September / October 2024

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The Secrets to Freezing Yeast

By Martin Keen

The cost savings of reusing yeast is significant, but a downside is that you have to brew your next batch before the viability of the yeast greatly declines. However, you can freeze the yeast, which will keep it usable for years. Special precautions need to be taken as just tossing a pouch of yeast in the freezer will rupture cell walls and kill it. This is why you need a cryopreservative. Learn how to freeze yeast correctly. With a bit of preparation and minimal equipment, you too can have a large yeast bank in your freezer to choose from whenever you want to brew your next batch.

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Using Barrel Alternatives

By Dawson Raspuzzi

Oak barrels aren’t the only way to add oak character to your homebrews. Two experts share their advice for getting the most from barrel alternatives such as spirals, staves, chips, and cubes.

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Fauxlera Barrel Blends

By Tobin Bottman

Solera aging requires multiple barrels, with the ones on the bottom being drawn off occasionally and then topped up with beer from the barrels above and new beer being added to the mix at the top. It creates a multi-vintage blend from various batches. Since most hobbyists don’t have multiple barrels to dedicate for such a purpose, one homebrewer offers his is own approach — a fauxlera, if you will.

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Oak It Up

By Dawson Raspuzzi

Barrel aging contributes to the complexity of many of the world’s most sought-after beers. We query four pros in charge of barrel programs of various sizes about creating barrel-aged beers. Each also offers us a clone recipe for one of their barrel-aged offerings.

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Balancing a Draft System

By Bill Jablonski

Balancing your home draft system requires getting just three things correct: Temperature, pressure, and resistance.

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Infrastructure Needs for Nanos

By John Blichmann

There are a lot of infrastructure-related things to consider when choosing a location for your nanobrewery. Understanding these before signing a contract can save you loads of time and money in the future.

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Frost Beer Works

By Derek Dellinger

Frost Beer Works in Hinesburg, Vermont, is best known for its hazy IPAs, but it was a fall seasonal that won the hearts of a couple who toured breweries across the Northeast on their “beermoon” a few years ago.

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Understanding Water Reports

By Drew Beechum & Denny Conn

Adjusting your water to accentuate the beer style you are brewing begins with understanding what is already in the water you use. One of the easiest places to start is with your local water report that should have all of the information you are in search of, with some important caveats.

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Old Ale

By Gordon Strong

Old ale is a style that is difficult to define given how many variations there are. Gordon Strong does his best to offer some guidelines around what it is and how to brew an old ale worthy of aging.

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Yeast Slants, Candi Sugar, & Cold Crashing

By Ashton Lewis

The Wizard answers questions about creating yeast slants and building up a population of yeast from them. He also defines and offers advice around candi sugar and cold crashing.

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Trip of a Lifetime

By George Downs

A recent retiree’s bucket list includes visiting breweries in all 50 U.S. States and diving deeper into his homebrewing hobby. Combining the two turns into the trip of a lifetime.

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Frost Beer Works’ Fall Ale Clone

By Derek Dellinger

Fall Ale is an American strong ale made with heritage crystal malt, rye, and oats, that tastes like Autumn in New England.

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Gordon Strong’s Old Ale

By Gordon Strong

This old ale recipe can be drank young, but may be best if cellared for 6+ months.

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3 Sons Brewing Co.’s Summation Clone

By Dawson Raspuzzi

This is the base recipe for Summation, which 3 Sons often brews variations of with added flavors like coffee, vanilla, and more. If you wish to create a variation with adjuncts, add after barrel aging.

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Cerebral Brewing Co.’s Standard Practice Clone

By Dawson Raspuzzi

Stouts and barleywines aren’t the only styles you should consider aging in barrels. This helles lands on the other end of the flavor intensity threshold and is perfect for any occasion. This beer received a gold medal in 2022 at the Festival of Barrel Aged Beers.

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Firestone Walker Brewing Co.’s Parabola Clone 

By Dawson Raspuzzi

Parabola is arguably Firestone Walker’s most notorious barrel-aged beer and is released as a vintage beer each year. This imperial stout is thick with bold yet balanced flavors of chocolate, charred oak, vanilla, black cherry, and coffee.

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Mortalis Brewing Co.’s Ophion Clone 

By Dawson Raspuzzi

This is the base recipe for Ophion, which Mortalis has released numerous variants of over the years with differing aging times and occasional adjunct additions like vanilla beans, coconut, and more.

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Solera Saison

By Tobin Bottman

A saison great for barrel aging and brewing time and time again when a portion of the barrel is drawn off.

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Building a population from yeast slants

By Ashton Lewis

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What is candi sugar?

By Ashton Lewis

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What does “cold crashing” mean?

By Ashton Lewis