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Malt

July 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Malt is grain, such as barley or wheat, that has been soaked, germinated, and then dried in a process known as malting.

The malting process is conducted by soaking the selected grains in water until they germinate. Then the grains are transferred to the germination floor and dried with hot air to halt the germination process. Malt is critical for brewing because of the enzymes that develop during the germination and malting process. These enzymes are measured as diastatic power and are what enables starches to be converted into sugars during the beer’s mash process.

A beer with too low of a ratio of malted grains to non-malted grains in its grain bill will not have enough diastatic power to be able to convert all of the starches to sugars, and therefore will have a very low starting gravity and a low alcohol by volume.

 

Malt, Malted 2-row barley used as beer grain

Malt/malted 2-row barley used as beer grain

Lovibond

July 15, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Lovibond is one of the methods used to measure the color of beer. Using the Lovibond method, a beer’s color is compared against colored glass slides to determine a numerical value for the beer. The more recently created and precise Standard Reference Method has for the most part replaced the Lovibond method.

 

The following chart shows approximate Lovibond numerical values with the corresponding color and is categorized by style of beer.

West Coast Brewer SRM Lovibond Beer Color Scale

West Coast Brewer SRM Lovibond Beer Color Scale

Lager

July 14, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Lagers are beers that are fermented using a bottom fermenting yeast. These yeasts are slow fermenting and they require a lower temperature when compared to ales. Depending on the yeast strain, a lager typically conducts a primary fermentation at a temperature range between 40° F and 55° F.

Lager is the German word for storage, and lagers generally have their secondary fermentation temperature reduced and may need to condition for several months before they are considered finished.

Krausen

July 13, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Krausen is the foamy and bubbly head that forms on top of beer during primary fermentation. As yeast ferments the sugars in a beer, it creates a great deal of CO2. The Krausen is formed as the CO2 rises to the top of the beer, mixing with proteins, yeast and residues and forming a tall layer of yeast saturated bubbles.

 

Krausening is also a term for when a measured amount of actively fermenting beer and/or krausen is added to a more thoroughly fermented beer as a means of conditioning or naturally carbonating the beer. Krausening is typically done as a means of carbonating a bottled beer with out violating the German beer purity laws.

 

 

Below is a video showing krausen in a 6.5 gallon carboy during primary fermentation.

kilning

July 13, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Kilning is the process of drying malted grain in a kiln using an indirect heat source to halt germination and evaporate much of the moisture from the malted grains. Kilning grain started to become popular in the early 18th century and was the predominant method for drying malt by the 19th century. Prior to kilning, malt was often dried over open flame which would impart a smoke flavor in the finished beer, similar to what you may find today in a German rauchbier.

HERMS or Heat Exchanged Recirculating Mash System

July 12, 2013 / / 0 Comments

A HERMS or heat exchanged recirculating mash system is a mash recirculation system that regulates mash temperature by pumping the wort from the mash tun through a heat exchanging tube, coil inside of the hot liquor tank, or a secondary heating tank. The wort then flows back into the mash tun to maintain the mash temp without applying direct heat to the mash tun.

 

Hydrometer

July 11, 2013 / / 0 Comments

A hydrometer is an instrument used to measure the specific gravity of liquid in comparison to pure water. The hydrometer is important because it allows a brewer to determine several things:

  • When the mash is no longer contributing sufficient levels of sugar during a sparge
  • How much dissolved sugar is in the finished wort
  • If your beer has under or over fermented
  • Brew house efficiency
  • Original gravity
  • Final gravity
  • Fermentation progress
  • Fermentation completion
  • Alcohol by volume.

Below are three examples of different hydrometers that are available to brewers, including one used for determining your final gravity.

Beer brewing hydrometers for taking specific gravity readings such as Original Gravity and Final Gravity

Beer brewing hydrometers for taking specific gravity readings such as original gravity and final gravity.

 

Here is the final gravity reading from a hydrometer that also registers temperature so that corrections can be made if the beer is too hot or too cold.

Beer Hydrometed, Final Gravity Reading

Beer hydrometer showing a final gravity reading.

Hot Break

July 11, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Hot break is the clumping of proteins, solids, and tannins that fall out of the wort during the boil and eventually collect at the bottom of the kettle. A steady boil is the key to achieving a good hot break, which will typically occur 5-15 minutes after the boil begins. When the foam on top of your boil finally dissipates, you know that many of the proteins have coagulated and that your hot break has occurred. A hot break is important because it aids in removing undesirable and potentially off flavor causing tannins and compounds from the boil. It also helps improve clarity and reduces the risk of chill haze down the line.

 

Below is a photo of the hot break in a 20 gallon brew kettle, approximately 15 minutes after the boil first began.

Hot Break, 15 minutes after the boil started.

Hot break, 15 minutes after the boil started.

Fresh Hopping

July 8, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Wet hopping or fresh hopping a beer is when freshly picked\undried hops are added to a beer at some point of the brewing, fermenting, or conditioning process. These hops are typically added to the beer within a day or two of being picked to maximize the unique flavors extracted from a freshly picked hop. A fresh or wet hop is typically less predictable than a dried hop and will usually impart a lower amount of bitterness than the same weight of dry hops due to the additional moisture weight in the wet hop.

 

Below is a photo of some cascade hops nearly ready to be picked and used for fresh hopping\wet hopping.

Cascade hops ready to be used for Fresh Hopping or Wet Hopping.

Cascade hops ready to be used for fresh hopping or wet hopping.

Fermentation

July 8, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Beer fermentation is the metabolic conversion of malt and adjunct sugars to alcohol, acid, and CO2 using yeast or bacteria. As yeast and bacteria convert the wort sugars, approximately equal amounts of carbon dioxide and alcohol are produced. The alcohol being produced by the yeast is less dense than the sugars and water the yeast is metabolizing, so the gravity of the fermenting beer drops while fermentation continues to occur.

The two predominant types of fermentation are top fermenting which is used for ales, and bottom fermenting which is typical for lagers. The time frame for a fermentation to complete is dependent on a great many factors, just a few of them include the types of sugars that the wort is composed of, the amount of sugar in the wort (original gravity), the type of yeast and or bacteria used, the amount of yeast and or bacteria used, the health of the yeast and or bacteria, and temperature the fermentation occurs at. Most fermentations will take approximately two to six weeks to complete, but some may take upwards of a year before the beer is considered ready.

 

Below is a photo of beer during primary fermentation.

Primary Fermentation

Primary Fermentation

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