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Topics in This Week’s Episode (41:21)

• This week I welcome back John Mallett. John is a former VP and Director of Operations at Bell’s Brewery. He also recently took a new role as Course Director at the MBAA. John is the author of the book “Malt: A Practical Guide from Field to Brewhouse” from Brewer’s Publications.
• We start with a brief discussion of John’s hobbies Skiing and Sailing and how they are related to his brewing.
• John talks about his new role as Course Director for the MBAA and he shares some of their courses and where you can learn more.
• We spend some time discussing John’s long career in brewing which spans some 38 years including the early days in Craft beer.
• I focus on his time at Bell’s Brewery and we talk about some of the unique offerings from Bell’s as well as some of the things John learned working there.
• John talks about his malt book, how malting has changed and the key role malts plan in brewing beer in spite of the recent focus on hops and IPAs.
• We discuss Craft beer on the global stage and how it is rapidly evolving outside of the US.
• John shares his thoughts on the recent Craft beer decline as well as the longer slump in home brewing.
• He gives us his thoughts on Pilsners and lower alcohol beers, both of which have been growing in the Craft market.
• John gives us his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

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The Importance of Mash pH Adjustment for All-Grain Brewing

For many years now, brewers have known that mash pH adjustment is important for all grain brewers. Getting the right mash pH can enhance the extraction of sugars, wort viscosity, hop utilization, color and tanin extraction, improve the flavor of the beer and even help with long term stability.

The basic chemistry is not hard to understand. Pure water has a pH of 7.0, though many tap water sources are slightly alkaline with a pH of around 8. As we add grains to the mash, the grains have some acidity and will lower the pH. Darker grains have more acidity and will lower it more than lightly colored grains. The net result is that the mash will settle to a pH between 5.2 and 7.0 depending on the acidity of the base water, acidity of the grains used and also the buffering capacity of the water which is typically measured using a number called Residual Alkalinity.

The ideal mash pH for brewing is generally in the 5.2-5.6 range. While many darker beers can reach that range without adjustment due to the higher acidity of dark grains, most lighter colored beers require the addition of some acid to lower the pH down to the desired range.

To lower the mash pH a variety of acids can be used. The most commonly used are lactic acid, phosphoric acid and acid malt. These are added in small quantities either at mash in or once the mash pH has settled to bring the mash acid to the desired range.

Adjusting Your Mash pH in BeerSmith 4

While the older BeerSmith 3 used a somewhat complex calculator system to determine the acid to add things have been substantially simplified in BeerSmith 4. BeerSmith 4 has two buttons on the Mash tab (show below) that you can use. The first one Adjust acid from Estimated pH lets you calculate how much acid to use based on the pH estimated in BeerSmith. This estimate is calculated based on the adjusted water profile you used, the grain bill for your recipe and also the acid you select.

The second button titled Adjust Acid from pH Measurement instead uses a manual pH measurement you enter. The idea here is that you use a pH meter early in the mash process to determine the actual pH and then it will calculate how much acid to add based on the measurement and your target pH.

Mash pH Adjustment Examples

If you have a pH meter you can use either tool depending on how you want to handle your mash pH. I personally recommend making an initial adjustment based on the estimated mash pH and then make a second adjustment if the measured mash pH varies substantially from the target. I have an entire article on the merits of this strategy here.

I should also mention that adjusting your mash pH is the last thing you should do before brewing. If you use the new Run Checks button to check your recipe before brewing you will likely see a reminder to finalize your water profile and mash pH. The reason for this is that any changes to the recipe’s grain bill or water volumes can change your water and pH chemistry, so you should generally finalize your water profile first and then finalize your mash pH last right before brewing to make sure they are up to date.

Here’s an example using the Adjust Acid from Estimated pH button. In this case the software estimates my pH as 5.7 based on my current water profiles and grain bill in the recipe. I’ve entered my target pH, which is the pH I want as 5.2, and I have selected Lactic Acid as the acid I want to use. You can also choose phosphoric or acid malt here.

For the Acid Model I’ve selected the BW model. There are two different models in BeerSmith. The BW model is fairly conservative and assumes the acid added is 100% effective, so it typically recommends a lower amount of acid for adjustment. The second MPH model assumes some chemical buffering takes place so it is more aggressive, resulting in larger acid additions. I actually prefer to use the BW model for an initial adjustment it uses less acid and lowers the risk of me overshooting my target. You can permanently set the pH model in your Equipment profile under Profiles->Equipment if you want to use a particular model for new recipes and also use the Save as Default feature to set up your new recipes to be exactly the way you want them.

You can see that based on my recipe, it recommends the addition of 6.9 ml of lactic acid and also shows the approximate volume which is 0.5 tablespoons. This is the amount I will add to my mash at dough-in to get the pH adjusted quickly up front. There is no sparge addition shown in this case as I was using a BIAB (no sparge) equipment setup but if you had sparge water it would provide a recommendation there as well. When I press the OK button this amount will also be added to my recipe so I have that for future reference.

Next lets assume I used a mash pH to measure the actual pH and it was off, or alternately I did not add mash pH acid up front and instead want to add it based on a measurement. In this case I can use the Adjust Acid from pH Measurement button. Lets say my measured pH came in a 5.6 and I want to adjust it back down to 5.2.

The dialog in this case is shown on the right. Here I need to enter my measured mash pH which I took with a meter at 5.6. Next I can enter my target pH which is still 5.2 and choose an acid type and acid model as was described above.

In this case the calculator estimates I need 5.5 ml of lactic acid to get my mash pH back down to the target pH. If I press OK the software will ask me if I want to add that to my recipe or not. In many cases adjustments from a measurement are not kept in the recipe, but in some cases you might want to retain this addition to remind you that you needed a larger amount than anticipated to reach the target pH.

That is a summary of how to use the new mash pH adjustment tools. If you want to learn more I recommend you read my article on mash pH and residual alkalinity here, as well as my article on When and How to Adjust mash pH here.

Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try the new BeerSmith 4 recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

BeerSmith 4 Launched!

• You can download BeerSmith 4 for Windows and Mac now for a free 30 day trial on the main download page at BeerSmith.com. We are working on a Linux build which we will publish as soon as it has completed testing.
• We’ve also published updates to BeerSmith Web to support the new yeast features, yeast calculator, pH tracking and many other features. However the web version does not have the new water profile calculator or mash pH adjustment which we plan to add in the coming weeks.

Getting your BeerSmith 3 Data Into BeerSmith 4

BeerSmith 4 uses a new SQL based database, so it runs independently of BeerSmith 3. Existing users can import their data into BeerSmith 4.

• I’ve published an article here on Importing your BeerSmith 3 Data into BeerSmith 4 as well as a video on getting started here.
• We strongly recommend selectively importing your recipes and desired equipment profiles as a starting point as described in the article and video. You can import additional custom data later. This involves selecting the tables to open and then copy/pasting the data over to your Local Recipes and Equipment views.
• A lot of the ingredients and profiles in BeerSmith 4 have been updated, so overwriting new yeast and other data with old data may limit many of the new features. That’s why we recommend starting with just your recipes and desired equipment profiles, and perhaps inventory if desired.

BeerSmith 4 Licensing

If you don’t own a copy of BeerSmith you can purchase BeerSmith desktop along with BeerSmith Web from our main order page here, starting at $19.95/year. Both the desktop and web versions are available for a free 30 day trial here. BeerSmith 4 uses the same licensing system and terms as we did with BeerSmith 3.

• All Gold, Platinum and Professional Licenses Include BeerSmith 4 – Any of the subscription based licenses include major upgrades as well as the web version, so you can activate BeerSmith 4 with your existing license. As each of the licenses has a limited number of license slots (2, 3 or 5) you may want to run in trial mode for a short period of time until you have your data up and running before activating. If needed you can free up a slot by deactivating your old copies on your license page here.
• Basic Licenses in Most Cases Require an Upgrade – While I grandfathered basic licenses purchased after 1 July 2025, most existing Basic licenses will need to purchase a new license for BeerSmith 4. This is consistent with what we did for the BeerSmith 2 to 3 upgrade, and consistent with the licensing terms. You can continue to use BeerSmith 3 with a BeerSmith 3 basic license but it does not include BeerSmith 4.

BeerSmith 4 Highlights

I’ve published a series of videos here focusing on the new features and also have a lot of blog articles now on BeerSmith 4. In addition the full BeerSmith 4 release notes can be found here.

• Cloud and Local Mode: On startup you can select to use either the cloud or your local drive as the primary storage, though both will be accessible. This gives user’s of BeerSmith web the ability to work explicitly from their cloud based recipes, ingredients and profiles across all machines. However I’ve also preserved the local storage option for many businesses and individuals that don’t want their data stored online.
• Improved Brewing Features: (Article) A “Run Checks” button lets you do a quick check of your recipe for possible omissions and errors before brewing. Yeast, water, mash pH, and other brewing models have been updated and improved, and new brewing tools have been added.
• Major Yeast Changes: (Article – Video) You can now use liquid volumes or weights to specify yeast quantities, and the yeast models have been completely rewritten to match best professional practices. You can now adjust pitch rate to match your specific recipe, and all of the yeast addons and models have been updated to reflect yeast lab data and recommendations. Dry yeast starters are supported, dry pitch rate in grams/hecto-liter, pitched cells in cells/ml and more.
• Major Water Changes: (Video) The water profile tools have been completely revamped and reworked to reflect annhydrous salt additions, updated water chemistry, using pickling lime and MgCl, and estimating water profiles not only in the mash but throughout. Also more options were added for targeting specific additions and phases.
• A Cleaner User Interface: Both the Windows and Mac version now support dark mode, and the entire interface has been redesigned to place the most commonly used functions at your fingertips, and reduce clutter. Many operations were streamlined like adjusting water and pH or creating a New Session which involves archiving your old recipe, bumping the version number and resetting the session data all into one operation.
• Completely Rewritten Backend: The program now runs from a SQL database that is passively backed up as you work instead of the old problematic XML files. This results in dramatically improved data security, reliability and the ability to undo mistakes and retrieve archived or old data. Also it will be separate from BeerSmith 3 so you can use both side-by-side.
• New Inventory and Shopping List: The inventory and shopping list features have been rewritten to make it easier to maintain a shared inventory in the cloud as well as selectively move data from recipes to the shopping list, to inventory and then remove them once the recipe is brewed.
• Improvements Across the Board: (Article) Dozens of new tools and features have been added and hundreds of fixes have been added across the platform. A few examples include support for Seltzer recipes, much simpler Mash pH adjustment, proper handling of secondary and tertiary fermentables, new units and much more.

I hope you enjoy using the new features in BeerSmith 4 to make your best Beer, Mead, Wine, Cider and Seltzer. Thanks for your continued support!

Brad Smith, BeerSmith.com

Downloading and Installing BeerSmith 4

BeerSmith 4 is installed separately from BeerSmith 3, and installing BeerSmith 4 will not interfere with your existing BeerSmith 3 install. Because BeerSmith 4 has moved to a SQL based database, it is completely separate from your BeerSmith 3 install.

Installing BeerSmith 4 is basically the same process you used for BeerSmith 3.

• Download the Latest version from BeerSmith.com: Here’s the link for the main download page.
• Windows: Run the installer you just downloaded. You will need to install the Windows C++ Runtime the first time which is part of the install package.
• For Mac: Open the DMG file you downloaded and drag the BeerSmith icon to your Application folder. Run the copy from your Application folder after install

Running BeerSmith 4 the First Time

On startup you will be faced with this dialog. If you choose “Use Local Storage” then BeerSmith will primarily store your recipe data on the local hard drive, much like BeerSmith 3 did. If you pick “Use the Cloud” then your primary view will be of your cloud based recipes, profiles and ingredients which is a great option if you use the web based version of BeerSmith a lot. If you don’t know which to choose, pick Local as you can change it later under Tools->Startup Options. Then pick if you are using Metric or English units primarily. You can further customize your units using the Tools->Options dialog.

If you picked the Cloud storage option you will be asked for your BeerSmithRecipes.com login information and after entering that the program will begin downloading your web based/cloud recipes. Other data like profiles and ingredients will be downloaded as you access them.

Importing Your BeerSmith 3 Data

If you primarily work on the web version, you really don’t need to import anything. All of the web based data is available under the Cloud menu or Cloud shortcuts on the bottom left shortcut window. You can access your cloud based recipes, ingredients, profiles, shopping list and inventory by just opening those views.

On windows, if the program detects older BeerSmith 2 or 3 data it will show a message telling you to go to FIle->Import BeerSmith 3 or 2 Data. Running this command will show the directory found and let you import that directory or choose another directory. Next you will be asked if you want to do a Full or Selective import. We strongly recommend that you choose to do a selective import by picking Open Tables in Separate Tabs. The reason for this is that many of the ingredients and profiles have been updated in BeerSmith 4, so overwriting them with older data will limit your access to new data and features.

After selecting Open Tables in Separate Tabs you will see a list of tables to import. We recommend you start by importing your Recipes and Equipment table. You can then go back later, if needed, to grab additional data like fermentation profiles or specialized ingredients as needed. Each of the tables you select here will open up in a new tab. The program will show basic instructions on how to copy/paste data from the open file tabs to your desired view. For recipes, just select and copy/paste your recipes from the open backup recipe tab and paste them into your Local Recipes view. You can do the same with your equipment profiles. Then close the backup tabs.

