Brewing A Practical Approach

Brewing Materials and Processes: A Practical Approach to Beer Excellence presents a novel methodology on what goes into beer and the results of the process. From adjuncts to yeast, and from foam to chemometrics, this unique approach puts quality at its foundation, revealing how the right combination builds to a great beer. Based on years of both academic and industrial research and application, the book includes contributions from around the world with a shared focus on quality assurance and control. Each chapter addresses the measurement tools and approaches available, along with the nature and significance of the specifications applied. In its entirety, the book represents a comprehensive description on how to address quality performance in brewing operations. Understanding how the grain, hops, water, gases, worts, and other contributing elements establish the framework for quality is the core of ultimate quality achievement. The book is ideal for users in corporate R&D, researchers, students, highly-skilled small-scale brewers, and those seeking an understanding on how the parts impact the whole in beer production, providing them with an ideal companion to complement Beer: A Quality Perspective. Focuses on the practical approach to delivering beer quality, beginning with raw ingredients Includes an analytical perspective for each element, giving the reader insights into its role and impact on overall quality Provides a hands-on reference work for daily use Presents an essential volume in brewing education that addresses areas only lightly covered elsewhere

Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation is a resource for brewers of all experience levels. The authors adeptly cover yeast selection, storage and handling of yeast cultures, how to culture yeast and the art of rinsing/washing yeast cultures. Sections on how to set up a yeast lab, the basics of fermentation science and how it affects your beer, plus step by step procedures, equipment lists and a guide to troubleshooting are included.

Standards of Brewing covers an essential topic for today’s brewers: consistent production of quality product. With distribution expanding and competition intense, no brewery can afford to release product for distribution unless it is confident the beer will meet consumer expectations-even months after production. Bamforth covers the principles and practices of brewery quality so that brewers can establish or audit their own programs and procedures for producing consistent, high quality beer.

Brewers often call malt the soul of beer. Fourth in the Brewing Elements series, Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse delves into the intricacies of this key ingredient used in virtually all beers. This book provides a comprehensive overview of malt, with primary focus on barley, from the field through the malting process. With primers on history, agricultural development and physiology of the barley kernel, John Mallett (Bell’s Brewery, Inc.) leads us through the enzymatic conversion that takes place during the malting process. A detailed discussion of enzymes, the Maillard reaction, and specialty malts follows. Quality and analysis, malt selection, and storage and handling are explained. This book is of value to all brewers, of all experience levels, who wish to learn more about the role of malt as the backbone of beer.

