Library: Technical articles on brewing-related topics

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Technical Library at the Brewery

December 1999. All links have been updated and verified. If you discover any links that no longer work, or have some good recommendation for additions or revisement, then please send them to brewery@brewery.org

Subject Catalog

Beginner Guides

General Intermediate and Advanced Discussions

INGREDIENTS

Malt, Hops, Yeast, Water, Adjuncts

PROCESSES

Fermentation, Aeration, Carbonation, Mashing, Sanitation, Dryhopping, Kegging, Cask Conditioning

EQUIPMENT

Overviews, Mills, Mash vessels and spargers, Chillers, Fermenters, Bottles, Kegs, Metals and materials, Professional brewing equipment

STYLES

Styles and production, Lambic, Mead, Cider, Non-alcholic beer, Sake

MISCELLANEOUS

Alcohol and calories, Color, Historical perspectives, Recipe formulation, Professional craft brewing, Book reviews, Beer appreciation, Other topics

For the Beginner...

• How to Brew Your First Beer, by John Palmer
• The Beer Basics: The simplest way to brew five gallons of beer!, provided by the American Homebrewers Association
• Beginners Getting Started Guide, by Rob Gardner, an older guide written for HBD around 1989, short and concise
• Basic Brewing with Kits Available in the UK, by Gillian Grafton
• Dan Brown's Homebrewing page, photos and descriptions of his brewing setup
• Making Simple Fermented Beverages, by Eric Garrison. Summary of procedures for making mead, wine, and hard cider--not beer.
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) in rec.crafts.brewing, by Kurt Swanson (emphasis on brewing not drinking)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) in rec.food.drink.beer, by John Lock (emphasis on drinking not brewing)
• Cursus Bierbrouwen, written in *Dutch* by Piet Tutelaers, this is a *PostScript* file of a comprehensive, well-reasearched guide for the homebrewer. Includes an overview of ingredients, instructions for mashing, calculating gravities and alcohol, basic recipes (various styles) for the all-grain brewer, and brewers log worksheets.

General Discussions for Intermediate and Advanced Homebrewers

• 20 Tips for Better Brewing, by Kinney Baughman, from Brew Your Own magazine.

INGREDIENTS

Malt

• All About Grain 101, by Jim Busch (excellent summary of malt characteristics)
• Malt Production: What makes Munich malt production unique?, by Al Korzonas
• Roasting Pale Malt to Make Amber and Brown Malts, by Geoff Cooper
• Yummy Malt Flavor, by George Fix, brewing techniques to get high malt profile
• Table of hop content in malt extracts
• Malting Process in a Nutshell, by Mark Stevens
• The Advantages of Floor Malting, by Lorne Watson of Moray Firth Maltings
• Grains in the UK, by Gillian Grafton
• Belgian Malt: Some Practical Observations, by George Fix, from Brewing Techniques magazine

Hops

• Frequently Asked Questions About Hops, by Norm Pyle
  (If link is down, here's an old version.)
• Glenn Tinseth's Hop Page
• Hop Profiles, posted by John Goldwaite based on L.D. Carlson fact sheet
• Hop Aroma and Flavor, by Glenn Tinseth, article from January/February 1993 issue of Brewing Techniques magazine
• HopUnion home page
• Chart of hop constituents (alpha/beta acids, cohumulone, myrcene, humulene, caryophylene, farnesene), by style, and stability of varieties in storage
• Hop Bitterness Analysis: ASBC methods of analysis, transcribed by Dan McConnell
• Hop Utilization Numbers, by Glenn Tinseth
• Hops Growing Primer, by Russ Gelinas and Pete Soper
• Hop Growing, by Alan Edwards, interesting setup of growing vines horizontally
• Hops in the UK, by Gillian Grafton
• Hops Information: Current research in hop cultivation in New England, from Prof. Leonard Perry of the University of Vermont Extension Service Plant & Soil Science Department
• The Hop Page: Glenn Tinseth provides an excellent web page for hop heads, with information on utilization, aroma and flavor, and software for calculating hop bitterness
• Growing Hops - In the Home Garden, by Susan Hiller, Gale Gingrich, and Alfred Haunold
• Factors Affecting Hop Production, Hop Quality, and Brewer Preference, by Alfred Haunold and Gail. Nickerson, from Brewing Techniques
• Grow Your Own Hops, by Scott Russell, from Brew Your Own magazine.
• First Wort Hopping Summary, by Dave Draper, summary of article in Brauwelt about hopping beers early in the boil
  • If the link is down, an older version is also available
• Hop Production in the Southern Hemisphere, by Tom Inglis
• Dwarf Hops, by Simon Morgan