If you need some old data in the future, like inventory or a custom mash profile, you can go through the same process. Go to File->Import BeerSmith 3 or 2 Data, then pick Open in Separate Tabs and select the tables you want to open up.

On the Mac the process is similar but you first have to create a backup file in BeerSmith 3. The reason for this is that new Mac applications are sandboxed for security and cannot access the data in the old version directly. So the process in this case requires you to first run BeerSmith 3 and go to File->Full Backup to Zip in BeerSmith 3 to create a zip file of your old data. Then you go to File->Full Recover from Zip to open that zip file. Again we strongly recommend you use the open in separate tabs option so you can control which data gets copied. Pick the tables to import. We recommend starting with the Local Recipes and Equipment tables and follow the instructions to copy/paste your data to your local recipes and local equipment view.

Licensing and Activation

If you have a Gold, Platinum or Pro account you can activate BeerSmith 4 using your existing license. If you have a Basic (non subscription) license purchased after July of 2025, you will need to purchase an upgrade to use BeerSmith 4. Activation is much like BeerSmith 3, you just click on the Activate button (or Help->Activate) and use your login and password to activate.

You can try BeerSmith 4 for free for 30 days. If you are an existing user you might want to use the trial period before activating as activating will take up one of your activation slots. All licenses have two or more activation slots, but if you already have BeerSmith 3 on several devices, you may want to wait until you have your program up and running with your data before activating. You can check your existing license and deactivate an old device to free a slot if needed by logging into your BeerSmithRecipes.com account on this license page.

Working with BeerSmith 4

The BeerSmith 4 interface has been streamlined to simplify things where possible, but it maintains a similar layout to BeerSmith 3. The directory tree for recipes is on the top left, showing both local and cloud folders. Shortcuts to the various views and tools are shown on the bottom left. The preview pane at the bottom can also be put to the right or shut off using the View menu.

The layout of buttons has been changed to simplify where possible. For example many whole recipe functions like the inventory and shopping list items have been moved to the Local/Cloud recipes view instead of appearing on the design view. The design views have been streamlined a bit with the adjustment functions on the toolbar, and smaller icons used for less commonly used functions. You can mouse over any button to see a longer version of what it does.

BeerSmith 4 Highlights

Here are some of the highlights of new features:

• Improved Brewing Features: A “Run Checks” button lets you do a quick check of your recipe for possible omissions and errors before brewing. Yeast, water, mash pH, and other brewing models have been updated and improved, and new brewing tools have been added.
• Major Yeast Changes: You can now use liquid volumes or weights to specify yeast quantities, and the yeast models have been completely rewritten to match best professional practices. You can now adjust pitch rate to match your specific recipe, and all of the yeast addons and models have been updated to reflect yeast lab data and recommendations. Dry yeast starters are supported, dry pitch rate in grams/hecto-liter, pitched cells in cells/ml and more.
• Major Water Changes: The water profile tools have been completely revamped and reworked to reflect annhydrous salt additions, updated water chemistry, using pickling lime and MgCl, and estimating water profiles not only in the mash but throughout. Also more options were added for targeting specific additions and phases.
• A Cleaner User Interface: Both the Windows and Mac version now support dark mode, and the entire interface has been redesigned to place the most commonly used functions at your fingertips, and reduce clutter. Many operations were streamlined like adjusting water and pH or creating a New Session which involves archiving your old recipe, bumping the version number and resetting the session data all into one operation.
• Completely Rewritten Backend: The program now runs from a SQL database that is passively backed up as you work instead of the old problematic XML files. This results in dramatically improved data security, reliability and the ability to undo mistakes and retrieve archived or old data. Also it will be separate from BeerSmith 3 so you can use both side-by-side.
• New Inventory and Shopping List: The inventory and shopping list features have been rewritten to make it easier to maintain a shared inventory in the cloud as well as selectively move data from recipes to the shopping list, to inventory and then remove them once the recipe is brewed.
• Improvements Across the Board: Dozens of new tools and features have been added and hundreds of fixes have been added across the platform. A few examples include support for Seltzer recipes, much simpler Mash pH adjustment, proper handling of secondary and tertiary fermentables, new units and much more.

Hopefully this guide helps you get up and running quickly with your existing data. If you want to learn more about BeerSmith or our web based version please check out our main site at BeerSmith.com as well as the blog and video tutorials linked there.

Yeast Packages, Milliliters and Grams

When I first wrote BeerSmith back in 2003, it was primarily written for homebrewers. As a result, the program used “packs” of yeast as the primary measure as the standard back then among homebrewers was a smack pack, small vial or sachet of dry yeast. I never imagined that someday thousands of professional breweries might be using BeerSmith to develop recipes.

Liquid yeast, in reality, is of course measured primarily in milliliters and liters. At the homebrew scale a package often consists of 70-200 ml of yeast, while professional breweries use sizes of 500ml to several liters per package. Various yeast labs also provide slightly different densities when it comes to yeast, usually quoted in billions of cells per ml. Yeast slurry harvested for reuse from a typical fermentation might have around 1 billion cells/ml, while a high end lab like White labs concentrates their yeast to approximately 2.14 billion cells/ml. Multiply the yeast quantity by the yeast density and you get an approximate cell count for the package.

Dry yeast is a bit of a different beast as it is sold by weight. Dry yeast at the homebrew level is sold in packages as small as 5 grams for wine, and often 10-15 grams for beer. Pro packages use 50-500g per pack or more. Dry yeast does not have a consistent cell density so the number of cells/gram can vary widely between strains and is often not even published. Dry yeast labs instead publish a recommended pitch rate, usually in grams per hectoliter (100 liters). A typical ale yeast might have a recommended pitch rate of 75 g/hL, while many lager yeasts use pitch rates in the 150-200 g/hL.

A Better Way to Handle Yeast in BeerSmith

BeerSmith 4 adds both liquid volumes and dry yeast weights. The yeast database was completely rewritten to properly handle this, along with the yeast pitch and starter tools. While you can still use the old packages, you can now specify yeast quantities in volumes and weights and all of the strains now include updated cell density, recommended pitch rates and viabilities.

The New Liquid Yeast Calculator

I consulted with pro brewers and yeast labs to develop the new yeast calculator. My goal was to reflect the best practices for home and pro brewers. For example here is the top section of the recipe yeast calculator for a simple recipe:

As you can see the yeast is listed in milliliters. A big change is that the yeast pitch rate is now adjustable using a simple slider. While BeerSmith still shows a recommended pitch rate based on the type of yeast and recipe (0.75 million cells/ml deg plato for an ale), you can adjust around that number to slightly under- or over-pitch. Critically the “Est Cells per ml” is shown calculated and shown. This is what most professional brewers are using now as the comparative measure of pitch rate when designing beers. This system gives you more flexibility to adjust pitch rate for the target beer style.

The above image is the bottom half of the yeast tab. The yeast viability model has been updated along with the viability data for various labs, and you now have the option to either calculate viability or not, depending on your needs. At the bottom you can calculate a one or two stage starter size, with or without a stir plate and have the option to use a starter size smaller or larger than recommended if you desire.

New Dry Yeast Calculator

Below is the same recipe, but this time using a dry yeast measured in grams. Note that this time the program shows the lab recommended pitch rate for the yeast strain you picked which in this case is 65 g/hL. You can use the slider to adjust the pitch rate and estimate the number of grams of dry yeast needed as well as the approximate pitch rate in cells/ml for the beer.

The new yeast calculator also estimates the cells/ml and yeast cells needed. As mentioned above, the yeast cell count is an approximation as cell counts for dry yeast are not always consistent, but if you are in line with the manufacturers recommended pitch rate in grams/hL, you should get a proper pitch rate into the beer. As with the liquid yeast there is also a section for estimating dry yeast viability and creating a single or two stage yeast starter with dry yeast, a feature that was not available in BeerSmith 3.

I hope you enjoyed this quick overview of the new yeast features in BeerSmith 4. If you want to learn more about BeerSmith or our web based version please check out our main site at BeerSmith.com.

Improved Session Handling

Its not uncommon for brewers to brew the same beer several times, making only small changes for each batch. Since BeerSmith stores all of the data in a recipe, basically the recipe itself records all the session data. While we’ve had a “Copy to Brew Log” feature to help you store previous beers, the feature was not widely used.

For BeerSmith 4 I decided to encapsulate all of the “new session” features into a single function. From the session tab for any open recipe you can click on the New Session button (also shows as a small icon from Design view) and it will show a dialog as follows:

The idea here is when you have completed a brewing session and recorded any fermentation/measurements and notes you can click this button and it will archive a copy of the recipe to your brew log, reset your measured values to estimated, clear the fermentation data, reset the recipe date to today and finally bump the version number on the recipe to the next version. This way your Brew Log folder has a copy of all of the recipes you have brewed along with correct dates, version numbers and the recorded data.

Fermentation pH Data and Graphing

Many users have asked that I include pH data on the age graph so you can record pH entries over time as we do today with temperature and gravity. I have added this in BeerSmith 4, so you can now keep track of your pH drop as your beer, mead or cider ferments.

Recipe Brewing and Consistency Checks

BeerSmith 4 also includes a new Run Checks button on the Design and Session tab which let you run a series of checks before brewing. This new feature takes a look at your entire recipe and looks for issues or inconsistencies in the recipe equipment, ingredients and settings.

A sample recipe report looks something like this:

As you can see it is divided into three sections. The first one shows critical issues like a bad brew date, inconsistent or negative volumes, or in this case a mash tun that is too small for the grain bill used. Next are potential problems, like not having enough yeast pitched, or a mash pH that has not been adjusted. The final section has suggestions which are lower priority like the beer being slightly outside the style guidelines.

This new feature is intended to be run just before you brew, so it can offer suggestions and capture potential problems to avoid making a bad batch.

New Unit Settings and Custom Fields

A variety of new unit settings have been added including liquid yeast units, dry yeast units, water/grain ratio units, calories, and hop rates. These are used throughout the program so you can now do things like specify carbonation in grams/liters or water ratios in kg/l within BeerSmith.

A variety of custom fields have been added as well and these can be added to the main Local/Cloud Recipes using View->Customize Columns as well as the main design tab for any recipe using the Add More Fields button on the bottom of that tab (under Statistics section). Also a search capability has been added to the custom columns dialog making it much easier to find the field you are looking for.

A few examples of the new fields for recipes include: Est Calories from Carbs, fields for the Boil Hop Rate, Dry Hop Rate, Mash Hop Rate, etc which can now be displayed in hop rate units (adjustable on the Options->Units dialog) like lb/bbl or g/l.

Many Other Improved Brewing Features

A ton of other improvements have been made to make BeerSmith more accessible and more powerful:

• Added Seltzer as a recipe type so you can now use BeerSmith with seltzers.
• Brew dates now include a timestamp.
• Program now properly handles secondary and tertiary fermentable additions by calculating a new “Est OG Through Tertiary” ($VIRTUAL_OG) value that is used to estimate the final gravity and ABV. So now you can properly calculate secondary additions.
• Misc ingredients can now be included in the whirlpool.
• Slider controls have been added to the various adjustment dialogs (Color, Gravity, etc…) to make adjusting your recipe quicker.
• Major yeast, mash pH and water changes, documented in separate articles and videos on the blog.

That is a quick summary of just a portion of the new features in BeerSmith 4. To download the trial or learn more please visit our main website at BeerSmith.com.

Cloud and Local Data Storage

BeerSmith 1 originally stored data only on your computer. In 2012, the BeerSmithRecipes.com site was launched as a site for sharing beer, mead, cider and wine recipes and also to support transferring data to the mobile version launched that same year. It was expanded greatly when the web based version of BeerSmith was launched in 2021 and now hosts almost 2.1 million recipes.

As popularity of the web version has grown, there are now many brewers who prefer keeping their data online so they can access the web version from the phone, tablet or any computer they are on. However there is another group of brewers including many professional brewers who still want the option to store their data locally on their own computer for privacy and security reasons.

So when I designed BeerSmith 4 I wanted to make the online data fully accessible for those who prefer to store online, while still allowing the option of storing data locally. I also wanted to make it easy to switch between the two as needed.

Cloud Mode

When you start BeerSmith 4 the first time you will see a dialog that lets you set your startup options as well as the basic unit settings. It looks like this:

Here you can select whether you prefer to work primarily from the Cloud/Web based storage or use local storage on your own hard drive. You can also select Metric or English units for a quick setup though you can further customize your unit settings on the Tools->Options (BeerSmith4->Preferences on Mac) dialog.

If you select Use the Cloud then the program will ask for your BeerSmithRecipes.com user name and password, and will begin downloading your web based recipes. Also as you start to use ingredients and profiles it will download your cloud based ingredients and profiles on demand. So basically BeerSmith will start up showing your cloud/web data and when you build a recipe it will show the cloud based ingredients, cloud based profiles, and cloud based shopping and inventory. Operations like adding to the shopping list or inventory will work against your cloud based lists by default.

