Zymurgy Live: How to Read a Water Quality Report - via AHA

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Chris P. Frey - Via Brewers Association

A Q&A with Chris P. Frey regarding his service on the Brewers Association Board of Directors.

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Brooklyn Brewery Tips on Yeast Health - via AHA

By John Moorhead, National Homebrew Competition Director & AHA Project Coordinator

Yeast is absolutely critical to beer, which makes it critical to you as a homebrewer. On a basic level, yeast converts sugar to ethanol and CO₂, but there is so much to discover and explore with yeast you couldn’t put it in one article (which is why books are dedicated to the subject matter).

We did ourselves and you a favor and passed on writing a book. Instead, we focused on yeast starters and yeast health, and chatted with Drew Bombard, Brooklyn Brewery Lab Manager & Microbiologist, about how to make happy, healthy yeast.

What is the purpose of a starter?

The purpose of a starter is to produce a new, healthy, viable, pure culture of yeast that can be used to carry out the fermentation of wort into clean beer.

Do I always need to make a starter?

No, after a starter has been used for its first fermentation, it can be harvested and reused for subsequent fermentations. It is typically better to keep reusing yeast for multiple fermentations than to make a new starter for every fermentation, so long as you can ensure the yeast is stored and handled appropriately in between fermentations.

When shouldn’t I use a starter?

This may sound obvious, but if you already have good, healthy, clean yeast handy then there is no need to make a fresh starter. The best way to handle yeast is to plan brews to be pitched with harvested yeast. When one brew is at or near terminal gravity, be ready to brew your next batch so you can pitch this new wort with the yeast from the previous batch.

Young cultures (starters, first generations, and second gens) and old generations (10th and up) may not always preform as well as mature generations (third through ninth). Making a starter is not only unnecessary, but it can also be less effective than using harvested yeast.

Should I add hops when I make a yeast starter?

Yes, but you don’t want to add too many. The ideal wort for a starter should consist of mostly pale malts and little to no roasted malt, and you should target about 8–12° Plato, and maybe 15–25 IBUs. You can propagate yeast in many different worts with success, but ideally the wort you propagate in shouldn’t be too strong in any one dimension.

Should I add oxygen to my starter?

Yes, or sterile air. The idea of a starter is to grow many healthy and clean yeast cells from few. Yeast will undergo aerobic respiration in the presence of wort and air or O₂ and begin to multiply rapidly while also consuming wort sugars and nutrients. In order to increase yeast biomass, you will need to aerate your wort continuously while propagating.

How much yeast or how big a starter do I need?

Both depend on how much wort you need to ferment and how strong the wort is. We aim to pitch our wort with about 1 million cells/mL of wort per degree Plato. So, if we brew a wort with a starting gravity of 10° Plato, we would need the pitch rate to be about 10 million cells/mL of wort. If you know the volume of wort you want to ferment and the gravity of that wort, then you can calculate how many cells you’d need to carry out the fermentation.

Does a starter need to be kept at the same temperature as it is going to ferment the batch of beer later?

No, it can be propagated at room temperature. But if you can’t use it right away after propagation is done, store it cold to preserve vitality and viability.

Can too small or too large a starter be bad for the yeast?

Yes, usually the rule of thumb while propagating yeast is to use a 1:10 ratio of yeast to wort when starting or stepping up a starter. So if you start with 10 mL of yeast, you’d want to prop it in about 100 mL of wort. Once the yeast cells have grown into this volume, it can then be stepped up into 1,000 mL (1 L) of wort and continue to grow. So on and so forth. Using the 1:10 ratio is really easy and provides good results.

If I’m making a high gravity beer, shouldn’t I make a high gravity starter so the yeast become acclimated?

I would say no. The idea here being you want to have the happiest, healthiest yeast possible to go into a high-gravity (high-stress!) wort. If you grow the proper amount (for the appropriate pitch rate!) of yeast in a nice, mellow, neutral wort, it will come out super happy and strong and ready to tackle anything. If you try to grow yeast in a high-gravity wort, you’re not giving them the ideal conditions for growing into healthy culture. You then compound the situation by pitching this unhappy yeast into a high-gravity beer.

