Author: Hobby Homebrew

Before White Labs opened in 1995, founder and owner Chris White started making yeast for homebrewers as a side project while pursuing his graduate thesis. Today, White Labs has grown into one of the leading innovators and suppliers of liquid brewer’s yeast.

We caught up with Erik Fowler, Education & Engagement Curator at White Labs, who shared five interesting facts you might not have known about the beer ingredient that brings wort to life: yeast!

1. Yeast produce more than just CO₂ and ethanol

Yeast contribute more than 600 flavor and aroma compounds which add complexity and nuance to beer. Beer can build upon, showcase or even diminish malt and hop flavors. One yeast strain might leave a residual malty sweetness while another might dry the beer out leaving a punching perceivable bitterness. The hazy IPA’s we’ve all come to enjoy wouldn’t be the same without a fruity ester producing yeast strain to complement the hops.

2. The majority of beers produced worldwide are lagers

Emil Christian Hansen was the first to isolate a pure culture of yeast in 1883 which was named Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, now known as Saccharomyces pastorianus or lager yeast. It can be argued that lagers popularity to this day is still due to the fact that the first “clean” single culture beer brewed was a lager from Hansen’s isolation.

3. Louis Pasteur is responsible for proving the cause of beer fermentation

Our understanding of fermentation is fairly recent. In 1866 with the aid of a microscope, Louis Pasteur was able to understand that yeast was responsible for beer fermentation. Before this point, fermentation was believed to be a spontaneous chemical reaction.

4. The original German Purity Law didn’t include yeast

Reinheitsgebot, also known as the German purity law, was introduced in 1516 which dictated beer must contain only barley, hops and water. Yeast was not known as being the cause of fermentation for more than 300 years when it was then added as an acceptable ingredient.

5. Not all yeast are great at making beer

Yeast domestication has been 500 years in the making and until recently were unknowingly selected for their positive properties. Most yeast is not alcohol tolerant, nor does it produce the positive flavors and aromas we’ve come to know in brewers yeast.

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Whirpooling is an easy process to include in your brew day that can greatly impact your beers. If you have a spoon, you can whirlpool!

The Benefits of Whirlpooling

Quicker Chilling: The time it takes to chill wort to yeast pitching temperatures is greatly decreased when whirlpooling. Because the wort is circulating, the cool and warm wort will constantly be churning and combining to promote quick chilling. Also, whirlpooling with a wort chiller can offer increased control of hitting an exact pitching temperature.

Clearer Wort: A whirlpool promotes clearer wort by collecting the cold break solids in the center of the brew kettle. The chilled wort can then either be siphoned from the side of the kettle or through the kettle valve to avoid transferring any particulate.

Improved Hop Flavor & Aroma: Because whirlpooling cools wort faster, post-boil hop additions instill more flavor and aroma without too much of the bitterness. Hops will continue to isomerize—the process which attaches alpha acids to water molecules creating bitterness—above 180°F (82°C). Being able to drop below this temperature will prevent isomerization in hop additions that are intended to instill just flavors and aromas.

Reduced DMS: The heat from the boil converts s-methyl methionine (SMM) in malt to dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which appears in beer as an unfavorable cooked or cream corn flavor. A longer, vigours boil—especially when using Pilsner malt, which contains eight times more SMM then typical base malts—can drive off DMS. When the boil is over, the heat continues to convert SMM to DMS until temperature drops below about 140°F (60 °C). Whirlpooling cools wort quickly, reducing the amount of DMS occurring in the post-boil.

How to Whirlpool

Whirlpooling involves creating a circular current in the brew kettle, and this can be done using various techniques and equipment.

Spoon

The simplest way, whether using an ice bath, an immersion chiller or no formal chilling method, is to stir the contents of the kettle with a spoon rapidly until a circular current is achieved. Stir along the walls of the kettle for a few minutes, taking care not to splash to prevent any chances of hot side aeration, until a strong, lasting whirlpool forms. Depending on what your goals are (e.g., clarification, hop flavor/aroma), allow the whirlpool to stand for 10-30 minutes before racking.