It is difficult to believe that at one time hops were very much the marginalized ingredient of modern beer, until the burgeoning craft beer movement in America reignited the industry's enthusiasm for hop-forward beer. The history of hops and their use in beer is long and shrouded in mystery to this day, but Stan Hieronymous has gamely teased apart the many threads as best anyone can, lending credence where due and scotching unfounded claims when appropriate. It is just one example of the deep research through history books, research articles, and first-hand interviews with present-day experts and growers that has enabled Stan to produce a wide-ranging, engaging account of this essential beer ingredient. While they have an exalted status with today's craft brewers, many may not be aware of the journey hops take to bring them, neatly baled or pressed into blocks and pellets, into the brewhouse. Stan paints a detailed and, at times, personal portrait of the life of hops, weaving technical information about hop growing and anatomy with insights from families who have been running their hop farms for generations. The author takes the reader on a tour of the main growing regions of central Europe, where the famous landrace varieties of Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Germany originate, to England and thence to North America, and latterly, Australia and New Zealand. Growing hops and supplying the global brewing industry has always been a hard-nosed business, and Stan presents statistics on yields, acreage, wilt and other diseases, interspersed with words from the farmers themselves that illustrate the challenges and uncertainties hop growers face. Along the way, Stan gives details about some of the most well-known varieties—Saaz, Hallertau, Tettnang, Golding, Fuggle, Cluster, Cascade, Willamette, Citra, Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin, and many others—and their history of use in the Old World and New World. The section culminates in a catalog of 105 hop varieties in use today, with a brief description of character and vital statistics for each. Of course, the art and science of using hops in making beer is not forgotten. Once the hops have been harvested, processed, and delivered to the brewery, they can be used in myriad ways. The author moves from the toil of the hop gardens to that of the brewhouse, again presenting a blend of history and present-day interviews and research articles to explain alpha acids, beta acids, bitterness, harshness, smoothness, and the deterioration of bittering flavors over time. Perception is all important when discussing bitterness, and the author touches on genetics, evolution, the vagaries of individuals' perceptions of bitterness, and changing tastes, such as the “lupulin shift.” The meaning of the international bitterness unit, or IBU, is not always properly understood and here Stan lays out a brief history of how the IBU came to be and an appreciation of the many variables affecting utilization in the boil and final bitterness in beer. Adding hops is not as simple as it sounds, and Stan's research illustrates that if you ask ten brewers about something you will get eleven opinions. Early additions, late additions, continuous hopping, first wort hopping, and hop bursting are all discussed with a healthy dose of pragmatic wisdom from brewers and a pinch of chemistry. There then follows an entire chapter devoted to the druidic art of dry hopping, following its commonplace usage in nineteenth-century England to the modern applications found in today's US craft brewing scene. The author uncovers hop plugs, hop coffins, and the “pendulum method,” along with the famous hop rocket and hop torpedo used by some of America's leading craft breweries. Every brewer has their dry hopping method and, gratifyingly, many are happy to share with the author, making this chapter a great source for inspiration and ideas. Many of the brewers the author interviewed were also happy to share recipes. There are 16 recipes from breweries in America, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, and New Zealand. These not only present delicious beers but give some insight into how professional brewers design their recipes to get the most out of their hops. As always, Stan imparts wisdom in an engaging and accessible fashion, making this an amazing compendium on “every brewer's favorite flower.”

Water is arguably the most critical and least understood of the foundation elements in brewing. For many brewers used to choosing from a wide selection of hops and grain, water seems like an ingredient for which they have little choice but to accept what comes out of their faucet. But brewers in fact have many opportunities to modify their source water or to obtain mineral-free water and build their own brewing water from scratch. Much of the relevant information can be found in texts on physical and inorganic chemistry or water treatment and analysis, but these resources seldom, if ever, speak to brewers. Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers takes the mystery out of water's role in the brewing process. This book is not just about brewing liquor. Whether in a brewery or at home, water is needed for every part of the brewing process: chilling, diluting, cleaning, boiler operation, wastewater treatment, and even physically pushing wort or beer from one place to another. The authors lead the reader from an overview of the water cycle and water sources, to adjusting water for different beer styles and brewery processes, to wastewater treatment. It covers precipitation, groundwater, and surface water, and explains how municipal water is treated to make it safe to drink but not always suitable for brewing. The parameters measured in a water report are explained, along with their impact on the mash and the final beer. Understand ion concentrations, temporary and permanent hardness, and pH. The concept of residual alkalinity is covered in detail and the causes of alkalinity in water are explored, along with techniques to control alkalinity. Ultimately, residual alkalinity is the major effector on mash pH, and this book addresses how to predict and target a specific mash pH—a key skill for any brewer wishing to raise their beer to the next level. But minerals in brewing water also determine specific flavor attributes. Ionic species important to beer are discussed and concepts like the sulfate-to-chloride ratio are explained. Examples illustrate how to tailor your brewing water to suit any style of beer. To complete the subject, the authors focus on brewery operations relating to source water treatment, such as the removal of particulates, dissolved solids, gas and liquid contaminants, organic contaminants, chlorine and chloramine, and dissolved oxygen. This section considers the pros and cons of various technologies, including membrane technologies such as filtration, ion-exchange systems, and reverse osmosis.

Radical Brewing takes a hip and creative look at beer brewing, presented with a graphically appealing two-color layout.