6 RECIPES YOU CAN FERMENT |

SCIE NTIFI C
M E T H OD S
TECHY TIPS TO SAVE CO₂, SHARPEN
YOUR SENSES
& MAXIMIZE YOUR MASH

A G A Z INE OF T
EM HE
TH

VOL 46 • №4
JULY/AUGUST 2023
HomebrewersAssociation.org
 ZYMURGY
Staff

Follow the AHA @homebrewassoc

Published by the American Homebrewers Association, a
THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN HOMEBREWERS ASSOCIATION® AMERICAN HOMEBREWERS ASSOCIATION division of the Brewers AssociationSM. The purpose of the
Publisher | Brewers AssociationSM Executive Director | Julia Herz Brewers Association is to promote and protect small and
independent American brewers, their craft beers, and the
Editor-in-Chief | Dave Carpenter Web & Content Manager | Duncan Bryant community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association
Associate Editor | Amahl Turczyn Competition Director | Chris Williams is a not-for-profit trade Association under Section 501(c)
Technical Editor | Kaylyn Kirkpatrick (6) of the Internal Revenue Code. Offices are located at
AHA GOVERNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS 1327 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302 USA. Membership
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Production Graphic Designer | Kelli Gomez 018-212) is the bi-monthly journal of the American
Chris P. Frey, Chris Hummert, Annie Johnson,
Marketing & Communications Jill Marilley, Amy Martin, Melissa McCann, Homebrewers Association and is published six times per
Director | Ann Obenchain Gail Milburn, Doug Piper, Elmer “Goose” Steingass, year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Boulder, CO and additional
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Annual memberships are $49 U.S. and $63 international
Sales Director | Kevin Doidge
and include a subscription to Zymurgy.
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Zymurgy® welcomes letters, opinions, ideas, article queries and
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The opinions and views expressed in articles are not
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Printed in the USA. and its magazine, Zymurgy.

CONTRIBUTORS

CHRIS COLBY is author of Methods of Modern RON MINKOFF has been brewing in the
Homebrewing (2017), Home Brew Recipe Bible comfort of his driveway since 2003. He is
(2016), and the Brewers Publications® title a past president of the Hogtown Brewers
How to Make Hard Seltzer: Refreshing Recipes for (2016 Radegast Club of the Year) and a
Sparkling Libations (September 2020). BJCP certified judge.

ANDY TIPLER has been homebrewing for more

than 50 years and is a certified beer, mead,
and cider judge. He is a member of the
Underground Brewers of Connecticut, the PIERRE MARGRAFF was born and raised
second oldest homebrew club in the USA. on Tafelbier in Belgium. He moved to
STEVE RUCH lives in Fort the States, then learned to homebrew
Wayne, Ind., and is a regular shortly after tasting his first American
contributor to Zymurgy. beer some 25 years ago.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 1

 EDITOR’S
Desk
BY DAVE CARPENTERR

Support Your Local Homebrewers

I
love to visit breweries when I travel. I’m If, on the other hand, you and your pals experiences feel systemic. I think you, too,
sure you do, too. Before I’ve even checked continue whatever important conversation know who you are.
in for my flight, I’ve probably researched you were in the middle of when I walked in, I’m not a retailer. I know retail is hard,
the local scene and dropped a few pins if you never ask if you can help me find any- and I don’t pretend to have good advice on
in Google Maps, perhaps with a note about thing, if you don’t offer the impression that how to run a store. But I am still a would-
what to sample at each venue. If your you’re excited about homebrewing and you be customer, and I can offer some unsolicit-
town’s claim-to-fame brewery specializes in think newcomers should be, too, then I’ll just ed opinions, all of which are solely mine.
Continental lagers, I might head straight find something to buy (I always buy some- I like items to be labeled. I can’t tell
there from the airport: “Go now post haste, thing—I’m not a jerk) and take my leave. you how many times I’ve wondered what’s
my good Uber, for the Pilsner is nigh!” I wish I could say that most of my in an unmarked box with neither a price
My wife would very much like me to under-the-radar homebrew shop experi- tag nor any clue as to what’s within. It
introduce myself to taproom staff, but ences end in jovial, beer-fueled camara- might very well be a miracle widget that
I usually prefer to remain undercover. derie replete with hearty knee slaps and a scavenges oxygen, fortifies yeast, boosts
Especially on vacation, enjoying a beer as promise to pay each other a visit next time hop aroma, annihilates acetaldehyde, and
a civilian instead of as a magazine editor, we’re in each other’s cities. Instead, I often makes tea while you wait. I would buy that
a Certified Cicerone, or a BJCP judge is leave with a few ingredients and a sense of thing from you at an irresponsible price,
a rare, simple treat. I also don’t want to disappointment. but I can’t if I don’t know it’s there.
give brewery staff the impression that I “Oh no,” you might say, “we’re very wel- I like a reasonably clean shop. The
somehow deserve special treatment. Lots of coming at our shop.” floor needn’t be surgically sterile or even
people judge and write about beer, and if Are you? Have you critically examined all that tidy. But if your customers are wip-
we all got free beer at every turn, there’d be how your retail space presents itself and ing malt dust off their shoes after they get
less of it to judge and write about. how you welcome new faces? Have you home, it’s time to consider periodic sweep-
I don’t just visit breweries, though. I also considered your shop’s personality beyond ing, even a bit of mopping now and then.
like to visit homebrew shops when I travel. the echo chamber of your day-to-day I like shop employees to act like they
Here, I adopt the same incognito attitude homebrewing friends? care about beginners as much as they
I do at unfamiliar breweries. This is very Is it any wonder so many brick-and- care about seasoned brewers. Maybe you
much in contrast to my colleague Julia mortar retail homebrew shops have had to don’t care about beginners, and that’s OK!
Herz, who I’ve not doubt introduces herself shutter their doors? Recent economic con- Just act like you do. When an unfamiliar
straight away, asks about business, and lit- ditions have not been favorable, to be sure, face enters your shop, assume they are gen-
erally talks shop. Instead, I offer a hello and but the decline of retail was in place before uinely curious about our hobby, and offer
get to browsing the bounty. I have good COVID-19 came along. For brick-and- to help them. That first impression could
reason for this. mortar homebrew shops to make it, much mean the difference between a few minutes
less thrive, it’s imperative that they be more of browsing and many repeat sales.
Homebrew shops, meet me at camera three. than just retail spaces. I hear shop owners ask over and
I say all of this as someone who so badly over, “What is the AHA doing to sup-
I don’t usually introduce myself off the wants to see the underdog not just survive, port shops?” It’s a valid question, to
bat because I want to engage with your but dominate. I say this as someone who which I suggest checking out the AHA’s
store as an everyday homebrewer, not as believes brick-and-mortar homebrew shops Homebrew Industry Support resourc-
someone who might enjoy an “in.” I want can serve as social and educational nexus- es at HomebrewersAssociation.org/
to see how a typical customer might be es that strengthen their communities (see business-tools/industry-support. However, I
received. If the experience is positive, I’ll Editor’s Desk, Nov/Dec 2019). I say this also ask, “What is your shop doing to sup-
eventually say, “Hi, I’m Dave. I work for the as someone who forgets to buy things in port your local homebrewers?”
AHA,” after which we’ll have a lovely chat advance and needs a day-of option. Homebrewers are your homebrew shop’s
about the biz and geek out over Frohberg I know many shop owners are trying, reason for being. Please give them good
Photo © Getty/rasilja

strains or the relative merits of tri-clamp and I’m pleased to have had rewarding dis- reasons to give you more of their money.
and camlock. Depending on your licensing, cussions with many of you. You know who
we might even share a beer or two (which you are. But it’s discouraging to have seen Dave Carpenter is editor-in-chief
I’m totally good for, mind you). enough indifference to make such repeat of Zymurgy.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 3

 TABLE OF
Contents

a t u r e s
Fe
30
CARBON CAPTURED
Homebrewers typically use
compressed carbon dioxide to
purge vessels of oxygen, force-
carbonate flat beer, and serve from
a keg. What can we do to reduce
CO2 waste, and what alternatives do
we have at our disposal?

By Andy Tipler
and Pierre Margraff

40
THE GAME IS AFOOT!
46
PARTIAL MASHING
52
THE WORLD’S BEST PORTER?
Blind tastings are always fun TO THE RESCUE Compare a recipe brewed on
challenges for brewers. They Partial mashing involves fermenting minimal equipment, with basic
sharpen the brewer’s palate beer from wort made from two techniques, against the same
and dial in a Spidey-sense for sources—wort collected from mashed, recipe brewed on an elaborate
BJCP style recognition and off- malted grains and wort made from brew setup with all the bells
flavors. Plus, after a session, dissolved malt extract. There are and whistles. Could you tell
brewers usually come away several circumstances under which the difference? And if so, which
with lessons learned. partial mashing is an excellent choice would you prefer?
for all types of homebrewers.
By Ron Minkoff By Steve Ruch
By Chris Colby

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 5

 l u m n s
C
3
EDITOR’S DESK
13
DIRECTOR’S CUT LAST DROP
64
Support Your Local Homebrewers Are We Doing Enough? But, That’s Not How the Pros Do It!

By Dave Carpenter By Julia Herz By Drew Beechum & Denny Conn

t m e n t s
e p a r
D
e c i p e
R uide
21 8 NOW ON TAP G
15 DEAR ZYMURGY

21 YOU CAN FERMENT THAT!

Homemade Fermented Mustard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

25 BEER SCHOOL
Gentse Mosterd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Lines on the Map (Partial Mash) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Freya’s Locks (Partial Mash) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

57 FERMENT ON THIS Steve’s World’s Best Porter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

24 57 63 ADVERTISER INDEX
Jed’s World’s Best Porter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Cover Illustration ON THE WEB

© Emans Find these homebrewing recipes
and more on our website @
HomebrewersAssociation.org/
Vol 46 • No. 4 (zĪ ’m r jē) n: the art and science
e
homebrew-recipes
July/August 2023 of fermentation, as in brewing.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 7

 NOW ON
Tap STRATEGIC GOALS FOR THE
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
MINI-GRANTS PROGRAM
1. Increase access to and responsible appreciation
of craft beer for underrepresented populations
and those who have experienced barriers to
BA Diversity, Equity, accessing the broader craft brewing community.
2. Promote employment and ownership
and Inclusion opportunities in the craft brewing community
for members of underrepresented populations
Mini-Grant Program and those in the craft brewing community
who have experienced barriers to access and
The Brewers Association (BA), parent organization of the advancement.
American Homebrewers Association, has supported diversi-
ty, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts through the DEI Mini- 3. Celebrate the diversity of the craft brewing
Grants Program since 2019. This program provides funding community and increase the visibility of
for events, media production projects, and educational and
training initiatives that work to create a more inclusive and
underrepresented groups and experiences.
diverse craft beer community for brewers, industry partners,
and beer lovers everywhere.
4. Develop cultural competence and increase the
The Brewers Association’s Philanthropy and Outreach adoption of diversity, equity, and inclusion best
Subcommittee invites proposals from individuals and orga- practices among members of the broader craft
nizations creating virtual, in-person, or hybrid events, media brewing community.
projects, and educational and training initiatives that will
be developed and/or executed in 2023. With homebrew- 5. Leverage the strengths of the craft brewing
ing’s integral role in the craft beer community, the BA grant community to fight injustice, eliminate
program accepts proposals that foster diversity, equity, and
inclusion within the hobby-beermaking community.
disparities, and provide solutions to an array of
Proposals for 2023 projects are accepted on a rolling challenges that impact those who produce and
basis through October 31, 2023. Awards of up to $5,000 enjoy craft beer.
are available and may not exceed 25 percent of a project’s
proposed budget. For more information on the application
process, including eligibility details and lists of past grant
awards, visit BrewersAssociation.org.

Illustration © Getty/melitas

8
 Prairie Beer Awards 2023
By Dave Cole

While judging the Alberta Beer Awards in 2021, Owen Kirkaldy

and Morgan Flegg offered to help me start the Prairie Beer
Awards. On my way back home from Edmonton, I got hold of
the Saskatchewan Craft Brewers Association and the Manitoba
Brewers Association and asked if I could create the competi-
tion. Both quickly said yes. After reaching out to several judge
friends, I had assembled a full panel of highly ranked judges
before I even got home!

Jeff Allport of Nokomis Craft Ales.

We found partner breweries that allowed breweries to drop

off entries and keep them in cold storage to ensure top-quality
samples for judging. We also lined up free shipping between
the three main cities, as freight is often the highest cost brewer-
ies face in competing.
BJCP competitions are double blind, which means judges have
no idea what beer they are tasting. We try to be triple blind by
having no local judges who might recognize a sample. If we do
have local judges, they only get hard-to-identify categories like
Hazy IPA and American Brown, which all taste very similar. A
good judge should know their local unique beers.
Mark Heise of Rebellion Brewing and Matt Hamill of Red Shed Malting. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to many different compe-
titions—commercial beer, homebrew, and even barbecue. I’ve
always tried to figure out who did what best and how to incor-
With Morgan’s help, we reached out to several potential spon- porate the best features of each into a competition.
sors, and within a short time, many of them had confirmed I heard from a lot of breweries about low-quality feedback
their support. Even better, many signed up for four years of scoresheets, either in content or word count. Our judge pool
sponsorship, such as our Foundation Sponsor, Brunswick Steel.
This demonstrated to me that there was a lot of long-term sup-
port and demand for this competition. Jeff from Nokomis.
Before I organized the first Prairie Beer Awards in 2022,
Manitoba and Saskatchewan did not have their own commercial
competitions to show off their beers and directly compete with
one other. Individually, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are too
small to have their own competitions, and there is a long-stand-
ing friendly rivalry between us. So, together it is, and we are all
the better for it.
There are many moving parts to a competition, and even
more hurdles to get over. The greatest one is sponsors: how do
we pay for this and keep brewers’ costs as low as possible? We
got super lucky and found businesses like Brew Ninja, who
believed in us as much as we did.
The next hurdle was breweries. Manitoba and Saskatchewan
collectively occupy 1.3 million square kilometers and have just
Photos courtesy of Prairie Beer Awards

three main cities—Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Regina. By com-

parison, the entire United States, including Alaska, is 9.8 mil-
lion square kilometers, while the continental U.S. represents 8
million square kilometers. Thus, taken together, Manitoba and
Saskatchewan are about 13 percent and 16 percent the size of
the entire U.S. and the lower 48, respectively—with less than
1 percent as many residents.

HomebrewersAssociation.org
average rank is National, which is pretty much unheard of. We even
had a Master judge stewarding for us in 2022! This year the average
word count was 121 per scoresheet. We had set the minimum word
count at 50, and no judge was anywhere near that. The top two judg-
es averaged 185 words per scoresheet!
There are two general approaches to determining best-of-show win-
ners: bottom up (eliminate the worst beers first) or top down (pick
the best beers first). We decided to go with a top-down approach I
learned from Malcolm Mackenzie. It is a very simple process.
Five best-of-show judges receive five entries at a time. Each judge
picks their favorite beer, and everyone keeps those. Any entries not
picked are eliminated. The next five entries come out, and each judge
again picks their favorite from among the new five and last round’s
favorite. Everyone keeps the favorites, and the rest are eliminated. This
process continues until all beers have been considered.
Technically, there could be five favorites in each round, but often Little Brown Jug crew.
one or two beers really stand out, so multiple judges often pick the
same beers. Each elimination round starts with a new judge to reduce
the chance that any one judge might dominate the process. the 2023 Prairie Beer Awards, 33 took home hardware. A
Once all the beers are out, the judges are left with up to five beers full list of winners is available at beerawardsplatform.com/
to discuss. These top five are re-poured to give judges fresh samples prairie-beer-awards-regina-2023/results.
for deciding winners. With elimination rounds, there is minimal to Proceeds from this competition support Sophia House and
no discussion, as your favorite is correct. This saves a ton of time and Carmichael Outreach, two valuable community assets in Regina.
ensures each beer gets a fresh “first impression” instead of having 25 I am grateful to all our sponsors, judges, and stewards who
to 50 beers poured at once, which allows early beers to warm or fade helped make this event happen. Without your dedication, skill,
by the time judges receive the final samples. and professionalism, there is no way we could do what we do.
Little Brown Jug of Winnipeg took home best of show for its
Black Lager schwarzbier, and of the 45 breweries that entered Dave Cole is organizer of the Prairie Beer Awards.

Homebrew Con
TM

We hope to see you in San Diego as Homebrew Con 2023 gets underway just a few days after this issue
of Zymurgy goes live. Whether or not you attend in person, all AHA members can take advantage of
the educational sessions that take place during the conference. Session recordings will be available for
all members to enjoy a few weeks after Homebrew Con concludes.
We’ll have additional coverage of this year’s conference in the Sept/Oct 2023 issue of Zymurgy, along
with our annual feature of gold-medal-winning recipes from the National Homebrew Competition.

10 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy

Homebrew Club Insurance
One way the AHA supports homebrew clubs is through the AHA’s club
insurance program, which offers U.S.-based, AHA-registered homebrew
clubs affordable general and liquor liability insurance, as well as an option
for directors and officers insurance. Such insurance coverage is typically too
expensive for clubs to afford individually, but the AHA works with West’s
Insurance to collectively offer coverage at a very reasonable price. At press
time, West’s general and liquor liability coverage for clubs was expected to cost
just $4.48 per club member per year (subject to change).
To make this insurance even more accessible, the AHA will reimburse
a club’s general and liquor liability insurance coverage premiums if 75
percent or more of that club’s members, as reported to West’s Insurance,
are also AHA members. AHA members can update their club affiliations in
the AHA database by logging into HomebrewersAssociation.org.
In the 2022–2023 enrollment period, 361 clubs obtained coverage through West’s
Insurance, and the AHA reimbursed premiums for 63 of them. Fifty-seven clubs opted to
add directors and officers insurance to their policies.
The enrollment period for 2023–2024 club insurance—which covers policyholders from
September 1, 2023, to September 1, 2024—is open July 1 through September 1, 2023. Don’t
miss this opportunity to get your club’s insurance premium reimbursed while supporting the
AHA at the same time. See HomebrewersAssociation.org for details.

