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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: All-Grain vs Extract Brewing for Beginners: Which Should You Start With? Ingredients6 min read All-Grain vs Extract Brewing for Beginners: Which Should You Start With?Extract gets you brewing sooner; all-grain gives you full control and cheaper batches. Here is how the two really compare on time, cost, equipment and taste, and why an all-in-one... Illustration: Mastering the Art of Small Batch Brewing Brew day4 min read Mastering the Art of Small Batch BrewingSmall batch brewing means 1 to 3 gallon batches, often on a kitchen stove. Here is the equipment, how to scale recipes down, and what to watch for. Illustration: Exploring the Art of Spontaneous Fermentation Fermentation3 min read Exploring the Art of Spontaneous FermentationSpontaneous fermentation pitches no yeast at all. Here is how lambic is made, from the coolship to years in barrels, and why it only happens in the cooler months. Illustration: The Essential Tools Every Homebrewer Should Have Equipment4 min read The Essential Tools Every Homebrewer Should HaveThe equipment you actually need to brew all-grain beer at home, and the upgrades that make the biggest difference to your beer. Illustration: The Impact of Grain Roasting on Beer Flavor Profiles Ingredients3 min read The Impact of Grain Roasting on Beer Flavor ProfilesKilning and roasting create malt colour and flavour, from bread and biscuit to caramel, chocolate and coffee. Here is what each roast level gives and how much to use. Illustration: How to Brew a Pilsner at Home: Recipe, Ingredients and Lager Schedule Styles & recipes7 min read How to Brew a Pilsner at Home: Recipe, Ingredients and Lager ScheduleA complete Czech-style pilsner for 5 gallons: grain, Saaz hops, soft water, mash, fermentation temperatures and the lagering schedule, plus the pressure-fermented shortcut that gets you there in half the... Copper vs Stainless Counterflow Chillers: What Actually Matters Chilling3 min read Copper vs Stainless Counterflow Chillers: What Actually MattersCopper conducts heat 25 times better than stainless, and it barely matters in a coil-in-coil chiller. Here is why, and why we build ours from 304 stainless anyway. Illustration: The Art of Barrel Fermentation Beer Brewing: A Guide Fermentation4 min read The Art of Barrel Fermentation Beer Brewing: A GuideBarrels add oak and the character of what they held before. Here is how to choose and prepare a barrel, how long to age, and how to avoid oxygen and... Illustration: Using Wood Chips and Staves in Fermentation Fermentation3 min read Using Wood Chips and Staves in FermentationOak chips, cubes, spirals and staves give barrel character without a barrel. Here is how much to use, how long, which toast, and how to sanitize the wood. Illustration: Using Dry vs. Liquid Yeast in Brewing Fermentation3 min read Using Dry vs. Liquid Yeast in BrewingDry yeast is cheap and stable; liquid yeast offers far more strains. Here is how they compare on cells, shelf life, handling and when you need a starter. Illustration: The Art of Yeast Washing for Homebrewers Fermentation3 min read The Art of Yeast Washing for HomebrewersYeast washing separates healthy yeast from trub so you can reuse it. Here is how to harvest, rinse and store yeast, how long it keeps, and the conical shortcut. Illustration: Lactic Acid Bacteria in Sour Beer Production Fermentation3 min read Lactic Acid Bacteria in Sour Beer ProductionLactic acid bacteria make beer sour. Here is how Lactobacillus and Pediococcus differ, and how to kettle sour step by step with target pH, temperature and time. Illustration: High Gravity wort Fermentation: Challenges and Techniques Fermentation4 min read High Gravity wort Fermentation: Challenges and TechniquesHigh gravity wort stresses yeast with sugar and then alcohol. Here is how to pitch, oxygenate, feed and control temperature so big beers finish clean. Illustration: Ale vs. Lager Fermentation: A Comprehensive Comparison Fermentation3 min read Ale vs. Lager Fermentation: A Comprehensive ComparisonAle yeast ferment warm and fast; lager yeast ferment cold and slow, then need weeks of lagering. Here are the differences in yeast, temperature, time, flavour and equipment. Illustration: Yeast Autolysis in Beer: What It Tastes Like and How to Prevent It Fermentation3 min read Yeast Autolysis in Beer: What It Tastes Like and How to Prevent ItAutolysis is yeast breaking itself down after fermentation. Here is what it tastes like, how long beer can safely sit on the yeast, what makes it worse, and how to... Illustration: Exploring the Evolution of Stout: Classic to Innovative Styles Styles & recipes3 min read Exploring the Evolution of Stout: Classic to Innovative StylesStout began as a stronger porter in 18th-century London. Here are the main stout styles today, from dry Irish to imperial, with strength and flavour for each. Illustration: Mastering Lautering Techniques for Optimal Efficiency Brew day3 min read Mastering Lautering Techniques for Optimal EfficiencyLautering separates sweet wort from the spent grain. Here is mash-out, vorlauf and the sparging methods compared, plus how to avoid a stuck sparge. Cold Crashing Beer: Temperature, How Long, and How to Do It Without Oxygen Fermentation5 min read Cold Crashing Beer: Temperature, How Long, and How to Do It Without OxygenCold crashing drops finished beer to near freezing so yeast and haze settle in days instead of weeks. The right temperature, how long, the airlock suck-back problem and how to...
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