Conversely, if you select Use Local Storage then BeerSmith will use your local hard drive to store recipes, ingredients and profiles. It will work on the local shopping list, inventory, and only items you specifically copy/paste into one of your cloud views will be stored online. Using this option you can still run BeerSmith in a stand-alone mode, without shared data, and the program only needs internet access to activate and if you want to later access your cloud data or new ingredient and profile addons.

Can I Still Access Both Local and Cloud Based Data?

Choosing either local or cloud mode does not limit your access to the opposite storage. The only major change is which data set appears at startup and acts as your primary storage. For example, in cloud mode, the shortcut bars on the left show the cloud based listings at the top and local below them as you see here:

The first image above shows the recipe folder listing. In cloud mode, the cloud based recipes show up first, and the program on startup will refresh and show your cloud based listings. However the local recipe folders are shown below that and you can easily move between them by clicking and transfer data by using copy/paste. Also shown in the first images is the menu at the top which gives you access to all of the Cloud and Local views from the Cloud and Local menus including your ingredients and profiles, search views, inventory and shopping list.

The second image shows the lower shortcut bar on the left. When the program is in cloud mode the cloud views appear on top, but you can see that you can easily access any of the data views, either cloud or local, from the shortcuts and again it is easy to move data using copy/paste.

The only views that are somewhat special are the inventory views. If you are in cloud mode, the program will display and primarily work with your cloud based inventory and shopping list. If you are in local mode then it will work with local inventory and shopping list. This comes into play for operations like adding a recipe to the shopping list, displaying current inventory for a recipe or moving/removing items from inventory.

Changing from Cloud to Local View

As I mentioned BeerSmith will show the startup dialog allowing you to make a selection the first time you run it. However you can change this at any time using the Tools->Startup Options menu selection. So if at some point you want to work offline or just change your mind you can easily make the change.

That is a quick overview of how to use Cloud and Local modes in BeerSmith 4. If you want to learn more about BeerSmith or our web based version please check out our main site at BeerSmith.com.

After over 3 years of work and almost 4 months of testing, the BeerSmith 4 desktop release is coming this month. I’ve set a release date of Thursday, 19 March 2026 for the Windows and newer Mac release. Support for Ubuntu Linux and older Mac machines will follow in the weeks after the desktop launch along with a series of updates to the web version to bring matching features online.

BeerSmith 4 Highlights

While I will be publishing a series of short articles and videos in the coming weeks here are some of the main highlights for the BeerSmith 4 Desktop launch:

• Cloud and Local Mode: On startup you can select to use either the cloud or your local drive as the primary storage, though both will be accessible. This gives user’s of BeerSmith web the ability to work explicitly from their cloud based recipes, ingredients and profiles across all machines. However I’ve also preserved the local storage option for many businesses and individuals that don’t want their data stored online.
• Improved Brewing Features: A “Run Checks” button lets you do a quick check of your recipe for possible omissions and errors before brewing. Yeast, water, mash pH, and other brewing models have been updated and improved, and new brewing tools have been added.
• Major Yeast Changes: You can now use liquid volumes or weights to specify yeast quantities, and the yeast models have been completely rewritten to match best professional practices. You can now adjust pitch rate to match your specific recipe, and all of the yeast addons and models have been updated to reflect yeast lab data and recommendations. Dry yeast starters are supported, dry pitch rate in grams/hecto-liter, pitched cells in cells/ml and more.
• Major Water Changes: The water profile tools have been completely revamped and reworked to reflect annhydrous salt additions, updated water chemistry, using pickling lime and MgCl, and estimating water profiles not only in the mash but throughout. Also more options were added for targeting specific additions and phases.
• A Cleaner User Interface: Both the Windows and Mac version now support dark mode, and the entire interface has been redesigned to place the most commonly used functions at your fingertips, and reduce clutter. Many operations were streamlined like adjusting water and pH or creating a New Session which involves archiving your old recipe, bumping the version number and resetting the session data all into one operation.
• Completely Rewritten Backend: The program now runs from a SQL database that is passively backed up as you work instead of the old problematic XML files. This results in dramatically improved data security, reliability and the ability to undo mistakes and retrieve archived or old data. Also it will be separate from BeerSmith 3 so you can use both side-by-side.
• New Inventory and Shopping List: The inventory and shopping list features have been rewritten to make it easier to maintain a shared inventory in the cloud as well as selectively move data from recipes to the shopping list, to inventory and then remove them once the recipe is brewed.
• Improvements Across the Board: Dozens of new tools and features have been added and hundreds of fixes have been added across the platform. A few examples include support for Seltzer recipes, much simpler Mash pH adjustment, proper handling of secondary and tertiary fermentables, new units and much more.

Pricing and Preorder

As with BeerSmith 3, the new BeerSmith 4 will use the same licensing arrangement. You can choose between the subscription options (Gold, Platinum and Pro) starting at $19.95/year which include the web version and major upgrades or you can purchase the non-subscription BeerSmith Basic ($44.95 which does not include the web version or future major version upgrades).

• Existing Gold, Platinum and Pro Level BeerSmith 3 Users: All of the subscription licenses currently include major version upgrades so if you have one of these licenses your existing BeerSmith 3 license will carry over to BeerSmith 4 at no charge. You don’t need to do anything as you will be able to activate BeerSmith 4 with your existing license.
• Existing Basic Level BeerSmith 3 Licenses: As per the terms of your license, the non-subscription BeerSmith 3 Basic license DOES NOT include major version updates so it will not apply to BeerSmith 4. You will have the option of purchasing a separate license for BeerSmith 4 or continuing to use BeerSmith 3. I have also upgraded anyone who purchased a Basic license after 1 July 2025 to version 4 to cover recent buyers. You can check your profile page if you purchased a recent basic license to see if you have been upgraded.
• New Purchases: If you purchase a BeerSmith 3 license at any level starting today you will be able to use BeerSmith 4 when it is launched. All Gold, Platinum and Pro licenses automatically include major version updates, and any Basic level purchases made now will include BeerSmith 4 when released.

I am looking forward to the BeerSmith 4 release and hope you all enjoy trying it out in just a few weeks!

Brad Smith, PhD, BeerSmith LLC

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (35:18)

• This week I welcome back Max Shafer from Roadhouse Brewing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Max was previously a brewer at Grand Teton brewing. Max sits on the Hop Research Council, is the Idaho ambassador to the Hop Quality Group, and associate member of the American Malting Barley Association. Max is a graduate of the Siebel Institute and has over 10 years as a professional brewer.
• We start with a short discussion of some of the new beers and offerings at Roadhouse Brewing where they continue to innovate.
• Max starts the technical discussion with a discussion on hop balance, and what he means by the proper hop balance for a Hazy IPA.
• We talk about boil hops which lay the foundation for bitterness, and how his boil hop additions have evolved into a single 60 minute addition combined often with a shorter 20 minute addition.
• Max next moves on to whirlpool additions, and we discuss the use of pellets here as well as some of the new hop products like Dynaboost and Incognito.
• Next we discuss dry hopping and why pellets are still important here. He also talks about concentrated hop products like Subzero Hop Kief and Abstrax. We discuss the use of isomerized hop products and aroma additions for final tweaking of a beer as well.
• Max tells us how he works backward from a finished beer to try to determine the best place to tweak hop balance – be it in the boil, whirlpool or dry hopping. He also makes extensive use of his small pilot brewery.
• We next talk about gravity in the context of Hazy IPAs and how there seems to be a sweet spot in terms of the ideal gravity to balance out a Hazy IPA.
• Max discusses drinkability as well as the push to lower gravity beers.
• He tells us where to visit Roadhouse as well as their website (linked above) and how you can get their products.
• He also gives us his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes

You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (37:50)

• This week I welcome Denny Conn. Denny is a nationally ranked certified beer judge. He is also co-author of the books Simple Homebrewing, Experimental Brewing and also Home Brewing All Stars (All Amazon Affiliate Links).
• We start with a discussion of Denny’s 630 batches of beer over a period of 28 years, and how he is brewing a lot of Trappist/Abbey style Belgian ales now.
• Denny provides some of the rich history of Trappist ales which originated in Abbeys primarily around Belgium.
• We discuss how the International Trappist Ale association now enforces the term Trappist Ale as only applying to a small number of approved Trappist abbeys. So we now instead use the term Abbey ales or perhaps beers brewed in the Trappist style.
• Denny explains the basic styles which are single, dubbel, tripel and quad, though there are variations of each.
• Denny discusses how these ales often vary by region and color.
• We next move to ingredients and how to brew these styles, starting with the malt bill. Denny explains why he prefers to use primarily Belgian pale malts along with a substantial portion of sugars. We also discuss the tradeoffs between simple sugars and expensive Belgian candi sugars.
• Denny explains how these beers are simply hopped, often using local hops and also why they are sometimes more bitter than they appear.
• We discuss brewing yeasts and Denny provides his favorite yeast to use.
• We discuss brewing techniques and in particular how the mash profile is important for achieving a high attenuation in these styles which makes them more drinkable.
• Denny provides advice for brewers looking to make the perfect Belgian ale.
• He also gives us his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes

You can subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

This week I cover the major hop thiols and how they can be used to increase the aromatic and fruity flavors in beers like IPA.

What are Hop Thiols?

Hop thiols, also known as mercaptans are sulfur based organic compounds that are highly aromatic. Thiols are a tiny percentage (< 1%) of the essential oils in hops, but they pack a big punch. They exist in a wide variety of products including fruit, hops, grapes and even grain. Scientifically they were first identified in the wine making industry where they have been exploited for many years to make aromatic wines.

Over the last 10-15 years, scientists have started studying thiols in hops in an effort to support the Craft Beer IPA revolution, as well as the push to get more aromatic and fruity flavors into IPAs. They have found that hops provide the majority of free thiols, with grains and other adjuncts primarily contributing bound thiols. However it is the free thiols that are chemically important for brewers as these produce the largest impact in a finished beer.

While the thiols in hops are much more complex and varied than in grapes, the four major hop-derived thiols include (Ref: Scott Janish):

• 4MSP or 4MMP (4-mercapto-4-methyl-pentan-2-one) – Has the aroma of Boxtree, Ribes, Chives, Tomato plant and Blackcurrants
• 3MHA or 3SH (3 mercaptohexanol) – Aroma of Grapefruit, Citrus, White Grape and Gooseberry
• 3S4MP or 3M4MP (3-mercapto-4-methylpentan) – Passion fruit, Grapefruit and Rhubarb
• 3MHA or 3SHA (3-mercaptohexyl acetate) – Converted to 3MH during fermentation, and can also produce beta-lyase during fermentation – Aroma of Passion fruit and Guava.

The above compounds are actually very common in wines like Reisling and Sauvignon Blanc, even though they don’t occur in grapes. They are developed during fermentation of wine from precursors in the grape must. Interestingly, thiols are also biotransformed in beer as described below.

Analyzing thiols in beer is exceptionally challenging because they make up only parts per trillion in the finished beer, and are also highly reactive. So the equipment and processes needed to isolate them are very expensive. However, our nose can detect thiols even in at a threshold of a few parts per trillion, so they have a big impact on aroma and flavor even though they exist in an infinitely tiny concentration.

I’ve done a number of podcasts over the years focused on thiols. Here are a few if you are interested in learning more: Yeast Biotransformations with Chris White and Nick Impellitteri, Hop Thiols and Varieties with Stan Hieronymus, Thiols and Fruity IPAs with MoreBeer, Thiolized Yeast with Adam Mills.

Thiols and Biotransformations

Yeast and hops interact in a complex process during fermentation which we call hop biotransformation. A variety of changes occur during fermentation including (Ref: Hopqueries):

• The modification of terpenes. These include the reduction of popular hop oils like geraniol (floral aroma) and citronellol (citrus/lime-like), Terpenes make up about 80% of the essential oils in hops, so the selection of hops high in geraniol and citronellol can result in more floral and fruity aromas.
• Conversion of Organic Acids into Esters – Yeast converts organic acids into fruity ester compounds. Some yeasts, like many English ale yeasts produce more esters than others, but the classic ester aroma is a product of this process. As hops age during storage, they develop more branch chain acids, so older hops actually produce more esters.
• The Release of Thiols – Thiols exist in two forms – free and bound. Only free thiols produce the rich tropical aromas we desire in beer. Hops like Citra and Mosaic are higher in free thiols, and as a result have become staples in many Craft IPAs. Other hops like Calypso have a higher percentage of bound thiols, but some bound thiols can also be released during fermentation.

Obviously for a transformation to take place, you must have hop aroma oils in the wort while it is fermenting. Since most hop aroma oils are very volatile, you typically need to add them as whirlpool hops or add some dry hops during fermentation. You also want to select hops that are high in thiols or terpenes like geraniol if you want to achieve the desired effect.

To maximize your thiol output you should also select a thiolized or thiol enhancing yeast. These yeast strains are either naturally selected or genetically modified to activate an IRC7 gene in the yeast that works to free bound thiols during fermentation. I covered these strains in the BYO article here, and also in my podcast with Dr Chris White and Nick Impellitteri.