Home Fermentation Day is August 5

Join the celebration of all things fermented on Home Fermentation Day! From our favorite
homebrews to fermented foods, the American Homebrewers Association is your hub for
fermentation recipes, techniques, and inspiration. What will you start fermenting on August 5?

11
 DIRECTOR’S
Cut
Are We
BY JULIA HERZ

Doing Enough?
Inviting All Walks of Life to Homebrew

M
y first brew day was 23 years
in the making. That’s how old
I was when my friend Charlie
Gunn and I brewed a Scottish ale
extract kit in his parents’ kitchen on
what I refer to as a cosmically transfor-
mative Sunday. Four fast weeks later, we
bottled the beer in repurposed Grolsch
Brewminaries Homebrew Club

swing-top bottles. I was smitten from

that first pop of the bottle cap and the
initial malt-laden, perfectly carbonated,
subtly ethanol-influenced sip.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 13

 Now, hundreds of batches later, I is obvious and what we each deserve.
embrace the attitude of “once a beginner, Nobody should feel held to arbitrary stan-
always a beginner,” on an unending jour- dards of fermentation enjoyment.
ney to always learn more. If you identify Here are some quick-hit considerations
as a newbie, well, then, welcome to the for working to inspire others:
homebrew party. A top question I get from
seasoned homebrewers is, “How can we get R Buy a kit for a newcomer and schedule
more people to homebrew?” (no squishy factor allowed—plan the
“How did you start homebrewing?” I date!) a brew day at their house. Helping
respond. No doubt many stars had to align somebody brew in their own home
before we each poured water into kettle, set is like teaching a person to drive and
aside time, and actually brewed, right? One putting them behind the steering wheel.
of those stars might have been your belief That’s when real learning happens.
that brewing was cool and worth a try and
that others around you would support R Invite a would-be homebrewer out
you. Charlie and I had never homebrewed for a beer. Use an AHA Member Deals
before, but we had both been inspired by discount at a participating taproom
others we knew who had brewed. Maybe (AHAMemberDeals.org) and then take
you knew an experienced homebrewer to a tour to help them understand the
whom you related or looked up, possibly a brewing process.
family member, neighbor, or coworker. HomebrewersAssociation.org) as
To get more people to homebrew, we R Establish an “all in on extract” mentality reasons and days to brew. If you’re in a
need seasoned homebrewers who inspire and support extract brewers as much club, publish your homebrew holiday
others. We need people who identify with as all grain brewers. All brewing activities and all events on your
those who mirror our own life experiences approaches and all brewing ingredients website, and share those dates on your
and backgrounds. The more walks of life are worthy of support. social media channels, too.
who homebrew, the more who remain open
minded to all brewing approaches, and R Be inclusive of all fermented beverages Cheers and let’s celebrate who you
the more who lead and mentor others, the and fermented foods. What if you brew with and all the beginners out
more the entire hobby will grow. encouraged a newbie to brew a there. Share your photos with us, too.
The only requirement for enjoying fermented beverage that resonates with Go to HomebrewersAssociation.org/
homebrew is being of legal drinking age. what they already enjoy, including your-homebrew-experience.
Extract or all grain? Stovetop, patio, or grape or fruit wine, or a beer that
garage? Soup pot, crawfish kettle, or brew incorporates their favorite fruit, Julia Herz is executive director of the
sculpture? One, five, ten, or more gallons? vegetable, or botanical? American Homebrewers Association.
Strictly beer, or mead, cider, sake, and fer- You can follow Julia’s homebrew
mented foods? Does not matter. Welcoming R Use the AHA’s annual talks and travels on Instagram @
everyone and all brewing approaches homebrew holidays (see ImmaculateFermentation.

SoCal Cerveceros

14 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

 DEAR
Zymurgy

MARCH/APRIL Q&A
(And Appreciation)

Dear Zymurgy,
Thank you for the cover article
of the Mar/Apr 2023 issue of Zymurgy
featuring “Pulque: The Rebirth of Mexico’s
Ancient Brew!” As a longtime homebrewer of Mexican
descent, I was pleasantly surprised to see pulque featured on the cover.
I made pulque for the first time in January to share at my mom’s 90th-birthday celebration.
I also brought some to share at my homebrew club meeting in February. I described it as “the Americas’
version of mead,” which resonated with club members. I’m happy to share that it was well received by the
club, as well as by my family at the birthday celebration.
I will definitely continue making pulque and will try a variation of the pulque/beer hybrid recipe shared
Photo © Aaron Colussi

in the article. Thanks again for featuring pulque in the Mar/Apr issue. David wrote a wonderful article, and
now I plan to travel to Guadalajara and visit a few of the pulquerías he recommended. ¡Salúd!

Armando Torres
That Dam Brew Club, Folsom, Calif.
HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 15
Dear Zymurgy,
In the article “Re-Creating the Past” by
Peter Symons in the March/April 2023
issue, the published recipe for the 1905
American Porter on page 49 shows a mash
temperature of 144°F (62°C). That seems
abnormally low for a single-step mash of
any type of beer in which malt character or
body are desired.
Porter is one of my favorite styles, and I
have brewed it dozens of times, I am won-
dering if this is a typo, and should read
154°F (68°C). None of the other recipes
in the article mash anywhere near that low
a temperature.

Thanks!
Jim Morris ture is usually 48-50° R., [60-62° C] ture scale, with Peter’s conversion to Celsius
Rocket City Brewers, Huntsville, Ala. since the mashing water is approx. shown in brackets above.
56° R., which means that as the beer It’s not a typo, but given how much malts
Good question, Jim. We asked Peter, and is heated to mashing temperature have evolved in more than a century, it’s prob-
he says the Brauer Manual had no infor- immediately after mashing, beers ably worth using your best judgement based
mation about mash temperatures, which rich in dextrin are produced. on experience and the type of beer you like to
is why he turned to the Handbuch for The original text uses the Réaumur tempera- drink. Hope that helps!
advice. He cites this passage:
For the production of ale and por-
ter, the same upward mashing infu-
sion is usually used here as for the DEAR ZYMURGY
Send your Dear Zymurgy letters to zymurgy@brewersassociation.org.
production of lager worts, with the
Letters may be edited for length and/or clarity.
difference that the mashing tempera-

16 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

 YOUR HOMEBREW LABELS

November Spawned a Pumpkin is the fifth beer brewed for the podcast
Brews, Views and Other Nerdities (BVON). It was really supposed to be a
Halloween-themed pumpkin ale, but it was delayed by a few weeks. The title
and artwork are parodies on a musician often discussed on the show. Cheers!
(Homebrewer 1 year, AHA member 1 year)

Leonard Martinez
Monterey Park, Calif.

I have been homebrewing for a

while, and my wife and I came up
with The Fermented Firefly as a
name not long ago (she also cre-
ated the logo). It pays homage to
the arrival of the insect that marks
the start of summer for us. I use
photos I’ve taken as the backdrop
for the beers we brew. They work
well. (Homebrewer 8 years, AHA
member 2 years)

Craig Simpson
Marion, Ohio

I really liked how this new design came out for my labels. The two large
overlapping triangles represent my wife and me, while the the two smaller
triangles within their intersetion represent my two sons. Hope you like it.
(Homebrewer 24 years, AHA member 10 years)

Matt Johnson - Plymouth, Minn.

Catchy name for my home

brewery, don’tcha think?
Everyone wants happy butts.
(AHA member 4 years)

Mike Butts
Fellowship of the Brew
Watertown, S.D.

E
SUBMIT YOUR LABEL SCAN M
Do you make custom labels for your homebrew? Want it featured here in the pages of Zymurgy for all to see your work?
Upload your label to HomebrewersAssociation.org/your-homebrew-experience and we will take it into consideration!

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 17

 YOUR HOMEBREW EXPERIENCE
Homebrewing is all about sharing, and we get hoppy when Zymurgy readers share their homebrewing and fermentation
experiences with us. We’d love to show the AHA community what your experience looks like. From 1-gallon batches on
the stovetop to 20-gallon brew days on your custom sculpture, we all have fun with family, friends and pets while we
make and enjoy our favorite beverage. Show us your brewing/fermentation day, who you brew with, the ingredients you
include, what special processes you use, and how you enjoy the final product of beer and beyond.

Upload photos of your homebrew-related fun at

HomebrewersAssociation.org/your-homebrew-experience

Brew Day! Two-tier pump and gravity system. Fiona the Boston Terrier waits patiently for me to finish
Richard Vargas brewing so we can enjoy a walk and a cold homebrew after.
(Homebrewer 10 years, AHA member 2 years) Tim Howe
Golden State Brew Club Blaine, Wash.
Stockton Calif.

Harvesting the last hops with hophop dog Otis

Gerard Spin (Homebrewer 2 years, AHA member 1 year)
Drentebier
Gieterveen, Drenthe, The Netherlands

SHARE YOUR BEST HOMEBREWING SHOTS! E

Homebrewing is all about fun and sharing. We would love to show others in the community what
SCAN M
your homebrewing/fermentation experiences looks like. Upload photos of your homebrew related fun at
HomebrewersAssociation.org/your-homebrew-experience and you may see it in the pages of Zymurgy!

18 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 19
 AHA MEMBER TICKET SALE JULY 11
Presented by SponsorS GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com
 You Can
FERMENT THAT!

MUSTARD By Dave Carpenter

W
hen it comes to Belgian cities, Bruges consistently takes the top spot for
Instagrammable charm. With its winding canals, well-preserved medieval architec-
ture, and pubs lurking around every corner, Bruges’s romance and charm are unde-
Photo © Getty/Yohan Dumortier

niable. As Harry observed in In Bruges, it is a “fairytale f***ing town.”

I like Bruges, but if I only had one day in the area, I would choose Ghent. For one thing,
Ghent is slightly less crowded. Ghent also has Gravensteen castle, a well-preserved heap
of medieval stones that features Europe’s most entertaining audio tour. There’s also plenty
of excellent beer to be had at such venerable haunts as Dulle Griet, Het Waterhuis aan de
Bierkant, and other equally impossible-to-spell venues.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 21

 My preference for Ghent, though, is to another Rolls-Royce at a traffic light considerably more pungent than plain
largely so I can hand over fistfuls of money in the 1980s. Its signature acidity comes American yellow.
to the condiment clerks at Yves Tierenteyn- from the addition of white wine or, These are what I consider “foundation-
Verlent, who produce what has been called historically, verjuice. Its signature snob al” mustards, any lineage of which can
the finest mustard in the world. Ghent’s appeal comes from marketing executives. be further bifurcated with honey, spirits,
famous mustard firmly but respectfully • Chinese mustard: This is the stuff beer (!), spices, and so on to head in what-
punches the nasal cavity before yielding to that comes in the little packets that ever direction you want to take it. Note
a smooth flavor that leaves one pining for accompany egg rolls and crab wontons the absence of a Ghent-style mustard.
more. Tierenteyn-Verlent mustard is only from your favorite takeout spot. It’s That’s because there isn’t one. Ghent-
for sale in the company’s Ghent shop at powerfully hot and, if done right, can style mustard is just easier to say than
Groentenmarkt 3 and at certain retailers in make your eyes roll back in your head. Tierenteyn-Verlent.
Belgium and The Netherlands. • English mustard: This is the stuff that
If a trip to Belgium is in your future and you serve with English roast beef. Like TIPS FOR PREPARING
you enjoy mustard, do yourself a favor and Chinese mustard, it packs quite a punch. AND FERMENTING MUSTARD
pick up some of this world-famous condi- Jacob Marley might have been a blot of it. You can certainly make a great mustard using
ment while you’re in Ghent. If, however, • Bavarian sweet mustard: This is the water or vinegar alone, but as this is Zymurgy,
you are like me and unsure when your next stuff that accompanies the Weisswurst, we’re going to ferment ours. It’s not terribly
European vacation might be, you can do the pretzel, and Weissbier in a traditional difficult. You need only prepare a brine of
next best thing and make your own mustard. Bavarian breakfast. Like the Bavarians sufficient salinity to discourage growth of
Now, I don’t even begin to suggest we themselves, this mustard is sweet but mold and spoiling bacteria. Mix crushed
can clone Tierenteyn-Verlent’s mustard any not spicy. mustard seeds in said brine and allow it to sit
more than we could clone a Magritte. We • Düsseldorfer mustard: This is the at room temperature for a week or more.
can aim for something close, but ultimately, stuff that comes in a miniature beer Mustard seeds are less likely than vege-
ceci n’est pas la moutarde. However, home- mug at World Market. It’s not as tables to grow mold and other nasties, but
made mustard can satisfy our own personal powerful aas Chinese mustard, but it’s it’s still worth considering a fermentation
tastes much better than anything sitting on weight to keep all the seeds submerged
the grocery shelves right now. during fermentation.
Mustard seeds on their own don’t have
MUSTARD VARIETIES
nt much pungency. Even grinding them into
The two types of mustard seed you’ll most
commonly encounter are white mustard Fermheis! powder won’t get you there. It’s when
mustard seeds come into contact with
(Sinapis alba) and brown mustard (Brassica T liquid that the enzyme myrosinase begins
juncea). Black mustard (Brassica nigra) is its work, revealing the sinus-clearing
less ubiquitous in North America but is magic within. It takes about 10 minutes to
an essential component of Indian cuisine. reach peak pungency. For the spiciest of
White mustard is the mildest, brown is con-
siderably more pungent, and black can be
downright punishing if you’re not careful.
Homem mustards, hydrate crushed seeds or pow-
der only with cold water, as heat renders
myrosinase less effective.
Prepared mustard, the condiment, can
come in any number of forms and is
infinitely adaptable. Here are a few of the
Fermented Mustard Hydrating with acidic liquid such as
vinegar or white wine tempers enzymatic
activity and, thus, the final pungency. It
most common varieties you might come Recipe by Gabe Toth, reprinted from The also helps stabilize the product, which
across in your local supermarket. Fermentation Kitchen. is why prepared mustard almost always
• American yellow mustard: This is includes an acidic component.
the stuff you grew up with. It probably This is not the yellow mustard you might be Fermentation gets you a little bit of both
comes in a yellow squeeze bottle, and it used to. The ground mustard seed (Colman’s is a worlds. Initially hydrating with a cold brine
is the only valid condiment for ballpark commonly available brand) packs some punch, activates myrosinase. As fermentation pro-
hot dogs. The bright yellow color comes similar to the spice that horseradish has. gresses and lactic-acid bacteria render the
from generous additions of turmeric. environment increasingly acidic, the result-
• American “deli” mustard: This is the INGREDIENTS ing acidity serves to naturally stabilize the
stuff you might generically call brown 50 g whole mustard seed (yellow, brown, heat and flavor.
mustard. It’s spicier than the standard- black, or a combination) Fermenting mustard has the potential to
issue stuff and complements deli meats 60 g ground mustard seed smell like rotten eggs. Storing it in your bed-
very well, hence the appellation. 7.8 g salt room is, of course, ill-advised, but even keep-
• Whole-grain mustard: This is the stuff 150 g water ing it in your kitchen may yield some aro-
that features whole seeds suspended in Herbs, garlic, chiles, or chile powder matic surprises when you come home from
its mustardy matrix. The presence of (all optional) work. You could always use a charcoal-filter
whole mustard seeds isn’t necessarily an airlock hack (HomebrewersAssociation.org/
DIRECTIONS
Photo © Getty/urfinguss

indication of pungency, but in general, how-to-brew/homebrew-hack-diy-smell-

these tend to be middle of the road, not Pound the mustard seeds lightly in a mortar proof-airlock/), but since the smell only lasts
too hot, not too mild. and pestle, just to break them open. Mix all a couple of days, it’s easiest just to find some
• Dijon mustard: This is the stuff you ask ingredients in a pint jar. Cover jar with a lid and out-of-the-way corner in which to hide it
for when your Rolls-Royce pulls up next let ferment for a couple of weeks, then put into until the worst is behind you.
the fridge.
22 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org
 Once you’ve determined that your fermen-
tation is complete, it’s time to blend, season,
and adjust for texture. This is where you
can really steer your fermented mustard in a
direction that pleases your palate and tickles
your nasal cavity.
This is less about adding specific amounts
of any one ingredient than it is about taste,
adjust, and repeat. Do it a few times and
you’ll get the hang of it.
First assess what nature has given you.
How salty is it? How acidic? Is there enough
spicy heat or do you need more? These ele-
ments are adjusted with additions of salt,
water or vinegar, and dry mustard powder.
I recommend starting by blending your
lacto-fermented mustard to your desired level
nt
Fermheis!
of smoothness. Unless you want an incred-
ibly thick product, you’re going to need to
add some liquid to thin it out. This is where T
you choose to thin with water, vinegar (I
like white wine vinegar), or a blend of the
two. Choose vinegar to gain more acidity, or
Gentse Mosterd
choose water to temper the acid that’s already Recipe by Dave Carpenter
there. There may be some back and forth
until you hit the texture you want. This is not, and is not intended to be, a clone of Tierenteyn-Verlent’s famous mustard. The mustard pro-
Now season with additional salt if desired, duced there is not fermented, and even if it were, you can’t source their same raw materials or follow their
and add dry mustard powder if you want same exact process. Rather, this mustard is inspired by the fiery, velvety product that gets ladled from
more bite. Remember to wait about 10 wooden barrels and into stone crocks in Ghent. Adjust as needed.
minutes between dry mustard additions, The main ingredients here are given as fractions, by weight, relative to the amount of mustard
as it takes about that amount of time for seeds used. So, if you start with 100 g of mustard seeds, you’ll need 1.5 × 100 g = 150 g of water and
the enzymes to work their magic and fully 0.8 × 100 g = 8 g of salt. The blend of mustard seeds is up to you. If you prefer a milder product, focus on
express the level of heat. white mustard seeds. For something closer to what you’d get in Ghent, use a higher percentage of brown,
If you’ve yet to tackle any of the other or even black, seeds.
beer-adjacent ferments in Zymurgy, might I If I have some available, I like to add a little sauerkraut brine to my mustard ferments to kickstart the
suggest you give mustard a try. Whatever you process, but that is entirely up to you. You could also use cultured whey or any pickled vegetable brine. For
end up with is guaranteed to be a cut above. extra punishment, use fermented hot sauce brine.