I’d grow a large volume of yeast in a nice, easy wort and let the strongest happiest yeast tackle the big, burly, high-gravity stuff. One more thing to add—I would not suggest harvesting and reusing the yeast from really big, burly brews for the exact reasons I just described.

Can I pitch a smaller portion of yeast into the same sized starter and get the same amount of cells at the end?

You probably could, but the health of your yeast will be best if you follow the 1:10 ratio for stepping up propagations. After all, just because you have cells doesn’t mean they’re healthy or ready to carry out a clean fermentation. The goal is to grow the best yeast possible. Practice patience and take the necessary steps to do so.

What are some counting techniques and math for yeast cell count on the homebrewing level?

For those with a hemocytometer and a microscope, counting can be easy. There are no real tricks that come to mind. Plan your target pitch rate based on wort gravity. and count your pitching slurry cell density by weight. Then use weight to determine how much of your slurry you’d need to provide the given volume of wort with the proper number of cells.

How do starting gravity and fermentation temperature affect the finished beers in regards to yeast metabolism?

This is a good question and one that I will admit I wish I knew more about. What I do know is that each strain of yeast is different and will have a different set of ideal conditions for fermentation. Starting gravity, fermentation temperature, wort composition, aeration of wort, and condition of yeast are some of the many factors that play all important roles in fermentation and metabolism.

Fermentation temperature is a very important one. Every strain of yeast has an ideal fermentation temperature range. It’s my understanding that this range provides the best opportunity for metabolism while giving you a little bit of playing room to try to coax different flavor compounds out of your yeast.

For example fermenting at the high end of a given range may bring out more aroma compounds in class A, while running it at the lower end might bring out less of A and more of B. What those compounds are depends on many things. So long as your beer tastes good and you’re having fun while making it, you’re doing it right! Kind of a lame answer, but it’s a pretty broad question.

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Check out the quick, 1 minute video “How to Make a Yeast Starter.” For more information on how to make a yeast starter for your specific batch of beer, take a look at our article How to Make a Yeast Starter.

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Drew Bombard is the Lab Manager & Microbiologist for Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Colorado State University, where he received his bachelor of science in microbiology. He previously worked at New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colo. before joining the Brooklyn Brewery team.

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World’s Largest Tap Takeover at Old Chicago

Committed to world-class pizza and great craft beer, Old Chicago has been serving up both since their humble beginnings in 1976. Whether you show up for a light lunch, a first date, or a little league championship celebration, you can always count on gathering around and sharing big smiles, good times, great beer and made-from-scratch food.

Taking their committment to great craft beer one step further, Old Chicago is hosting the World’s Largest Tap Takeover, featuring Sam Adams, to celebreate their 40th anniversary. Join in the festivities at your nearest Old Chicago and you can unlock a brand new badge.

Check-in to any one (1) beer from Sam Adams while at an Old Chicago location between July 8th - July 17th and the “The World’s Largest Tap Takeover” badge is yours. Be sure to add your location for it to count toward you badge!

Learn more about Old Chicago and find the location nearest you at oldchicago.com and be sure to follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest!

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AHA Members Eligible for GABF Ticket Pre-sale - via AHA

It’s that time of year again—Great American Beer Festival^® (GABF) season. Brush off your hop hat, string up those pretzel necklaces and get ready for another weekend of the finest beer American breweries have to offer.

With the 2015 festival selling out lickety-split, there is no question that there are more thirsty beer enthusiasts than GABF tickets, so we want to give you some tips on how to increase your chances.

All American Homebrewers Association members are eligible to participate in the GABF member pre-sale on August 2  at 10:00 a.m. MDT. If you are a current member, ensure your membership will still be active at the time of the pre-sale.

If you are not currently a member, join the American Homebrewers Association by midnight PDT on July 24, 2016, for member pre-sale eligibility.

Join Now

Please note: joining the American Homebrewers Association does not guarantee tickets. Membership only grants eligibility for the pre-sale.

Here are some other tips to take into consideration when trying to secure 2016 GABF tickets:

• Register with Ticketmaster prior to the pre-sale to speed up the checkout process.
• Ensure you have access to the Internet at the time the sale opens.
• Review the frequently asked questions on GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com for the ins-and-outs of GABF ticket sales. There is a lot of helpful information in there, and we strongly encourage everyone take the time to familiarize yourself with the ticket sales process.