Mash hopping has also been shown to be an effective technique if you select hops high in bound thiols and combine this with thiol enhancing yeast. I wrote a detailed BYO article on this topic here. This article actually covers a lot of ground including hop and yeast selection if you are interested in learning more.

Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

Opening Multiple Windows in BeerSmith Desktop

Last week I received a question from a professional brewer asking how he can compare the fermentation graph side by side for two recipes. He was working on two different batches of the same recipe. Surprisingly this is very easy to do!

• By default BeerSmith opens new views in a new tab, and you can switch tabs easily using the notebook tabs at the top of the window
• To open any BeerSmith recipe, tool or view in a separate window simply hold down the shift key while clicking (or double clicking) on it!
• That’s it! The tool or view you selected will open in a new window. If you have a large enough monitor or multiple monitors you can rearrange the windows to place them side by side for comparison. So it becomes easy to compare two different recipes or items side by side.
• Shift-clicking on tools is also handy as this lets you pop up a small tool to do a quick unit conversion or calculation.

What about the Web Version of BeerSmith?

While the web version of BeerSmith typically opens new items in the current tab, you can actually easily make any tool or view pop up in a new tab or completely separate window:

• To Open an Item in a New Tab: While in the BeerSmith Web program: Hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on the tool, recipe or view you want to open. This will open that selection in a new tab in your browser.
• To Open an Item in a New Window: Hold down the shift key while clicking on the tool, view or recipe and it will open in a completely new web browser window.

You can download BeerSmith desktop at BeerSmith.com or try the web based at BeerSmithRecipes.com. Both have free trial periods!

Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (26:28)

• This week I welcome Jared Williamson. Jared is the head brewer at Shlafly Brewery in St Louis MO. Jared has nearly 20 years of brewing experience as a professional brewer, and leads recipe development and ingredient innovation at Shlafly.
• We start with a brief history of Jared as a brewer, and how he became head brewer at Shlafly.
• Jared explains his Pale Ale and new IPA non-alcoholic (NA) beer offerings and why he thinks NA beer is an important emerging market segment for craft brewing.
• We discuss the methods he used to create non-alcoholic beer including high mash temperatures and managed fermentation. He also talks about the changes he had to make to adopt existing recipes to NA beer.
• Next we discuss his line of 3% beers which are targeting more casual brewers or those who want to be able to drink a few beers without all of the alcohol. This is another part of Shlafly’s strategy to adopt to the changing beer market.
• Jared shares some of the changes he had to make to create his 3% beer lineup.
• He shares his advice on those looking to make lower alcohol beers at home.
• We talk about the rapidly changing Craft beer market and pressures on many craft breweries as the market has declined since COVID.
• Jared discusses his Winter beer offerings including Winter Stout, Oatmeal Stout and Coffee Stout.
• He shares where to find Schlafly beers and also their location.
• Jared provides his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes

you can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (26:28)

• This week I welcome back John Palmer. John is the author of the top selling book How to Brew as well as Water and Brewing Classic Styles (full disclosure: Amazon affiliate links used for books). John joins me this week to talk about water in beer.
• We start with a short discussion on John’s current brewing projects.
• Next we dive into the Grodziski, which is a historical Polish beer style made with smoked malt. John tells a bit about this style.
• We next discuss smoked base malts and the history behind smoked malts. Prior to the 1700’s, almost all malts were dried and kilned over wood, but malting evolved significantly with the introduction of coke fired malting in the 1700’s and introduction of lighter malts including pale malt.
• John talks about some of the other major beer styles that use smoked malt including Rauchbier, Rauchweizen, Rauchbock and Smoked Altbier.
• John talks about two smoked beer collaborations he did recently starting with Smoked Altbier. We discuss the recipe and also how it turned out.
• Next we move to a Grodziski collaboration beer that John did including the grain bill and hop schedule. Again John tells us how this turned out.
• John shares some of the lessons he learned from his smoked beer collaborations.
• John shares his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

I’m pleased to announce that BeerSmith 4 has entered beta testing for both Mac and Windows, and is progressing towards a release early this Spring. BeerSmith 4 will bring you tighter cloud integration, a secure SQL storage system, improved brewing calculations, a streamlined interface and much more. It will let you choose either web based or local storage as your primary data source, and give you access to both easily. It also incorporates dozens of new features for both home and pro brewers. The update will be free for all Gold, Platinum and Pro license holders. Basic license users will need to upgrade since this is a major version change.

BeerSmith 4 will continue the tradition of providing the most powerful brewing tools to the home and professional brewer.

BeerSmith Price Updates

With the new year and upcoming release I’ve decided to adjust pricing. The new baseline Gold yearly license will now be $19.95/year for new licenses, with other levels going up a similar amount. For the time being, I’ve grandfathered existing subscribers, so the vast majority of users on autorenew will not see a price increase.

I’ve not changed the price of BeerSmith since 2018 even after adding the valuable BeerSmith web version for free in 2021 and a number of updates. However, several changes have driven this decision. The homebrew market has been in decline for over 10 years and is now a small fraction of what it was in 2014. Recently the Craft Beer market entered a similar decline. Operating costs have also risen, especially in the years since COVID. My competitors have all raised their prices well above even my new price levels.

Along with the price change, I’ve raised the recipe storage limits for all Gold, Platinum and Pro users in the last few days, recently updated virtually all of the active yeast addons and I’m integrating the key upcoming BeerSmith 4 features into BeerSmith web also.

BeerSmith is an outstanding value. The gold license at $19.95/year ($1.66/month), includes the BeerSmith 3 desktop program with the upcoming BeerSmith 4 release as well as the web based version which you can use from any internet connected device including your tablet or phone. You also get access to 10’s of thousands of shared recipes on BeerSmithRecipes.com as well as the ability to create Beer, Mead, Wine, Cider (and soon Seltzer) recipes anywhere. And you get access to free data updates, a steady stream of new recipes on BeerSmithRecipes.com and new features as they are released. Finally, I am continuing to put out new podcast episodes, interviews, my weekly newsletter and brewing articles on the blog.

Thank you for your continued support!

Brad Smith, PhD, BeerSmith LLC

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (51:52)

• This week I welcome back Gordon Strong. Gordon is President Emeritus and highest level beer judge in the Beer Judge Certifcation Program and author of the books Modern Homebrew Recipes and Brewing Better Beer (Books links are paid Amazon affiliate links).
• We start with a discussion of the BJCP Cider guidelines updated last year as well as a few of Gordons recent projects.
• Next we dive into the updated BJCP Mead style guideline that Gordon is currently working on and planning to publish shortly. He explains his goals for the new update.
• The guide is divided into four major sections starting with traditional meads. We talk about the traditional mead categories as well as varietal meads and some of Gordons favorite varietals.
• Gordon next discusses changes to the fruit mead (Melomel) category and we discuss the expansion of Cyser to include other pomme fruits.
• We discuss the fruit mead categories, along with Ken Schramm’s noble fruits though Gordon explains why many tropical fruits also work well with mead.
• We talk about spiced meads which covers a wide variety of spices. Gordon tells us why many “winter” spices work well with mead.
• Finally we have the specialty mead category which covers meads that don’t otherwise fit in the main categories. Gordon also discusses wood and barrel aged meads which have become popular.
• Gordon provides his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (51:42)

• This week I welcome Dr Chris White and Nick Impellitteri. Chris is President of White Labs Inc, at top provider of brewing yeast worldwide and 2015 winner of the AHA Governing Committee award for a lifetime of achievement in brewing. He is also the author of the book “Yeast” which is the ultimate reference on brewing yeast.
• Nick is a biomaterials scientist and genetic engineer who started Yeast Bay in 2013 in the Bay area, a provider of unique brewing yeasts produced in collaboration with White Labs.
• We start with a brief discussion with returning guest Chris White about some of the new projects going on at White Labs.
• First time guest Nick Impellitteri tells a bit about his story and how he got started as founder of The Yeast Bay. Nick is involved in a collaboration with White Labs where many of his yeasts are produced by White Labs for craft breweries worldwide.
• Chris starts by describing a project he worked on several years ago to map the genetic family tree for 96 brewing yeast strains and what we’ve learned from that.
• Nick talks about his new lager strain Cream City Lager Yeast and how he is evaluating new yeast strains using modern genetics.
• Chris explains how we’re just starting to map specific yeast genes to individual flavors and aromas in beer.
• He also describes some interesting results comparing genes from two of the worlds most popular lager yeast strains: Saaz and Frohberg and how one largely dominates large lager production.
• Chris discusses the STA1 gene which can in some cases cause diastaticus. Chris tells us why STA1 is important but also the limitations.
• Nick explains how biotransformations are really important for many IPA styles. There are two major types of biotransformation important in the process: Terpenes and thiols and Nick tells us about terpene biotransformation of hop aroma compounds like Geraniol and Linalool. Terpenes can be bound or free.
• Chris explains the biotransformation of thiols, including both bound and free thiols, and how yeast plays a major role.
• Chris tells us why yeast genetics plays an important role in thiol transformation in the form of the IRC7 gene. Again the presence of the gene is not enough, as it must be activated.
• Chris tells us about his new yeast strain WPL077, Tropicale Yeast Blend which takes a natural approach. Tropicale is not a genetically modified yeast, but is instead carefully selected to free thiols and produce tropical fruity flavors in a finished beer. This approach is different than many competitors who are using genetically modified yeasts.
• Nick joins in to talk about projects he is working on to genetically engineer new yeast strains, along with certain advantages and disadvantages that come from the approach.
• Chris and Nick both provide their closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

This week I look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of whirlpool hopping in an effort to better understand the technique.

Whirlpool vs Dry Hopping vs Boil Hops

Its important that we start with a short discussion of the three major hop methods. Most brewers are familiar with boil hops, which are primarily used to add bitterness to the beer. Whirlpool and dry hops are not added for bitterness, but instead are used to preserve delicate aroma oils and flavors. Whirlpool hops are added at the end of the boil at temperatures below boiling and typically steeped for a period of time from a few minutes to as long as an hour. Dry hops are added during active fermentation or in the secondary.

In the simplest form, we use whirlpool hops and dry hops in an effort to force aromatic oils, which really don’t like to go into solution, into our beer. Whirlpool hopping uses higher temperatures to force the oils into the beer, while dry hopping uses time (at a lower temperature). The two techniques are better at preserving different hop oils, which is why we most often use both in a modern IPA.

Whirlpool Hopping and its Limitations

Whirlpool hops are typically added in the “whirlpool” after the boil on a professional system, or alternately the hops are steeped on a homebrew scale. Typically this is done at high temperature but well below boiling. Most aromatic hop oils have a lot boil/vaporization point so they boil off easy, but the higher temperature in the whirlpool does increase the solubility of the oils to get them into the wort quickly.

The main problem with whirlpool hops is that they are added before fermentation. During fermentation a large amount of CO2 is produced that bubbles up through the beer. This scrubs a substantial portion of the aromatic oils out. Also biotransformations from the yeast acts to enhance and free some aromatic compounds, while inhibiting others. An commercial example is shown in the diagram above from Scott Janish. While this is an extreme example using a centrifuge and pasteurization for commercial beer production, you can still see that fermentation alone does substantially reduce the levels of many of the key hop oils.

Looking at the charts, the sum of floral fraction appears to have a substantial drop in fermentation. Myrcene, which has the piny character from many Pacific NW hops also appears to be hard hit during fermentation. Linalool, in contrast seems to survive well post fermentation and even survives the centrifuge. The lower three oils (sesquiterpenoids, caryophyllene and alpha-humulone seem to survive fermentation but are hard hit in the centrifuge.

Also of interest is the fact that hop oil survivability varies quite a bit between different recipes. A, B and C are different beers with different formulations, but one would expect that the hop oils might have a similar survivabillity rate based on their initial levels. However this is not the case, so clearly there are additional factors in play.

Given both terpenoids and thiols (the bulk of aromatic oils) exist both in a free and bound form, and only the free terpenoids/thiols give off significant aroma, it is likely that the mix of free and bound oils plays a large role here. Further, different yeasts can exhibit different abilities to free both bound terpenoids and thiols, so even simple things like the choice of yeast can affect how well your hop oils biotransform into hop aroma in the finished beer.

Several pros I’ve talked with say they have tried eliminating just the whirlpool hops from known recipes and testing them with a triangle test and they were able to tell the difference. Eliminating the dry hops but leaving the whirlpool had a similar result but in a different way. So ultimately whirlpool and dry hops preserve different aromas and flavors. Still I found the chart above interesting enough to mention, as I had not previously considered the significant loss of oils during fermentation.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s article on hops. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (54:23)

• This week I welcome Richard Yi. Richard is a second generation Cider maker working for his family’s business Brooklyn Cider House. He specializes in creating ciders with international influence from American heirloom and other rare apples and fruits.
• Richard starts by telling us the story of Brooklyn Cider House and how he started the business with his father.
• We discuss the history of cider, which was once literally on every table in America in the 1700’s and 1800’s, and how cider fell from grace when prohibition hit.
• We talk about some of the major types of cider as well as the wide diversity of cider styles now bring made.
• Richard highlights his work in wild, barrel aged and sour ciders which is a bit of a specialty area. We discuss how he has been able to apply many sour beer techniques to ciders.
• Craft cider is one of the few alcoholic beverage categories still growing. Richard provides his thoughts on the rise of Craft Cider in the US and why it is growing in popularity.
• He shares some of the challenges cider makers have in educating consumers about craft cider and the wide variety of cider styles available.
• I ask about heirloom apples, which have different characteristics including more tannins and acidity than typical “eating” varieties. We talk about heirloom apples and some of the challenges getting them grown in quantity.
• Richard provides a brief overview of how an average brewer can use existing equipment to make cider at home. He recommends using baking apples that are freshly squeezed instead of working with juice.
• We talk about some of the interesting ciders he has been working on.
• Richard provides his location, how you can buy Brooklyn Ciders and also his closing thought.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

I recently posted updates to hundreds of yeast ingredients for BeerSmith and BeerSmith Web. I recommend updating your yeast listings in BeerSmith as outlined below to pick up the new yeast strains and features. These ingredients were also updated to be compatible with the upcoming release of BeerSmith 4.

