Learn to brew

Brewing, explained by people who build the gear.

Brew-day technique, fermentation, chilling and equipment guides, written from the workshop in Vancouver. Pick a topic or search.

Illustration: a frosty mug of root beer with roots, star anise and a cinnamon stick Recipes2 min read How to Make Root Beer from Roots: Recipe, 1 to 30 GallonsHomemade root beer from sarsaparilla, licorice and wintergreen: a strong root tea sweetened with brown sugar and molasses and carbonated with CO₂. No alcohol, no sassafras, and a recipe card... Illustration: a cloth-covered jar of fermenting water kefir with grains at the bottom, a glass of pink water kefir, raspberries and lemon Fermentation3 min read How to Make Water Kefir: Grains, Recipe and Flavours, 1 to 30 GallonsHow to make water kefir: grains and sugar per gallon, a 24 to 48 hour first ferment, flavours, carbonating it, how much alcohol it makes, and a recipe card that... Illustration: a loaf of dark rye bread with toasted slices, a mug of dark kvass and a stainless brew kettle Fermentation2 min read How to Make Kvass: Rye Bread Kvass, 1 to 30 GallonsHow to make kvass from rye bread: toasting, a hot steep, sugar, a 12 to 24 hour ferment, how much alcohol it makes, and a recipe card that scales from... Illustration: a pineapple and cinnamon sticks beside a glass of cloudy amber tepache and a stainless conical fermenter Fermentation3 min read How to Make Tepache: Fermented Pineapple Drink, 1 to 30 GallonsHow to make tepache, the Mexican fermented pineapple drink: rinds, piloncillo and spices, a 1 to 3 day wild ferment, how much alcohol it makes, and a recipe card from... Illustration: a glass of sparkling hop water with hop cones beside a jacketed conical fermenter, labelled 0.0% ABV, pH 3.4 Recipes4 min read How to Make Hop Water: Recipe, pH and Carbonation, 1 to 30 GallonsHow to make hop water at home: hops per gallon, a hot steep and a cold dry hop, acidifying to pH 3.2–3.6, carbonating to 3 volumes or more, and a... Illustration: a nitrogen cylinder, a stainless keg and a pint of nitro cold brew with a creamy head Non-alcoholic2 min read How to Make Nitro Cold Brew: Keg, Nitrogen and Stout FaucetHow to make nitro cold brew: drinking-strength cold brew, pure nitrogen, charging a keg through a diffusion stone or using an inline infuser, serving pressures, the stout faucet and troubleshooting. Illustration: a stainless kettle of cold brew coffee with a glass of iced coffee and coffee beans, labelled 1 to 5 by weight Recipes4 min read Cold Brew Ratio: Concentrate and Ready-to-Drink, by WeightThe cold brew ratio by weight: 1:5 for concentrate and 1:12 to drink straight, with coffee per gallon, steep times, grind, filtering, food safety and a recipe card that scales... Illustration: spicy ginger beer with lime slices, red chilies and fresh ginger Recipes2 min read Spicy Ginger Beer Recipe with Lime: 1 to 30 GallonsCaribbean-style heat: twice the ginger of a classic, fresh lime instead of lemon, and a touch more sugar to carry it. Force-carbonated, so it is non-alcoholic. Illustration: non-alcoholic ginger beer carbonated with a CO2 cylinder, with ginger and lemon Recipes2 min read Non-Alcoholic Ginger Beer Recipe: 1 to 30 GallonsNo culture, no fermenting, no alcohol: a strong hot steep of fresh ginger, sweetened and soured, then chilled and carbonated with CO₂. The one to serve to everyone, and the... Illustration: a glass of classic ginger beer with a ginger bug jar, ginger root and lemon Recipes3 min read Classic Ginger Beer Recipe (Ginger Bug): 1 to 30 GallonsThe traditional way: fresh ginger, sugar and lemon, fermented for a day or three with a ginger bug, then chilled and carbonated hard. Warm, peppery ginger with a little tang... Illustration: a ginger bug fizzing in a cloth-covered jar, with fresh ginger and sugar Fermentation3 min read How to Make a Ginger Bug (and Keep It Alive)A ginger bug in 3 to 7 days: the starter, the daily feed, how to tell it is ready, how much to use per gallon of ginger beer or soda,... Illustration: a glass of cloudy ginger beer beside a stainless conical fermenter, fresh ginger root and lemon slices Fermentation5 min read How to Make Ginger Beer: Fermented or Non-Alcoholic, 1 to 30 GallonsHow to make ginger beer at home, fermented with a ginger bug or non-alcoholic with CO₂: ratios per gallon, the steep, the alcohol math, carbonation pressures and troubleshooting, from 1... Non-Alcoholic Stout recipe: about 0.4% ABV, 20 IBU Styles & recipes2 min read Non-Alcoholic Stout Recipe (Under 0.5% ABV)A dark, roasty stout under 0.5%. Roast malts hide the worty taste of a short fermentation better than any other style, and they bring the pH down on their own. Non-Alcoholic Golden Ale recipe: about 0.5% ABV, 19 IBU Styles & recipes2 min read Non-Alcoholic Golden Ale Recipe (Under 0.5% ABV)A crisp, pale, lager-style golden ale under 0.5%: Pilsner malt, noble hops, and a cool fermentation with SafBrew LA-01. Non-Alcoholic Hazy Pale Ale recipe: about 0.5% ABV, 23 IBU Styles & recipes3 min read Non-Alcoholic Hazy Pale Ale Recipe (Under 0.5% ABV)A soft, juicy pale ale under 0.5%: oats for body, a big whirlpool of Citra and Mosaic, and a cold dry hop once the yeast is out. Peach Jasmine Kombucha recipe: jasmine green tea, 5 to 31 gallons Fermentation2 min read Peach Jasmine Kombucha Recipe: 5 to 33 GallonsJasmine green tea as the base, ripe peach in the second ferment. Floral and soft. Mango Turmeric Kombucha recipe: green tea, 5 to 31 gallons Fermentation2 min read Mango Turmeric Kombucha Recipe: 5 to 33 GallonsGolden, tropical and earthy. Mango is high in sugar, so it carbonates quickly. Cherry Vanilla Kombucha recipe: black tea, 5 to 31 gallons Fermentation2 min read Cherry Vanilla Kombucha Recipe: 5 to 33 GallonsTart cherry juice for colour and tang, a splash of vanilla to round it out. Tastes like a grown-up cherry soda.
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