Yeast

• Yeast Specifications, by Scott Abene
• Culturing Yeast and Using Slants, by David Draper
  If the link is down, here's an old version
• Yeast Information and Technique Resource (also known as the Yeast FAQ), by Patrick Weix
• Selection and Propagation of Brewer's Yeast, by John Kleyn and James Hough
• Jack Schmidling on Yeast Culture, by Jack Schmidling
• Microbiology for the Home: A Primer on Yeast Culturing, by Brett Lindenbach
• Commercially Available Strains of Brewers' Yeast
• Sterile Distilled Water Yeast Storage, by Dave Whitman, discussion of long-term yeast storage
• Big Yeast Experiment, by Michael Froehlich, results of experiment done by Long Beach Homebrewers to evaluate 14 strains of beer yeast for attenuativeness and flavor contribution
• Yeasts Available in the UK, by Gillian Grafton
• World Wide Web Virtual Library: Yeast, links to general yeast resources as well as specific pages for saccharomyces cerevisiae, schizosaccharomyces pombe, and candida albicans
• Take the Plunge Into Liquid Yeast, by Sal Emma, from Brew Your Own magazine.
• Yeast Selection for Hard Cider Makers, by Greg Appleyard
• Lallemand Ltd. (company producing beer and wine yeasts)

Water

• Brewing Waters of the World, by Dave Draper, water chemistry table for the world's great brewing cities
  • Also available on Dave's web page
• Acidification of Water, by A.J. deLange
• Quickie Water Chemistry Primer, by Ken Schwartz
• Brewing Water Analysis
• The Water FAQ, this is a site for Culligan, the water filter folks, so keep in mind that they're trying to sell you water treatment....still some good info here

Adjuncts and Other Ingredients

• Sugar Information, by Bob Devine, excellent summary descriptions of sugars used in brewing
• Caramelising Sugars, by Andy Walsh
• The Beer That Made Idaho Famous, or How I Mash Potatos, by Cary Jensen
• Sugar and Acid Content of Fruit, chart of content by weight from "The Curious Cook" cookbook
• Gelatinization Temperatures for Adjuncts, by Rob Lauriston
• Brewing Sugars, description of sugars used as malt adjuncts in brewing, from H. Lloyd Hind's book Brewing Science and Practice, transcribed by ???
• Spice Up Your Brew, by Scott Russell, from Brew Your Own magazine.
• Flocculation, Fluid Dynamics, and Fining, by Ken Burrell, technical discussion on optimizing finings performance

PROCESSES

Overview

• No working entries at this time.

Wort Preparation

• No working entries at this time.

Fermentation

• Open Fermentation, by Jim Busch
• Wort Composition, Stuck Fermentations and High Gravity Brewing, by Andy Walsh (read in conjunction with the discussions by Al Korzonas and Kevin Hass)
• Troubleshooting Stuck Fermentations, by Al Korzonas
• Using Enzymes to Solve Fermentation Problems, by Kevin Hass
• Cool Summer Brewing, by Sal Emma, from Brew Your Own magazine.
• Ester Formation, by Andy Walsh
• Secondary Fermentation, by Ray Daniels, from All About Beer

Wort Aeration

• Wort Aeration Prior to Pitching, by Jack Schmidling

Carbonation

• A Primer on Priming, by Mark Hibberd
• Dave's Preferred Priming Procedure, by Dave Draper: expands on work of Mark Hibberd
• Pressure Charts for Force-Carbonating Kegs

