Mastering Homebrew The Complete Guide to Brewing Delicious Beer

387 Pages·2015·97.37 MB·English

by  Randy Mosher

RANDY MOSHER
mastering
Homebrew
CHRONICLE BOOKS
SAN FRANCISCO
Copyright © 2015 by Randy Mosher.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any
form without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Mosher, Randy.
Mastering Homebrew : the Complete guide to brewing delicious
beer /
Randy Mosher.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4521-0551-2 (pb)
ISBN 978-1-4521-2441-4 (epub, mobi)
1. Brewing—Amateurs’ manuals. I. Title.
TP577.M676 2015
641.87’3—dc23

Designed and typeset by Nick Steinhardt, Smog Design, Inc.
Illustrations by Randy Mosher and Nick Steinhardt
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs by Randy Mosher.
Briess is a registered trademark of Briess Industries, Inc. Bairds
Malt is a registered trademark of Bairds Malt Limited. Carafa is a
registered trademark of Mich. Weyermann GmbH & Co. Caramu-
nich is a registered trademark of Mich. Weyermann GmbH & Co.
Cara-Pils is a registered trademark of Breiss Industries, Inc. Pali-
sade is a registered trademark of Select Botanicals Group, LLC.
Simcoe is a registered trademark of Select Botanicals Group, LLC.
Ribena is a registered trademark of Glaxo Group Limited. Sinamar
is a registered trademark of Mich. Weyermann GmbH & Co.
Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com Facing page: Fred Eckhardt at the 1998 AHA
National Homebrewers Conference in Portland,
OR, in 1998. Photo by Edward Bronson.
To FRED ECKHARDT,
the grand gentleman of American homebrewing, who did
so much to set us all on a civilized and irreverent path.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to Lyn Kruger and Keith Lemcke of the Siebel Institute for giving me
a platform, along with their support and encouragement. Thanks also to Ray
Daniels, Chris White, Chris Graham, Stan Heironymous, Penny Pickart, and
Ron Pattinson. A special thanks to my friends in Brazil, Argentina, Australia,
Italy, and Denmark who sponsored several trips that really opened my eyes
to the possibilities of global beer. And, of course, deep gratitude to my partners
in 5 Rabbit Cerveceria for letting me share and help shape their journey.
Thanks to all my friends in the brewing world who shared their secrets with
amazing quotes. Thanks to my ferocious copyeditor, Molly Jackel, for making
me look like a real writer. An extra-special thank-you to Tom Schmidlin,
whose eagle eye and learned brain saved me from many a misstep.
Facing page, row by row from top left:
Homebrew labels by Jim LaFleur, Matteo
Pellis/Alberto Bodritti, Jason McLaughlin,
Piotr “ThoriN” Jurkiewicz, Dave Gallagher,
Kim Leshinski, Łukasz Szynkiewicz, Kim
Theesen, Łukasz Szynkiewicz, Eric
Monson, and Robert Alvord.
CONTENTS
Foorrewooord Chhaapteerr 3
12 44
BREWING INGREDIENTS

Chhaappteerr 1 46 Barley, Malt, and Grains
14
47 Malting
INTRODUCTION TO BEER
51 Kilning and Roasting
55 Malt Types
66 Understanding a Malt Analysis
16 Quick Start Guide
67 Unmalted Grains
18 About This Book
70 Malt Extract
20 What’s In Here?
71 Roasting and Smoking Your Own Specialty Malts
20 Brewing with Both Halves of Your Brain
74 Brewing Sugars
21 Thinking Like a Scientist
76 Making Your Own Caramel
21 What to Worry About
76 Honey
23 Chemical and Biochemical Concepts
78 Hops: The Spice of Beer
26 Brewing Like an Artist
79 Hops’ Form and Function
27 Getting Started and Getting Better
79 Hops in the Brew
80 Hop Varieties and Personality Groups
86 Hop Varieties in Detail
Chhaappteerr 2 96 Water without Tears
30
98 Brewing Water Minerals in Detail
UNDERSTANDING BEER 99 Water Minerals and Brewing
104 Water Trace Minerals in Detail

105 Alternate Ingredients
32 Anatomy of a Beer
106 Herbs and Spices
32 Measurables
110 Fruits
35 Intangibles
112 Vegetables and Beyond in Your Beer
35 Tasting and Evaluating Beer
35 Our Senses
38 The Tasting Act
40 An Atlas of Beer Flavor and Character
42 Judging, Competitions, and Certifications
Chhaapteerr 4 Chhaapteerr 5
114 156
THE BREWING PROCESS THE BREWERY
116 THE AMAZING SHAPE-SHIFTING BEER RECIPE 158 Safety in the Brewery
118 Your First Beer: Getting Started with 160 Your System, Your Goals
Extract Brewing 161 Design Considerations
119 Extract Plus Steeped-Grain Procedure 163 Gear
120 Grain Crushing 163 Grain Mills
121 Mashing 165 Scales/Balances
122 The Mash: Magic Porridge 165 Burners, Flames, and Heaters
126 Enzymes in Detail 167 Mash/Lauter Tuns
127 The Mini-Mash Method 169 HERMS, RIMS, and Direct-Heated Systems
130 Infusion Mashing for All-Grain Brewing 170 Grant (Wort Reciever)
134 Doing It the Hard Way 171 Moving Wort
140 Lautering and Sparging 171 Hoses
142 Additional Sparging Techniques 172 Pipe and Tubing Fittings
144 Sparging with Recirculating Mash Systems 173 Pumps
146 The Boil 175 Brew Kettles
146 What Happens in the Kettle 177 Hop Back
147 Managing the Boil 178 Wort Chiller
149 Cooling 180 Wort Aeration
150 Cleaning Up 182 Fermenters
150 Cleaning and Sanitizing Chemicals for the 184 Measurements and Instrumentation
Home Brewery 187 Packaging Beer
154 Cleaning Your Equipment 187 Bottling Gear
189 Keg and Draft Systems
193 Firkins, Pumps, and Real Ale
CONTENTS
Chhaappteerr 6
194
Chhaapteerr 7
236
YEAST FERMENTATION
and
THE ART SCIENCE
and
196 Yeast in Brewing RECIPE
of the
198 Yeast Biology
200 Yeast and the Biochemistry of Beer Flavor
238 Thinking Through Your Goals
202 Yeast Flavor Chemicals in Beer
239 Integrating Ingredients and Process
204 Yeast Growth and Fermentation
240 Record Keeping
206 Yeast Types
242 Art and the Brewer
210 Wild Yeast: Aliens in Your Brewery
245 The Tools of the Art
212 The Care and Feeding of Yeast
248 Ideas and Inspirations
214 Pitching Rates
249 Structuring a Beer
215 Wort Aeration
253 The Numbers Game
217 Yeast Unleashed: Practical Fermenting
254 Calculating the Grain Bill
219 Conditioning and Maturation
260 Hops in the Recipe
224 Packaging and Serving Your Beer
270 Other Flavorings
224 Capping It Off: Bottling
270 Spices and Seasonings in the Recipe
228 The Delights of Kegging
271 Recipe Considerations for Fruit Beers
232 Cellaring Your Beer
272 Yeast and Fermentation Choices
233 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beers