Pump or Counterflow Chiller

If a pump is available, or you are using a counterflow chiller, a whirlpool can be created by angling the pump-out hose along the side of the kettle a few inches below the surface of the wort. This flow will cause the wort to spin in a circular current. Be careful when creating a whirlpool with a pump as it can cause hot wort to splash out of the kettle.

One of the most effective means of whirlpooling and chilling is highlighted by Jamil Zainasheff in “A New Spin on an Old Chiller” in the January/February 2007 Zymurgy (AHA members can access this issue instantly on eZymurgy or with the Zymurgy mobile apps). Zainasheff offers an upgrade to the typical immersion chiller that makes for effecting whirlpooling and chilling.

The Physics of Whirlpooling

It may seem logical that a whirlpool would send the solid material to the outside of the kettle because of our child hood experiments with swinging a bucket of water around in circle without any falling on our heads. However, because the contents of the boil kettle are light enough, they will collect in the center due to something called the “tea leaf paradox.”

Basically, stirring the wort into a whirlpool is creating centripetal force, but because of friction caused by the liquid’s contact with the bottom and sides of the kettle, the liquid towards the bottom slows, creating a pressure gradient. This pressure gradient is lower than the upper portion of the liquid, so the solid materials in the kettle are pulled towards the center of the bottom (things move from higher to lower pressures). Isn’t physics phun?

Class dismissed!

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Single infusion mash at 149° F (65° C).

Conduct a 90 minute boil, following the hop addition schedule as listed in the ingredients.

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John Palmer, author of the quintessential homebrewing guide How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time, is bringing his passion for making beer at home to Nebraska! For more information, visit PatriotHomebrewSupply.com.

Thursday, October 19th: Omaha, NE

• Lunch with John
• 11:30am – 1:30pm | Farnam House
• John will share his passion for homebrewing and the history behind his book. Includes a four-course lunch with 2 oz paired beers. $20 per person; $1 off pints. Prepaid tickets required.

• Book Signings
• 1:45pm – 2:45pm | Scriptown
• 3:30pm – 4:45pm  | Patriot Homebrew Supply
• Get your John Palmer books signed by the man himself!

• Dinner with John + Water Seminar
• 5:30pm – 7:00pm | NBC Tap Room
• John will lead a seminar on Water plus a Q&A session on the topic. Dinner includes pulled pork sandwich and chips. $7.99 per plate; $1 off pints. Prepaid tickets required.

• Meet and Greet
• 7:15pm – 8:00pm | Infusion Tap Room
• 8:15pm – 9:00pm | Pint Nine
• 9:00pm – 9:45pm | Kros Strain
• John will be dropping by local breweries to enjoy a drink with Omaha fans.

Friday, October 20th: Lincoln, NE

• Lunch with John
• 11:30am – 1:30pm | Code Beer
• John will share his passion for homebrewing and the history behind his book. Includes a tac bar catered by Chefauchef. $7 per plate; $1 off pints. Prepaid tickets required.

• Book Signings
• 3:00pm – 4:00pm | White Elm
• 4:30pm – 5:45pm | Boiler Brewing
• Get your John Palmer books signed by the man himself!

The post Palmer on the Plains appeared first on American Homebrewers Association.

Update: See part 2 for 5 more common off-flavors and how to fix them.

Having the ability to critique your beer and identify homebrew off-flavors is an invaluable skill when pursuing the highest quality beer.

Let’s take a look at the basics of off-flavors and some of the more common ones that plague homebrews.

A Few things about Off-Flavors

Off-flavors are perceived flaws in flavor, aroma and/or sensation (otherwise known as mouth feel) of beer that are typically caused by some aspect of the brewing, fermentation or packaging process. These are not to be confused with “faults” when analyzing a beer based on specific style parameters.

Keeping careful notes during your brew day will make diagnosing the cause of off-flavors a much more precise experience, rather than simply guessing and hoping for the best. If you know the cause off an off-flavor is either from a botched-mash or mismanaged fermentation temperatures, yet your brew log shows your mash went perfectly, then you can logically assume fermentation was the issue and start to make alterations.

