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Archive
- Glass colors, blow-off method: Mr. Wizard (May, 2008)
- Choosing malts and a pale ale problem: Mr. Wizard (Mar, 2008)
- Tap vs. Bottle, Oxygen Safety: Mr. Wizard (Jan, 2008)
- Why are draft beers less bitter than bottled beer? (Jan, 2008)
- Are welding oxygen canisters safe for homebrewing aeration? (Jan, 2008)
- Backpack Brewing and hops on the vine: Mr. Wizard (Dec, 2007)
- Can oats in homebrew lower my cholestrol? (Nov, 2007)
- Can botulism spores grow in concentrated extract with its high sugar content? (Nov, 2007)
- Upping IBU'S, Stopping Enzymes: Mr. Wizard (Oct, 2007)
- How can I get better hop utilization? (Oct, 2007)
- How do I stop enzymes? (Oct, 2007)
- Shortening an all-grain day, foam facts: Mr. Wizard (Sep, 2007)
- Tyramine and Silicone: Mr. Wizard (Jul, 2007)
- How does tyramine in beer affect people taking MAOI? (Jul, 2007)
- How does silicone affect beer foam? (Jul, 2007)
- Extract vs. all-grain, wild yeasts: Mr. Wizard (May, 2007)
- Is extract better than all-grain brewing? (May, 2007)
- How do you tame wild yeasts? (May, 2007)
- Commercial vs. Homebrewing, Temperatures; Mr. Wizard (Mar, 2007)
- Conical Queries & Nitro Bottling: Mr. Wizard (Jan, 2007)
- when I transfer my beer from the conical fermenter to a keg, there is a lot of sediment at the bottom. Will this remaining yeast and trub at the bottom of the fermenter have a significant effect on the flavor and clarity on my beer (Jan, 2007)
- When I transfer my beer from the conical fermenter to a keg, there is a lot of sediment at the bottom. Will this remaining yeast and trub at the bottom of the fermenter have a significant effect on the flavor and clarity on my beer? (Jan, 2007)
- When I transfer my beer from the conical fermenter to a keg, there is a lot of sediment at the bottom. Will this have an effect on the flavor and clarity on my beer? (Jan, 2007)
- Guinness “draught” bottle and can widgets are not available to homebrewers, so is it possible to achieve the same effect another way? (Jan, 2007)
- Turbo Conditioning & Mash Outs: Mr. Wizard (Dec, 2006)
- Twist-Offs & Pilsner Problems: Mr. Wizard (Nov, 2006)
- What would cause my Pilsner to have a "green peach" type taste? Does it just need to age longer? (Nov, 2006)
- Can homebrewers use twist-off bottles for their beer? (Nov, 2006)
- Secondary Ferments & Chilling: Mr. Wizard (Oct, 2006)
- What is the ideal time to rack your beer into the secondary fermenter? (Oct, 2006)
- What are the keys to an efficient wort chiller? (Oct, 2006)
- Man of Stainless Steel: Mr. Wizard (Sep, 2006)
- Can you explain welding terms related to stainless steel brewing equipment? (Sep, 2006)
- Bubble Troubles & Beano: Mr. Wizard (Jul, 2006)
- What would cause changes in fermentation activity in a batch of beer? (Jul, 2006)
- Storing Beer: Mr. Wizard (May, 2006)
- What is the best way to store beer and is there a way to determine how long you can store beer before it goes bad? (May, 2006)
- Tannins and Whirlpools: Mr. Wizard (Mar, 2006)
- What is the best way to obtain the most wort from the kettle without a lot og hot-break material? (Mar, 2006)
- Aren't tannins a problem when you boil part of your mash during a decoction? (Mar, 2006)
- Cloves & Nut Browns: Mr. Wizard (Jan, 2006)
- How do you reduce the amount of phenolics in a beer? (Jan, 2006)
- If you are reusing yeast for another beer, should you take it from the first or second fermenter? (Jan, 2006)
- What ingredients produce the nutty flavor in a nut brown ale? (Jan, 2006)
- Vitamin Beer & Hybrids: Mr. Wizard (Dec, 2005)
- Is it true that homebrew is an excellent source of vitamin B? (Dec, 2005)
- What are some good rules to follow when trying to brew a "hybrid" style, let's say a Hefeporter? (Dec, 2005)
- Fermentability & Mashing Out: Mr. Wizard (Nov, 2005)
- Reusing Yeast and Sherry Notes: Mr Wizard (Oct, 2005)
- How can you imitate barrel aging homebrew with oak chips? (Oct, 2005)
- What is the best way of going about reusing yeast? (Oct, 2005)
- Mash Temperatures & Hop Astringency: Mr. Wizard (Jul, 2005)
- Help! Every batch of IPA or other highly hopped ale that I have brewed has a distinct iced tea flavor. What's wrong? (Jul, 2005)