Updated Yeast Addons

The following yeast addons have received a full update including all of the new strains listed on the various lab’s websites:

• Apex Cultures, Cellar Science, Escarpment Labs, Fermentis/Safeale/DCL, Imperial Yeast, Lallemand/Lalvin, Levteck Yeasts (Brazil), Leveduras Angel Yeast (Brazil), Mangrove Jack’s Yeast, Omega Yeast, RVA Yeast, Red Star Yeast, WHC Labs Yeast, The Yeast bay, White Labs, Wyeast Labs

In addition the following yeast listings had a partial update:

• Cross My Loof Yeast, LeLabo Yeast, Propagate Labs

A Change in Yeast Addon Philosophy and BeerSmith 4

While both BeerSmith 2 and 3 had a “base” set of core yeast listings like White Labs and Wyeast. For BeerSmith Web and the upcoming BeerSmith 4 desktop release we’ve moved to individual downloads for each separate yeast lab. This makes it easier for you to select the labs that are local to your area as well as more easily update yeast listings. This means we won’t publish updates like “Yeast Update 2020” anymore and instead will just update the appropriate lab’s listing. Also some labs like Giga Yeast and East Coast years have closed, so you may want to remove those.

In BeerSmith 4 we will allow the specification of yeast quantities in liters/milliliters for liquid yeast or grams for dry yeast. This meant updating the recommended pitch rates for dry and liquid yeasts as well as a complete rework of the various pitch rate calculators. This work was also done as part of this data update, even though its not visible in the current versions. Going forward this will bring BeerSmith in line with professional brewing practices as well as modern yeast lab’s recommendations for pitching rates.

Updating Your Yeast Listings

Here’s how to update the various yeast listings in BeerSmith.

Updating BeerSmith Web Yeast Listings

The preloaded yeast listings have been automatically updated in the web version. If you want to add a new yeast lab or remove an old one simply go to Ingredients->Yeast view and click on the button to Manage Preloaded Yeasts. From there you can select which yeast addons to display.

Updating BeerSmith 3 Desktop

Note that on the desktop version, deleting and installing a new addon will reset your inventory for those items to zero as the inventory is stored as part of the yeast listing. This is not the case on the web version or the upcoming BeerSmith 4 which stores inventory separately.

Updating an Addon: In most cases you can simply uninstall and install a yeast addon to update it.

• Go to Ingredients->Yeast view
• Click on the Yeast Addons button on the ribbon to bring up the addon listings
• Uninstall and then re-install the listings you want updated

The only exceptions to this are listings in the original “Core” group of yeasts shipped with BeerSmith. Because these listings were part of the “Core” yeast listings and updates, you will need to manually delete the old yeast listings before installing the new ones. Also you may wish to delete some core yeast listing labs that are now defunct or out of business:

• Core Yeast Listings that were Updated: Fermentis, Danstar, Imperial Yeast, Lallemand, Mangrove Jack’s, Omega, Red Star, White Labs and Wyeast Labs
• Core Yeast Listings that can be deleted: Giga Yeast, East Coast Yeast (both are out of business)

Deleting a core yeast listing in BeerSmith 3 – recommended before installing the updated core yeast listings or you will end up with duplicates:

• Go to Ingredients->Yeast view
• Optional: You can use File->Export All from your yeast view to make a backup file of your yeast listings (just in case)
• Type the name of the addon in the search bar, for example “White Labs” or “Giga Yeast”. This will show the yeasts that match.
• Hold down the shift key while mult-selecting the items to be deleted.
• Use the delete button on the large ribbon to remove those items.
• Once this is done, you can clear the search text in the search bar which will display all the remaining yeasts
• Now you can install the new yeast addon using the “Yeast Addons” button as described above. Install the specific lab such as “White Labs” to get their latest listings.

I have additional data updates planned, and BeerSmith 4 will start beta testing shortly. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (58:41)

• This week I welcome back Dr Charlie Bamforth, Professor Emeritus from the University of California at Davis. Charlie specializes in the study of the wholesomeness of beer including beer perception, polyphenols, foam stability, oxidation and flavor stability.
• Charlie gives a brief overview of some of the projects he has been working on this last year as well as his upcoming books.
• Today we dive into Charlie’s long career which started at BRF in England in 1978. He tells us about the BRF and some of the research he did there.
• In 1983 Charlie moved to Bass in Burton and then later Preston Brook. We discuss some of the changes moving to a large brewery as well as some of the work Charlie did there.
• In 1991, Charlie moved back to BRF, but his job took on more of a global role. We discuss some of the topics he worked on.
• Charlie also started working as a visiting professor at Heriot Watt. We talk about what drove him to begin teaching.
• In 1999 Charlie moved to California to begin teaching full time at UC Davis. Charlie was instrumental in expanding their brewing programs there into a world-renown school.
• We talk about the University Extension program and Continuing education program at UC Davis and his role.
• Charlie also became an honorary professor at the University of Nottingham. We discuss this role.
• While Charlie retired from UC Davis in 2018, he has continued to consult at Sierra Nevada as well as work on books and many side projects. We discuss some of these.
• Charlie talks about the dozens of books he has written as well as some of the courses he has recorded.
• Finally we discuss his lifetime fascination with soccer and soccer goal-keeping.
• Charlie gives us his closing thoughts as well as thoughts about where brewing might go next.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

This week I look at the “Noble Fruits”, a term coined by Ken Schramm to describe the fruits that work best in mead making. Many of the same characteristics that make these fruits desirable for mead, also apply to beers made with fruit.

For the last 8 years, I have been focused on making high gravity fruit meads, called melomels. These meads use very high starting gravities, along with a large percentage of fruit or fruit juice to create an explosion of sweetness and fruit flavor in your mouth. These are not light session meads, but typically 15% ABV meads more akin to a dessert wine. I wrote a short intro on mead making here as well as integrating mead into BeerSmith software with version 3 (video here). I also wrote a very detailed article on modern mead for BYO which you can find here.

The King of this particular style is arguably world famous mead maker Ken Schramm of Schramm’s Mead near Detroit. Ken has been on the BeerSmith podcast a number of times including Episode 326, Episode #289, Episode #262, and Episode #143. Ken’s focus for the last several years has been growing specific varieties of fruit at his orchard to determine which specific varieties of fruit work best in mead. I also consulted Ken regarding this article as he developed the “noble fruit” concept.

The Noble Fruit Character

At the last Homebrewcon in 2023, I attended a presentation that Ken gave that included his list of “Noble Fruits”. Noble fruits are simply the fruits that work best in the high gravity fruit meads Ken is famous for. Because both Ken and I feel it is best to ferment the fruits along with the honey during the main fermentation, these fruits need to have flavor character that will survive a high gravity fermentation.

The basic concept behind a high gravity melomel is to use a very high starting gravity along with selected yeasts that have a limited alcohol tolerance. In essence, we put too much honey in the mead so that the yeast really can’t ferment it all out which leaves a high finishing gravity with residual sweetness. That sweetness complements the flavor from the big dose of fruit and provides balance as well as a complete fruity finish even though the simple sugars in the fruit were fermented away. Keep in mind for many of these meads I am using nearly equal volumes of honey and fruit, and starting gravities often in the 1.140 to 1.160 range!

The key characteristics a fruit must have to be fermented in this way is what a wine maker would call “structure”. That structure comes in the form of acidity and tannins in the fruit that will remain even after the sugar in the fruit has fermented away. So we need fruits that are high in acidity and tannins to counterbalance the residual sweetness left from the honey to provide a balanced flavor. The final gravity is in fact targeted to provide the correct balance depending on how acidic and tannic the fruit is.

Ken added that the characteristics which combine to create an ideal fruit for meadmaking include:

• Firm, concentrated, multi-faceted, delicious flavor
• Pronounced acidity
• The ability to ferment reliably with fidelity to varietal character
• Pleasant and balanced tannin

The Noble Fruits

I wrote Ken Schramm asking for his current list of Noble Fruits for mead making and here’s the ones he provided. Many of these I have used in my own meads:

• Red Raspberries: Add a bright red color as well as strong raspberry flavor that complements the mead well. I used fresh raspberries for one of my earliest meads and it came out great, though it seems to take just a bit longer to reach peak flavor than some other fruits. I’ve also used them in combination with other fruits like black currants and tart cherries.
• Blackberries: Another staple mead fruit, I’ve used as much as 16.5 lbs in a 5 gallon batch with amazing results. Have good acidity and tannins that really make this fruit come thorough well in the finished mead, and it seems to reach peak flavor just a bit faster than raspberries.
• Hybrid Brambles: This includes fruits like Loganberries, Tayberries, Boysenberries, Japanese Wine Berries. These are hybrid cross fruits that share many of the same characteristics as raspberries or blackberries. I made a Loganberry mead from Vintner’s Loganberry wine base and it turned out to be one of my favorites. Loganberry is a cross between Raspberry and Blackberry.
• Tart Cherries, Amarelle and Morello Varieties: Surprisingly sweet cherries lack the structure needed to survive a robust fermentation, but tart cherries which are often used in baking have the acidity and tannins required to make a great mead. I’ve used tart cherry in a standalone mead, and it is also a great combination fruit to use with other noble fruits.
• Red, Black, Golden, White and Champagne Currants: Currants, particularly black currants, have some of the highest levels of acidity and tannins of any fruit. Each has its own unique flavor though black currants are my personal favorite. You do need to be careful as they can overwhelm a mead if not balanced properly, and also you need to manage the fermentation and pH levels or risk a stuck fermentation. Arguably the best mead I’ve ever made is my black currant mead, though it was also difficult to ferment.
• Gooseberries: Another berry with bursting flavor. I’ve not personally used these, but Ken Shramm has had success with this fruit.
• Tropical Fruits: Ken mentioned that some specific tropical fruits like passion fruit and pineapple as well as certain citrus fruits may also be good candidates for mead making, but he has not had time to fully explore these fruits.

As I mentioned in the introduction, the acidic and tannic character of these fruits also make them ideal choices when used in beer. Fermentation removes the sweetness, but these fruits have the structure that allows a lot of their base flavor to survive. The goal with a beer is still to leave some residual sweetness either via careful malt selection and fermentation or through backweetening. This sweetness counterbalances the acidity and tannins from the fruit leaving a balanced overall flavor profile. With beers I typically use lower dosage levels of fruit, however, since its very difficult to achieve the residual sweetness levels you can with mead.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s article on Noble Fruits and mead making. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (50:25)

• This week I welcome back Chris Graham from MoreBeer, a top supplier of brewing equipment and ingredients. Chris is the President of MoreBeer, and has taught at the Siebel Instutute and also served on both the Brewer’s Association Board of Directors and the American Homebrewer’s Association Governing Council.
• Chris gives us a short overview of what is new at MoreBeer.
• We start with a discussion on Flash Brewing which is perhaps the simplest method for brewing beer and requires the least equipment. We covered this topic in more detail on Episode #309. Chris describes the equipment and basic methods for Flash Brewing.
• Next we discuss Extract brewing which gives you flexbility over your recipes, but can still be done with very little equipment. Even a smaller pot on the stovetop, bucket for fermentation and bottles to store the beer is enough.
• We discuss the general trend towards smaller batches in brewing and changes post-COVID.
• Chris next introduces all grain brewing using relatively inexpensive All-in-one Brew in a Bag (BIAB) systems which have become very popular. These smaller systems in many cases have sophisticated features like temperature control and pumps, but are compact and easy to use. Moving to all grain also gives you full control over the brewing process and enables just about any beer to be brewed.
• We discuss some of the pros and cons of a BIAB style all in one system, along with some of the more advanced features on some models.
• Chris next moves up to a three vessel system which is used for all grain and mirrors the basic vessels on a larger pro size system. These systems often blur the lines between home and professional equipment, and in fact many small nano-breweries use large homebrew system three tier systems for brewing.
• Chris talks about temperature control, pumps and the difference between a RIMS and HERMS system for heating the mash.
• We talk about home brewing pumps which are required as systems get larger and some of the features to look for in a home brewing pump.
• We briefly discuss pro brewing systems and what might be added in terms of automation as the systems move from large home brewing equipment to commercial sizes.
• Chris discusses fermenters and some of the options available from a simple plastic bucket to a pressurized stainless conical. We’ve seen a lot of advancement in this area especially at the homebrew level.
• Chris provides his thoughts on where home brewing is going next as well as his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (52:51)

• This week I welcome back Randy Mosher. Randy is the author of the books Mastering Homebrew, Radical Brewing, and Tasting Beer. (Full disclosure: Amazon affiliate links to books) He’s also partner in two breweries near Chicago Five Rabbit and Forbidden Root.
• We start with a short discussion of Randy’s new website which is at RandyMosher.com. We also briefly talk about his previous book on Tasting Beer and upcoming book “Your Tasting Brain”.
• We begin this week’s topic with a discussion of “multimodality” and how that describes the operation of our brain and senses.
• Randy describes our main senses used in detecting flavor which are taste, smell and touch. We explore how the raw inputs from the senses are rapidly combined and distilled automatically by the brain.
• He explains how smell, taste, and mouthfeel are all combined together to create the perception we call flavor and how a lot of information is distilled down along the way.
• We talk about the brain’s overall architecture and how that architecture significantly affects the way we perceive the world.
• Randy tells us about how the brain uses shortcuts and mental models to distill down a complex world and also to deal with an overload of information coming into our somewhat limited brains.
• We discuss how these factors along with memories and mental models play into our overall perception of flavor.
• Randy discusses judging beer and how it takes serious concentration as well as experience to be able to break down complex flavors into individual tastes and smells. In some sense a judge is trying to break down the simplification made by the brain.
• We discuss how the cognitive and even unseen mental models play a significant role in flavor perception. Small things like words, background music, sounds, mood, lighting, and sight all can change our perceived flavor.
• Randy discusses “the wierd stuff” and how sometimes simple inputs create complex perceptions in the brain or create outcomes we do not expect.
• He shares where to find more about his upcoming book – mainly through the website RandyMosher.com
• Randy shares his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

This week I cover water to grain ratios used during mashing and how it affects the mash and ultimately your finished beer.