As you will find out below, off-flavors can be caused by many variables, so it often takes some detective work to make intelligent changes that will improve the quality of your next beer. Some flaws will subside by simply allowing the beer to age, while others are irreversible and can only act as a learning experience to improve your next brew day.

5 Common Beer Flaws

1. Skunk

Skunky and rubbery flavors or aromas in homebrew can be signs of “light-struck” homebrew. This quality is typically never desired in any style of beer. Beer becomes light-struck when the isohumulone bittering compounds in hops come into contact and react with specific wavelengths of light. Skunky aroma can also be caused by using Cluster hops for late boil additions.

To prevent light-stricken beer in the future, use brown bottles when packaging and store bottles out of the light. In some instances, it only takes a matter of seconds for the reaction to occur and start instilling the undesirable skunk off-flavor.

2. Solvent

Also described as “hot” or high in fusel alcohol qualities, solvent-y brew is often characterized by an unpleasant heat from alcohol, and in some cases a burning sensation on the palate. It can be perceived in flavor, aroma and mouth feel. In some stronger beer styles, perceivable alcohol is expected at certain levels. “Hot” beer can be caused by fermenting too warm, not using enough healthy yeast or simply the beer being young.

To address solvent-y beers, first try simply setting the flawed beer aside and giving it time. Sometimes beers need longer aging periods to round out flavors and aromas. If time does not fix this issue, you can take measures to prevent this from happening next time you brew the recipe. Depending on what your brew day notes dictate, consider cooler fermentation temperatures, more viable yeast cells or even a different yeast strain altogether.

3. Fresh Green Apple

Green apple or cider-like characteristics can be tricky. To the untrained palate you may think this is just an interesting fermentation by-product that gives your beer a little fruity zing, especially in the aroma, but the reality is it is rarely an intended characteristic in beer. This off-flavor is caused by acetaldehyde, which is a compound formed during fermentation as precursor to alcohol. It typically increases in amount during fermentation and then decreases as beer conditions and ages.

Acetaldehyde is a key signifier of young (also known as “green”) beer, so often times the issue is remedied by simply allowing the beer to condition longer. Krausening, a traditional German technique, can also help clean up acetaldehyde in beer. If additional conditioning time or krausening does not work, in your next homebrew ensure the appropriate amount of viable yeast is pitched, the wort is adequately oxygenated and the fermenting wort is left on the yeast longer.

4. Astringency

Astringency is usually identified as a harsh bitterness sensation to the palate, which can be accompanied by some grainy, husk-like flavor. This off-flavor can be misinterpreted as hop bitterness, though with some practice it becomes easier to discern the difference between the two. Typically astringency is caused by tannins derived from brewing ingredients, particularly grains. Control the amount of tannin extraction, and you can reduce the chances of astringency.

To prevent astringency in your next homebrew, a few measures can be taken when using certain ingredients. Astringency is often derived from the mash, hence the grainy, husk-like flavors that sometimes appear with the harshness. Check your crush and ensure you are not pulverizing your grains too much, and keep the mash pH under 6. High amounts of dark-roasted specialty grains, whole-leaf hops and certain raw spices can also increase astringency levels.

5. Wet Cardboard

Beer that has been oxidized can instill aromas and flavors reminiscent of cardboard, wet paper or just a general “stale” characteristic. While oxidation can sometimes take the form of sweet and sherry-like qualities, adding depth to some styles like barley wine or old ale, it is rarely a desired trait in beer. Unfortunately, once oxidation occurs it is unable to be fixed, but steps can be taken to prevent if from happening in your next homebrew.

The key to preventing oxidized beer is avoiding the introduction of oxygen after fermentation. In fact, in most cases you should avoid aerating wort after the oxygenation at the time of pitching the yeast. Oxygen is initially important to yeast because it consumes it to aid in growth and preparation for the fermentation ahead. Once the yeast gets to work, their consumption of oxygen decreases, which is why it’s important to avoid aeration. To do this, ensure the wort is not splashed or agitated after fermentation, especially when racking. Keep airlocks full. Ensure fermenters, kegs and bottles are all sealed airtight. And if possible, purge kegs, bottles and fermenters with CO₂ before racking fermented wort into them.