- What is the impact if my mashing temperature of 155 ºF (68 ºC) cools down? (Jul, 2005)
- Extract & Hop Extraction: Mr. Wizard (May, 2005)
- Can you hold off the addition of malt extract (in an all-extract or partial-mash recipe) until the end of the boil? (May, 2005)
- Diacetyl & Targeting Strike Temperatures: Mr. Wizard (Mar, 2005)
- I want to hit my strike temperature consistently and I am considering adding a RIMS unit to my mash tun. What do you think? (Mar, 2005)
- How can I minimize diacetyl in my lagers? (Mar, 2005)
- Corkology Casestudy: Mr. Wizard (Jan, 2005)
- I want to recork my Belgian-style homebrews in empty commercial Belgian beer bottles. Any suggestions? (Jan, 2005)
- Are my taste buds wrong or are Irish Red Ales similar to Oktoberfest beers? (Jan, 2005)
- Forceful Carbonation: Mr. Wizard (Dec, 2004)
- What is the proper way to force carbonate a keg of homebrew? (Dec, 2004)
- When you want to double the batch size of a recipe, do you just double all the ingredients also? (Dec, 2004)
- Fining Solutions: Mr. Wizard (Nov, 2004)
- Would fining with gelatin have an adverse effect on naturally conditioned beer? (Nov, 2004)
- Is it necessary to dry my homegrown hops before I vacuum seal them and freeze them in the freezer? (Nov, 2004)
- Keg Ethics 101: Mr. Wizard (Oct, 2004)
- What is the best way to convert a keg to a brewing kettle with a spigot? (Oct, 2004)
- Can I bottle condition my beers but somehow not have that layer of yeast residue at the bottom of the bottle? (Oct, 2004)
- Dry & Fruity: Mr. Wizard (Sep, 2004)
- For an all extract brew, is it ok to only use dried malt extract without liquid malt syrups? (Sep, 2004)
- What is the best way to add a citrus fruit flavor to your beer? (Sep, 2004)
- Clearing Chloramine & Historical Hopping: Mr. Wizard (Jul, 2004)
- I recently moved to a city that uses chloramine in the water supply. It was suggested that adding sodium metabisulfite to the water would clear the beer of this compound. Is this true? (Jul, 2004)
- How do I find out what kind of hops are growing in my backyard and get the particulars about them? They’ve likely been growing here for about 75 years. Can you help or give any more hints about using fresh hops? (Jul, 2004)
- Methodical Mashing & Lagering: Mr. Wizard (May, 2004)
- Could you explain the difference between infusion and step mashing. Is it true that step mashing is necessary when you don’t use well-modified malts? (May, 2004)
- Is it alright to brew a batch and let it sit a day without pitching the yeast? My plan is to brew a second beer the next day and pitch yeast into both at the same time. (May, 2004)
- I have been having carbonation problems with my beer and thought adding some wheat malt might help. How can I solve this problem? (Mar, 2004)
- Too Dry IPA & Polymer Piping: Mr Wizard (Jan, 2004)
- I have attempted to make an imperial IPA and added Champagne yeast after primary fermentation to give it some extra kick. The problem is it is now too dry. How do I add some malty sweetness back to my brew? (Jan, 2004)
- I am looking to expand my homebrewery and was wondering if there are any issues with using CPVC pipes instead of copper to move my wort around? (Jan, 2004)
- Hop Bags: Mr. Wizard (Dec, 2003)
- What are your thoughts or recommendations on using hop bags when brewing? (Dec, 2003)
- Bugs in the Brew: Mr. Wizard (Nov, 2003)
- I was getting ready to brew one day when I discovered bugs slowly crawling out of a batch of wheat that I had just purchased. Is it still safe to use? (Nov, 2003)
- Gravity & Brewhouse Efficiency: Mr Wizard (Oct, 2003)
- Everything I read says that the gravity of wort will increase during the boil as a result of the water evaporating and the wort concentrating. But I have never seen this happen with my brewing. What's up? (Oct, 2003)
- How do you calculate your "brewhouse efficiency?" (Oct, 2003)
- Hard and Easy Homebrews: Mr. Wizard (Sep, 2003)
- What is the hardest kind of beer to brew at home and what is the easist? (Sep, 2003)
- Beano brau & Hefewizens: Mr. Wizard (Jul, 2003)
- I've read in BYO that adding Beano tablets to your homebrew can lower the carbohydrates. What do you think? (Jul, 2003)