What is the Water to Grain Ratio?

Water to grain ratio refers to the volume of water used per unit of grains mixed during the mash. In English units, this is typically measured in quarts per pound, while in metric it is liters per kilogram. To convert from quarts per pound to liters per kilograms the conversion rate is 1 qt/lb=2.336 liters/kg or if going the other way, 1 l/kg = 0.428 qt/lb. For this discussion we are primarily concerned with the water/grist ratio during the main conversion step of the mash, as this is where the mash enzymes are most active.

The typical range of water to grain ratio used depends on the type of mash you are doing. For a conventional mash where you have a sizeable separate sparge step, thicker ratios in the 1.25-2.0 qt/lb (2.9-4.6 l/kg) are often used. If you are using an all-in-one, brew-in-a-bag, no-sparge or decoction mash the water/grain ratio can run much higher in the 2.5-3+ qt/lb (5.8-7+ l/kg) range as all of the water is added up front. Water to grain ratios lower than 1.0 qt/lb (2.33 l/kg) are hard to achieve as the mash can be too thick and difficult to properly mash in. It can also result in a stuck sparge.

Effects of the Water to Grain Ratio

The use of more water in the mash will slightly increase the activity and effectiveness of the major mash enzymes. This will result in the enzymes breaking starches into shorter sugar chains which are more fermentable. This will give you beer with a slightly thinner finished body, and slightly higher alcohol level as compared to the same beer mashed in a thicker mash.

This effect was noticed by many Brew-in-a-bag (BIAB) brewers when they switched from traditional mash-sparge systems to BIAB systems which typically use a full volume of water in the mash. You can of course compensate if needed in many ways for the higher enzyme activity by adjusting the body of the beer using grains, mash temperature or other techniques. However, this is only an issue if targeting a higher body beer. Using a higher water/grain ratio is nothing new as Central European brewers have been using the decoction method for hundreds of years with high water/grain ratios.

A secondary concern with higher water/grain issues is managing the pH of the mash. Since water sources are generally alkaline, using more water in a given mash will raise the pH of the mash versus a comparable thick mash. So if you are using a system with a high water/grain ratio you need to manage your mash pH and consider adding an acid like lactic acid when mashing in to achieve a proper mash pH in the 5.2-5.6 range. BeerSmith has tools to help you calculate the amount of acid needed. This is often a concern with lighter colored beers as darker grains are more acidic and therefore do a better job achieving the proper pH range.

A final concern when setting your water/grain ratio is the volume of your mash tun when brewing high gravity beers. The issue is that often one may need to lower the water/grain ratio to get as much grains into the mash tun as possible. If you use too high a water/grain issue with a lot of grain, you may exceed the volume of the mash tun.

Adjusting the Water/Grain Ratio in BeerSmith

I often get the question of how to change the water/grain ratio in BeerSmith. The water/grain ratio is part of a given mash profile so when you pick a mash profile in a recipe it will apply the water/grain ratio to the recipe and calculate the water needed for your mash. Each mash step has its own water/grain ratio which is needed since many people infuse hot water to raise the mash temperature between steps (called an infusion step).

As a result each step in the mash has its own water/grain ratio. So to adjust the water/grain ratio for a given step, go to the Mash tab in the recipe and simply double click on the step you want to change. Then enter the desired water/grain ratio and BeerSmith will recalculate the water needed.

I should mention the above technique only works for a conventional mash where you have a separate sparge step. For BIAB and no-sparge mash profiles, BeerSmith will instead estimate the total water needed for your beer based on your batch volume and losses and will then include the full volume of water in the mash.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s article on water to grain ratios in the mash. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (53:00)

• This week I welcome back Stan Hieronymus. Stan is an expert on hops and author of the books For the Love of Hops, Brew Like a Monk, Brewing Local and Brewing with Wheat (Amazon affiliate links). He is also a certified BJCP beer judge and author of dozens of periodicals on brewing.
• We start with a brief discussion of Stan’s recent trips to South America and the state of craft and home brewing there.
• Stan talks first about why we still need new hop varieties and why they are important for both farmers and brewers.
• We discuss how hop acreage in the Pacific Northwest has dropped significantly since 2018 and Stan tells us some of the reasons why.
• I talk about a recent study which shows people are drinking less than ever, and Stan and I discuss some of the changes happening and how it has altered Craft and homebrewing.
• We discuss two important new hop varieties that were recently named which are Dolcita and Vera.
• Stan explains the difference between public and proprietary hops.
• We talk about some of the challenges in bringing a new hop to market and why it often takes 15 years or more.
• We discuss the Hop Quality Group and their role in bringing forward a new experimental hop variety.
• Stan talks about the explosion in new hop products including those specifically targeted for the boil, the whirlpool and dry hopping. In addition a variety of hop products and hop oils can be added post fermentation to taste.
• We discuss how to keep up and understand the new hop products to maximize their use.
• Stan gives his thoughts on IPAs and also how additional styles are helping to drive the hop market.
• He provides his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

This week I take a look at how you can harvest and reuse brewing yeast from one batch to pitch it in a new batch of beer.

Reusing yeast is one of the oldest brewing techniques, as civilizations started culturing and reusing yeast for bread, beer, and wine thousands of years ago. Homebrewers have a long history of reusing yeast as well since many of us are frugal and enjoy tinkering.

Washing vs Rinsing Yeast

Though the two terms are often used interchangeably, washing and rinsing yeast are technically two separate processes. Rinsing yeast is a process of separating out the healthy yeast from the sediment left over from fermentation. This is the technique most often used at the homebrew level. Many brewers refer to this as washing the yeast, even though washing is slightly different.

Washing yeast is a process using chemicals to reduce active bacteria in the yeast slurry. Typically this is done by adding acid such as phosphoric acid to the slurry to reduce the pH to the 2.0-2.5 pH range, and holding it there for 60-90 minutes while stirring before pitching. Most home brewers do not take this extra step. Additional details on how to do it are in the AHA article here.

Harvesting and Rinsing Your Yeast

Before harvesting yeast from your current batch, you need to sanitize everything that might touch or come in contact with the yeast. Clean and sanitize your yeast container, anything used to transfer the yeast, fittings, etc…so you don’t risk contaminating your sample.

Next draw the yeast off into a sterile container. If you have a fermenter like a conical with a yeast collection port this is very simple. If you are using a bucket or carboy you want to harvest the yeast by pouring the yeast sediment or using a sterile spoon as quickly as you can after siphoning off your beer. For containers, a sterile mason’s jar is not a bad option. You want to fill the container to about 20% of capacity and then add sterile water to bring the sample up to about 85-90% volume leaving about 10% headspace.

Next shake the container for a few minutes, then let it settle for at least 20 minutes. You should see three separate layers form if you hold the container up to the light. The top layer is mostly water, and can be discarded. The middle layer has healthy yeast, and you can carefully pour it out into another sterile container. The bottom layer is mostly trub and sediment and can be discarded. If you want to concentrate the slurry, you can repeat this process separating the yeast again.

If at all possible you should reused the yeast as soon as possible. Properly harvested yeast has a concentration as high as 1 billion cells per milliliter, and an average ale might require 160 billion cells, or 160 ml of fresh yeast slurry. Obviously lagers require twice that but you can use a pitch rate calculator to estimate how much is needed. When measuring out your slurry, only count the thick layer at the bottom, as again the light fluid at the top is mostly water. Overpitching by a bit is never a bad thing, and you can also create a yeast starter if you want to rouse a slightly older slurry sample.

While you should store slurry in the refrigerator, its best to use it within a few days if possible. While the slurry can be stored as long as a few months it does lose viability quickly so I would recommend using a yeast starter with any slurry that has been stored more than a week or so.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s article on reusing yeast. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (39:47)

• This week I welcome back Jamil Zainasheff. Jamil is an award winning professional and home brewer. Jamil authored the books “Brewing Classic Styles”, “The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation” as well as his new book “The Modern Homebrewer” and also co-hosts the “Brew Strong” podcast on the Brewing Network.
• We start by discussing some of the challenges Jamil has faced in the last year as well as his new book “The Modern Homebrewer” which he co-authored with Andy Parker and was published last Fall.
• We begin the discussion with the 16 off flavors listed on the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) score sheet, beginning with diacetyl.
• I share that 9 of the 16 listed off flavors are yeast related, and ask Jamil to talk about what can be done to ensure a great fermentation.
• We talk about Dimethylsulfide (DMS) which is a cooked-corn off flavor often common in lighter colored beers.
• Jamil talks about oxidation and what can be done at the homebrew level to reduce it.
• We discuss skunky/light struck flavors which can happen even in a perfect beer if its exposed to direct sunlight.
• Jamil talks about imbalances which are not off flavors but are simply the improper balance in one dimension such as body, bitterness, malt, etc… that can throw off the flavor of a finished beer.
• We talk about improving the flavor depth of beers like Porters.
• Drinkability is an often-overlooked feature of beer that is important. Jamil gives his thoughts on how to improve the drinkability of a beer.
• Jamil discusses how styles are a guideline rather than a hard rule, and you should be able to color outside the lines. However he still believes understanding the basic beer styles and how to brew them is an important skill.
• Jamil provides his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (39:47)

• This week I welcome back Scott Janish. Scott is author of the recent book “The New IPA: A Scientific Guide to Hop Aroma and Flavor” (Amazon affiliate link) and also co-founder of the Sapwood Cellars brewery in Columbia, Maryland.
• Scott discusses his work creating a new restaurant at Sapwood Cellars and we talk about some of the challenges of adding a restaurant to an existing tasting room.
• He introduces the topic for today which is coffee beers. We discuss first which styles of beer work well with coffee.
• Scott tells us how he selects coffee beans to use and also how to pick the proper roasting level for the beans.
• We talk about coffee bean freshness and why it is so important in beer.
• Scott shares some of the options for incorporating coffee into a finished beer including the primary method they use at Sapwood Cellars.
• We talk about dosage rates for various coffee beers.
• He shares his thoughts on which flavors from beer complement coffee well.
• Scott shares some of the experiments including unusual ones he’s done with coffee bears including working with fermented beans and fruit.
• He also discusses dry hopping with green coffee beans in a hoppy beer.
• We talk about varying grain bills and coffee levels to match each other.
• Scott shares his website and where you can find their beers.
• He provides his closing thoughts on coffee beer.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (45:03)

• This week I welcome back Ron Pattinson. Ron is the author of dozens of books and articles on historical beer brewing including his most recent effort to document British brewing during World War II. You can find his articles and purchase his books from his blog which is Shut Up About Barclay Perkins.
• We discuss Ron’s upcoming book on the early 1800’s in brewing as well as today’s topic which is his recently completed book on British Brewing in the 1970’s.
• We start with a discussion of how brewing evolved from the end of WWII through the 1950’s and 1960’s and into the 1970’s. Included is a discussion of how beer consumption grew even though the economy was dire and inflation was running rampant.
• Ron tells us about the move towards kegged bitters and away from traditional cask ales which was largely driven by the breweries themselves.
• We talk about consolidation in the beer industry, a move towards automation and the rise of the “technocrats” in British brewing.
• We discuss some changes in techniques including things like tank beer and continuous fermentation.
• Ron tells us about the “Runcorn disaster” where a very large brewery was built but it proved unable to replicate many of the beers it was supposed to produce.
• Ron talks about the rise of the modern beer festival and how it was a refreshing change as brewery owned pubs often limited the number and variety of beers many people could access locally.
• We discuss the rise of lagers in the 1970’s as well as the decline of milds and even bitters, representing a change in British drinking preferences.
• Ron gives us an example of some dodgy brewing practices going on including the reuse of returned beer by blending it with new.
• We talk about Watner’s Red Barrel which had quite a reputation for not being of the greatest quality.
• Ron explains how pub structures changed and the large numbers of brewery owned pubs were eventually broken up in the 1980’s.
• He shares his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

This week I take a look at the practice of using sulfites as a preservative in beer brewing, including the advantages and disadvantages.

