Much like my recent experience with sour beer; cider is another style that always seemed way more complicated than it is. Apple juice and yeast? That’s it? Don’t I need fresh juice from an orchard? Or special yeast? Or some way to filter the yeast? Apparently not. I didn’t want to invest much in a [...]
how-to
I have a confession to make. I can’t brew a clear beer to save my life. I probably shouldn’t care as long as it tastes good – but I do. Ideally you want to fix haze problems before you get to the finished beer. Complete starch conversion. Check. Vigorous boil. Check. Whirlfloc (or Irish Moss). [...]
No hops for you! Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get any cones this year. After talking to a few people in the homebrew club it sounds like I’m having 2 problems. Problem 1. Lack of nutrients Apparently the tomato fertilizer I was using just didn’t get the job done. Solution: With any luck amending the [...]
This is one of those jobs that just sounds intimidating – after all you can’t exactly un-drill a big hole in the side of your expensive brew kettle. But it’s actually fairly simple if you have the right tools. Unless you have welding equipment – or want to search around for someone who does – [...]
A refractometer can be a great addition to your toolbox, but there are a few quirks to using it. I recently decided to pick one up from the Northern Brewer table at NHC since they were offering a nice discount. If you’re not familiar with the refractometer, it’s basically a device that measures the degree [...]
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Hi there! My name is Jimmy VerVaecke and I’m a brewer. I discovered brewing in 2004 and have been hooked ever since.
My beer has won numerous awards, including one at the National level. 