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Duncan Bryant is the Web Coordinator for the American Homebrewers Association.

Sources: Brewing Better Beer by Gordon Strong; Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher; The Beer Judge Certification Program Beer Fault List

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Have an idea for a homebrew gadget that should be included in the 10th Annual Gadget issue? Tell us below and it might be featured in the January/February 2018 Zymurgy magazine.

The deadline for submission is October 21, 2017.

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A step infusion mash is employed to mash the grains. Add 11 quarts (10.5 L) of 140°F (60°C) water to the crushed grain, stir, stabilize, and hold the temperature at 132°F (53°C) for 30 minutes. Add 5.5 quarts (5.2 L) of boiling water, add heat to bring temperature up to 155°F (68°C), and hold for about 30 minutes. Raise temperature to 167°F (75°C), lauter, and sparge with 3.5 gallons (13.5 L) of 170°F (77°C) water; Collect about 6 gallons (23 L) of runoff. Add 60-minute hops and bring to a full and vigorous boil.

The total boil time will be 60 minutes. When 10 minutes remain, add the 10-minute hops and Irish moss. After a total wort boil of 60 minutes, turn off the heat and place the pot (with cover on) in a running cold-water bath for 30 minutes. Continue to chill in the immersion or use other methods to chill your wort. Strain and sparge the wort into a sanitized fermenter. Bring the total volume to 6 gallons (23 L) with additional cold water if necessary. Aerate the wort very well.

Pitch the yeast when temperature of wort is about 70°F (21°C). Ferment at about 70°F (21°C) for about one week or until fermentation shows signs of calm and stopping. Rack from your primary to secondary and add the hop pellets for dry hopping. If you have the capability, “cellar” the beer at about 55°F (12.5°C) for about one week.

 

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Test yourself on beer color in this week’s Tuesday Beer Trivia.

As we all know, beers can come in quite the array of colors. Several factors affect the color of your finished product, and there are several ways to measure it. Learn some history on estimating beer color in this week’s quiz.

After you take the Beer Trivia quiz below, scroll down to “Beer Trivia Answer Explanations” section to learn more about beer color.

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Beer Trivia Answer Explanations

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The following explanations were taken from “What Color is Your Beer?” by Tom Schmidlin in the  May/June 2007 issue of Zymurgy and “Beer Color” written by Brand Smith on the BeerSmith Homebrewing Blog.

Question 1: Standard Reference Method. For example, a sample of beer is placed in a 0.5-inch square container called a cuvette, and the absorbance of the beer is measured with a light beam of 430 nanometers’ wavelength, which is in the violet region of the spectrum. The absorbance is then multiplied by 10 to get the SRM.

Question 2: For decades, beer was compared to colored glass standards to determine the Lovibond color, and we still use the term “degrees Lovibond” extensively today to describe the color of grains.

Question 3: A spectrophotometer is a device for measuring the intensity of light in part of the spectrum.

Question 4: The European Brewing Convention (EBC) is measured at the same wavelength but in a smaller 1-centimeter cuvette. In practice, the EBC color is approximately 1.97 times the SRM color. (EBC = 1.97 × SRM)

Question 5: False. MCU stands for Malt Color Units. A good formula for estimating beer color is: MCU = (weight of grain in pounds) × (color of grain in degrees Lovibond) ÷ (volume in gallons)

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As I was drinking the last bottle of Pilsner I had brewed sans temperature control (see Last Drop in the Mar/Apr 2016 issue of Zymurgy), all was right with my world. Even being banned from a little lager-centric discussion group because of that piece was no biggie until I saw the weather report on Portland’s Channel 12 from perpetually youthful weatherman Andy Carson: heat, heat, and more heat. Darn you, global warming!

I dejectedly realized that we were now in the too-hot-to-brew time of year. Visions of steamy tropical rain forests cascaded through my thoughts. Summer is the best time of year to volunteer at beer festivals—June’s Organic Beerfest, July’s Oregon Brewers Festival, and August’s Vancouver Beerfest—but even with air conditioning, it just gets too darn hot and sticky in my kitchen to brew. I was up brew brook without a mash paddle, truly a victim of circumstance.

