Don Tse

Are common misconceptions contaminating your cellar? We asked the yeast labs about what things brewers often get wrong. Here’s their advice.

While malted corn isn’t always easy to work with, craft maltsters and brewers are figuring out how best to use what is essentially a new and flavorful ingredient. As interest grows, so will the options and the expertise.

A method known to the largest lager brewers and many homebrewers remains relatively rare at small breweries—pressure fermentation. When properly applied, it can be an effective way to trim tank time and control the quality of cleaner-fermenting beers.

Inspired by traditional farmhouse brewing, and further propelled by positive results—including increased sales—some brewers say they’re getting better beers without boiling.

Better brewing through chemistry? From avoiding stuck mashes to boosting hop aroma while dodging diacetyl (and decreasing tank time), there may be multiple uses for exogenous enzymes in your brewery.

Kettle acidification has become an important technique in the craft brewer’s bag of tricks. Here’s some advice from a few of the best in the business on how to get greater consistency and depth of flavor when deploying lactic acid–producing bacteria.

They don’t just look impressive and produce some unique beers, but they’re also relatively inexpensive and easy to maintain. Might a foeder be a good fit for your cellar?

While we have a plethora of options for ale yeast, lager strains have been few and relatively similar. That’s already changing thanks to recent research, and brewers who rethink lager may be the ones who stand out in a tightening market.

Quick acidification has become an important tool in the flavor kit of craft breweries worldwide. Brewers have honed their methods while labs have added plenty of new options. So, how well do you know your microbes?

Some brewers make a strong argument for wider, shallower fermentors—for better esters, healthier yeast, quicker turnaround, and more.