- Batch Sparging & Oxygen Limits: Mr. Wizard (May, 2003)
- What are the pros and cons of batch sparging? (May, 2003)
- Is it possible to aerate your yeast too much? (May, 2003)
- Mashing Through the Night: Mr. Wizard (Mar, 2003)
- Is there any reason you couldn't mash overnight and just sparge in the morning? (Mar, 2003)
- Bleach and Iodine: Mr. Wizard (Jan, 2003)
- When is it appropriate to use bleach as a cleaner and sanitizer and when is it not? (Jan, 2003)
- Can iodophor be used as a no-rinse sanitizer? (Jan, 2003)
- Mashing or Steeping & DME: Mr. Wizard (Dec, 2002)
- What exactly is the difference between mashing and steeping? Don’t both procedures basically involve soaking grain in hot water? (Dec, 2002)
- When creating a yeast starter for pitching, is it favorable to use the particular type of dried malt extract that’s used in the recipe? (Dec, 2002)
- How can I get soda pop flavor out of my keg so my beer tastes like beer? (Nov, 2002)
- Pectin & New Kettles: Mr. Wizard (Oct, 2002)
- What is the purpose of pectic enzyme in many fruit beer recipes? (Oct, 2002)
- Can you use brewpots made from other materials than stainless-steel? (Oct, 2002)
- Hose longevity & Wort-sampling: Mr. Wizard (Sep, 2002)
- How many times can you reuse silicone hosing before you have to replace it? (Sep, 2002)
- What’s the best way to take an accurate original specific gravity reading? (Sep, 2002)
- Wood Chips & Adjusting Gravity: Mr. Wizard (Jul, 2002)
- How would I go about using beechwood chips in my homebrew? (Jul, 2002)
- When I add more base grain to a recipe to boost gravity, should I also increase the amount of specialty malts? (Jul, 2002)
- Hot-Side Aeration & Storing Hops: Mr. Wizard (May, 2002)
- When do you need to worry about hot-side aeration? (May, 2002)
- How should you store hop pellets to extend their freshness? (May, 2002)
- Draft Widgets & Soft Water: Mr. Wizard (Mar, 2002)
- Is it possible to bottle nitrogen-charged beer? (Mar, 2002)
- Would you please enlighten me on brewing with softened water? (Mar, 2002)
- All-Grain Gravity & Hopbacks: Mr. Wizard (Jan, 2002)
- When I follow all-grain recipes, my original gravity is always about 10 points lower than the recipe target. Help! (Jan, 2002)
- What is the difference between dry hopping and using a hopback? (Jan, 2002)
- Diacetyl & Barley 101: Mr. Wizard (Dec, 2001)
- Is diacetyl only associated with lagers or is the fermentation temperature the key factor? (Dec, 2001)
- Could you please cover the major types and strains of barley used in brewing? (Dec, 2001)
- Clear Beer & Steeping Times: Mr. Wizard (Nov, 2001)
- What is the best way to cut down on yeast off-flavors and clarify beer? (Nov, 2001)
- Is there some formula to determine how long what type of specialty grain should be steeped for extract with grain recipes? (Nov, 2001)
- Using Honey & Clean Glasses: Mr. Wizard (Oct, 2001)
- Can you explain the do's and don'ts of cleaning beer glasses? (Oct, 2001)
- Controlling Mash Temperature & Beer Calories: Mr. Wizard (Sep, 2001)
- Should I be concerned with fluctuating mash temperatures due to outdoor brewing and what can I do to control the temperature better? (Aug, 2001)
- Just exactly where do calories in beer come from? (Aug, 2001)
- Help Me, Mr. Wizard! (Jun, 2001)
- Mash Temperature & Kegging Specifics (May, 2001)
- What's the best way to check the temperature of a mash? (May, 2001)
- How long will my beer stay fresh in a keg? (May, 2001)
- Refractometers and mash outs (Apr, 2001)
- Protein rests, moldy extract (Mar, 2001)
- Topping off & Brewing with Oats (Feb, 2001)
- Nitro beers & low-carb beers (Jan, 2001)
- Priming with Malt Extract & Pilot Batches: Mr. Wizard (Dec, 2000)
- When I brew small experimental batches ( 1 and 3 gallon), should I also reduce the length of my boiling times from the standard 60 to 90 minutes? (Dec, 2000)
- Can you explain the pros and cons of using dry malt extract vs. corn sugar to prime and carbonate beer? (Dec, 2000)
- Primary Fermentation Temperature and (Nov, 2000)
- The lowest I can keep my fermentation temperature is between 74° to 80° F. Will this ruin my brew since the recommended temperature is 70° F? (Nov, 2000)