Mashing

• The Beginner's Guide to Advanced and All-Grain Brewing, by Richard Webb
  • If link is down, an alternate version is available
• Decoction Mashing, by Marc de Jonge
• Pros and Cons of Decoction Mashing, by A.J. deLange
• What is Mashing?, by John Palmer, excerpt from his forthcoming book
• Producing an All-Grain Wort is Easy!, by John Palmer, another excerpt
• Kettle Mashing, by Jack Schmidling
• To Protein Rest or Not to Protein Rest, comments on when a protein rest is appropriate, by George Fix
• Mash Yield and Fermentability Experiments, by Rob Reed
• Hot Side Aeration During Sparging, by Dave Draper
• Water: How Much is Enough?, by Ray Daniels
• Protein Terminology, by Steve Alexander, discussion of enzyme (protein) nomenclature posted by Steve to HBD
• Starch Gelatinization 101, by Charlie Scandrett
• Controlling Phenol Extraction, by Charlie Scandrett
• Controlling pH During Mashing and Sparging, by Rex Saffer

Boiling and Kettle Reactions

• Maillard Reactions 101: Theory, by Charlie Scandrett
• Maillard Reactions 101: Part 2, Controlling Browning, by Charlie Scandrett

Sanitation

• Clean and Sanitary: a discussion of home brewery sanitation practices, by Michael Froehlich
• Brewery Cleaning and Sanitizing, by Jim Liddil and John Palmer
• Reinheitsgebot and the Fifth Ingredient, by Martin Schiller and Jim Busch, from Brewing Techniques magazine.

DryHopping

• Dryhopping Lagers, a research article on dryhopping lagers by Al Korzonas

Kegging

• Getting Started Kegging, by Alan Richer
• CO2 charts for Carbonating Kegs

Conditioning

• Cask Conditioning: a Do-It-Yourself Guide, by Gillian Grafton
• Suppliers of Beer Engines and Real Ale Casks, by Gillian Grafton

Packaging Issues

• Advances in Beer Stabilisation, by Mike O'Neill
• Beer Hazes, by Gillian Grafton

EQUIPMENT & GADGETS

Compilations

• Frugal Brewer's Guide to Brewing Aids, by Robert Mech
• All Grain Brewing in a Small Apartment, Geoff Scott provides a fascinating tour of his apartment brewery with photos of equipment and each step in the brewing process
• The Portable Brewery, by Vance Sabbe, compact 10-gallon home brewery on wheels
• How to Build a Small Brewery, by Bill Owens, info and pictures from Bill's small handbook on equipment setup for home brewing
• Five Gallon Plastic Electric Brewery, by Ken Schwartz
  • If link is down, the older, original version is available
• The World of Zymico, Zymie's web page of homebrew gadgets

Measuring Devices and Test Equipment

• Easy, Cheap Grain Scale, by John Palmer
• Make Your Own Balance Scale Weights, by Ken Koupal
• Hydrometer Temperature Correction Table, by Christopher Lyons

Malt Mills

• Roller Mills, by Robert Brown, brief reviews of commercially available mills and a discussion of how to build your own roller mill
• Concrete Roller Mill, by C.D. Pritchard, building a malt mill with a concrete roller
  If link is down, an older version of the document is available
• Concrete Malt Mill---Another Perspective, by Chuck Volle
• A Wooden Roller Grain Mill, by Dennis Cabell

