This post is a ramble about how the recipe brewed at the 2014 WGBH Craft Brewfest. The goal is to grant a little insight on how an experienced brewer can approach recipe design. This is certainly not the only way to get the job done as I use different strategies to approach different kinds of[…]
Category: Blog
2014 WGBH Craft Beer Festival
For the second year running, the Modern Homebrew Emporium was present at the WGBH Craft Beer Festival. We were there giving away samples of kombucha and fromage blanc along with a little of Regional Manager Randy Baril’s own Anticipation Amber homebrew. While at the event we brewed up an English-inspired IPA. Many people were surprised[…]
New Yeast – White Labs WLP672 Lactobacillus brevis
This newly released souring bacteria is a direct competitor to Wyeast’s 5223-PC Lactobacillus brevis strain. White Labs WLP672 Lactobacillus brevis “Lactobacillus brevis is a rod-shaped bacteria used for souring beers. Typically produces more lactic acid than Lactobacillus delbrueckii. Great addition to any sour program!” If it is indeed similar to the Wyeast product, this strain[…]
New Yeast – White Labs WLP661 Pediococcus damnosus
This newly released souring bacteria is an alternative to Wyeast’s 5733 Pediococcus strain. This is White Lab’s first Pediococcus. White Labs WLP661 Pediococcus damnosus “Pediococcus damnosus is a cocci bacteria known for its souring capabilities by producing lactic acid. Perfect to add to any sour program. High diacetyl producer and slow growing.” Vital stats: Attenuation[…]
Making Kombucha the Modern Way
Tag along while we run Steve (every SCOBY should have a name) through his first trial batch! This page was created at our former Cambridge Massachusetts location some time back. Equipment: Kombucha Brewing Kit measuring cup tablespoon measure device to boil water (a stovetop works just fine but we didn’t have one) large bowl for[…]
Cast Iron Beer Tower
Innovation and homebrewing goes together like no other hobby. If you can dream it, someone has certainly built it, tried it, or patented it. A case in point here is what to do when you want a three tap tower but don’t want to shell out hundreds of dollars for the privilege. We ran[…]
Saison Yeast Guide
As spotted in the recent Zymurgy (July/August 2014), here is an interesting sidebar that breaks down the various liquid yeast strains especially suited for saisons. Note that Wyeast 3725 and 3726 are seasonal strains and are not always available. Left off the list are the White Labs 566 Belgian Saison II, 568 Belgian Style Saison[…]
New Sour Brewing Microbes from Wyeast’s Private Collection
Wyeast has pulled out all of the stops for a summer of sour ale brewing with their new release of microbes for the July – September 2014 Private Collection. They have 3203-PC De Bom Sour Blend™, a completely proprietary fast-aging blend that is reputed to go from wort to sour in as little as two[…]
Seasonal Yeast – Wyeast 5223-PC Lactobacillus brevis
This article is one in a series describing the seasonal yeasts put out by our liquid yeast manufacturers. This one is.. Wyeast 5223-PC Lactobacillus brevis “Unlike most lactic acid bacteria used in brewing, Lactobacillus brevis will tolerate higher levels of IBUs in wort. 5223 will produce alcohol along with lactic acid during fermentation. Excellent[…]
Eamon’s DandyLion Wine
Our manager Eamon Poplin recently shared his family’s traditional recipe for dandelion wine with our Facebook friends. You can read the original post here. Having an abundance of dandelions at home, I figured that I’d give it a shot. So, first thing was to pick those dandelions! It took only a few minutes to fill[…]