I’d bitten my fingernails (and toenails) to the quick worrying how to satisfy my intense jonesing to brew, my need to see airlock bubbles, my essential drive to check carboy temperatures multiple times a day, and the smell of happily fermenting yeast. And the anticipation of tasting the first pour from a new batch. What’s a poor boy to do?

Then it hit me like a bolt out of the blue. I picked myself up off the floor, dusted myself off, and planned a trip to the grocery store. The answer to my dilemma was obvious: cider. No heating involved.

I dreaded processing enough apples to brew a 4-gallon (15-liter) batch, so I devised a recipe using mostly juice with a small amount of apples. I’ve made cider from plain juice in the past: bland, boring cider. Luckily, my grocery store has a nice selection of varietal juices, and I figured that augmenting juice with some apples was the cider equivalent of brewing beer with extract and specialty grains.

I bought 4 gallons (15 liters) of juice, which is the perfect volume to split into two smaller batches, add different fruit(s), and yield two very different ciders. I don’t drink large quantities at a time, and I really like to have lots of variety.

I started out by putting 2 of the 4 gallons of juice in the fridge to chill to 34° F (1° C). When I mixed in the other 2 gallons of room-temperature juice, the must settled at a temperature in the low 50s °F (low teens °C), which was perfect for the yeast I planned to use. I pitched said yeast and was off and running (actually a moderate meandering).

I fermented 1.5 gallons (5.7 liters) of Ryan’s honeycrisp blend, 1 gallon (3.8 L) Tree Top honeycrisp juice, 1 gallon (3.8 L) Ryan’s opal blend, and 0.5 gallon (1.9 L) Ryan’s pink lady blend using 2 packs of Fermentis S-189 for 4 weeks at 52 to 54° F (11 to 12° C). I got a got strong sulfur smell during fermentation, the only time I have experienced this with this yeast or from any ciders I have fermented with beer yeast.

After three weeks, I racked 2 gallons (7.6 liters) into a carboy and onto 2.5 pounds (1.13 kg) of room-temperature sour cherries from trees in my front yard. I kept the cider in the low 70s °F (low 20s °C) and bottled it two weeks later. I racked another 1.9 gallons (7.2 L) into a bucket and onto 1.25 pounds (567 g) of large-flake unsweetened coconut, 10 ounces (283 g) of jazz apples, 10 ounces (283 g) of granny smith apples, and 8 grams (0.3 oz.) of lime zest, all at room temperature. I kept this batch in the low 70s °F (low 20s °C) and bottled three weeks later.

I tasted both ciders three weeks after bottling. The cherry cider was slightly less carbonated than I would have preferred, but otherwise, all was right in my world once again.

Steve Ruch lives with is wife of 30 years in Vancouver, WA. Ruch has been a homebrewer since the late ’90s. He also dabbles in writing science fiction.

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There is a clear consensus that, for most beers, oxygen contact should be avoided at all costs starting at the end of primary fermentation. However, the effects of oxygen during mashing, lautering, and boiling–the hot side–are less clear. In the words of Charles Bamforth, “some believe that oxygen ingress throughout brewing is important whereas others have concluded that air uptake upstream of the fermenter is an irrelevance.”

In other words, oxidation during hot-side processes (hot-side oxidation, HSO) remains a present area of debate among brewing professionals. In homebrewing, HSO took hold after being thoroughly discussed by the late George Fix, then “debunked” and called a myth, only to rise from the ashes in the past year. During this presentation, we will review the evidence supporting hot-side oxidation (HSO) effects, as well as views that cast doubt on its significance.

About Ricardo Fritzsche

Ricardo Fritzsche was born in Buenos Aires, where he completed undergraduate studies before moving to Austin, Texas to complete masters and doctorate degrees in human physiology. Ricardo started mini-mash brewing in 2008 and all-grain brewing upon moving to Munich in 2010, where he actively participated in the local homebrew club. In 2016, upon moving back to Austin, Ricardo started participating in US competitions. Just in 2016, he collected 48 medals in major Texas competitions and won the Lone Star (Texas) circuit, two best-of-show awards, and two first-place ribbons in the NHC Austin regional.

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