Brew Your Own

article Fruit has always been a popular ingredient in craft beer, and homebrewers now have more ways than ever to incorporate fruit into the brewing process. I’ve used fruit many ways myself, but I also wanted to seek out advice from other brewers on how they use fruit.

article One of my favorite conversations to have with fellow hop industry folks is about factors that influence hop expression. Every hop person knows that each lot of Cascade is different than the next, and the idea that any variety is a certain way aroma-wise is simply a necessary convenient rule of thumb to protect brewing decisions from infinite decision fatigue. David St George What factors make each lot different?

article Craft beer lovers who lived in the greater Chicago area back in the early 20-teens are likely familiar with the annual event called Beer Hoptacular. It was a beer festival that was rather itinerant for much of its relatively short existence, moving from one venue to another, from one year to another, as properties and short-term leases and legal licensing would allow. One of the festival features that remained a constant, however, was quite popular among the local homebrew clubs.

article Let’s explore Paraguay, a country in South America where a new trend is on tap in the world of craft beer, the aptly named “Paraguayan ale,” or sometimes simply “Paraguayan beer” as there are also lager versions. It’s exciting, fun, and bringing a lot of breweries together as they try to establish a style representative of our beautiful country.

article By BYO Staff | Add to Favorites Brew Your Own readers including Publisher Brad Ring recently spent eight days exploring the Southern Hemisphere hop harvest and the thriving craft beer scene of New Zealand. Over the last decade, New Zealand hops have increasingly captured the attention of both pro brewers and homebrewers around the world with new varieties packing intense tropical and citrus character.

article Whether you grow your own hops, live a short drive from a hop yard, or overnight fresh hops from a supplier, fresh-hop (or wet-hop as they are sometimes called) beers are an opportunity to create a unique brew each hop harvest. Three pros who savor this opportunity every hop harvest share their fresh advice.

article By Dan Russo | Add to Favorites Fresh-hop season is such a wonderful time for brewers. Living in Oregon, I have the privilege of being less than 100 miles from some of the best hop growers on the West Coast. Take that a little further to the epicenter of hop farming in America: Yakima, Washington, and you are in hop heaven.

International dark lager is a family of related minor beer styles that share similar sensory characteristics and history. It was formally defined within the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines in the 2015 edition, when the International Lager category was added to describe the variety of mass-market industrial lagers produced around the world.

article Dear Replicator, I loved the beers (and their names) at Triptych Brewing. I haven’t tried to brew a wee heavy in more than a decade, but I recall that I was never very happy with my attempts back in the day. Triptych’s wee heavy “Luke’s Still Here, Man.” was fantastic though. You think they might share some tips? Kyle Ives Cleveland, Ohio When Anthony Benjamin opened Triptych Brewing with two friends in 2013, the name was carefully chosen to represent the entire project.

After a few extract brews, the realization and initial amazement that I was actually able to make beer with a pot on a stove top and a bucket subsided. What came next for me was longingly gazing at others’ elaborate all-grain brewing systems. Not surprisingly, the child in me wanted the biggest, coolest, shiniest, most flashing lights and gizmo-laden system I could find. Cost and space were of no concern.