Dave Carpenter is editor-in-chief INGREDIENTS

of Zymurgy. 1 part by weight whole mustard seeds
1.5 parts by weight non-chlorinated water, cold or room temperature
0.8 parts by weight non-iodized salt

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
30–60 mL (2–4 Tbsp.) sauerkraut brine as a starter culture
White wine vinegar, to taste
Commercial mustard powder such as Colman’s, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Coarsely crush the mustard seeds. Thoroughly stir the salt into the water to create a brine. Add the brine
and the mustard seeds (and sauerkraut brine, if using) to a fermentation jar or crock, loosely seal, and
leave to ferment for 7 to 14 days. The mustard seeds will greatly expand in volume as they absorb liquid.
Using a blender or food processor (an immersion blender works great in a wide-mouth Mason jar), blend
your mustard to the desired level of smoothness. You may wish to add water and/or vinegar to thin out the
final product, especially if aiming for a highly flowable product such as the one sold at Tierenteyn-Verlent.
Use vinegar to heighten the impression of acidity or water to tone it down. Adjust salt level if needed by
RENEW YOUR AHA thinning with water or adding salt.
MEMBERSHIP TODAY If your finished mustard isn’t as nasally searing as you’d like, mix in some commercial mustard powder
Photo © Getty/Stefan Tomic

and receive a complimentary to increase the olfactory burn. As you get to know your mustard seeds, process, and preferences, you’ll rely
Brewers Publications title such on this less and less.
as The Fermentation Kitchen: Transfer your finished mustard to a clean jar and store in the refrigerator for a week before enjoying. In
Recipes for the Craft Beer Lover’s
theory, it will last indefinitely. In practice, you’ll want to start another batch sooner than later.
Pantry by Gabe Toth. Offer valid
until December 31, 2023, on titles
up to $24.99. Join or renew at
HomebrewersAssociation.org. Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 23
 BEER
School

WO R K I N G
WITH
By Gordon
d Strongg

EX T R A C T
RE C I P E S
T
he ability to convert between
all-grain and extract recipes is a
skill every brewer should master.
You shouldn’t have to pass on a
great-sounding recipe just because it’s
all-grain and you only brew extract
beers. Likewise, you might sometimes
find wonderful extract recipes in basic
brewing books and want to brew them
on your all-grain system.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 25

 In the United States, more than half of all brewers are extract the kettle is brought to boil. From this point on, the converted
brewers [as of 2015], but the percentage of all-grain brewers keeps recipe should be the same as the original (hop additions,
growing. Homebrewers in South America are all-grain brewers chilling, fermentation, and packaging).
because malt extract is not available. Don’t make the assumption
that brewing using a particular method equates to skill level or As an example, consider this partial recipe for a dark mild:
experience. Brewers of all skill levels might need to convert recipes R 6.5 gallons @ 1.036 (75% efficiency)
to suit their needs. R 7 lb. Maris Otter
My recipes are all-grain because that’s how I brew. I’m not com- R 12 oz. Crystal 65
fortable giving extract versions if I haven’t actually brewed them. I R 7 oz. Chocolate malt
am, however, more than happy to describe the conversion process R 0.5 oz. Target hops @ 60 (15 IBUs)
so that you can adapt them yourself. R Wyeast 1968 yeast

CONVERTING ALL-GRAIN RECIPES TO EXTRACT Using my process step by step, we can convert this to extract:
I’ll first give you my method for converting recipes, and then walk • Base malt: 7 lb.; steeping malts: 19 oz. (12 oz. + 7 oz.)
through an example and discuss the various points where there • Batch size: 6.5 gallons; Efficiency: 75%
might be alternatives. The basic method involves substituting malt • 7 lb. • 0.75 • 37 points per pound = 194.25 points
sources; more advanced approaches look at other aspects of the • 194.25 / 36 = 5.4 lb. LME (or 194.25 / 45 = 4.3 lb. DME)
beer (I’ll cover those separately). Note that this method uses the US
customary measurement system (sometimes colloquially known as The converted extract recipe would be:
English units), but the quantities can be converted to metric after- R 5.4 lb. Pale liquid malt extract
wards, if needed. R 12 oz. Crystal 65
1. Address malt first – In the recipe, separate the mashed grains R 7 oz. Chocolate malt
from the steeped grains. Steeped grains are crystal malts, dark/ R 0.5 oz. Target hops @ 60
roasted malts and grains, and anything that does not contain R Wyeast 1968
convertible starches. If it’s already a form of sugar, leave it alone, Steep crystal and chocolate malt in mesh bag in 8 gallons 158°F
it doesn’t need to be converted. Mashed grains are generally base water for 15 minutes. Remove bag from water, add liquid malt
malts (two-row, pale ale, Pilsner, Vienna, Munich, and similar) extract, bring to a boil, and boil 60 minutes.
that make up the bulk of the grist.
2. Get recipe parameters – You’ll need to have the batch size Be sure to check your calculations:
and the system efficiency in the recipe. If this information isn’t 5.4 lb. • 36 points per pound = 194.4 points.
present, you’ll need to calculate it (recipe software can help). 19 oz = 1.2 pounds. 1.2 lb. • 30 points per pound = 36 points.
I’m assuming you’ll be brewing a batch of the same size as the 194.4 + 36 = 230.4 points.
original recipe (if you’re not, see the Advanced Topics). Keeping 230.4 points / 6.5 gallons = 35.4 points per gallon
the volumes equal allows you to use the original recipe’s OG 35.4 is close to 36, or 1.036 starting gravity; recipe validated.
and IBU, saving you considerable time and effort. With rounding and approximation, the number won’t usually
3. Calculate total gravity points contributed by base malts – be exact, but should be close. Note that I also averaged the gravity
Add up the total pounds of base malts. Multiply this number contributions from specialty malts, using 30 points per pound for
by the system efficiency. Then multiply the product by the combined crystal-type and dark malts. For a more accurate calcula-
theoretical extract from the base malt. This can vary by type tion, calculate the contributions independently.
of malt, but is generally 36 to 38 points per pound (if you
are unsure, use 37). The result represents the total number of With me so far? Let’s try a bit more complicated example.
gravity points in the wort that must be replaced by extract. Consider this Belgian dubbel:
4. Replace gravity points with an equivalent amount of pale R 6.5 gallons @ 1.064 (70% efficiency)
extract – If you want to substitute liquid malt extract (LME) for R 7 lb. Pale ale malt
the base malts, divide the total gravity points contributed by the R 3 lb. Munich malt
base malts by 36 to get the pounds of LME (or liquid sugars) R 2 lb. Dark Munich malt
required. If substituting with dry malt extract (DME), divide the R 1.5 lb. Aromatic malt
total gravity points contributed by the base malts by 45 to get R 4 oz. CaraPils
the pounds of DME (or dry sugars) required. If you want to use R 8 oz. CaraMunich 60
both LME and DME, keep in mind that the total gravity points R 6 oz. Special B
contributed by malt extract should match what was contributed R 1 oz. Chocolate wheat malt
by the base malts in the original recipe. R 1 lb. Dark candi sugar
5. Steep steeped grains, then boil with extract – The most R 1.5 oz. Styrian Goldings @ 60
common extract brewing process involves putting crushed R 0.5 oz. Saaz @ 15
specialty grains in a mesh bag and holding it in the strike water R 0.5 oz. Saaz @ 2
at 150–170°F (66–77°C) for between 15 and 30 minutes. After R Wyeast 3787
the grains have been removed, the malt extract is added, and R 22 IBUs

Editor’s Note: This excerpt from Modern Homebrew Recipes: Exploring Styles and Contemporary Techniques by Gordon Strong has been lightly edited
for length and style. Modern Homebrew Recipes and many other Brewers Publications® titles are available for free until December 31, 2023, with purchase or
renewal of an AHA membership. See HomebrewersAssociation.org for details.

26 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

 OK, maybe a lot more complicated. A version of this recipe was Concentrated boil – If doing a concentrated boil (boiling less
my first all-grain batch, since I knew I couldn’t get the same malt than the full wort volume, adding water post-boil to reach the target
flavors from extract. But let’s see how close we can get when follow- volume; sometimes called a partial boil), your original bitterness
ing my process: calculations will likely be wrong. The extraction of bitterness from
• Base malt: 13.5 lb. (pale, Munich, dark Munich, Aromatic); hops is gravity-dependent, with higher gravities resulting in lower
steeping malt: 19 oz. (CaraPils, CaraMunich, Special B, hop utilization. A concentrated boil has the same amount of sugar
Chocolate wheat); sugar 1 lb. in a smaller quantity of water, so the gravity will always be higher.
• Batch size: 6.5 gallons; Efficiency: 70% You can correct for this difference by first calculating the bitterness
• 13.5 lb. • 0.7 • 37 points per pound = 350 points obtained using the parameters of the actual boil (which is a high-
• 350 / 36 = 9.7 lb. LME (or 350 / 45 = 7.8 lb. DME) er-gravity, smaller-sized batch than the full recipe), then further
reducing the bitterness due to dilution as the partial boil is topped
The converted extract recipe would be: up with water in the fermenter.
R 5 lb. pale liquid malt extract If you’re confused by what that means, here’s a quick example.
R 4.7 lb. liquid Munich malt extract First, let’s handle the dilution factor. If you have 3 gallons of 1.060
R 4 oz. CaraPils wort, and you top it off to 5 gallons by adding water, the final gravity
R 8 oz. CaraMunich 60 of that batch will be 1.036. To reach that number, take the gravity
R 6 oz. Special B points of the concentrated boil (60) and multiply by the volume (3)
R 1 oz. Chocolate wheat malt to yield the number of gravity points in the wort (180). Adding 2
R 1 lb. Dark candi sugar gallons of 1.000 water doesn’t change the total gravity points, just the
R 1.5 oz. Styrian Goldings hops @ 60 volume. So the final gravity is the number of points of sugar (180)
R 0.5 oz. Saaz hops @ 15 divided by the batch size (5), which gives 36, or 1.036 specific grav-
R 0.5 oz. Saaz hops @ 2 ity. You could also do this by percentage scaling, if that makes more
R Wyeast 3787 sense to you. The concentrated boil (3) is 60% of the total volume
Steep specialty malts in mesh bag in 8 gallons 158°F water for (5), so you can multiply by 0.6 to get the same answer.
15 minutes. Remove bag from water, add liquid malt extracts and How do you calculate hop bitterness? If you’re only boiling hops
candi sugar, bring to a boil, and boil 60 minutes. in the concentrated boil, you need to determine the bitterness based
on a 1.060 gravity beer, not a 1.036 beer. Perform the standard bit-
Be sure to check your calculations: terness calculations using the higher gravity and actual boil volume,
5 lb. • 36 points per pound = 180 points which will estimate the bitterness of the concentrated boil. You can
4.7 lb. • 36 points per pound = 169 points scale IBUs the same way as the specific gravity because IBUs are
19 oz = 1.2 pounds. 1.2 lb. • 30 points per pound = 36 points. 1 lb. a measure of isomerized alpha acids in solution (diluting the bit-
candi sugar = 45 points terness with additional water reduces the IBUs accordingly). Apply
180 + 169 + 36 + 45 = 430 points the same scaling factor based on batch size to get the estimated
430 points / 6.5 gallons = 66 points per gallon IBUs of the final beer.
66 is close to 64, or 1.064 starting gravity; recipe validated The basic point to remember is that if you use a concentrated boil,
Did you see the extra trick I slipped in (it’s something I cover in you will have to add more bittering hops to reach the same level of
the advanced tips)? I noticed that some of the base malts included perceived bitterness as the full boil recipe. There are other limiting
Munich-type malts (Munich, dark Munich, Aromatic) so I separat- factors; remember that it’s nearly impossible to get more than 100
ed those from the pale ale malt, converted them into Munich malt IBUs in a beer, so if your concentrated boil is above that limit, you
extract, and used the more common pale should cap it. You won’t get an 80 IBU beer
malt extract for the pale ale malt. by diluting a 160 IBU beer with an equal por-
This method will result in beer similar tion of water since a 160 IBU beer can’t exist.
to the all-grain version, but it is unlikely to Moderewn Different volumes – For homebrew-size
taste exactly the same due to the differences Homebr recipes, you can typically apply a batch scaling
in ingredients and methods. If you’re a per- Recipes factor to the weight of the malt and hops to
Exploring Styles
and

fectionist and want your extract brew to be get an equivalent recipe. If you want to brew a
Contemporary Techni
ques