Any tickets remaining from the member pre-sale will go on sale to the general public on August 3, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. MDT.

Good luck to everyone!

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Barley Mow Brewing Company Celebrates 4 Years Of Brewing

BARLEY MOW BREWING COMPANY CELEBRATES 4 YEARS OF BREWING
WITH THE LAST ANNIVERSARY PARTY AT THEIR ORIGINAL TAVERN IN LARGO

WHAT: “4 MOW YEARS” Barley Mow Anniversary Party
WHERE: 518 West Bay Drive Largo, FL 33770
WHEN: Saturday July 23rd Noon – 10PM

LARGO, FL – It all started with the desire to bring aggressive and interesting beers to the the Tampa Bay area. Jay and Colleen Dingman set out to create an atmosphere that was friendly, communal and open to all. “It’s all about great beer for everyone” Said Colleen Dingman. This husband and wife team opened in Largo, FL, noticing the lack of a local brewery in a very large populated area that is primed for a boom. With the love of art, folklore and literature they set out to make brands that were a little darker and enticing rather than focus on the Florida Sunshine or coast. “This opens our brands up to have a life and story of their own and be larger than a geographical or regional area, it also has helped set us apart amongst the growing craft beer scene in FL”, said owner Jay Dingman.

Saturday July 23rd marks the 4th Anniversary of Barley Mow Brewing Company, and the last time they will be hosting the event at their current location in Largo. By next year they will be in a brand new location. The party will run from noon until 8pm. There will be over 50 different types of Barley Mow brew pouring all day long ranging from their Barrel Aged Unkindness Black Ale to their Calliope Tart Cherry – Lemon Shandy.

This event is family and dog friendly. The day will also include live music from local artists including Impulse, The Trigger City Trio and the All Brewer Band The Fermenters. Food from Out of the Pot Mobile Eatery, Charlie Tulum’s Dos Tacos food truck, and Lolo Ono Hawaiian Shaved Ice. Along with special guests from Hopcloth, the Pinellas Shriners and the Pinellas Chocolate Company, to name a few.

For more information on the Barley Mow Brewing Company:
-The Barley Mow Brewing Company was founded by Jay and Colleen Dingman. Barley Mow(Pronounced \ˈmō\ )Brewing Company, Tavern and Tasting room is located in downtown Largo, FL. in Pinellas County. They have a 2 BBL system in their tavern and a 30 BBL brewhouse, with a 3000 BBL fermentation capacity all in a 25,000 sq. foot production brewery and a new canning line.

“Our beers are brewed simply, with hard work and thoughtful ingredients by honest people who are sincerely and wholly dedicated to their craft. Simple. Honest. Craft.” – Jay Dingman Head Brewer/Owner

The tavern has 14 constantly rotating taps and Beer Engine. They also have an amazing wine list and selected spirits for friends and family that want to enjoy a good time, but craft beer still isn’t quite their thing. At night, we pick up the pace with lively entertainment in our 1200 sq/ft beer garden.

Their core brands include Americana – Golden Ale, The Unkindness – American Black Ale, Quackalope – American IPA, and Maven – Chocolate Milk Stout.

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Category 4 Released, Hurricane Preparedness Week A Success - via Due South Brewing

We finished off our Hurricane Preparedness Week last Friday with a lot of winners. Some lucky people took home raffle prizes including a generator, large cooler, and rechargeable flashlights. Plus many answers were shared to specific South Florida weather questions. We want to say thank you to all who came to try to win some hurricane supplies and to listen to the knowledgeable Michael Ehrenberg, meteorologist from CBS 12, speak about hurricane preparedness. It was great seeing so many people wanting to learn how to keep themselves safe during hurricane season.

The July 1 event was the conclusion to a special week when we released our Category 4 Red IPA, a beer brewed and released only a couple times a year. It’s a beer full of Pacific Northwest hops and brewed with enough specialty malts to give it an engaging red hue and balanced structure. It is rare for all three IPAs from the Due South Hurricane Series to be available at the same time so consider the variety 6 pack to be a part of a perfect storm which won’t be around for long.

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