.” Here in Charlottesville, at Fifth Season, I have continued to pursue my love of beer and brewing. I feel blessed to be a part of a great work crew and community, which leads me to one of my favorite topics – coffee porter! To start, I … [Read more...] about Coffee Porters
Brewing with the Mash and Boil
-Ryan Blankenship- I have used several different types of brewing setups throughout my life, starting with the extract kits on the stove and moving my way to all-grain brewing. At one point I had a Sabco system, which is a self-automated system with its own pumps and built-in heaters. I also built my own recirculating system using some old kegs and a chugger pump. We recently started carrying the Mash and Boil Unit, and I wanted to put it to the test. This system is designed to make a … [Read more...] about Brewing with the Mash and Boil
Festive Fall Homebrewing (Without Pumpkin!)
-Kristin Weeks- When it comes to seasonal beers, there’s no time quite like fall. The light, easy-drinking beers typically associated with warm weather, sunshine, and yardwork give way to heavier-bodied, maltier, and more complex styles that pair perfectly with cool nights and campfires. Historically, beer has always been seasonal. Before the days of refrigeration, the brewing season lasted from the onset of fall through early spring (March), where lower temperatures kept beer fermenting with … [Read more...] about Festive Fall Homebrewing (Without Pumpkin!)
Reinheitsgebot
Last weekend we had a brew demo in which we brewed a German Hefeweizen. I followed the Reinheitsgebot, which is the German Purity Law. What this consists of is a set of regulations limiting you to certain ingredients when brewing a beer in Germany. The only ingredients a brewer is allowed to use are grain, hops, water, and yeast. This law was instated in 1516 to prevent price competition with bakers for wheat and rye. The restriction of grains to barley was meant to ensure the availability of … [Read more...] about Reinheitsgebot