an even closer match, there are still a few double-sized batch, double all the ingredients.
more advanced methods you can try. If you want to brew a half-sized batch, halve all
the ingredients. If you’re converting a 6.5-gal-
ADVANCED TOPICS IN lon recipe to 5 gallons, use 77% as the scaling
EXTRACT RECIPE CONVERSION factor (5.0 / 6.5 = 0.769). This isn’t perfect
Not all recipes are easily converted. by Gordon Strong
Foreword by Randy
Mosher math, but it’s close enough for the batch sizes
Sometimes there are ingredients that can’t homebrewers use. Recipe software works won-
be found in extract form, or sometimes ders for this type of scaling.
the recipe needs to be adapted to the size Matching malt to extract – You can
or idiosyncrasies of your brewing system. RENEW YOUR AHA replace specific malts with “varietal” flavors
Rather than overly complicate the basic MEMBERSHIP TODAY (if available), but that can be expensive. Some
recipe conversion procedure, I’ve separated and receive a complimentary styles (such as bocks) depend more heavily
out the special cases and optimizations. Use Brewers Publications title on the flavors of Munich or Vienna malt, for
any or all of them if they apply, and you such as Modern Homebrew instance. Some brewers writing 5-gallon rec-
Recipes: Exploring Styles and
want to make your recipe more accurate. ipes will add in a pound of Munich (maybe
Contemporary Techniques by
Many of these methods can be calculated Gordon Strong. Offer valid until 10% of the grist) here or there just to increase
using recipe software. December 31, 2023, on titles the overall maltiness (guilty as charged). If
up to $24.99. Join or renew at
HomebrewersAssociation.org.
HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 27
the flavor of a specific malt is an important Some of the starch will likely go away as fermentability and attenuation, a decoction
part of the style profile, try to use an extract part of the break. Anything darker than light mash increases the maltiness and color of
version of that malt. If an ingredient is used Munich malt that isn’t a crystal or roasted the beer, as well as improves efficiency and
only as an accent, it’s not vital to the recipe malt falls into this category. I would general- attenuation, and higher-temperature rests
and can be substituted. ly treat these as minor grist additions, unless build body. An all-grain brewer controls
Munich, wheat, and rye malt extracts it has a signature flavor (dark Munich, wort fermentability through selecting rest
exist, and can be used as substitutes. It’s brown malt, etc.). I’d generally use a mini- temperatures in the mash program; if the
also possible to find Maris Otter extract, mash for these, or in a pinch, steep them rest temperatures are too high, or the wort
which is pretty important for many English since I care more about their flavor contri- contains excessive dextrins, then the wort
beer styles. You may need to search some butions than potential problems with clarity. fermentability is likely to be too low.
of the larger online homebrew retailers for Eliminating small grist additions – If your beer lacks sufficient fermentable
these products if you don’t see them in Sometimes all-grain brewers have personal sugars (i.e., you wind up with a high final
your local shop. Given their specific uses, preferences for including a little bit of cer- gravity), next time substitute sugars for
they can sometimes be hard to find. tain malts as a “house character” ingredient, some of the malts. Corn sugar and plain
I tend to use pale or extra pale LME or add in certain grains only for their side table sugar are both highly fermentable
and DME as much as possible. If using effects (adding body, assisting with head and add little, if any, flavor. If the body of
amber or darker extracts, you often have retention, adjusting color). These grains your beer is too thin (due to an excessively
no idea what malt produced the color; can often be eliminated since the issues fermentable wort), reduce the amount of
therefore, the flavor of the extract is a big they are trying to address are generally not plain sugars. If there are no sugars in the
unknown (for example, was dark extract present in extract beers. For instance, if you recipe, add some malt with dextrins such
made using chocolate malt, roasted barley, see a brewer including less than 5% wheat as CaraPils. Start with 2 or 3% of the total
black malt, dark crystal malts, caramel malt in a recipe, chances are they included fermentables.
coloring, or something else? They all have it to improve head retention. Small addi- If your recipe uses a decoction mash, try
different flavor profiles). You also have no tions of CaraPils, flaked oats, flaked barley, adding Munich malt (which is also avail-
idea what mash program was used, so you dextrin malt, and the like are typically used able as an extract). Dark Munich and aro-
won’t know the wort composition or fer- to increase body. Less than 1% of a dark matic malts can all provide the extra color
mentability. In general, I assume that pale grain or malt is likely just to add a darker and flavor commonly produced during
malt extract is made with pale ale malt, hue to the appearance, or to add a touch decoction mashes. You can add these
and extra pale malt extract is made with of dryness. As I mentioned previously, up (depending on the style, but try to limit
two-row or Pilsner malt. If the malt extract to 10% of Munich or Vienna malt is likely them to 5 to 10% of the total fermentables
comes from a certain country, I might being used to increase the general maltiness to start), but you may cause other problems
further assume that the flavor will have a of the beer, and can be converted to pale (such as needing to perform a mini-mash).
character typical of base malt that origi- malt extract (unless you want to perform a Economical purchasing quantities –
nates from there. mini-mash). While it’s easy to crunch the numbers
If you can obtain information about the Converting First Wort Hop additions – to find the necessary amounts of extract
composition of the malt extract, you can First wort hopping (FWH) is difficult to you need to exchange for malts, you can’t
do a better job matching the extract to the perform on extract batches since you never always buy exactly the right amounts due
base malt. Modern extract often comes lauter the beer. You could mix together the to how they are packaged. So you wind
with more information, and some is pro- full volume of extract and water, raise it up buying more than you need, and not
duced from single varieties of malt. Read to mash temperature, then slowly syphon using it all during that brew session. Using
the information packaged with extract care- it into another pot, and bring it to a boil full cans or jugs of LME can reduce the
fully, as you might not be getting what you when done. But it’s probably easier to con- possibility that the remaining amount will
expect. For instance, some wheat extracts vert it to traditional additions. You could oxidize and ruin future batches. DME is
are actually a blend of a pale malt and try using the FWH addition as a 20-minute more stable, as long as you keep it dry.
wheat malt in a ratio common for brewing boil addition instead, as equal levels of Measuring DME over a pot of boiling water
German weisse beers. You don’t want to perceived bitterness and some hop flavor is a bad idea since steam can enter the bag
assume that it is 100% wheat malt, because should persist. Or you can calculate the and cause the powder to solidify.
it may be 50–65%, and throw off your rec- IBU contributions of the FWH addition It may be advantageous to first deter-
ipe. Instead of just using the blend, you’d and add those IBUs through a flavor addi- mine the weight of the LME you can buy
want to substitute the wheat malt extract tion and a bitterness addition. Use the same in an individual container, then use whole
for both the pale and wheat malts from the quantity of FWH hops as a flavor addition multiples of that weight in your recipe.
original recipe in the same proportion. at 10 minutes, calculate the bitterness of Determine the number of gravity points
The earlier section on Ingredient that 10-minute addition, and calculate how each container contributes (weight of con-
Substitution has other ideas that you many hops need to be added at 60 minutes tainer • 36), and then divide that into the
might want to use to add flavors that to reach the same level of IBUs. Or you can total number of gravity points needed. Take
might be present in the all-grain base ignore the flavor contributions of the FWH the whole number of containers (mathe-
malt but not in the extract. If there are hops and use them as a straight bittering matically this is the quotient) and allocate
character malts in the grist that are pro- addition at 60 minutes. That’s admittedly a that towards LME. Calculate the remaining
viding flavor and not gravity points, you little sloppy, but certainly easy. gravity points; this value is what the DME
can steep them or perform a mini-mash. Accounting for the mash schedule and needs to contribute. Divide those gravity
Note that steeping starchy grains will add fermentability – Several mash techniques points by 45 to determine the number of
unconverted starch to your wort, which bring flavor and body contributions to the pounds needed (it’s easier to weigh out
could lead to clarity problems. beer. For example, a step mash increases fractional amounts of DME than LME).

28 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

CONVERTING EXTRACT RECIPES TO ALL-GRAIN
To convert an extract recipe to all-grain,
perform the extract conversion procedure
in reverse. Keep specialty or steeping malts
the same, but replace malt extract with
grain. You will still need to know your
mash efficiency to perform the calculation.
Determine how many gravity points are
contributed by extract (multiply the weight
of liquid extract by 36, and the weight of
dry extract by 45). Sum those calculations
to determine the total gravity points from
extract. Divide that number by 37 to deter-
mine how many gravity points from base
malts are needed. Finally, divide that num-
ber by your mash efficiency to determine
the total weight of base malt needed.
Your next task is to choose which base
malts to use. If there is a specialty type of
extract used (such as Munich), then use
Munich malt for that fraction of the grist. The
remainder of the grist can consist of two-row,
Pilsner, or pale ale malt if the beer was using
pale malt extract. Look to the style of the beer
to give you clues as to the proper type of malt
rather than relying on a certain brand.
Start with a mash temperature of 150°F
(66°C). You can adjust that if you know the
style requires it, such as increasing the mash
temperature if your beer needs a more dex-
trinous body. If you are brewing a style that
traditionally uses another type of mash tech-
nique, you can obviously use that instead.
Converting extract recipes to all-grain is
generally easier than going the other way
since you have more control in your ingre-
dient choices. Primarily you are seeking
to hit the same gravity numbers first, then
adjusting the bitterness to get the same bal-
ance, then finally selecting the ingredients
that give you the desired flavor profile while
hitting the color target. If you get the style
parameters right, any mistakes made on the
flavor profile can be adjusted in subsequent
batches through malt substitutions. But if
you selected your ingredients with knowl-
edge of the style, you have a very good
chance of being close on your first try.

Gordon Strong, author of Modern

Homebrew Recipes: Exploring Styles
and Contemporary Techniques (Brewers
Publications, 2015) and Brewing Better
Beer: Master Lessons for Advanced
Homebrewers (Brewers Publications,
2011), is the only three-time winner of the
coveted National Homebrew Competition
Samuel Adams Ninkasi Award. He is
president emeritus and highest-ranking
judge in the Beer Judge Certification
Program, and principal author of the BJCP
Style Guidelines and the BJCP Mead Exam
Study Guide.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 29

C A R B O N C A PTUR
ED

MITIGATING THE NEED FOR

PRESSURIZED CARBON DIOXIDE
IN HOMEBREWING
 Editor’s Note:
This is the first in a three-part series exploring how
homebrewers can reduce their consumption of commercially
purchased, compressed carbon dioxide and even make use
of CO2 naturally produced from fermentation.

By Andy Tipler and Pierre Margraff

Illustration by Emans

A
few months ago, our southern-Con- ing, we typically use compressed carbon
necticut homebrewing community dioxide for three things:
had a nasty shock when local gas
suppliers were unable to refill or 1. Purging vessels of oxygen before and after
exchange pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) filling with beer to prevent oxidation
cylinders. We were also told that there 2. Force-carbonating flat beer
would probably be no further supplies 3. Pushing beer out of a keg for serving
until well into 2023. What a disaster!
This came as a complete wake-up call What can we do to improve the methods
for many of us to learn how dependent we we use for these, and what alternatives do
really were on the availability of this pres- we have at our disposal?
surized gas in our regular homebrewing
activities. How could this happen? Surely, ELIMINATING GAS LEAKS
the world has too much CO2 already, as The first step in more efficient CO2 use is
evidenced by climate change concerns preventing waste in the first place. How
about its greenhouse effect. many of us have been disappointed to dis-
A quick internet search revealed many cover an empty CO2 tank connected to a
articles explaining causes for the short- depressurized keg? Much of this is common
age, including production cuts during the sense, but there’s no need to consider more
pandemic, evolving cannabis production, exotic options if we haven’t got this straight!
COVID-19 vaccine production, and even CO2 is compressed to high pressures.
contamination by gases from an extinct A tank of CO2 will indicate about 500
volcano. All these factors seemed to create a psi (35 bar) on the regulator’s primary
perfect storm, and where beer is involved, gauge. The purpose of the regulator is
CO2 producers obviously prioritize their to reduce the tank pressure to a working
biggest clients—who are not homebrewers! level of about 10 to 15 psi (0.7 to 1 bar)
The severity of this CO2 shortage may for dispensing beer and other purposes.
vary between locations, but there seems to The appropriate pressure depends on the
be a real and current need to address it if length and diameter of the draught lines
we want to continue brewing our favorite and the temperature of the beverage.
Illustration © Emans

beers. In this, the first in a series of three Leaks are often readily located simply by
articles, we explore various options that are spraying a non-toxic solution of Star San
readily available to homebrewers to reduce over all junctions, and then watching and
our need for process CO2. In homebrew- listening for bubbles.
 First, consider the junction between A gas manifold is often a culprit for leaks packaging (these data appear in many
the tank and the regulator. A few different because it acts as a junction to multiple publications, but we couldn’t source their
types of washers could be sealing the junc- kegs. The integrity of the fittings should be origins). It looks like commercial brewers
tion: nylon, plastic, or a more permanent verified using the methods above to ensure will expect an increase in concentration of
one made of brass with an O-ring. If it’s that no leaks are found. oxygen, added during beer packaging, of
nylon, trimming burrs around the washer The gas line leading to the keg discon- around 20 to 250 ppb.
with a nail clipper can improve the seal nects, and of course the kegs themselves, To hold our homebrewed beer to a simi-
and make it easier to install. Unfortunately, also demand a thorough evaluation. lar or better standard, we need to know the
others can’t be easily modified. Because of the multiple junctions on a maximum amount of oxygen in the air that
Most regulators are equipped with a Corny keg, it’s easy for leaks to devel- will allow us to remain below this thresh-
side gauge that indicates tank pressure, op, especially older units. First, the keg old. This can be calculated using Henry’s
ostensibly so you know to prepare for a should be cleaned and pressurized. A small Law, which relates the concentration of dis-
refill when the needle hits the red. The quantity of food-grade lubricant should solved gas in a liquid to the concentration
top gauge indicates the dispensing pres- be applied to all O-rings to ensure a good of that gas at the liquid-gas interface (i.e.,
sure, and a knob or screw is used to adjust fit, especially around the lid. Next, a clear the headspace). If you know one, then you
pressure. Most regulators also have a small bucket is filled, halfway with water and the can calculate the other. One form of this
shut-off valve. Any of these connections keg is turned upside down and submerged relationship is given as
can be potential sources of leaks. in the bucket of water. Any bubbles will
A common culprit for leaks on regulators indicate a leak. Keep a set of O-rings, uni- c
is the inner rubber diaphragm, which can versal pressure relief valves, and universal
kH,cc = caq
g
age and wear out. It’s possible to replace the poppet valves on hand for leak testing. It where
aging diaphragm on a leaking regulator, and is also recommended to use transparent or
many manufacturers offer rebuild kits to semi-transparent tubing to monitor poten- • kH,cc is the Henry’s law constant for
render your old regulator as good as new. tial liquid ingress that could allow mold to concentration ratios (0.035 for oxygen
A tank that isn’t secured properly can eas- grow in the gas lines. in water at 20°C/68°F)
ily fall and damage a gauge, and a damaged • cL is the concentration of O2 in the
gauge may spring a leak. All junctions, gaug- KEEPING OXYGEN OUT OF BEER liquid (g/L)
es, knobs, and threads should be sprayed WHILE FILLING A KEG • cG is the concentration of O2 in the
and inspected for bubbles and hissing, and The next target for eliminating potential gas (g/L)
then promptly wiped with a soft cloth. waste is the way we purge air out of kegs
The next culprit for leaks is the junction before filling them. We want to minimize The value of the constant for oxygen in
between the shut-off valve on the regula- contact between the beer and air to avoid beer is very close to that of oxygen in water.
tor and the lines leading to the keg or gas oxidation problems later. So, what is the We calculate that keeping the CO2 con-
manifold. There are three common types of best way to remove air (or its effects) from centration in the packaged beer below
connections used by homebrewers. The first a keg? A few options are available to us, all 250 ppb means we need less than 1.1%
type, and the most reliable for permanent of which involve pressurized CO2. oxygen in the air in contact with that beer.
installations, is a barbed-type connection You can do these calculations yourself, but
with a clamp to keep the hose in place. This Henry’s Law we’ve made life easier for such masochists
connection is inexpensive and effective. Before we delve into the various options by creating a spreadsheet to do it for you.1
To install, use a hose of a slightly smaller for eliminating oxygen exposure, let’s first Of course, it will take a long time (many
diameter than the barb fitting. Carefully consider why this is important. If air comes hours) for the oxygen to pass from the air
dunk the hose tip in boiling water to soften into contact with beer, then some of the into the beer to reach those levels—if the
it, then stretch it around the barbed fitting. oxygen in the air will pass into the beer. keg is not shaken!
As it cools, the vinyl will shrink very tightly Table 1 shows typical dissolved oxygen Now let’s look at the options available to
around the barbed fitting. levels at various stages of production and us to meet this requirement.
Another common method of connecting
the beer line uses a ¼” flare fitting and a
female flare-to-barb adapter. Because this TABLE 1: BREWING PROCESS OXYGEN LEVEL
is a metal-to metal connection, a nylon
washer is needed between the two pieces
of metal. Omitting this washer, or using an In wort 6-14+ ppm
old one, is a good way to get a gas leak.
The third type of connection is a push- Fermentation < 30 ppb
to-fit connection, introduced a few years Filtration 1–200 ppb
ago by John Guest brand fittings, with
more recent Duotight fittings perform- Bright beer after filtration 1–200 ppb
Photos © Getty/anmitsu (background)

ing the same function with an additional

O-ring. These push-to-fit connections can Beer at the filler 1–200 ppb
be unreliable if your hoses have not been Package dissolved oxygen (bottle) 30–250 ppb
cut perfectly straight, or if the hose is sub-
ject to kinks or tugging. Push-to-fit connec- Package dissolved oxygen (can) 20–120 ppb
tions are fantastic for beverage lines but are
not recommended for gas lines. Total package oxygen 50–450 ppb

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Blast-In CO2 Method • u is the flow rate of CO2 gas into the 8 percent of a full 5-pound tank of CO2!
In the past, some of us may have gotten keg (L/min) Decreasing the flow rate increases the time
into the habit of rather naïvely just con- • Vk is the keg capacity (L) taken to make this purge, but it doesn’t sig-
necting a CO2 tank to the gas post on a • t is the elapsed time (min) nificantly affect the volume of CO2 needed.
Corny keg and letting CO2 blast under More time also allows more air to diffuse
pressure into the keg for a few minutes: This calculation is included in the back into the keg. This is not a very effi-
should be enough, shouldn’t it? We don’t downloadable Excel spreadsheet for you to cient way to use our CO2.
bother to measure the flow rate or even model your own kegging system.1
time this process. How many of us are Let’s take the system described above. CO2 Pressure-Pulse Method
doing just that? We’re blasting carbon dioxide into a Another option might be to seal the keg
Let’s do the math and find out how 19-liter keg (ours was measured to be and repeatedly pressurize and vent the CO2
effective this method is. If we assume 19.606 liters to the rim). We had no idea inside using a pressure pulsing method to
that CO2 fully mixes with air as it enters what the flow rate was, so we weighed the drive out the oxygen. Would this be any bet-
the keg (which is likely at these high CO2 tank before and after blasting the keg ter? The functions to model this method are
flow rates), we are essentially perform- for a minute and found that we had used n

ing an exponential dilution of the air 150 g of CO2, which is equivalent to a vol- Cn= C0 • ( PP ) a

(and, thus, the oxygen) inside the keg. ume of 76.4 liters at ambient temperature
We can model the behavior for the and pressure, so our flow rate was about Vn= n• Vk• ( PP –1) a

decrease in oxygen concentration and 76.4 L/min. where

the volume of gas added by using the We assumed that the initial concentra-
functions given below: tion of oxygen in the air inside the keg • Cn is the concentration of oxygen in
was 20.9% by volume, which is the global the keg after n pulses (% v/v)
Ct = C0 • e( -uV t ) •

k
average for oxygen in atmospheric air. We • C0 is the initial concentration of
entered these values in the spreadsheet and oxygen in the keg (% v/v)
Vt = U• t could see how efficiently we expunged oxy- • Vn is the volume of CO2 added after n
where gen from the keg. Figure 1 shows how the pulses (L)
oxygen level was predicted to decrease with • Vk is the keg capacity (L)
• Ct is the concentration of oxygen in time and volume of CO2 used. • Pa is the ambient absolute pressure (psia)
the keg at time t (% v/v) In one way, this chart is encouraging: it • Pp is the pulsing absolute pressure
• C0 is the initial concentration of was predicted that in just 1 minute, there (psia) (= gauge pressure + Pa)
oxygen in the keg (% v/v) would be 0.4% oxygen left in the keg. • n is the number of pulsing cycles
• Vt is the volume of CO2 added at time However, we would have used about 80 performed
t (L) liters of CO2 to achieve this, which is about
Again, a worksheet is provided in the
downloadable file to model this method
FIGURE 1: BLAST-IN CO₂ METHOD. on your own system. So, is this method
any better than the exponential dilution
    
    !"# method? Figure 2 shows how efficient this
 method is at removing oxygen.
Under these conditions, after four puls-
es, the oxygen level was predicted to drop
below 0.4%. However, filling and venting a



19-liter keg to and from 30 psig is tedious

and time-consuming, and it looked like we
 

would need to use about 160 liters of CO2

to achieve this result. This is not an effi-

cient method of using CO2 either.