Stands and Platforms

• Treatise on Building a Multi-Level Tier Platform, by Dion Hollenbeck

Mashing Vessels and Sparge Apparatus

• Half Barrel Conversion FAQ: Tips and Instructions for Converting Kegs to Brew Kettles and Mashing Vessels, by Teddy Winstead
• A Two-Tier Converted Keg Brewing System, by Marty Tippin (comprehensive discussion of building a home brewery around converted kegs---nice diagrams)
• A Two Tiered Home Brewery, by Jeff Kane
• A mobile RIMS, by MASH homebrewing club in Spring Texas.
• My RIMS, by Keith Royster, excellent detailed description of how to build a recirculating infusion mash system (RIMS), complete with figures
• RIMS Info Page, by Dion Hollenbeck, info on RIMS with photos etc.
• RIMS Information, by C.D. Pritchard, includes diagrams and performance graphs
• Archimedes RIMS, by David Hill
• The Spiffinatious RIMSical Odyssey: IGOR, neat RIMS setup and some cool photos, courtesy of Zymie
• Gott Cooler Mash Tun, by Jay Hersh
• Gott Cooler Mash Tun, by Dion Hollenbeck
• Copper Lautering Manifold, by Jeff Benjamin
• Copper Manifold in a Rectangular Cooler, by Spencer Thomas
• Lauter Tun Efficiency, by Al Korzonas
• Decoction Mashing in a Pressure Cooker, by Charles Rich

Burners

• Burner Conversion, by Robert Brown

Steam Injection

• Steam Injection, by Charlie Scandrett, principles of working with steam and ideas for building a steam generator

Wort Chillers

• Counterflow Chiller, by Drew Lynch
• Counterflow Chiller Plans, by Harlan Bauer
• Thermodynamics of Wort Chilling, by Charlie Scandrett
• A Chillin' Night at the Speedway, by Pat Babcock, comparison of immersion and counterflow chillers
• Building an Immersion Chiller, by Mark Stevens and Karl Lutzen, excerpt from Brew Ware reprinted for All About Beer

Aerators and Air Stones

An In-Line Wort Aerator, by Marty Tippin

Filters

• An Inexpensive Homebrew Filtration System, by Marty Tippin
• The Future of Separations Technology, by Catharine O'Shaughnessy and Malcolm McKechnie, technical article examining filtration applications outside brewing industry, with an eye toward meeting the needs of brewers
• Using Brita Filters for Homebrewing, by David Muzidal and Ian Smiley
• Wine Filtration, by Don Schiller

Carboys, Fermenters, and Temperature Control

• Oz, by Dave Ballard, the importance of using large blow-off tubes on glass carboys
• BrewCap Inverted Carboy Fermenter, by Kinney Baughman
• Fermentation Chiller, by Ken Schwartz, plans for building a controlled-temperature enclosure for a fermenter
• A Homebrew Refrigerator Temperature Controller, by Greg Walz, converted to HTML by Marty Tippin
• Electronic Thermometers for Brewers, by Ken Schwartz, converted to HTML by Marty Tippin
• Fermentation Temperature Controller Diagram, by Robin Broyles (JPEG image)

Bottling

• No Tears Bottling, by Gregg Howard
• 5L Mini Keg FAQ: Tips for Using Mini-Kegs (aka, Gallon cans), by Robert Lamothe
• Party Pig Mini-FAQ
• Plans for building wood beer bottle cases, by Bruce Dudek (PostScript file)
• Bottle Drying Rack, by Tom Romalewski
• Plans for Building a Counterpressure Bottle Filler, by C.D. Pritchard
• Poor Mans Real Counterpressure Bottle Filler, by Ken Schwartz
• Counter-Pressure Bottle Filler Plans, by Marty Tippin
• The Interactive Label Engine, create a label by way of a web page, brought to you by The Bier Garten
• The Commercial Bottling of Beer, by Keith Thomas
• Live Beers in a Bottle, by Andrew Hepworth, technical article discussing bottle conditioning of live ales
• How to Make a Soda Bottle Keg, by Robert Butler

Kegging

• Draught System Balancing, by Steve Jones
• Getting Started Kegging, by Alan Richer
• How to Prepare Used Corny Kegs for Brewery Use, by Dion Hollenbeck
• Oak Barrel Experiment, by Jim Mosser, results of experiments using wood barrels

Metals and Other Materials

• Corrosion Problems in Brewing, by John Palmer
• Brazing and Welding 304L Stainless Steel, by John Palmer

Equipment for the Professional Craft Brewer

• W.M. Sprinkman Corporation: company offers tanks and kettles in the 10-50 barrel range
• DME Brewing Services: company offers complete brewing systems for craft breweries
• AAA Metal Fabrication: tanks for breweries
• BrewStarter - Equipment Manufacturers List, by John Lock