Sulfites as a Preservative

Sulfites, usually in the form of Potassium Metabisulfite, are widely used as an additive in wine, mead and cider making. Sulfites also naturally occur as a result of the fermentation process. Sulfur dioxide, often noticeable in many lagers, is an example of a sulfite compound produced during fermentation. Sulfites as a group help to prevent oxidation in a finished beer and also reduce the chance of spoilage by inhibiting bacteria and wild yeasts. They essentially mop up free oxygen in the beer, inhibit the growth of bacteria, and slow enzymatic reactions that age your beer. Sulfites, also known as sulfur dioxide (SO2), can significantly extend the shelf life of your beer by preserving the flavor, color and clarity of your beer. They also can neutralize free radical compounds in beers that can lead to oxidation, stale flavors and rapid aging.

Natural Sulfites from Fermentation

Natural sulfites are a byproduct of fermentation, and typically occur in concentrations below 30 ppm. Lagers often contain 10-20 ppm of sulfite, ales roughly 5-15 ppm, and many specialty beers run somewhere in between those two extremes (Ref: Expertbrewing.com). However most commercial beers fall in the range of 10 ppm or less, and beers with over 10 ppm must be labeled with “Contains Sulfites”. Sulfites are not the “rotten egg” or “burnt match” aroma you get from many lager yeasts.

The production of sulfites during fermentation is largely a byproduct of the yeast you select, but factors like temperature, pitch rates, and pressure can also play a role. Sulfites are created when yeast converts sulfates from the grains into sulfite, so yeast selection is critical.

However as sulfites are a natural preservative, you don’t necessarily need to take extraordinary steps to reduce natural sulfites. As natural sulfites are almost always below the 30 ppm level, they are not typically high enough to broach the flavor threshold or sensitivity threshold for average drinkers.

Adding Sulfites to Preserve Beer

Since sulfites have a positive effect on beer stability and long term storage, why not simply add more sulfites to your finished beer as a preservative? This is very commonly done in the wine industry, but sulfites are also used in cider, mead and a wide variety of foods. But as you might expect there are some downsides. These include:

• Some individuals have a very high sensitivity to sulfites or even sulfite allergies. Many cannot enjoy wines with high levels of sulfites and also have the same sensitivity when sulfite levels are high in beer. As a result both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union (EU) have rules in place that commercial beers containing more than 10 ppm in sulfites must be labeled as “Contains Sulfites” (Ref: ExpertBrewing.com) to notify consumers who might be sensitive to sulfites. Many other countries also regulate sulfite levels and labeling in beer.
• Sulfites can have a flavor impact on your beer. Sulfites are sulfur based compounds and in higher concentrations they can lead to sulfur-like aromas or even staling flavors like cardboard. Because of this, beer brewers generally have to use lower levels than might be used in a wine. See the discussion below regarding what the appropriate levels might be.

Two forms of sulfite are commonly used in wine and beer. Potassium Metabisulfate is the most common addition, and is widely used in wines as well as beer as it is largely flavor neutral. It is also sold as “Campden tablets”. This form can be added to beer, but should be done after fermentation is complete as the potassium can interfere with mash chemistry, and also adding sulfites before fermentation is complete can inhibit regular fermentation. Sodium Metabisulfite is the other common form and can also be added after fermentation, but the sodium can have an impact on flavor so it is rarely used in wines and meads.

Sulfites are often used during the brewing process in low oxygen brewing. Low oxygen brewing is a set of advanced techniques to reduce oxygen levels throughout the brewing process. I won’t cover the specifics of low oxygen brewing but you can read more about how sulfites can be applied to this technique here (Ref: BrewingForward.com).

Sulfite Levels in Beer

What level of sulfites is appropriate for beers? Wine makers commonly use levels as high as 200 ppm (the US legal limit is 350 ppm), though levels of 100 ppm are more common in white wines and perhaps half of that (50 ppm) in red wines. Red wines need less preservative as the tannins and acids from the grape skin act as a natural preservative. Similarly, dark beers are less susceptible to oxidation and aging than lighter beers due both to the melanoidins (dark color compounds from the malt) which tend to produce a smooth sherry as opposed to cardboard flavor as they age. Also dark beers have a richer roasted flavor profile, so off-flavors from aging are less apparent. So we can use less sulfites with a dark roasted stout than we might need to preserve a delicate lager.

As I mentioned earlier, the 10 ppm FDA and EU labeling threshold can be considered the floor for the flavor threshold. Even those sensitive to sulfites will rarely detect them below the 10 ppm level and many beers have a natural level of sulfite from fermentation at or below that threshold. However as we raise the sulfite level in beer, it can create other off flavors fairly easily. The problem is that while sulfites mask off flavors like cardboard (trans-2-nonenal), they can enhance other defects and off-flavors (such as dimethyltrisulfides) in beer. BrewingForward has a section (Sulfite at packaging) here with references, and other studies such as this one by Callemein, Dasnoy and Collin, cover the effect in more detail.

As a result, I think moderation when using sulfites as an additive is in order. Darker beers generally require less in the way of protection, so you might consider not adding sulfites. Lighter beers are more susceptible to staling, but are also more at risk from off-flavors, so again a low to moderate sulfite level is appropriate. I personally would keep the target sulfite level at 50 ppm or less if you plan to add sulfites to your beer.

BeerSmith software actually has a sulfite tool which can help you calculate the amount of potassium metabisulfate to add. While designed for wine, mead and cider, it can also be used with beers. Go to Tools->Sulfite Tool to start the tool. Enter the batch volume at the top. If working with wine you can enter the pH level and it will give you a recommended sulfite level. For beer, I recommend using a target level below 50 ppm, so go now to the Sulfite to Add section. For Free Sulfite you can either enter an estimate of the sulfite from fermentation (typically 10ppm is a good estimate) or you can use a sulfite measuring kit, commonly sold for wine making to actually measure the amount of sulfite present in the finished beer.

Next enter your target sulfite level, I recommend 50 ppm or lower for beers, and it will estimate the amount of potassium metabisulfite to add. As a sample I started with a 5 gallon (19 liter) batch and entered a 10 ppm starting free sulfite level and target of 50 ppm and came up with 1.3 grams needed to achieve this level. The tool also estimate sorbates, which can be used with cider and mead for backsweetening, but for beer you really don’t need to add sorbate.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s dive into sulfites and beer. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itunes and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (47:39)

• This week I welcome back Mitch Steele. Mitch is author of the book IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale (Amazon affiliate link). Mitch is also the former brewmaster at Stone brewing and is COO and Brewmaster at New Realm Brewing Co in Atlanta, Georgia where he has won many national awards for his beers.
• We discuss what is new at New Realm Brewing, including his current locations.
• Mitch introduces today’s topic which is Craft pilsners, starting with the classic North German Pils.
• We discuss how the North German Pils differs from the traditional Czech pilsner like Pilsner Urquell or Budvar.
• Next Mitch tells us about Italian Pilsners which are an interesting specialty beer.
• We move on to US Craft breweries which have started brewing Craft Pilsners in large numbers, and how those differ from some of the European Pilsners.
• As craft Pilsners have grown, we’re starting to see new styles emerge. We discuss a few of these starting with Imperial Pilsners.
• Mitch tells us about the India Pale Lager (IPL) which is a cross between a Pilsner and an IPA.
• Next we discuss West Coast Pilsners which are also hoppy Pilsners in the US West Coast style.
• Mitch tells us about Cold IPAs, which I discussed in a bit more detail in episode #320 with John Palmer.
• We talk about brewing a Pilsner and other lagers at home and Mitch offers some tips on how you can do it using selected yeasts without having tight temperature control.
• Mitch shares where you can his find New Realm beers, and his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or Spotify or Google Play

Download the MP3 File– Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file.

Topics in This Week’s Episode (55:06)

• This week I welcome back Ken Schramm from Schramm’s Meadery.  Ken “wrote the book” on mead making called The Compleat Meadmaker (Amazon affiliate link).  Ken was also a founding member of the Mazer cup and has won numerous national awards including a lifetime achievement award from the American Homebrewers Association.  His meadery makes some of the highest rated meads in the world from fresh fruit, spices and honey.
• We discuss the progress Ken has made with his farm, which targets growing individual varieties of “noble fruits” for use in meads. Ken has actually been able to find several varieties of various fruits that work very well in big fruit meads.
• Ken explains the “noble fruits” for mead making and defines which fruits work best in a mead based on their flavor, acidity and high tannin levels.
• We discuss the modern push towards “temperance” and prohibition with new social trends like “dry January. Ken also talks about why craft beverages across the board have been in a slump the last few years.
• Ken explores the complex relationship between people, alcohol and our social web.
• We discuss how mead is almost certainly the oldest fermented beverage, and also how it has played a central role in many cultures in terms of religious and as a drink of kings.
• Ken talks about how mead has fallen out of favor in most modern societies and some of the reasons behind this.
• We talk about how humans, bees and plants have a very symbiotic relationship, and how mead is an expression of all three.
• Ken also talks about yeast and how it has played a central role in our lives including both food and drink.
• We switch to discussing the future for home brewing and mead making as well as the craft industry.
• Ken tells us where to find his meads and how you can still schedule a tasting at his meadery.
• He provides his closing thoughts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

Thoughts on the Podcast?

Leave me a comment below or visit our discussion forum to leave a comment in the podcast section there.

Subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes or BeerSmith Radio

You can listen to all of my podcast episodes streaming live around the clock on our BeerSmith Radio online radio station! You can also subscribe to the audio or video using the iTunes links below, or the feed address

• Audio feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/content/feed/podcast)
• Video feed on iTunes – (direct: http://beersmith.com/tv/category/podcast/feed/ )
• Audio podcast on Google Play here

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the blog and my newsletter (or link at the top of the page) – to get free weekly articles on home brewing.

This week I take a look at the best practices for making hard seltzer at home. Seltzer has grown in popularity the last decade, as many Craft breweries have expanded their product line to appeal to a wider variety of drinkers, but home brewers can easily make seltzer at home.

Hard Seltzer Basics

Hard seltzer is remarkably easy to make at home, and the average homebrewer has all the equipment needed – typically consisting of a large pot for the boil, fermenter and accessories for sanitizing, transferring and packaging the final product. Hard seltzer is made from simple cane or beet sugar which is boiled up with water, and then cooled and fermented to create the base seltzer. Then various artificial or natural flavors can be added to get the flavor of seltzer you desire.

A Simple Hard Seltzer Recipe

• 5.5 gallons (21 L) of water
• 3.75 lbs (1.7 kg) of Cane (Grocery store) Sugar
• 1 pouch of White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP001
• Phosphoric or Lactic Acid for pH adjustment
• Yeast Nutrient (DAP or other – optional – see below)
• Artificial fruit flavor of your choice

This will create a 5 gal (19 liter) batch of seltzer with an OG of 1.035, FG of 0.992 and about 5.5% alcohol. You can lower the sugar level if you prefer a lower alcohol option.

Brewing Your Seltzer

Heat the water in a large pot and mix in the sugar until it fully dissolves. The sugar is typically boiled with the full volume of water to sanitize, but if you don’t have a large pot you can boil the sugar with part of the water and then add cold water to bring your starting volume up to 5 gallons (19 l) for fermentation. You don’t need to do a long boil, as there are no volatiles to boil off, so a 10-15 minute boil is fine.

Fermentation pH and Seltzer

After boiling you need to chill the water/sugar mix down to room temperature before pitching your yeast. If you have access to a pH meter, I recommend measuring the pH of the mixture before fermenting. Because you are not using any malts (which are acidic) it is not unusual for the pH to be high. You can add phosphoric or lactic acid to bring the pH down to at least 5.0 before fermenting. You can do this by slowly adding some lactic or phosphoric acid to the mix. However since there is no buffering capacity (no malt) in the mix, the pH will drop rather rapidly as you add the acid, so I would probably add something like 1/4 to 1/2 tsp (1-2 ml) at a time, mix it in and then measure again. If you don’t have access to a pH meter, then perhaps use 1 tsp of lactic acid and let it go as the pH will drop further once fermentation starts.

Yeast Nutrients

Yeast nutrients can aid in fermenting a seltzer cleanly. Nitrogen, in particular, is lacking in regular cane sugar, so a nitrogen boosting nutrient like DAP, Fermaid-O or Fermaid-K can help. A variety of yeast providers now sell yeast nutrients in small packets to use with home brewed seltzers. You can also use typical nitrogen additives like DAP, Fermaid-O or Fermaid-K, though calculating the exact amount to add and YAN nitrogen levels is a bit beyond the level of this article. If you want to get in the ballpark on nutrients you can consider using the mead nutrient tool in BeerSmith which will give you a conservative estimate based on original gravity and yeast used. Yeast nutrients are often added in four equal staggered additions at 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours and at the 1/3 sugar break (or 7 days).