- How can I un-stick my stuck fermentation? (Nov, 2000)
- Forgot the Hops,Oven Mashing & Fresh Hops: Mr. Wizard (Oct, 2000)
- I forgot to add hops during my boil! Is my brew a wash? (Oct, 2000)
- Would it be possible to successfully mash using an oven? (Oct, 2000)
- Can I use freshly harvested hops for brewing or do I have to dry them out first? (Oct, 2000)
- Keg Overcarbonation, Improving Yield & Carapils (Sep, 2000)
- I have a keg of overcarbonated wheat beer. Is there I anything I can do to fix it now? (Sep, 2000)
- How can I improve my yield with my all-grain brewing? (Sep, 2000)
- What is Carapils? And what are those other "cara" malts? (Sep, 2000)
- Priming with Wort & Foam Fight: Mr. Wizard (Jun, 2000)
- Can I use some of my leftover wort to prime my beer with? (Jun, 2000)
- Can you tell me the usefulness of beer foam? (Jun, 2000)
- Excited Fermentations & Aggressive Boils: Mr. Wizard (May, 2000)
- Can you step up yeast too much prior to pitching? (May, 2000)
- How do you account for evaporation loss during an aggressive boil? (May, 2000)
- Ozone & Vacuums: Mr. Wizard (Apr, 2000)
- Can I use water with ozone in it to sanitize equipment? (Apr, 2000)
- How can you prevent a vacuum from forming in an airlock during fermentation? (Apr, 2000)
- Carbonating & High-Gravity Fermenting: Mr. Wizard (Mar, 2000)
- Will I lose much carbonation bottling beer straight from a keg? (Mar, 2000)
- Can you please give me some guidelines on using yeast in high-gravity brewing? (Mar, 2000)
- Preventing Beer Slime & Reducing Tannins But Not Flavor: Mr Wizard (Oct, 1999)
- What's the best way to steep specialty grains, but still reduce tannins? (Oct, 1999)
- Storing Grain & Rising Kraesen: Mr. Wizard (Sep, 1999)
- What is the best way to store crushed grains? (Sep, 1999)
- Will the lack of kraeusen removal have a major effect on the flavor of my beer? (Sep, 1999)
- Can you store wort after mashing, but before boiling? (Jul, 1999)
- When you cold condition in a keg, should the beer be carbonated first? (Jul, 1999)
- The Hot Side Debate & Mash Temperature Issues (Jun, 1999)
- What mash temperatures create a sweet or dry beer? (Jun, 1999)
- The Secrets of Whirlpooling & Substituting Honey for Sugar (May, 1999)
- What does "whirlpooling" your beer mean and how do you do it? (May, 1999)
- What are the guidelines when substituting honey for sugar in a recipe? (May, 1999)
- Hop Utilization & Cool Brewings (Apr, 1999)
- What is the difference between temporary hardness and permanent hardness in brewing water? (Mar, 1999)
- The Salty Truth About Softeners & How Long is Too Long (Feb, 1999)
- Stepping Up Your Starter & Converting Starch (Jan, 1999)
- Controlling Phenols & Commercial Lagering Techniques (Dec, 1998)
- Why does my beer taste like Anbesol? Help! (Dec, 1998)
- How do commercial breweries lager so quickly? (Dec, 1998)
- How much lighter are today's American beers compared to before Prohibition? (Nov, 1998)
- Key to Wort Volume & Removing Trub (Oct, 1998)
- Is removing hops and trub from your fermenter necessary? (Oct, 1998)
- All-grain extract efficiency & Ozonated (Sep, 1998)
- Fermentation Figurings & Increasing your Cell Count (Jul, 1998)
- Does it matter if my beer is primed, carbonated, and aged in a keg at room temperature and then put in the fridge when ready for dispensing? (Jun, 1998)
- Should You Smack your Pack at Bottling? & Oh Bring Some of that Brown Malt to Me!: Mr. Wizard (May, 1998)
- Can I make my own brown malt or can I substitute chocolate malt for brown in a recipe? (May, 1998)
- What is the fastest time an all-grain homebrewer who bottle conditions his beer can brew, ferment, and have drinkable beer? (Apr, 1998)
- Can I use recycled pantyhose to hold hops in my brewpot during boiling? (Apr, 1998)
- Speedy Brewing and Behind the Nylon Curtain: Mr. Wizard (Apr, 1998)
- Will using a beer engine result in flat homebrew? (Mar, 1998)
- The Beer Engine that Could and Getting the Lead Out: Mr. Wizard (Mar, 1998)
- What is making my kegged beer taste like chemicals? (Jan, 1998)
- Patience is a Virtue and What's Living in my Keg?: Mr. Wizard (Jan, 1998)
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