STYLES

Styles and Their Production

• Belgian Beer Style Notes, by Phil Seitz
• Benelux Beerguide, by Peter Crombecq, latest version of this book on the beers of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, including descriptions of styles, breweries, pubs, etc.
• Classic American Pilsner, by Jeff Renner
• Bierre de Garde, by Kit Anderson
• Finnish Sahti, by Kari Likovuori, collection of information about brewing sahti (history, techniques, recipes, etc.), mostly in English, some Finnish
• Sourmash Procedures, by Bill Vaughan
• Shakparo: A Traditional West African Sorghum Beer, by Richard Okambawa
• Sorghum Beer, by Bill Ridgely
• Chicha, by Scott Kaczorowski, extensive information on making chicha, a traditional corn beer from South America. Includes articles written by Bill Ridgely
• Commercial Beer Matrix, by Norm Pyle, summary of ingredients used by craft breweries
• Beer Style Descriptions, by Tim Dawson, great set of style guidelines
  If the link is down, an older version is available
• 1994 AHA Style Guidelines
• BJCP Style Guide
• American Wheat Beers, by Roger Bergen, from Brewing Techniques magazine.
• Oktoberfest Alternatives, by Roger Bergen, from Brewing Techniques magazine.
• Porters Then and Now, by Roger Bergen, from Brewing Techniques magazine.
• A Stout Companion, by Roger Bergen, from Brewing Techniques magazine.
• Steam Beer, by Martin Lodahl, from Brew Your Own magazine.
• Traditional Bock, by Ray Daniels, from All About Beer magazine.
• The Legend and Lore of Porter, by Rich Webb

Non-Alcoholic Beers

• No- and Low-Alcohol Brewing, by Ken Schwartz
• Non-Alcoholic Beer, by Jack Schmidling
• Low-Alcohol Beer, by Nicholas Franke, descriptions and evaluation of methods for brewing low- and no-alcohol beers---very thorough
• Beer Without the Buzz, by John Naleszkiewicz, from Brew Your Own magazine.

Lambic

• A Liddil Lambic Lesson: The Cult of the Biohazard Lambic Brewers, by Jim Liddil, from a talk given at the 1996 AHA Homebrewers Conference
• Where the Wild Yeasts Are!, by Dr. Roger Mussche, talk given at Homebrew U
• Lambic Beer Frequently Asked Questions, by Larry Lynch-Freshner
  A new version is being developed by Jeremy Bergsman
• A Silk Purse from a Sow's Ear, by Jeremy Bergsman, notes on making pseudo-lambic beers
• The Anarchist's p-Lambic, by Todd Gierman

Other Belgian Styles

• Brewery Rodenbach: Brewing Sour Ales, by Peter Bouckaert, posted by Jay Hersh, details about ingredients and processes used by Rodenbach

Mead

• An Analysis of Mead, Mead Making and the Role of its Primary Constituents, by Daniel S. McConnell and Kenneth D. Schramm
• Mead Made Easy, by Dave Polaschek with Tim Mitchell, comprehensive introduction to mead making
• The Mead-Lovers README File, a FAQ list about mead, by Dick Dunn, et al.
• The Bees Lees, a collection of mead recipes, by Joyce Miller

Sake

• How to Homebrew Sake, by Mutsuo Hoshido
• The Chemistry of Sake Brewing, by R.W. Atkinson, circa 1881
• Rich Webb's Guide to Sake Production, by Rich Webb

Hard Cider

• Historical Info on Perry, by Laura Angotti
• My Experience with Cider, by Michael Ferdinando
• Real Cider and Perry Page, by Gillian Grafton, includes excellent description of cider making process, composition of apple juice, apple varieties used in cider making, and recipes for cider and perry
• Yeast Selection for the Production of Hard Cider, by Greg Appleyard
• Small Scale Cidermaking, by Andrew Lea, discussion of art and science of cider making
• Good Manufacturing Practices for Apple Cider Mills, by Susan Sumner
• Cider Press, by Jeff Summit, how to build your own cider press

Root Beer, Ginger Beer, and Soda

• Root Beer Concentrate, by Steve Mercer, lengthy examination of making root beer, using sassafras, etc.