CO2 Blanket Method


Carbon dioxide gas is about 50 percent
denser than air, so if we add a small layer
of it into the bottom of the keg, air should
float upon it. If we now feed beer into
 the keg below this layer of CO2, it should
remain in place as a barrier between the
beer and the air. Perhaps this is what many
of us think happens when we blast CO2

into an empty key.





      
Two phenomena fight against this as
  a successful method: turbulence, which









enhances mixing, and diffusion, which
is the natural movement of a gas from
$%  & a region of high concentration to one

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of lower concentration. This method is FIGURE 2: CO₂ PRESSURE-PULSE METHOD.
difficult to model theoretically, so we per-
formed some experiments to find out how      
effective this blanket method could be. 
Our first experiment was simple: we
placed an oxygen gas sensor 2 centimeters
from the bottom of a dry, partially sealed

!$!"%&'&#
keg and carefully added CO2 to the bottom 

of the keg. We used a rotameter and needle
valve to deliver a low controlled flow of
1 liter per minute for 6 minutes. If none

of the CO2 mixed with the air above it, it
would form a layer 20 centimeters in height
from the bottom of the keg, and the sensor
should be totally immersed in CO2. When 

the CO2 supply was disconnected, the 
sensor read 0.7% oxygen. We then waited
while the sensor recorded the oxygen level.
Figure 4 shows how the reading changed 
during this test.
Once the CO2 supply was disconnected,
there was an immediate but slow increase


in the oxygen level, presumably from diffu-

     
sion with the air above. If it took 10 min-
utes to fill this keg, then the beer would be
   
exposed to 3% oxygen above it, assuming







no physical mixing during filling. This is
a reasonable result, but hopefully we can
  !!!"#
do better. Note that we only used 6 liters
of CO2 for this method, which is a huge
improvement over the blast-in and pres- here is how to continue adding CO2 to the all of those details, but we provide a link at
sure-pulse approaches. surface of the beer as it rises within the the end of the article if you’d like to try this
keg during filling. Our answer was to use at home.2 It’s essentially two very flat circular
Sustained CO2 Blanket Method a device that floated on the beer to deliver plates mounted a fraction of a millimeter
The blanket method seemed to work until the flow of CO2. away from each other. CO2 enters through the
the CO2 was disconnected. Perhaps, once We developed and 3D-printed such a center of the top plate and exits the device
the blanket is created, we could sustain it device, which is shown in Figure 5. It’s through the gap around its circumference. In
with a lower flow of CO2? The problem beyond the scope of this article to describe this way, gas is distributed evenly around the

FIGURE 3:
LEFT TO RIGHT: ROTAMETER, OXYGEN SENSOR, SCHEMATIC OF BLANKETING METHOD.

Photos © courtesy of Andy TIpler & Pierre Margraff.

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FIGURE 4: CO₂ BLANKETING METHOD. FIGURE 5: CO₂ DELIVERY DEVICE.

assembly in a horizontal direction with very

little turbulence. We used the same rotameter
FIGURE 6: SUSTAINED BLANKET METHOD. and needle valve as before to control the flow
rate of CO2 going into the device.
We placed the device at the bottom of
the empty keg, alongside the oxygen sensor
and fed in CO2 at 1 liter per minute for 4
minutes, which should give us an initial
blanket of 4 liters and establish an initial
blanket height of around 7 centimeters.
We then reduced the flow rate to 250 mL/
min to see if this would stop the diffusion
we saw in the last test. As before, we waited
while monitoring the oxygen concentration.
This time, not only did we create an
effective blanket, but we were able to sus-
tain it long enough to fill the keg. If it took
10 minutes to fill a keg, we would have
used 6.5 liters of CO2 total. The oxygen
level remained about 0.7% during filling.
This is a big improvement on the static
blanket result.

Floating Foam Method

This next method for keeping oxygen out
of beer as it fills a keg is perhaps the sim-
plest and most effective. The CO2 blanket
FIGURE 7: FLOATING FOAM METHOD. worked reasonably well when it was con-
tinually renewed using the floating gas
distribution device, but it requires a special
part to be made. Another way to get CO2
to sit on top of the beer as it fills a keg is to
use beer foam.
Foam is a collection of bubbles that are
less dense than beer and therefore float. If
the foam breaks up, just make some more
of it. Bubbles are essentially a thin layer
of liquid (in our case, beer) surrounding a
volume of gas (CO2). This thin layer won’t

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absorb much oxygen itself, and the passage CO2 and no air (or oxygen) before filling ELIMINATING AIR FROM THE
of oxygen in and out of a bubble is slow. with beer. Many brewers already use this HEADSPACE OF A SEALED KEG
Once oxygen is inside a bubble, it will try method today. There are a few points to Once the beer is in the keg and the lid is
to get out again, which means it must pass note about this method: fitted and sealed, there could still be air
through other bubbles. This whole process left above the beer in the keg. We normally
is very slow, and there could be a layer of • It’s best to use a sanitizer solution as the fill a Corny keg to just below the gas post
dozens of bubbles thick between the air working fluid so that the keg will be dip tube. This means there is some resid-
above and the beer below, making foam a fully sanitized before any beer enters it. ual volume of gas in the keg when sealed.
very effective oxygen barrier. The expelled sanitizer can then be used Much of this could be air still left after
The practicalities are easy. Get an aerat- for some other purpose. purging the keg or from diffusion of air
ing wand (one with a 0.5-micron porosity • The sanitizer solution may contain from outside back into the keg.
is best), stick it right down into the keg, dissolved oxygen, which could be The easiest way of purging air out of the
feed CO2 into the aerator, and start adding released into the keg. headspace is to use the pressure pulsing
beer from the bottom of the keg through • Putting the lid on a totally full keg may technique described earlier. It works here
the liquid dip tube or a racking cane. If allow some air to be sealed inside the keg. because the volumes involved are much
there’s too much foam, turn down the CO2 • The CO2 supply is connected to the gas smaller. We measured the volume in a keg
flow; if the foam dissipates, turn up the post of the keg, and a tube is connected above the air post dip tube and found it
CO2. Use a fine aerating stone (0.5 micron) to the liquid post that directs the to be about 600 milliliters. We’ve already
and a rotameter to control and monitor the expelled sanitizer solution into a bucket shown that pulsing a keg four times at 30
flow rate of CO2 used. Once the beer is for collection. psig will drop the oxygen concentration
fully loaded, the foam can fill up the head- • It’s best to use low pressure CO2, which from about 20% to about 0.25%.
space, helping to purge air from that area. will help prevent potential loss of CO2 by Our tests with the oxygen sensor have
We haven’t conducted any tests to mea- dissolution into the sanitizing solution. shown that the oxygen concentration in the
sure the efficacy of this method (we’re • When liquid stops flowing out and gas headspace before sealing the keg is about
not sure what such a test would be), but bubbles can be seen, the keg has been 17%, even if we don’t do anything else to
we’re sure that it must work really, really, fully flushed and is ready to accept beer. remove the air as we fill the keg. This is
well. It doesn’t need any special equip- probably because the beer releases some CO2
ment either. A benefit of this method is This process, although effective, can be during the filling process. After four pulses,
the very low flow rate of CO2 needed— time-consuming. It typically took about the 17% oxygen will have dropped to 0.2%,
we found that 50 to 100 mL/min worked 15 minutes to purge a 3-gallon keg full of and we will have used under 5 liters of CO2.
well. Thus, to fill a keg in about 10 min- sanitizer because of the flow resistance of Remember that the contact time between
utes, we would need less than 1 liter of the 3/16” inner-diameter tubing we used the beer and the air while filling the keg
CO2! This is, by far, the most efficient to feed the CO2. If we were to increase is relatively short, but any air trapped in
use of CO2 for this purpose. the diameter of the tubing, how fast the headspace will remain with the beer
Although we’ve not seen this floating would it be? throughout dispensing, so this use of CO2
foam technique used for filling kegs, it has We ran a side-by-side comparison with is well justified.
been used to fill cans and bottles, and “cap two identical kegs sharing the same 2 psig of If performed correctly, the floating-foam
on foam” is common advice for packaging CO2 pressure, using 6-foot lengths of 3/16” and water-displacement methods should
from kegs. and 5/8” inner-diameter tubing. To our not leave much residual air in the keg, so
surprise, the wider bore tubing emptied the this second purge shouldn’t be needed.
Liquid Displacement Method keg in 4 minutes instead of 15 minutes. We But it might be a prudent precaution, as
This is another very effective method of then went on to test a 5-gallon keg with the dissolved air could be released from the
keeping air out of a keg while filling. By wider-bore tubing—the keg was emptied in displaced liquid, and how possible is it to
first completely filling the keg with liquid, just 20 minutes. So, when using this liquid fit the lid without letting in any air?
we effectively eliminate all the air within. displacement method, with low pressure
We then feed CO2 into the keg to displace CO2, it’s best to use wide-bore tubing to feed CARBONATING BEER
the liquid and end up with a keg full of the gas into the keg. Once we have our keg filled with beer,
the next step is to properly carbonate it.
Generally, there are two options: forced car-
TABLE 2: COMPARISON OF THE 6 METHODS OF FILLING A KEG. bonation and natural conditioning.

Method Typical CO₂ used (L) Effectiveness at removing oxygen Forced Carbonation
A big advantage of kegging is that beer can
Blast-In 80 Medium be quickly carbonated with forced CO2.
CO2 is delivered to the keg at a pressure
CO₂ Pressure-Pulse 160 Medium known to give the required carbonation
level for the type of beer in the keg. This
CO₂ Blanket 6 Low pressure can be found in published tables
Sustained CO₂ Blanket 6.5 Medium online, or it can be calculated using Henry’s
Law. If you want to try the latter, there’s a
Floating Foam 1 High section in the referenced Excel spreadsheet
to help you do this, and there’s an excellent
Displaced Liquid 20 High paper available which discusses this.3

3
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b A
 In homebrewing, we express CO2 con- ation level of 2.5 volumes, we would have Once carbonated, kegged beer can be
centrations in volumes, which represents to add an equivalent of 2.5 × 19 liters = transferred to bottles using a beer gun or
the volume the dissolved CO2 would occu- 47.5 liters of CO2 to the beer, plus enough counter-pressure filler, both of which will
py, relative to the beer volume, if it were to maintain the same headspace pressure consume even more pressurized CO2.
a gas at 0°C (32°F) and 1 atmosphere of throughout serving, which makes mak- Forced carbonation is quick and easy but
pressure (about 14.8 psi). So, if we wanted ing the total addition close to 70 liters. it does use significant amounts of CO2.
19 liters of kegged beer to have a carbon- Choosing the right pressure will do this.

FIGURE 8:
SUMMARY OF OXYGEN-REDUCTION METHODS.

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Natural Conditioning probably experienced a situation in which FIGURE 10: A WASTE OF CO2.
The CO2 needed for forced carbonation highly carbonated beer dispenses with a
and bottle filling can be completely elimi- great head, but when the foam has died
nated by using natural conditioning, which down, and we taste it, the beer is almost
represents perhaps the easiest way for us to completely flat! If the beer poured in the
cut down on our use of pressurized CO2. glass looks like that in the picture, then we
Usually, beer would be primed by adding have probably wasted most of the CO2 we
sugar to the bottle or keg prior to sealing it. have worked so hard to get into that beer
No added CO2 should be necessary. when we packaged it.
However, one question that frequently So, not only do we have to be efficient
arises in our homebrew club meetings is in making and packaging our beer, but we
whether we need to purge the keg of air (as should also be efficient in the way pour it.
discussed earlier) or if the yeast refermen- So, what’s the best way to serve a beer? Let’s
tation will scavenge oxygen from the bottle first consider why beer may be foamy.
or keg. There’s surprisingly little hard data The answer depends on multiple factors,
published on this question, but there are such as CO2 pressure and beer line length
many opinions. We used our oxygen sensor and diameter. We need to provide just
to monitor the oxygen levels in the head- enough resistance to slow the flow to give the
space while we naturally conditioned an perfect pour. A good rule of thumb is that
English bitter in a Corny keg at 20°C. it should take 8 to 10 seconds to fill a pint.
The good news is that, yes, nearly all the Keep the lines cold: a temperature differential and the line length and diameter. Another
oxygen disappeared from the headspace, so doesn’t help. Look out for beer stone on the common cause is keg warming, which
the yeast did indeed scavenge it. The bad lines or hop or husk residue trapped in the allows bubbles to escape, adding to the dis-
news is that it took five days for this oxygen keg’s or disconnect’s poppet valves. Beer stone pensing pressure and further gushing of the
to disappear. Would this oxygen damage the in the draught lines provides an area for car- beer. When serving a cold beer, it will help
beer within those five days? Pundits claim bon dioxide to nucleate and form bubbles as if the glass is cold, too (but not frosted).
that two hours of exposure is enough. the beer travels through the lines. You must If the beer lines are too short for a given
The bottom line is that we should elim- clean your lines regularly. inner diameter, there is not enough resis-
inate air from kegs before and after filling Beer trickles to the glass often when the tance in the line and the beer will gush into
them, whether we conduct natural or forced beer is not fully carbonated, and pressure the glass and cause even more foam.
carbonation. The English bitter turned out applied mostly gets absorbed by the beer
fine, so draw your own conclusions. that may be too cold. If there is not enough RESOURCES
pressure, bubbles will appear in the lines. 1. HomebrewersAssociation.org/ja23
POURING BEER CORRECTLY Beer that pours at the right pace, but 2. https://www.thingiverse.com/
We’ve discussed how to best use a CO2 whose foam disappears immediately, could thing:6037148
resource that’s becoming scarce and expen- indicate dirty glassware, a contaminated 3. Liger-Belair G, Cilindre C. How Many
sive in making our beer. Assuming we are batch, or beer that is not carbonated at all. CO2 Bubbles in a Glass of Beer? ACS
successful in doing so, what happens when Beer that gushes into the glass may be due Omega. 2021 Mar 31;6(14):9672-9679.
we come to serve the beer? We have all to an imbalance between the CO2 pressure doi: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00256. PMID:
33869947; PMCID: PMC8047704.
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
FIGURE 9: MEASURING OXYGEN DURING NATURAL CONDITIONING. articles/PMC8047704/)

Born and raised on Tafelbier in Belgium.

Pierre Margraff moved to the States 25
years ago and learned to homebrew shortly
after tasting his first American beer, Andy
Tipler grew up in England and moved to the
United States 30 years ago for his job as a
research chemist. He has been homebrewing
(legally) for more than 50 years and is a
certified beer, mead, and cider judge. Andy
is active in competitions as a judge and as
a contestant, and he enjoys talking and
writing about brewing. He is a member of
Photo © Getty/CaseyHillPhoto (faomy beer)

the Underground Brewers of Connecticut

(the second oldest homebrew club in the
USA). He would very much like to have an
English pub next door.

ON THE WEB
Read more about using carbon
dioxide to prevent oxidation at
HomebrewersAssociation.org/ja23
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HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 39
 Intriguing Blind Tasting Challenges for Homebrewers and Clubs
By Ron Minkoff

B
lind tastings are always fun challenges for brewers. It’s a little like working
through a CSI beer mystery in which you pick up on clues and get a payoff
when the answer to the mystery is revealed. This article describes four varia-
tions of blind tastings homebrew clubs can easily do. They’re not necessarily
meant to be scientifically rigorous, but they often help sharpen the brewer’s palate and dial
in a Spidey-sense for BJCP style recognition and off-flavors. Plus, after a session, brewers
usually come away with lessons learned.

