The Mad Fermentationist - Homebrewing Blog

This is the first in a series of posts each covering an aspect of brewing mixed-fermentation barrel-aged beers where my opinions have changed significantly since I wrote AMERICAN SOUR BEERS . Eac...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2024/04/brewing-hoppier-sours-for-aging-barrels.html

My book, American Sour Beers, is turning ten next month! I wrote it from the perspective (and experience) of a homebrewer. I wanted to experiment and learn. I really didn't know much about brewi...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2024/04/did-i-wreck-sour-beer-in-america.html

Thiols are the coolest thing in brewing hoppy beers since the invention of dry hopping. It seems like almost every collab Sapwood Cellars has been invited to brew over the last 18 months ends up ...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2023/05/are-thiols-scam-thiolized-yeast.html

This July marks five years since I left my day job with the federal government to brew full-time. We filled our first barrel with mixed-fermentation saison before opening the tasting room at Sapw...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2023/04/lessons-from-five-years-of-bugs-barrels.html

Our batch analysis/QC at Sapwood Cellars is pretty basic. Mostly it's me finding time each weekend to taste a recent release (ideally side-by-side a comparable example from another brewery). I wr...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2022/11/best-best-hops-according-to-untappd.html

When it comes to brewing delicious beer, there are few aspects more important than the yeast. A healthy fermentation allows the malt, hops, and adjuncts to shine. Pitching the right amount of hea...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2022/11/small-craft-brewery-yeast-management.html

Any long-time readers may recall my interest in the original Russian Imperial Stouts – brewed in England with four malts (pale, amber, brown, and black) plus caramelized sugar. Fermented with E...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2020/05/historic-english-imperial-stout-revisted.html

On their surfaces the fermentations of beer and wine seem like they should be similar. A cool, sugary liquid is inoculated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (or a close relative) and the eventual pro...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2020/02/why-are-brewing-and-winemaking-so.html

In July 2018 I made a poster illustrating the connections between breweries. I've expanded and updated it a few times since then, both thanks to people who have commented with suggestions and be...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/12/tracking-brewery-purchases-crafty-beer.html

With our first anniversary (and party) coming up, I wanted to write a post on one of the many areas I didn't know anything about as a homebrewer that goes into an event like this. One of my many...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/09/dealing-with-cola-fonl-and-compliance.html

There are so many reviews of homebrewing gear online, but when it comes to craft brewing equipment you're lucky if you can find a forum post or two. It makes sense as there are so many more homeb...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/07/craft-brewing-equipment-reviewed.html

Like it or not, online beer ratings have been one of the big drivers of craft beer over the last 20 years. As a brewery, you don't need to cater to them, but high scores can drive sales and excit...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/05/how-to-win-untappd-or-any-online-beer.html

Whether you are a homebrewer or a craft brewer, things don't always go as expected or something breaks. If you aren't ready, it could cost you a batch or delay a brew. In the worst case scenario ...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/04/brewers-emergency-kit.html

Since 2008 my friend Alex and I have been brewing dark funky saisons. Each year we come up with a new concept, usually involving dried fruit and/or spices. We've been a bit lax the last couple ye...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/04/dark-funky-saison-retrospective.html

The excitement over hazy/NE IPA is the best thing that has happened for local breweries in a long time. They are expensive to brew, difficult to package, a nightmare to distribute long distances,...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/03/the-economics-of-opening-brewery.html

We're doing pretty well at Sapwood Cellars so far. Our most recent batch of Snip Snap (Citra-Galaxy DIPA) only lasted 2.5 days on draft, about 200 gallons drained by the pour and growler fill. Ra...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/02/am-i-better-craft-brewer-or-homebrewer.html

Brewing beer at home changed the course of my life. At first it was merely a fun way to explore my drink of choice, and an excuse to hang out with friends. As time passed it became a larger part ...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/01/is-american-homebrewing-dying.html

My homebrewing frequency has taken a nosedive recently (surprise ), but I still try to find time to brew a weird batch when I can. In August, when Scott and I drove to pick-up our first hop order...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2019/01/foraged-staghorn-sumac-beer.html

The first week of October, DC posted a notice on our front door informing us that an arborist deemed the oak tree in our front yard hazardous. Up until that moment, it would have been illegal to ...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2018/12/fermented-acorn-sour-brown.html

So odd to get one of my favorite and least favorite sours out of the same wort (recipe ). The half with cherries was magical, the half without is bland and listless. In addition to no cherries, t...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2018/11/wine-yeast-sour-red-again.html

Brewers often joke that they spend more time cleaning than on any other aspect of the job. That isn't quite true at Sapwood Cellars, but the cleaning aspect has been the biggest change from homeb...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2018/11/craft-cleaning-cylindroconical.html

My homebrewing-rate has slowed dramatically the last couple months, not coincidentally we brewed our first batch at the brewery around that time (House Saison brew day ). Part of that is br...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2018/10/rings-of-light-hazy-pale-ale.html

I have nothing against brewing to-style. You can make magnificent and delicious beers by using ingredients from a single region with the goal of a classic balance. That isn't who I am as a b...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2018/09/hoppy-spicy-rye-golden-ale.html

I, Pencil is a classic economics essay from 1958 by Leonard Read about the complexity of making a pencil. The iconic yellow #2 seems so simple, yet no one person could make it on their own (e.g....

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2018/09/i-beer-what-goes-into-brewing.html

There are a lot of IPA drinkers out there, but I get the feeling that there are just as many people who would enjoy the fruity-tropical flavors in New England IPAs , but were scared off by the IB...

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2018/08/hoppy-wheat-hop-stand-vs-quick-chill.html