MISCELLANEOUS

Alcohol and Calories

• Alcohol and Calorie Calculation Tables, by Kent Tracy
• Alcohol and Calorie Content of About 200 Popular Beers, maintained by Binger

Color

• Measuring Beer Color, by Dave Whitman, guide to using and understanding SRM color scale
• Beer's Law Controversy: Is it Linear for Dark Beers?, from Brewing Techniques

Organic Chemistry and Perception

• The Role of Sulphur, by Keith Thomas

Recipe Creation

• Recipe Formulation, by Brian Smithey
• Create Your Own Recipe, by Jeff Frane, from Brew Your Own magazine
• Modifying Beer Recipes, by Mark Stevens, from All About Beer
• Extract Conversion, by Ray Daniels, how to convert all-grain recipes to extract recipes, from All About Beer
• Thinking About Beer Recipe Formulation, by Darryl Richman, from Brewing Techniques magazine
• Spreadsheet for Recipe Design, by Karl King, from Brewing Techniques magazine

Professional Craft Brewing

• BrewStarter, by John Lock, information for the serious brewer who wants to move into the ranks of professional craft brewing. Business information, educational resources, contacts for suppliers and regulatory agencies, etc.

Historical Perspectives

• Brewing with Period Recipes:, descriptions of brewing processes and recipes from about 100 B.C. to 1600 A.D., by Lord Corwin of Darkwater
• Medieval English Brewing, by Fred Hardy
• The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie Kt Opened: Whereby is Discovered Several ways for making Metheglin, Sider, Cherr-Wine, &c., 1669
  • A few scanned pages, from Spencer Thomas
  • The recipes, transcribed by Joyce Miller
• How to Brew Your Own Beer, 1861 Style, from "Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes" by Charles Elme Francatelli. Transcribed by Ken Appleby
• A collection of historical brews from Canada, 1861, provided by Paul Hubbs, Bob Gravonic, and John Grant
• Reinheitsgebot: Germany's Beer Purity Law, translated to English
• Reinheitsgebot, in German
• Brewing an Ancient Beer, by Solomon Katz and Fritz Maytag; describes the brewing of a 3,800 year old Sumerian beer recipe
• American Beer: Glimpses of Its History and Description of Its Manufacture, by G. Thomann, United States Brewer's Assocation, 1909. Complete text of the original book.
• Making Beer: Homebrew circa 1800, by Nelson Goforth, from Cottage Economy (1821) by William Cobbett
• Which Came First, the Bread or the Beer?
• A Short History of Brewing in America...

Health Implications

• Beer Is Good For You---Discuss, by Denise Baxter
• Aluminum in Beer, by David Williams, examines issue of whether aluminum is asbsorbed by beer, and whether or not it poses a health risk

Cooking with Beer

• No working entries at this time

Book Reviews

• Homebrewing Books in the UK, by Gillian Grafton
• Brewers Publications, beer and brewing books sold by AHA

Beer Appreciation

• American Brewing Renaissance, by Michael Jackson, the state of brewing in America, transcript from Oregon Brewer's Fest '94.

Spirits

• Absinthe Frequently Asked Questions, by Matthew Baggott: although absinthe is banned in the U.S. (and many other countries), it can be legally purchased in some countries (such as Spain) and is of historical and pharmacological interest due to the controversy surrounding wormwood and it's purported reputation for causing insanity.
• The Hooch Page, information on distilling alcohol (home distillation is illegal in the U.S. and many other countries---we do not recommend that anyone try the techniques described here)

Brewing on the Internet

• On-Line Help for Brewers in Distress, by Cathy Watters

Other Topics

• Acronyms Used in Brewing Literature, by Mark Stevens
• Literary Beer: stories, poems, and perspectives on the art and culture of homebrewing
• Index for the first edition of Charlie Papazian's Complete Joy of Home Brewing

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