BLIND TASTING #1
BEER STYLE
CHALLENGE the foam color to make your pick.
Years ago (a little before the iPhone was a This past year, while thinking up new
thing), my fellow club member Jeff declared beer education classes for my club (The
that he didn’t think I could tell the difference Hogtown Brewers), I recalled that challenge
between a Munich dunkel and a schwarzbier from over 15 years ago. I decided to res-
in a blind tasting. Challenge accepted! urrect it and create this first blind tasting
I did well in this original challenge, but by doing a series of style challenges for the
more importantly, I found I loved the con- BJCP judges, and aspiring judges, within
cept. Despite the simple goal, you have to my club. Naturally, I did a bit of fine tuning
Sherlock through the style clues of aroma, of that original challenge.
flavor, and mouthfeel, plus the visual clue of

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 41

Setup Porter vs. Stout Doppelbock vs. Baltic Porter
You want the session to be educationally For the education portion of the challenge, Fair to say I’m a fan of Baltic Porters.
well rounded and fun, so you don’t want we went over some of the well-known history Komes Baltic Porter is one of my favorites.
to simply plop 10 samples in front of of porter and stout (e.g., porters were named It’s malty and rich with delightful dark fruit
everyone and say, “Go at it!” It’s OK to after the working-class porters, porters were flavors and smooth alcohol warmth. Those
nerd out a little and put in a bit of plan- initially blended from beers in barrels known same adjectives often apply to doppelbock,
ning and structure! The process I chose as butts, stouts initially were called stout por- too. I’ve always thought if someone handed
included the following. ters, etc.). But I also “did my own research” me a pint of Komes and told me it was a
to find a consensus on the exact difference doppelbock, I’d believe them. Little wonder
P Choose styles that have nuanced between modern porters and stouts. that starting in 2015, the BJCP guidelines
differences, porter vs. stout, for example. Conventional thinking is that stouts lean grouped the two together in the same cat-
P To ensure all participants have some towards using black malt and roasted barley egory, Category 9: Strong European Beer.
kind of baseline understanding of to impart roast and coffee flavors, while These two types of beer are prime candi-
each style involved, create a style porters may lean towards using brown malts dates for a style blind tasting challenge.
comparison chart for each participant for chocolate character and balance between Club members gathered again, and, as
and lead a discussion of the chart prior malt sweetness and hops. Except when usual, we first compared the two styles. As
to pouring any samples. The chart they don’t! After going through numerous mentioned, they share similar body, dark
would compare and contrast the high articles, opinion pieces, and commercial fruit flavors, and smooth alcohol warmth.
points of each style. For example, brewery recipes, I’m convinced that the Their differences are nuanced. For example,
doppelbock can have low dark-fruit determining factor for if a commercial beer doppelbocks tend to have off-white foam and
flavor, slight chocolate, and no roast, is a porter or stout is this: it’s whatever the no roast, whereas Baltic porters can have tan
while Baltic porter, which can be very brewer says it is! Now, how will that reflect foam and a schwarzbier-like roasted flavor.
similar to doppelbock, has hints of in a blind tasting beer style challenge? For this challenge, I was only able to put
dark dried fruit, caramel, and toffee, The game is afoot. We proceeded with the seven samples in front of the participants
plus a schwarzbier-like roasted flavor. challenge, bringing out 10 samples for each due to the limited availability of these two
Another chart example shows that participant (we had around 14 club mem- styles where I live. Participants did a little
German Pilsner has a crisp finish, but bers participating). After a sufficient period better identifying the correct style this time
Munich helles has a dry finish that is had elapsed, it was time to hear the verdicts. as compared to the porter/stout challenge,
not crisp. I would go one by one down the list of sam- but not much better. I did throw one slight
P Sample cups were not labeled with ples, referring to each by the shape on their curveball in the mix by including a pour
numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) or letters (A, B, labels. For each sample, I would pick a club of a weizen doppelbock. That was the only
C, etc.). Instead, they were labeled with member to announce their verdict. I would sample the participants could confidently
random shapes (star, moon, square, then ask for a show of hands on who agreed say was not a Baltic porter. Is your palate
circle, etc.) to dissuade participants’ and who disagreed, then reveal that sample’s clever enough to distinguish between Baltic
imagining the pours were done in some actual style (at least, according to the com- porter and doppelbock?
kind of pattern. mercial brewery).
P As I wanted participants to use all clues How did everyone do? The top participant
to determine the style (this challenge got 80 percent correct (nice job Mr. Brock:
was not meant to be strictly based enjoy your Zymurgy shout-out!), while most
on aroma/flavor/mouthfeel alone), I participants correctly guessed only around
decided it was OK to use clear cups. half. Not much better than a coin flip. Did I
However, if you prefer, you could serve mention this blind tasting wasn’t scientifical-
samples in opaque cups so participants ly rigorous? That said, we all agreed the line
can’t see beer color or clarity. between porter and stout can be very blurry,
P Provide each participant an evaluation especially when the assigned style can be
sheet to record their verdict. The sheet at the whim of the brewery. Case in point:
contains a table of cup label shapes one of our own local breweries has a par-
with fields for the participant to write in ticular seasonal beer they originally called
their notes. a porter. But, a few years ago, they changed
P All samples strictly used commercial the style to American stout. Did the recipe
beer, preferably a classic example of the change? Did ingredients need to be swapped
style or an example from a reputable out? No, none of that. The style designation
brewery. This is not an off-flavor lab! changed purely for marketing reasons!
P The mission for each style challenge
was simple: pick the correct style.

Over the course of the summer and fall,

I hosted a series of three style challenges.

42 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

TABLE 1: STYLE COMPARISON FOR PALE GERMAN BEERS

Helles Exportbier
Helles Festbier Kölsch (Dortmunder) Geman Pils
Aroma: Grainy sweet, low Aroma: moderate malt, Aroma: low grainy sweet, Aroma: Moderate sweet Aroma: Low to med grainy
herbal hop doughy, impression of subtle fruit optional, low malt, med-low to med herbal sweetness, moderate to high
sweetness, low herbal hops herbal hops hops herbal hops
Appearance: pale yellow Appearance: pale yellow Appearance: pale yellow Appearance: yellow to Appearance: straw to deep
to gold, clear, white head to gold, clear, white head to gold, clear, white head gold, clear, white head yellow, clear, white head

Flavor: malty, sweet, grainy, Flavor: malty, light bread, Flavor: balance between Flavor: balanced malt Flavor: initial malt
med-low bitterness, dry but doughy, med-low bitterness, malt, fruitiness, bitterness; and hops w/supporting overcome by hop flavor and
not crisp, low herbal hops attenuated and crisp low to high herbal hops; bitterness, med-dry finish bitterness, crisp finish
slightly crisp
Mouthfeel: Med body, med Mouthfeel: Med body, med Mouthfeel: Med-light to Mouthfeel: Med to Mouthfeel: Med-light body,
carbonation, smooth carbonation, smooth med body, med to med-high med-full body, med med to high carbonation,
carbonation, smooth carbonation, smooth may be minerally, sharp

Pale German Lager Challenge yes, one might argue I could have chosen BLIND TASTING #2
The third and final session of this style more. Styles included were German Pilsner, KING OF THE PIL(S)
challenge series would prove to be the Helles, Kölsch, Festbier, and German Helles RANK CHALLENGE
hardest. The previous challenges pitted just Exportbier (but I’m stuck in the past and This type of easy, fun challenge can produce
two styles against each other. For the Pale will continue to refer to Helles Exportbier interesting results. The premise is simple:
German Lager Challenge, there would be as Dortmunder!). rank your favorite Pilsners. Place different
five. No longer just a coin flip! Perhaps, Club members once again gathered, Pilsners in front of each participant, the job
like me, you’ve long noticed how the Pale and we compared the style descriptions of whom is to rank their favorite samples
German lager descriptions in the BJCP prior to the presentation of 10 samples. by rearranging the order of the sample cups
guidelines reuse many of the same adjec- Enthusiasm was high, but confidence from best to worst. Except, you tell them a bit
tives. Lots of nuances between these styles. level…not so much. After a vigorous of a white lie. You claim all samples are differ-
I chose five styles for this challenge, but round of tasting and dissecting the attri- ent, but two of the samples are the same beer.
butes of each sample, participants record- The first time I hosted this challenge back
ed their verdicts. The results, as expected, in the 2000s, I used several samples, two of
had significantly lower scores. Many par- which were Budweiser (Bud Heavy, in today’s
Blind tasting 1. ticipants only correctly identified the style parlance). Before we proceeded, I had one
20 percent of the time. The best score was club member remind me that he was from St.
60 percent. How would you do in this Louis and Budweiser was one of his faves. You
type of challenge? don’t often hear a homebrew club member say
There were some interesting side such things out loud, but there you go.
observations. Channeling the spirit of The game was afoot, and we proceed-
the classic Coke/Pepsi challenge of my ed with the challenge. After I revealed
youth, I inquired about everyone’s favor- what each cup contained, how did Capt.
ite Pilsner. In the ten samples, four were St. Louis do? Of the six samples, his top-
German Pilsners. The crowd favorite ranked Pilsner was…Budweiser. And his
pilsner was Weihenstephaner Pilsner. I second-ranked beverage was…Budweiser!
agreed. The second-place favorite Pilsner One may scoff at his predilection, but I
was—remember, this was a blind tast- admire his consistency! Compare that to
ing—St. Pauli Girl! I thought they were another club member who was in the same
nuts for that choice, but they stood by it. challenge session. This member’s top-ranked
The overall crowd favorite beer of all ten choice was Budweiser, and their least-fa-
samples was Reissdorf Kölsch. I couldn’t vorite choice was Budweiser. Clearly this
ding them for that. Good Kolsch! member needed more training for a consis-
tent palate! How do you think your ranking
would turn out? Would your ranking have
the two identical beers side by side?

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 43

 BLIND TASTING #3 For this BJCP Troubleshooting The game was afoot and we did several
BJCP Challenge, I first briefly went over the samples where each participant had to
TROUBLESHOOTING BJCP off-flavor flash cards that describe guess the off-flavor. Some samples were
CHALLENGE several off-flavors’ taste and smell, what easily guessed correctly by most of the
Many people have hosted or attended a beer styles they may be acceptable in, participants, but there were many sam-
BJCP troubleshooting tasting. You’ve prob- how they can arise, and how they can ples where the participants had guesses
ably participated in one yourself. The host be avoided. I then poured the first sam- all over the place. Finally, I poured the
will often use an off-flavor kit, or perhaps ple, un-doctored, as a baseline (I usually last sample. One participant started mak-
do some homemade doctoring, to create use Coors or something similarly light ing a guess aloud. I was about to remind
flawed beer. You can do your own research and neutral tasting). Before continuing I them to write their observations quietly
to see various options of how to doctor instructed the participants to dissect the but decided to let this play out. It was
beers yourself, so I won’t go through all next samples quietly (no talking) and so long ago that I don’t remember the
that here. What I do want to describe is write down the observations their palate exact guess this participant was blurting
a particular troubleshooting blind tasting tells them. We then discussed what each out, but it was probably something like
variation I once hosted. person perceived. “solvent.” One by one, each of the other
participants started yapping out loud and
agreed the off-flavor tasted like solvent.
Soon they were all convinced what it
must be.
I revealed that the final sample wasn’t
doctored at all. It was exactly like the first
sample and was just the base beer. If you’re
about to say, “Maybe Coors tastes like sol-
vent!”, well, let’s give Coors a little bit of
credit, eh? It didn’t have the off flavor the
crowd was claiming. So why did they get
convinced it did?
Because this was an off-flavor blind
tasting, perhaps participants assumed
there must be a doctored off-flavor in this
cup. But I also think the big contribu-
tor was the first participant who started
yapping out loud and planted the idea in
everyone’s head. Instead of getting every-
one’s honest impression (when judging
the sample quietly), several participants
got influenced by someone else’s outspo-
ken opinion.

Blind tasting 2.

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 I pointed out the lesson that when
judging in an actual BJCP competition, it’s
important that all judges in a flight be able
to write down their honest impressions
first without undue outside influence (by
another judge or steward) so that a proper
evaluation and discussion can occur after.
What’s your take? Keep it quiet while writ-
ing, or chat through the whole process?

BLIND TASTING #4
THE QUEST

This final blind tasting challenge occurred

in my early homebrewing days and is
worthy on many levels! The Quest wants
to find out what happens when several Cups evaluation.
homebrewers are given the same recipe
and the same ingredients. A blind tasting
of the resulting beers is needed to answer
two questions: whose sample was best, and were pleasant and clean tasting. One tasted Ron Minkoff has been brewing in the
could the brewers pick out their own beer? familiar; it was probably mine. But a few comfort of his driveway since 2003. He is
Theoretically, all the beer samples should had a detectable off-flavor. Not offensive, a past president of the Hogtown Brewers
taste the same, but we know that won’t but noticeable that they were not hitting the (2016 Radegast Club of the Year) and a
happen in a real-world demonstration due mark. One had a slight twang in the after- BJCP Certified judge. If his hometown of
to the differences in each brewer’s process taste. Another seemed a bit lifeless. A couple Gainesville, Fla., had a more diverse choice
and equipment. But how much of a differ- of others were out of balance. So, about half of Baltic porters, he would not complain.
ence? For this particular Quest challenge, the homebrewed samples were worthy, the
everyone brewed an Irish red ale. After a other half not so much.
couple of months, each brewer handed in Finally, they revealed whose sample was
two bottles and sat around a table for a whose. And…mine was the one with the
blind tasting of everyone’s samples. slight twang. Nuts! Very humbling. This
The Irish red I brewed was not amazing, I was among my first introductions to the
felt, but probably above average and certain- idea of house palate, by which you develop
ly enjoyable enough. Fairly sure I can pick a blind spot to your own beer’s flaws. That’s
it out. The game was afoot, and we poured one reason I don’t get upset these days
samples from each brewer (about eight or when I enter a beer in a competition and
ten participated, as I recall). The first few the judge feedback claims they tasted an
off flavor. It’s quite possible I either didn’t
catch the flaw, or the flaw developed in the
bottle over time in transit in warm storage.
But participating in blind judging did help
me focus and dissect individual characteris-
tics that you don’t necessarily detect when
casually drinking. Could you pick out your
own brew (and its flaws) among identical
style samples in the Quest?

THE PAYOFF
These types of blind tasting challenges are
great, not only because they’re fun ways
to test your beer palate that can reveal a
surprising twist, but they’re easy to set up
for any homebrew club without too much
cost or drain on resources. Take inspiration
from one of the challenges mentioned or
design your own and see if you and your
fellow brew sleuths get tripped up. Odds
are you’ll enjoy the payoff!

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 45

Pa r t i a l
to the
By Chris Colby
MASHING
Rescue
M
ost homebrewers identify
as either extract or all-grain
brewers. Partial mashing is
not unheard of, of course, but
comparatively few use it as their primary
method. However, there are a variety of cir-
cumstances for which partial mashing is an
excellent choice.
Partial mashing is a form of brewing
that involves fermenting beer from wort
made from two sources—wort collected
from mashed, malted grains and wort
made from dissolved malt extract. There
are many differences between wort made
from malted grains and wort made from
malt extract. Most notably, wort from
malted grains can be lighter in color,
depending on the grist, and is generally
more fermentable than comparable wort
made from malt extract. It is also cheaper
to make wort from malted grains.
PARTIAL MASHING
FOR APARTMENT DWELLERS
If you live in an apartment or your brewing of wort, and boil it down to 5 gallons within Like many all-grain brewers, I use a
is otherwise relegated to a small space, par- 90 minutes. The specific gravity of this wort propane burner to heat my strike water
tial mashing is an attractive option. You can would depend on extract efficiency, but the and boil my wort, which means brewing
make excellent 5-gallon (18.9-liter) batches grain bed would be fully sparged. The brew- is an outside endeavor. But sometimes the
of beer in cramped quarters and avoid clut- er could then add malt extract to reach any weather outside is frightful, and the ame-
ter by using smaller vessels. desired original gravity. See the accompany- nities inside—especially heat or air con-
For 5-gallon batches, one approach ing Lines on the Map Strong Ale recipe for a ditioning—are delightful. Partial mashing
would be to mash 4 to 6 pounds (1.8 to recipe that uses this approach. allows a brewer to come in from the cold
2.7 kg) of grain in a 2- to 3-gallon (8- to Malt extract can also be used to brew (or heat) and brew a beer on the stove.
12-liter) beverage cooler. From this, you a sweeter beer with a fuller body. Wort A brewer can make a mash from 4
would collect about 2.6 to 3.9 gallons (10 made from malt extract tends to be less pounds of grain in a 2-gallon beverage
to 15 liters) of wort. This volume of wort fermentable than wort made using all-grain cooler lined with a nylon steeping bag. This
is then easily brought to a boil on most methods. Thus, if you’d like to brew a beer yields around 2.6 gallons of 1.040 wort,
kitchen stoves in a standard 5-gallon stock that finishes at a higher final gravity (FG), depending on extract efficiency. This can
pot or dedicated brew kettle. Boil the adding some malt extract will help. Keep easily be brought to a rolling boil on most
wort down to 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters) and in mind that mashing at a high tempera- home stoves. (A 3-gallon cooler can be
add malt extract. After the boil, dilute the ture (and not letting the wort cool as it is used to mash 6 pounds of grain and yield
chilled wort with water to yield 5 gallons in collected), adding maltodextrine or crystal/ 3.9 gallons of wort.)
the fermenter. caramel/Cara-whatever type malts to your For a 5-gallon batch, a brewer can pro-
A typical 5-gallon all-grain setup consists recipe, and choosing a low-attenuating duce 2.5 gallons of wort near the target
of three 10-gallon (37.9-liter) or larger ves- yeast strain will also help in this regard. original gravity. This wort should con-
sels—a hot liquor tank (HLT), mash/lauter The fermentability of malt extracts varies tain twice the IBUs of the intended beer.
tun, and kettle. The partial-mash configura- considerably. So, when using malt extract to The brewer can then add malt extract to
tion above whittles this down to an HLT of make a sweeter beer, look around and pick make the thickness of the wort twice the
3 to 4 gallons, a 2- to 3-gallon mash vessel, an extract with a low fermentability. Malt intended original gravity as well. Diluting
and a 5-gallon brew pot. extracts that come in the “can and a kilo” the chilled wort in the fermenter to 5 gal-
kits are usually the least fermentable, as the lons would yield wort at the target gravi-
PARTIAL MASHING sugar these kits call for will increase the ty and bitterness, all from the comfort of
FOR ALL-GRAIN BREWERS fermentability of the wort. the kitchen.
There are several situations in which an
all-grain brewer would benefit from par-
tial mashing. The most obvious is when
brewing a strong beer. Normally, to brew
a strong beer, the brewer would need to
add a large amount of malted grain to their
mash tun. Then they would need to collect
a correspondingly large volume of wort and
take the time to boil it down to the target
volume and original gravity. (Of course, the
brewer also has the option of not sparging
the grain bed completely and only boil-
ing high-gravity run off, but this requires
more malted grain and results in a lowered
extract efficiency.)
Alternatively, the brewer could reformu-
late the recipe. Adding malt extract could
allow them to mash less malt, sparge the
grain bed completely, and collect a smaller
volume of wort. Ideally, they could collect a
volume that could be reduced to the target
volume in 60 to 90 minutes. The addition
of malt extract near the end of the boil
could then boost the original gravity to the
target value.
As an example, a brewer making 5 gallons
of strong beer could mash 10 pounds (4.5
kg) of malt, collect 6.5 gallons (24.6 liters)