Fermentation

Because you are fermenting pure sugar, the fermentation is a fairly straightforward affair. The main fermentation typically only takes a few days and there is little need for aging a seltzer. Your main concern is waiting for the yeast to drop out and clarity to improve, which is why it is good to use a high attenuation yeast that flocculates out quickly. You can aid the flocculation by rapidly chilling the seltzer to near freezing or filtering if needed. The finishing gravity for seltzers is usually well below 1.000.

Flavoring Options

Unflavored seltzer is a bit boring though it can be used in mixed drinks. The simplest way to flavor your seltzer is to use artificial flavoring additives. The advantage of these is that they usually require only small additions and they can be added “to taste” until you get your desired flavor balance. I have an article on how to do this with beer here, basically by premeasuring your beverage and additions until it tastes good and then scaling up. The same method applies with seltzers.

A second option is to use fruits or natural flavorings. The challenge with these is that many are fermentable, so if you add something like fruit puree or fruit juice to your keg of seltzer you run the risk of kicking off another fermentation. This can be a real disaster if you then try bottling it. So if you are considering using any fermentable flavoring like fruit, you should first add a dose of potassium metabisulfites and potassium sorbate to your seltzer to inhibit future fermentation.

This process of halting fermentation and then adding fruit is called backsweetening and is covered in more detail in this article. I personally recommend storing any back sweetened seltzer in a keg and not bottling it as there is always a risk of a secondary fermentation which can create bottle bombs. Kegs, in contrast, can typically handle the extra pressure if you accidentally get another fermentation going.

Packaging Seltzer

Seltzer is almost always carbonated. If you are using most artificial flavors or unflavored seltzer it is possible to bottle it with a bit of corn sugar to naturally carbonate just like you would with beer. However if you backsweeten your seltzer using a fermentable fruit, juice or sweetener, you can’t really carbonate it in the bottle as you already inhibited fermentation. Also bottling with backsweetening runs a high risk of starting fermentation again resulting in a bottle bomb. As a result, your best bet is to keg your seltzer and then pressure carbonate it again just like you would with kegged beer.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s article on brewing seltzers. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itune and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (57:15)

• This week I welcome back Jeff Bloem. Jeff is the founder and head malster at Murphy & Rude Malting in Charlottesville, VA. Opening in 2018, they are Virginia’s first dedicated commercial specialty malt house producing a wide variety of base, high kiln and specialty malts for brewers and distillers.
• They also sell directly to the home brewing market via their online store here.
• We start with a brief update on some of the new products available from Murphy and Rude.
• Jeff introduces his topic which is “Malt: What is It?” and explains how sometimes the marketing gets in the way of figuring out what malt you are really buying.
• We discuss how there is a lot of variation not only in malt products themselves but how malsters choose to brand and label their malts.
• We begin by discussing Pilsner malt and how European Pilsners vary from US Pilsners and how close many Pilsners are to pale malts.
• Next we discuss Pale malts and how they can overlap with other malts.
• Jeff explains how Vienna and Munich malts are made and how many of the light malts have common characteristics, but there can be variation depending on which barley was used as a base.
• We talk about darker kilned malts and how those are made as well as their flavor profile.
• Jeff talks about Caramel/Crystal malt and how the crystalization of the sugars within the malt husk change their profiles.
• We discuss harsh zone malts and how they can be used sparingly to great effect.
• Finally we discuss roasted malts and what makes them different from darker kilned malts.
• Jeff gives us some examples of what malts are named versus what they really are and how many marketing names can be confusing.
• Jeff gives us his closing thoughts and also tells us how home brewers can directly buy his malts.

Sponsors

• Thank you to our sponsor Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine for sponsoring this episode. I encourage you to subscribe to their great magazine!
• Also check out BeerSmith, BeerSmith Web, BeerSmith Mobile software and the DVDs John Palmer and I filmed – How to Brew with Malt Extract and How to Brew All Grain are available now. You can subscribe to the BeerSmith newsletter for free to get some great articles on home brewing.

iTunes Announcements: I launched a new video channel for the BeerSmith podcast on iTunes, so subscribe now! At the moment it will only feature the new widescreen episodes (#75 and up). Older episodes are available on my revamped Youtube channel. Also all of my audio episodes are on iTunes now – so grab the older episodes if you missed any.

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Over the weekend we hit the 2 million recipe milestone on the BeerSmithRecipes.com web site! We now have over 2 million BeerSmith recipes stored on the site!

BeerSmithRecipes.com was launched in 2011 to give beer brewers a central location for sharing or storing beer recipes. About a year later it became a central site for sharing recipes across platforms with the launch of BeerSmith Mobile. Over the years, the site grew and we added mead, wine and cider recipes in 2018. I launched a full web version of BeerSmith in 2021 allowing users to create recipes from any browser, even your tablet or phone directly on BeerSmithRecipes.com.

At the moment (mid may 2025), the recipe site has over 2 million total beer, mead, cider and wine recipes created by some 280,646 registered users, and is I believe the largest single collection of beer, mead and cider recipes in the world.

BeerSmith 4 – Integrating with the Web/Cloud

I am rapidly nearing completion of the beta on BeerSmith 4 for the desktop, which will much more tightly integrate the online version with the desktop software. Recognizing that some professional brewers don’t want all of their data online, you will still have the option to keep data locally on your machine. However you will have greatly improved access to up to date cloud ingredients, profiles and updates. For those who prefer to have their data on the web there will be an option to primarily use the web/cloud for storage to make working between the desktop and web versions much more transparent. Naturally the new program will also include brewing improvements across the board, full SQL database storage, as well as an improved interface. I am currently targeting a late Fall 2025 release assuming testing goes well.

Recent BeerSmith Blog Articles

Here are some of the recent articles I’ve posted on brewing:

• Specialty Malt Fermentability in Brewing
• Metals and Their Role in Beer Oxidation
• Selecting the Right Mash Profile in BeerSmith
• Beer Case Study: BeerSmith’s Witbier
• Spontaneous Fermentation for Beer Brewing
• When to Use Different Mashing Techniques in Beer Brewing
• Using Sensory Kits to Understand Off Flavors in Beer
• New England IPA and Hazy IPA Brewing Secrets
• When to Use Different Hopping Techniques in Beer

Recent BeerSmith Podcasts

Some of the new episodes of the BeerSmith podcast:

• Dry Hopping Beer with Michael Tonsmeire – Episode #324
• Making Mead with Alex Mendoza – Episode #323
• New Brewing Hop Products with Max Shafer – Episode #322
• Barrel Aged Stouts with Skip Schwartz – Episode #321
• Cold IPA with John Palmer – Episode #320
• Beer, Mead and Cider with Michael Fairbrother – Episode #319

Closing Thoughts

Though the last few years have been challenging for both the homebrewing and Craft beer industry, I continue to be optimistic about the future of brewing. Never have brewers had better access to high quality ingredients, an ever growing base of brewing knowledge and affordable equipment. In many ways we are living in the golden age of brewing.

Have a great brewing week!

Brad Smith, PhD, BeerSmith LLC

This week I take a look at how the use of high proportions of specialty malt can impact the fermentability of your wort, ultimately driving your attenuation, final gravity and alcohol percentage.

The Fermentability of Wort into Beer

First lets define a few terms to frame the discussion:

• Original Gravity: The original gravity of the wort before fermentation, typically measured in plato by pro brewers, or using the unitless specific gravity (1.050 for example) for home brewers. This is measured easily using a hydrometer or refractometer.
• Final Gravity: The final gravity after fermentation, measured again with a hydrometer or refractometer.
• Apparent Attenuation: Often just called the attenuation but it is the percent of sugars that appear to be fermented away – measured as (100 x (OG-FG)/(OG – 1.000). This is different from the real attenuation which is less often used takes into account that feremented alcohol has a gravity slightly less than water, so the real attenuation is slightly higher. However, brewers almost always use the apparent attenuation as its easier to calculate.
• Yeast Average Attenuation: The average attenuation for a given yeast strain, typically expressed as a range. Yeast is a major driver of fermentability, and the average attenuation numbers represent roughly how well a yeast strain might perform for a typical beer made appropriate to the style of yeast.

Specialty Malt and Its Impact on Attenuation

A number of factors will drive how well your wort is fermented into beer. These include the yeast strain selected, fermentation temperatures, health of the yeast, pitch rates, and many other environmental factors. However one thing many brewers ignore is that specialty malts can also drive fermentability, especially for beers made with a high percentage of specialty malts. Lower fermentability means a higher finishing gravity, lower attenuation and often an imbalanced beer.

The reason for this is that darker specialty malts tend to have fewer fermentable sugars and more unfermentable starch chains. So while adding a dark roasted malt will contribute to the original gravity and body of the beer, it won’t contribute much in the way of simple fermentable sugars like maltose. This can result in lower attenuation and a higher finishing gravity than expected if the specialty malt makes up a large portion of the malt bill.

How big is this effect? Results vary. One of the more authoritative studies, done by Castro, Affonso and Lehman, compared a 100% base malt against malts prepared with 20% specialty malts. It found that the measured fermentable sugars was lower in beers made with 20% specialty malts and generally dropped as the malts became darker. For example the baseline 2 row all malt wort had 98.7 g/L of fermentable sugars. Adding 20% Munich reduced it to 96.3 g/L of fermentables, Vienna was at 96.8 g/L, and Victory at the low of 84.6 g/L. Briess malts were used, so moving from 100% 2 row palt malt to 20% Victory (at 28 SRM color) resulted in a loss of 14 g/L of fermentable sugars in the wort which is a 14.3% loss of sugars.

Interestingly dark mashed Crystal malts also had a significant impact. Their experiment with 20% Crystal 60L, a fairly dark crystal malt, resulted in only 81.7 g/L of sugars, a drop of 17 g/L of sugars which is a 17.2% loss. Another widely quoted set of experiments posted by nilo on Homebrewtalk (post #108 here), gives slightly different results for Crystal malts. He found that mashed crystal malts were still pretty fermentable, as long as they remained in the 10-20% of the base malt range.

Though his measurements were not done in strict laboratory conditions like the earlier study above, he does show a drop in attenuation using a large portion of crystal malt (50%) as the crystal malts get darker. For example his 100% 2 row tests attenuated at an average of 80%, while those using half Crystal 10 dropped down to an average of 77%. Crystal 40 attenuated to an average of 69.5% and Crystal 120 attenuated to an average of 67%. While obviously using 50% crystal malt is extreme, it does show that the darker the malts, the lower your overall attenuation will be.

The above two studies give us some indication of what to expect for many kilned and crystal malts but does not tell us much about roasted malts. One would expect that roasting a malt at high temperature would substantially reduce the percentage of fermentable sugars, even after mashing. I did find one study by Marčiulionytė, Johnston and Maskell on using a 50% addition of dark roasted malt for distilling. In this case they roasted malts at a temperature of 140, 180 and 220 C for 30 minutes each and then used that in varying percentages up to 50% of the grist in a distilling wort. The drop off in fermentability was almost linear as you added more roasted malt. For the lighter roast malt, fermentability dropped only slightly from 82% to about 80% as the percentage of roast malt rose from 0-50%. The medium roast gave a drop from 82% to 76%, and the dark roast malt resulted in a significant drop down to 62%. From this we can conclude that clearly roasted malts do contain fermentable sugars, but the percentage will drop off significantly as the malts get darker.

Summary

The above studies were done using a 20% and two 50% specialty malt additions. While some beers may approach 20% specialty malt, most brewers should not be brewing worts with 50% specialty malt. However it does drive home the point that if you take a “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to your grain bill you will raise the final gravity and may not end up with the beer balance you were shooting for. Also clearly the darker malts have a bigger impact on fermentability than lighter ones.

As mentioned in my Principles of Good Beer Recipe Design post, you should always strive for simplicity in your beer design and only add the specialty malts that are really needed to achieve the flavor and body balance you want in a given beer. This means keeping the specialty malts to around 10-15% of the grain bill in most cases, and not trying to add too many malts that will just muddle the flavor of the beer.

How much of a loss in fermentability can I expect? The studies above show a drop of 1-10% in attenuation when using a high percentage of medium to dark specialty malts. What does this mean for a typical beer? Starting with a 1.050 (12.4 P) beer, a drop from 75% attenuation to 65% attenuation (10%) corresponds to a rise in final gravity from 1.012 (3 P) to 1.017 (4.3 P) which is a significant shift that would impact the beer balance. 10% more residual sugars would certainly create a sweeter beer than intended. However to go this far, you would need to be using at least 30% specialty malts, though the exact percentage would depend on how dark the specialty malts are.

I hope you enjoy this week’s article on specialty malt fermentability. Thanks for joining me on the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog. If you want to take the guesswork out of brewing, please try my BeerSmith recipe software from BeerSmith.com. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter or my podcast (also on itune and youtube) for more great tips on homebrewing.