48 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

 CONVERTING ALL-GRAIN
Brehwis!
RECIPES TO PARTIAL MASH
To convert an all-grain recipe to this type
of partial mash, keep the specialty malts in
T Lines on the Map
your formulation as they are, and reduce
the amount of pale malt such that the total
weight of the grains is however much you
(Partial Mash)
intend to mash. Keep the hop amounts the English strong ale
same. Add light malt extract to compensate
for the pale malt you subtracted—and that’s Recipe by Chris Colby
it. As an option, you may want to mash the
grains that require mashing and steep any This is a strong dark ale with a moderately roasty character. It is reasonably dry considering
grains that can be steeped. This increases its high original gravity, and the malt, hops, alcohol, and roast character are all in balance.
the amount of grains in the recipe and It is meant to seem like an English ale, but it is not an atempt to clone any commercial
lowers the amount of malt extract required. brand or mimic any classic beer style. For best results, make an appropriately sized yeast
All this requires is a second nylon steep- starter so you are pitching actively fermenting yeast, and hold the fermentation temperature
ing bag. Steep the steepable grains in your as constant as you can manage. If you can’t find fresh Goldings, feel free to use any other
brewpot after you have collected the wort English hop variety you like.
from your mash.
Batch volume: 5 US gal. (18.9 L) Color: 35+ SRM
PARTIAL MASHING Original gravity: 1.090 (21.6°P) Bitterness: 56 IBU
FOR EXTRACT BREWERS Final gravity: 1.022 (5.6°P) Alcohol: 8.7% by volume
Partial mashing is a greay way for extract
brewers to explore the variety of base malts MALTS & ADJUNCTS
available. Malts can be separated into two 9 lb. (4.1 kg) English pale ale malt, approx. 3°L 3 oz. (85 g) black malt, 500°L
types—malts that can be steeped and malts 6 oz. (170 g) crystal malt, 60–80°L 4 lb. (1.8 kg) light liquid malt extract
that must be mashed. Among malts that 5 oz. (150 g) chocolate malt, 350–400°L 8 oz. (230 g) sucrose (cane sugar)
must be mashed (base malts), there are a
wide variety, and very few have malt extract HOPS
equivalents. For example, there are malt 3 oz. (85 g) Goldings, 5% a.a. @ 60 min
extracts for Pilsner and Munich malts, but 1 oz. (28 g) Goldings, 5% a.a. @ 0 min
there are many different Pilser and Munich 1 oz. (28 g) Goldings, 5% a.a., dry hop
malts available—all with slightly differ-
ing characters. Exploring partial mashing YEAST
allows an extract brewer to try out these 3 qt. (3 L) starter attenuative English ale yeast
malts.
It can be challenging or impossible to WATER
incorporate many unmalted adjuncts into Carbon filter and adjust with distilled water and CaSO₄ as needed for roughly 70 ppm
an all-extract beer, but partial mashing carbonates and 150–200 ppm Ca.
offers a solution. Flaked maize (corn), raw
wheat, rice, and more can be converted ADDITIONAL ITEMS
with some base malt in a small mash and 0.5 tsp. Irish moss (or other fining agent) @ 20 min
then augmented with malt extract to make 0.5 tsp. calcium chloride (optional)
up the difference. 4.5 oz. (130 g) corn sugar for priming bottles to 2.3 vol. (4.6 g/L) CO₂

MAKE A DRIER OR PALER BEER BREWING NOTES

You can make wort that is more fermentable Make your yeast starter 2–3 days ahead of time. Mash grains at 150°F (66°C) for 60 minutes,
and lower in color by mashing malted grains stirring every 10 minutes. (Add boiling water or heat mash tun to maintain temperature after
than you can by dissolving malt extract. So, stirring, if needed.) Mash out to 170°F (77°C) and recirculate wort. Collect roughly 6.5 gal. (24.6 L)
extract brewers who would like to make a of wort. Boil for 90 minutes to reduce volume to just over 5 gal. (18.9 L).
drier beer, or one that is lighter in color than For the final hour of the boil, stir in roughly 1 lb. (450 g) of malt extract every 15 minutes. Add
they can achieve with malt extract alone, can the bittering hops for the final 60 minutes of the boil. Stir in cane sugar in final 5 minutes. Add
turn to partial mashing. second dose of hops at knockout.
Simply substituting pale or Pilsner malt Chill wort to 68°F (20°C) and rack to fermenter. Aerate wort and pitch yeast. Ferment at 70°F
Photo © Getty/ozina (bricks)

for light dried malt extract will yield a drier, (21°C). Avoid letting the fermentation temperature climb. After fermentation is complete, add
lighter beer than you could make from malt dry hops. Leave dry hops in contact with the beer for 5 days, then keg or bottle.
extract alone. However, you can take an
extra step to further increase fermentability.
When you collect the wort from your mash,

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 49

do not mash out to 170°F (77°C). Leave the The recipe for Freya’s Locks that accompa- treated to remove most of the water. Due
wort at 150° to 158°F (66° to 70°C) and stir nies this article demonstrates how to make a to this extra step, malt extract costs more
in the malt extract. Let this sit for about 5 dry, light-colored ale using partial mashing. than malted grains on a “gravity points per
minutes, enough time for the enzymes in pound per gallon” basis. As such, switching
your malted grain wort to modify carbohy- LOWER YOUR PER-BATCH COST from extract brewing—with or without
drates from the malt extract. For best results Malt extract is made from wort, which is steeping grains—to partial mash brewing
with regards to picking up as little color in in turn made from mashing malted grains. will save you a few bucks.
the boil as possible, perform a full-wort boil. Wort destined to be turned into extract is
TEST THE WATERS OF ALL-GRAIN BREWING
Finally, partial mashing can provide an
excellent transition into all-grain brew-
ing. You can try partial mashing without
obtaining all the vessels you need to start
all-grain brewing. And you can still boil
the wort on your stovetop, obviating the
need to get a propane burner or other
equipment capable of a full-wort boil.
Then, once you gain some confidence
with mashing—it’s a lot easier than it
is sometimes made out to be—you can
upgrade your brewing setup. You can also
make smaller all-grain batches using a
typical partial mash brewing setup.

Chris Colby has been a homebrewer

since the early ’90s, when he studied
molecular evolutionary genetics at
Boston University. After receiving
his PhD in 1997, he briefly worked
in educational publishing before
becoming a beer writer and editor. He
is the author of Methods of Modern
Homebrewing (2017), Home Brew
Recipe Bible (2016), and the Brewers
Publications® title How to Make
Hard Seltzer: Refreshing Recipes for
Sparkling Libations (September 2020).
He lives in Bastrop, Texas, with his wife
and many cats.

50 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

Brehwis!
T Freya’s Locks (Partial Mash)
Blonde ale
Recipe by Chris Colby

This blonde ale is lighter in color and drier than could be made with malt extract alone. The beer is not meant to be the driest or lightest possible, but
simply on that end of the spectrum. (For an even drier, lighter beer, swap sucrose for some of the malt extract.) Use fresh malts and malt extract—
and pay extra attention to cleaning and sanitation—to get the best bready malt character balanced by the hop aromatics. A superior beer to enjoy
while grilling and clicking your tongs.

Batch volume: 5 US gal. (18.9 L) Color: 6–7 SRM

Original gravity: 1.044 (11°P) Bitterness: 21 IBU
Final gravity: 1.010 (2.6°P) Alcohol: 4.5% by volume

MALTS
2.9 lb. (1.3 kg) Pilsner malt, 2°L 0.33 lb. (150 g) light crystal or “Cara” malt,
0.75 lb. (340 g) Vienna malt, 3°L 10°L or lighter
3 lb. (1.4 kg) light liquid malt extract

HOPS
0.33 oz. (9.4 g) Summit, 17% a.a. @ 60 min
0.5 oz. (14 g) Willamette, 5% a.a. @ 0 min

YEAST
2 qt. (2 L) yeast starter neutral, attenuative ale yeast (any “Chico” strain should work great)

WATER
Carbon filter and adjust with distilled water and CaCl₂ as needed for less than 50 ppm carbonates and 100–150 ppm Ca.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS
0.5 tsp. Irish moss (or other fining agent) 0.28 oz. (8 g) Polyclar AT (PVPP, optional)
@ 20 min 4.75 oz. (135 g) corn sugar for priming bottles
0.5 tsp. calcium chloride (optional) to 2.6 vol. (5.2 g/L) CO2

BREWING NOTES
Make yeast starter 2–3 days ahead of time. In your brew pot, heat Bring wort to a boil. If hot break does not appear big and fluffy
5.5 qt. (5.2 L) brewing liquor to 161°F (72°C). Place crushed grains after 5 minutes, add 0.5 tsp. calcium chloride. Add the bittering
in a large steeping bag and submerge in brew pot. Mash at 150°F hops and boil wort for an additional 55 minutes. Add Irish moss with
(66°C) for 45 minutes, stirring and heating briefly every 10 minutes 20 minutes left in the boil. Don’t let boil volume dip below 3 gal.
to maintain the mash temperature. In a separate pot, heat 5 qt. (4.7 L) (11.4 L) during boil. Add boiling water to top up, if needed. Stir in the
water to 170°F (77°C). remaining malt extract in the last 10 minutes of the boil.
When the mash is done, do not conduct a mash-out step. Lift bag Chill wort to 68°F (20°C), rack wort to a fermenter, and add water
above brew pot and let it drip until you can move the bag of grain to a to yield about 5 gal. (18.9 L). Aerate the wort thoroughly and pitch
2-gallon beverage cooler without splattering too much. Scoop or pour sediment from the decanted yeast starter. Ferment at 68°F (20°C).
the wort from the brew pot into the cooler. Recirculate the wort until it After fermentation stops, rack to a secondary fermenter and hold for
clears a bit, then run off. three days. Fine with PVPP for clarity, if desired (see below), before
Sparge steadily over 60 minutes. To do so, collect about a cup (250 racking beer to keg or bottling bucket. Carbonate to 2.6 vol. (5.2 g/L)
mL) of wort from the cooler every 90 seconds, then add the same of CO₂.
volume of hot water to the top of the grain bed. Once you have collected
about 10 qt. (9.5 L), add roughly half of the malt extract to your FOR CLEARER BEER (OPTIONAL)
brew pot, and let the wort dissolve it. Once the extract is completely After fermentation and conditioning, dissolve 8 g PVPP in roughly 2 fl.
dissolved, hold the temperature near 150°F (66°C) as you collect the oz. (60 mL) of hot water and gently stir into top layer of beer. Let settle
rest of the wort. Add about 2 qt. (1.9 L) of water to the brew pot to yield overnight, then rack beer to keg or bottling bucket.
about 3.5 gal. (13.3 L) when you’re done collecting the wort.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 51

 A HOMEBREW CHALLENGE
By Steve Ruch

A
fter recently exploring how to brew with minimal Brewers Cup and garnered the Bill Friday award, which is
equipment in “Homebrew on a Budget” (May/ given to the homebrew club that receives the highest average
June 2022), I started contemplating a possible number of points scored by the total number of club entries.
follow-up article, but wasn’t quite sure just how MASH plainly knows what it’s doing.
to approach it. I got on MASH’s Facebook page and issued a “homebrew
I’m very satisfied with the beer I brew with minimal equip- challenge” to one and all. I explained my concept and then
ment and using low-level techniques and I thought about sat back and waited. My challenge was soon answered by
doing a piece detailing a normal brewday with basic equip- Jed Lengerich, brewer extraordinaire, man amoung men,
ment, but that probably wouldn’t be of much interest to most gentleman and scholar, and a good drinking partner (too
Zymurgy readers. I then had a (rare) brilliant idea: comparing much?). Currently serving as the club’s president, Jed is an
a recipe brewed on minimal equipment with the most basic active, engaged member who is always happy to share his
technique against the same recipe brewed on an elaborate homebrew. Jed recently scored a third place at the Drunk
brew setup with all, or most of, the bells and whistles. Monk Challenge in the Pilsner category and, combined
Fort Wayne’s MASH homebrew club was established in with the success of the entire club membership, I began to
2000 and currently has about 50 active members. The club’s feel like someone who accidentally jumped into the deep
mission is to promote education and knowledge of the art of end of the pool.
brewing. In addition to regular monthly meetings at which We arranged with two of MASH’s certified judges to sam-
club members share and critique their creations, there are ple my beer at home after the next meeting and to involve
also special “Partial Mash” meetings that focus on the educa- the rest of the group to do a triangle test. We settled on
tional side of homebrewing. a porter recipe (see accompanying recipe for World’s Best
Through a series of five competitions throughout the Porter). I mashed my normal 3-gallon brew-in-a-bag (BIAB)
year, winning brewers get to brew a commercial batch of batch and boiled it on my kitchen stove, then down to my
their winning recipe at a local brewery, and Mad Anthony cellar to no-chill overnight to 62°F (17°C). I transferred the
Brewing Co.’s early support offers a clue to the club’s original wort to my plastic bucket the next morning, put it in a cor-
name, Mad Anthony Serious Homebrewers. Last year MASH ner of my front room at 60°F (16°C), and pitched the yeast.
won the homebrew club of the year award at the Indiana I bottled after 14 days.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 53

 Jed prepared his 5-gallon batch in an Anvil quite happy with the results when I bottled
Foundry. His wort chiller got it down to two weeks later.
62°F (17°C), after which he transferred it to On March 19, MASH held its monthly
a Spike Flex stainless steel fermenter and put meeting at Ambrosia Orchards, a 12-acre
that into a temperature-controlled chamber farmstead just south of Fort Wayne in
set at 60°F (16°C). Jed’s batch was kegged. unincorporated Hoagland, Ind., which has
I sure hope Jed’s brew day went better a meadery and cidery on the premises. Jed
than mine. First off, I misread my recipe and I arrived early to set up the triangle test,
and had to quickly unpack my grain mill and then as members arrived, we steered

Brehwis!
and mill another 3 ounces of chocolate them to the small room that was set apart
malt. Then, in the process of adding the from the main meeting area to participate in
T additional chocolate malt, some ended the triangle test prior to the official meeting.
up on the floor. I then spilled some water Of the 19 triangle test participants who
while rinsing out the bucket into which I took part, 16 (84 percent) successfully
had milled the malt. And, of course, after picked my batch as the one that was differ-
67(9(·6 taking a gravity sample, I misjudged where
my hand was (getting older is such fun)
ent. Ten of the 19 participants (53 percent)
preferred Jed’s version, while six (32 per-
:25/'·6 and accidentally knocked over my hydrom-
eter tube and broke my hydrometer. But
cent) preferred mine, and three (16 percent)
didn’t have a preference. The bottom line to
BEST PORTER even with a rough go on brew day, I was me is that nearly half of tasters either pre-

Batch volume: 3 US gal. (11.4 L)

Original gravity: 1.046 (11.4°P)
Final gravity: 1.012 (3°P)
Bitterness 25 IBU
Color: 28 SRM
Alcohol: 4.5% by volume

MALTS
3 lb. (1.36 kg) Munich malt
1.5 lb. (.68 kg) pale ale malt
6 oz. (168 g) chocolate malt
4 oz. (113 g) victory malt
4 oz. (113 g) crystal 40 malt
2 oz. (57 g) brown malt

HOPS
0.8 oz. (22.4 g) Willamette, 5.7% a.a.
@ 30 min

YEAST
1 sachet (11 g) Nottingham

ADDITIONAL ITEMS
2.75 oz. (77 g) sugar for bottle priming
1 tablet Campden

BREWING NOTES
Treat 4 gal. (15.1 L) water with a Campden
tablet. Mash grains for 40 minutes at
152°F (67°C) using a mash thickness of
Photo © Getty/bieshutterb (trophy background)

1.5 qt/lb (3.1 L/kg). Sparge with enough

water to collect 3.3 gal. (12.5 L) of wort.
Bring to a boil, add the hops, and boil for
30 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the
hops, let the wort naturally cool overnight
to 60°F (16°C), and pitch the yeast. Bottle
after two weeks.

54 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

 ferred the beer brewed with minimal equip- When I devised my recipe, I didn’t spe-
ment and simple techniques or rated it equal cifically aim for an English- or American- Brehwis!
to the batch brewed on the fancy rig.
Mike Heckman and Corwin Minerd,
style porter but instead went with what
ingredients I had on hand that I thought
T
both certified judges, took bottles of my would make a good beer.
beer home to judge. Corwin judged using I’m grateful to Corwin Minerd, Adam
BJCP Category 13C. English Porter. He Wolford, Edison Bender, Mike Heckman,
scored it 38, saying, “Excellent English
porter with great nutty malt character” and
Tom, Greg, D.H., and all the other MASH
members who participated anonymously.
-('·6
“Earthy English hop character comple- And a special thanks to Jed for accepting :25/'·6
menting the malt well.” Mike went above
and beyond the call of duty and judged
my challenge and brewing a darn good
batch of porter. I’m proud that my effort %(673257(5
it against both the English and American compared with his as favorably as it did.
Porter (20A) guidelines, scoring it 34 as I definitely recommend connecting with Batch volume: 5 US gal. (18.9 L)
the former and 40 as the latter. “Closer a homebrew club in your area if one is Original gravity: 1.048 (11.9°P)
to American porter due to intensity of available, especially if it’s as good as MASH. Final gravity: 1.012 (3°P)
roastiness,” he commented, “although If not, start one. Bitterness: 25 IBU
American porter is usually more aggressive- Color: 28 SRM
ly hopped.” Both Mike and Corwin called it Steve Ruch is a frequent Zymurgy Alcohol: 4.7% by volume
very drinkable. contributor from Fort Wayne, Ind.
MALTS
6.75 lb. (3.07 kg) Munich malt
2.25 lb. (1.03 kg) pale malt
14 oz. (392 g) chocolate malt
9 oz. (252 g) crystal 40 malt
9 oz. (252 g) Victory malt
3 oz. (84 g) brown malt

HOPS
1.6 oz. (45 g) Willamette, 5.7% a.a.
@ 30 min

YEAST
1 sachet (11 g) Nottingham

ADDITIONAL ITEMS
1 tsp. Irish moss @ 15 min
0.5 tsp. yeast nutrient @ 10 min
3g beta glucanase in mash
0.5 tsp. amylase enzyme in mash

WATER
Ca 49 ppm, Mg 8 ppm, Na 33 ppm, SO₄ 71
ppm, Cl 56 ppm, HCO₃ 88 ppm

BREWING NOTES
Collect 7.25 gal. (27.4 L) of brewing liquor
and heat to 160°F (71°C). Dough in milled
grains, and mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60
minutes, targeting a mash pH of 5.36.
Recirculate wort for 50 minutes and mash
Photos courtesy of Steve Ruch; Jed Lengerich

out at 168°F (76°C) for 15 minutes. Lift

brew basket or brew bag and allow grains
to drain into kettle while heating wort to
a boil. Add hops and boil for 30 minutes.
Chill to 62°F (17°C) and transfer to fer-
menter. Oxygenate for 1 minute and pitch
yeast. Ferment at 60°F (16°C). Keg after
two weeks and force carbonate.

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 55

 FERMENT
onThis

The Essence of Style

Understanding Beer Styles

By Gordon Strong

B
eer styles are part of a structured meth- guidelines, which can add another layer of erence since they are the most widely used
od for categorizing and describing beer. structure by categorizing the styles into beer guidelines for homebrewers. Those
They are intended to be a convenient related groupings. The most common set guidelines don’t describe every beer style
shorthand for discussing beer, and to of guidelines for homebrewers is the BJCP made in the world but do include those
allow all who taste the beer to be able to Style Guidelines, which are used in most most entered in homebrew competitions.
describe it using a common framework homebrew competitions. The Brewers The guidelines are based on currently
and language. A beer style is simply a Association publishes guidelines for com- acknowledged, world-class commercial
structured definition of a certain type of mercial competitions it sponsors, and examples, historical references to styles no
beer that may have originated in a certain several beer-rating websites (such as Beer longer brewed, and writings of noted beer
country, region, or city, or be known by Advocate) maintain their own guidelines. researchers and journalists.
its color, strength, ingredients, process, or Beer writers often have their own catego-
flavor profile. It’s the quick response given ries; in fact, most modern style guidelines THE PURPOSE OF BEER STYLES
when someone asks you, “What kind of are based on the early writings of Michael Most style guidelines are created with a pur-
beer is this?” Jackson and Fred Eckhardt. pose in mind. The guidelines of the BJCP
Beer style descriptions are typically In subsequent discussions, I’m using the and the Brewers Association are designed
organized into a comprehensive set of style BJCP Style Guidelines as my frame of ref- to assist competitions by providing a frame

HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 57

of reference for brewers and judges, and
by grouping together similar beer styles for
judging purposes. Without beer styles, com-
petitions would be nearly impossible to con-
duct. Judging would simply become a hedo-
nistic event, where judges would pick beers
according to their own personal preferences.
The outcome would be totally arbitrary
and would depend on the background and
whims of those who judge the beers—not a
desirable situation.
Style guidelines from consumer-orient-
ed organizations are meant to provide an
easy way to discuss beer and to compare
similar commercial examples. Beer writers
group beer so they can tell a story, usually
discussing how styles were developed and
how they are currently made. Whichever
set of guidelines are chosen as a reference,
be sure you understand why they were cre-
ated and try to use them for their intended
purpose. Problems arise when this advice is
not followed.
For some professional brewers (and even
homebrewers), even mentioning the sub-
ject of beer styles is like waving a red flag
in front of a bull. Some beer enthusiasts
support the idea of beer styles but strongly
disagree with particular style descriptions
or sets of guidelines. These strong respons-
es are generally either based on a misun- the catch-all category in the style guide- one type of beer, mead, or cider.
derstanding of the purpose of the guide- lines where creativity is king. The larger style categories are arbitrary
lines, on observations of them being used Even if the notion of style guidelines groupings of beers, meads, or ciders, usu-
incorrectly, or on a dislike of the person or is not something you accept, understand ally with similar character or historical ties.
group making the guidelines. These con- that most craft beer aficionados will use However, some subcategories are not neces-
tentious issues are what led me to call beer beer styles to communicate. If you ask a sarily related to others within the same cat-
styles a misunderstood necessity. bartender in a good pub, “Do you have any egory. If there is ever any confusion about
Some professional brewers look at the IPAs?” you should expect him to tell you inferring some attribute by how a beer is
style guidelines as limiting, as if they about his hoppiest beers. If you go to a categorized, always defer to the specific
are telling them how and what to brew. beer store and ask, “Can you recommend descriptions for each subcategory.
Nothing could be further from the truth; a stout?” then you should expect to be led The purpose of the structure within the
style guidelines are an attempt to categorize to the dark beers. If you go to Belgium and BJCP Style Guidelines is to group styles
what brewers are brewing or what has his- ask for a tripel, you should ask if they got of beer, mead, and cider for competition
torically been brewed. The guidelines take your order right if they hand you a glass of purposes—do not attempt to derive addi-
in the range of world-class examples and brown beer. Styles exist, even if people just tional meaning from these category groupings.
the characteristics that make these beers think of them as “type of beer.” Seemingly unrelated beers may be grouped
taste so good. Most individual beer styles according to sensory impact. They don’t
have quite a wide range and allow for sig- UNDERSTANDING BJCP TERMS all have historical or regional ties, yet they
nificant brewer creativity. The BJCP Style Guidelines use some are judged together so as to minimize vari-
Guidelines naturally evolve over time as specific terms with specialized meanings ation in palate impact that judges would
consumers’ tastes and commercial exam- that might not be immediately obvious; experience.
ples change. New styles emerge, while the most important terms are Category,
others tend to fade away and be forgotten. Subcategory, and Style. When thinking of THE ‘NARROWNESS’ OF STYLES
Some brewers continually push the enve- beer, mead, and cider styles, the subcategory Some styles are quite well known, others
lope and try to create new and unique is the most important label—subcategory are historical notions, while still others
beers. Those are best judged on their own means essentially the same thing as style are artificial creations for the purpose of
individualistic merits as Specialty Beers, and identifies the major characteristic of categorizing relatively unique beers or

Editor’s Note: This excerpt from Brewing Better Beer: Master Lessons for Advanced Homebrewers by Gordon Strong has been lightly edited for length
and style. Brewing Better Beer and many other Brewers Publications titles are available for free until December 31, 2023, with purchase or renewal of an AHA
membership. See HomebrewersAssociation.org for details.

58 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

for grouping similar beers for judging THE STYLE SPACE black pale ales; decrease the gravity of a
purposes. That said, there is a notion of I like to think about the style space a beer black IPA and you have another style.
narrowness of style that applies to the occupies—that is, which styles of beer are If you’re judging beer (even your own
variation between commercial examples closest to the style you are discussing, and beer), it helps to know the nearest neigh-
within a style. Some styles are based on a which variables are different. For example, bors in the style space. If you think a beer
small number of examples (e.g., California an American Pale Ale fits between a Blonde is out of style, then maybe it’s a better fit
Common), while others may have explicit Ale and an American IPA in hoppiness and in an adjacent style. Each different char-
requirements (e.g., Kölsch)—those are nar- strength. Back off on the hops (and maybe acteristic in beer (gravity, bitterness, color,
row styles. Other styles embrace multiple the strength) and you have a Blonde Ale. flavor, body, etc.) is a potential vector in
stylistic variations (e.g., Foreign Style Stout, Increase the strength (and maybe the hops) the n-dimensional style space. If you deter-
Old Ale), and hence are broader. Some and you have an IPA. Tweak the malt-hop mine your own beer hits an adjacent style
styles allow a great degree of creativity on balance to favor the malt a bit more, and better before entering it in a competition,
the part of the brewer, and therefore are you have either an American Amber Ale or you may wind up with a higher score, since
wide open (e.g., Mild, Belgian Dark Strong an American Brown Ale (add more crystal you’ll be judged against a different style
Ale). All of these factors contribute to styles malt for an amber, add some chocolate malt description that may be a better match. If
being handled differently. for a brown). Play around with the varieties you’re judging in a competition, you may
The nature of the research into the of malt, hops, and yeast while keeping the be able to give the brewer better advice on
styles is another factor. Some styles have strength and balance the same, and you how his or her beer tastes if you can refer
many commercial examples; these styles have an English or Belgian Pale Ale. to another style by name.
are relatively easy to describe. Some styles The style space also comes in handy if Some people have attempted to map the
are historical, have few sources, or are not you’re interested in making a specialty beer. style space graphically (I sometimes see
widely available; these styles may be less The gap between styles is fertile ground for charts like this when a brewpub is trying
fully described. Styles also tend to evolve, identifying “out-of-style” beers that could to explain its lineup). Such an exercise
and descriptions may describe variations be described by their own style. Black is difficult, because beers typically have
over time. In some cases (e.g., English IPA), IPAs are an example of a gap in the styles. more dimensions than are shown on the
the styles describe beers the way they used There are dark pale ales but not dark IPAs. graph. You can show a few attributes, like
to be made more than the way they are American Stouts are dark, strong, and color and strength, but those don’t fully
currently made. This allows the historic hoppy, but the roast character, body, and model the profile of the beers. They only
heritage of a style to be preserved and the balance are different. If you can change a show you a small part of the actual dif-
beer to be brewed by homebrewers, even if few variables and make a new style, then ference between the styles. Those limited
most commercial brewers no longer make you have something you can enter as a models may be helpful if you are only
it that way. Styles may be rediscovered specialty beer. There are black IPAs but no concerned about the balance between two
(e.g., Porter, Witbier) and be revived in their
historical context. It is a judgment call on
the part of the BJCP to decide how best to
handle a style. Beers tend to be described
in the way that they were when they were
the most authentic and popular.

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 Styles exist,
even if people
just think of
them as “type
of beer.”

• Avoid looking at the details without

looking at the overall impression. The
various attributes of beer styles have some
of the variables (for instance, graphing you have to add lemons or acid malt in range to them (for example, the allowable
bitterness versus gravity shows the relative order to generate this impression. It’s a bitterness or hop flavor). It’s possible to
hop intensity of a beer). natural component that can come out choose values for each of these attributes
A better way to illustrate the style space in some beers; don’t force it. that seem to fit the style definition yet
is to focus on one style and then show only • Pay attention to the order and intensity create a beer that doesn’t fit the style at all.
its nearest neighboring styles. This type of the descriptors; this will give you an When in doubt, the overall impression
of chart could show the attributes which, idea of the overall profile. Try to map and balance trump the individual style
when changed, result in the adjacent styles. out primary, secondary, and background attributes. The beer as a whole has to
That’s much easier to understand and use components. Your idea is to capture the make sense for the style.
in the general case, but it doesn’t show you balance; if you change the priority and These factors help you understand what
the full landscape of beer. You would have intensity of the style components, then is important for the style. As you can
to compare multiple charts (or use spider you are describing a different beer. tell, I’m trying to get you to envision the
graphs) to get that type of information. • Understand what is required versus essence of the style, the overall impression
optional in a style. For example, old ales and balance of the components present, to
HOW TO READ AND APPLY THE STYLES and barleywines may have an oxidized know what must be present for the style to
As someone with a keen interest in improv- character; don’t penalize beers if they be valid and what separates it from other
ing the BJCP Style Guidelines, I’ve observed don’t. IPAs require a hoppy aroma; if it is styles. That is how a style is defined; by the
countless times how the descriptions are missing, then it’s not right. big picture.
used in practice. Most people generally • Avoid the halo effect of a single
understand how to use them properly, but commercial example defining the entire Gordon Strong, author of Modern
I’ve also seen many get confused and wind style for you. For example, not all Homebrew Recipes: Exploring Styles
up with poor results. I’d like to cover the American pale ales will taste like Sierra and Contemporary Techniques (Brewers
practical use of the style guidelines and Nevada Pale Ale. That doesn’t mean Publications, 2015) and Brewing Better
how to identify what is important to know they aren’t good examples. Styles aren’t Beer: Master Lessons for Advanced
when brewing beer, entering competitions, meant to be a clone beer exercise. Homebrewers (Brewers Publications,
and judging beer. • Understand the range of the style (how 2011), is the only three-time winner of the
Here are my lessons learned in how to narrow or how broad it is, as described coveted National Homebrew Competition
properly read and apply the guidelines: in the “narrowness” discussion). This Samuel Adams Ninkasi Award. He is
• Don’t overfocus on a single phrase in defines how much creativity a brewer president emeritus and highest-ranking
the style description. You may be giving can apply and still be within style. judge in the Beer Judge Certification
it more importance than it is due. For Don’t make a style more narrow or Program, and principal author of the BJCP
example, if a hefeweizen is described as broad than it is; think about the overall Style Guidelines and the BJCP Mead Exam
“may have a tart character,” don’t think style space. Study Guide.

60 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy HomebrewersAssociation.org

 A U G U S T 5, 2 0 2 3

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HomebrewersAssociation.org Zymurgy | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | 63

 LAST
DropBY DREW BEECHUM
& DENNY CONN

But, That’s Not How the Pros Do It!

I
n their attempts to perfect their process, a If cooking’s not your thing, how about We’re now in a time of science-minded
common refrain we hear from homebrew- these examples: you wouldn’t build a car at homebrewers and craft brewers who are
ers when we advocate for simplicity or home in the same way an auto factory does; tackling brewing in their own way to effi-
breaking from tradition is “Hey, that’s not you wouldn’t build a chair the same way ciently produce flavorful, quality beers. The
how the big breweries do it!” a factory producing a hundred thousand technical precision needed to make a great
Let’s get real for a moment. For all of our units would. We can go on. IPA is looser than an industrial lager, but
flights of fancy—our dreams of manning the The truth is that everything changes there are new questions not answered by
giant kettles to supply supreme suds to soci- when you scale and when your goal is to existing lager-powered research. We are find-
ety—we aren’t pros. (And, for the record, produce the same beer over and over and ing out that we can be less rigid, less formal,
neither of us have any desire to turn pro.) over again. Drew can make a pretty damn and still produce great beer. That’s because
While we strive for a certain level of effi- fine Pilsner at home without needing to once you know what the science is and how
ciency like professional brewers do, what we obsess over a mashing detail like “endo- it works, you can decide what applies to you
do at home is fundamentally different from sperm mashing” a la Trumer Brauerei in in your own home brewery and how you
what any commercial brewery does. their Austrian and Californian breweries. want to implement it. Ain’t life grand?
Breweries are often trying to solve prob- Homebrewers can use more malt and
lems that we, as homebrewers, don’t have. sparge less to reduce tannins because we’re Drew Beechum and Denny Conn
We shouldn’t expect our techniques and not trying to shave every penny we can are cohosts of the Experimental
needs to be the same. You don’t cook meals from our costs. We can go brew a massive Brewing podcast and co-authors of
for a restaurant full of customers the same beer and give it endless amounts of time to Simple Homebrewing, Experimental
way you make dinner for your family. They ferment and age, because, hey, if we need Homebrewing, and HomeBrew All-Stars.
are radically different. a new fermenter we can just go get a new They live in Pasadena, Calif., and Noti,
It’s the same with brewing. When it bucket, carboy, or whatever. Try doing that Ore., respectively.
comes to quality, there’s less difference with a commercially sized stainless tank.
between what we make at home and what Alternative processes, like BIAB (brew-in-
you get from a professional brewery than a-bag) and no-chill brewing (where brewers
what we see between home cooking and skip the post-boil chill step in favor of a
a multi-Michelin-starred restaurant. Yes, gradual overnight chill) work because our
we have echoes of the same processes and scale is smaller, weights are less, and the
the same basic techniques, but it’s far less thermodynamics are more forgiving.
important for us to emulate the pros to get Seriously, we have so much freedom, it’s
great results than if you’re trying to match, not even funny. Every brew can be a new
say, James Beard–award-winner Thomas idea, every batch can be an experiment.
Keller’s food. Try doing that when your batches are your
profits. We don’t have the moral dilemma
that comes from dumping a bad batch
down the drain, because it’s only a few dol-
lars, not a few thousand.
That’s another reason why the battle cry
“But that’s not what X does,” is terrible.
Almost all of that beloved research that peo-
ple love to wave around about various mag-
ical reactions that can make or break your
brew was done at the behest of massive lager
corporations for their specific needs: the
lowest cost, highest shelf stability, a longer
sales period, and shorter fermentation time.
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Editor’s Note: This excerpt from Simple Homebrewing: Great Beer, Less Work, More Fun by Brewers Publications title such
Drew Beechum and Denny Conn has been lightly edited for length and style. Simple Homebrewing as Simple Homebrewing: Great
Beer, Less Work, More Fun by Drew
and many other Brewers Publications titles are available for free until December 31, 2023, with
Beechum and Denny Conn. Offer
purchase or renewal of an AHA membership. See HomebrewersAssociation.org for details. valid until December 31, 2023, on
titles up to $24.99. Join or renew
64 | JULY/AUGUST 2023 | Zymurgy at HomebrewersAssociation.org.