Kilned Versus Roasted: Do You Really Know Your Specialty Malt?
There are only two commercial maltsters in the U.S. operating roasters to produce specialty malt, so there is not a lot of information available on roasted specialty malts. David will provide a basic understanding of the malting process before delving into the differences between producing malt on a kiln and…
Malt
Enter the world of malt, the soul of beer. Beer is often cited as being at least one of the causes for civilization, and it was the deliberate cultivation and malting of beer that was the catalyst. From cultivation to harvest, from steeping to kilning to brewing, John Mallett (Bell's…
Mastering the Art of Hop-Fu!
Do you want to know the secrets to brewing amazing, award-winning IPAs? Over the last five years, Kelsey McNair has earned dozens of awards for his IPAs including one silver and three gold medals in the final round of the National Homebrew Competition. This seminar will cover the history, techniques…
Motivating Club Member Participation
The greatest thing you can do to encourage people to participate is provide consistency, entertainment and opportunity! Lauren and Joe of Carolina BrewMasters, 2014 Radegast Club of the Year, will present the things that are working for their club. From meetings to brew sessions to competitions to social events to…
Why Good Tasting Water Can’t Guarantee You Great Beer
How water tastes is no indicator of its suitability for brewing. A water used to produce great beer in one range of styles may make poor examples of other styles. There is no water source that can create great examples of all beer styles without treatment. A variety of simple…
Cohumulone: Friend or Foe?
The word on the street is that Cohumulone is bad, but what if it is just misunderstood? Mike Karnowski has a controversial theory that might change the way we think about the bad boy of alpha acids. Multiple beers brewed with various levels of cohumulone are analyzed to determine if…
Farm to Glass: Brewing with Local Ingredients
Have you ever considered sourcing your malt, hops or even yeast locally? Join Michigan homebrewer Nick Rodammer, hop grower Brian Tennis and malt producer Erik May as they discuss the emerging trend of sourcing locally grown and produced brewing ingredients.
No Boil Hop Beer
Brewing a balanced beer with no boil hops—is it possible? As part of the AHA's Research & Education Fund, a unique method of using hops in the brewing process was utilized to add clean bitterness to beer. Matthew Brown will describe the history of the idea and how the beer…
Really Understanding Honey
Honey is a remarkable substance: it's hygroscopic, has intense osmotic pressure, weighs in at a specific gravity of 1.425, and can remain edible for centuries without preservative measures. This seminar explores honey's composition, varieties, key flavor and aroma elements, handling, acquisition, and the metabolic details of honey fermentation. It addresses…
Scaling Hops: A Comparison of Homebrew & Commercial Utilization
This talk will compare both the technical and perceived differences between homebrew and commercial hop utilization, hop flavor and aromas. We’ll look at several beers made both commercially and homebrewed using the same wort and hops, varying the hop additions. Lab comparisons documenting the bittering units will be presented along…
Because Not Every Beer Is Stone Enjoy By: Preserving Hop Aroma
Stone Brewing Co. notes that Stone Enjoy By is brewed not to last, loaded with hops at the back end—using a technique some call "hop bursting"—and heavily dry hopped. It's full of hop aroma that is destined to fade, which is why Stone puts the enjoy by date in big…
Blame the Maltster: An Overview of Malting Operations and How They Influence Your Beer
As brewers, we understand that malt provides the base and backbone of beer flavor and fermentability. Because we have a lot of options when it comes to malt, understanding how they are produced can influence what we choose to use. This talk will explore influencing factors such as barley selection…
Hop Growing 101: An Introduction for Everyone, Including Non-Gardeners
The goal of this seminar is to demystify hop growing and give participants the knowledge and confidence to grow their own. While there is a lot of information online about growing hops, it is scattered. The seminar will offer one-stop-shopping for anyone contemplating growing hops. This talk is suitable for…
Hops vs. Malt: A Smackdown with Cheese
Two brews go mano a mano in this tasting, competing for your vote. In the ring: a hoppy ale and a malt-focused brew. On the plate: five artisan cheeses. Guided by Cheese & Beer author Janet Fletcher, you’ll learn to identify the cheese styles that respond better to hoppy beers…
Practical Malting
Craft malting is emerging as an industry that directly supports craft brewers and homebrewers. Andrea and Christian Stanley from Valley Malt discuss what motivated them to start a malt house in Massachusetts and share their equipment and process. Many homebrewers possess an inherent DIY attitude toward their craft. Andrea will…
Brewing Beer with Fresh Hops
What are fresh hop beers and how can they be brewed? Jamie will discuss the many aspects of this under-researched topic, how to use fresh hops, what to look for, preparing for the brew day and many other topics related to this wonderful annual tradition.
Brewing on the Ones
Homebrewers today are lucky! We're awash in a sea of ingredients, making recipe design a tough battle between ingredients we know and trust and new shiny toys. Sometimes we even give in to our neophilic lust and throw it all in the mix. But it doesn't have to be that…
Colored Malt Products – Specialty Malts
Robert will discuss the many types of specialty malts currently available while focusing on how homebrewerers can use them to enhance their beer.
New Hop Varieties
Russell Schehrer, a former AHA Homebrewer of the Year and the man the Brewers Association Award for Brewing Innovation is named after, used a grand total of five different hop varieties the first year after Wynkoop Brewing opened in 1988. Today, the list of new varieties reads like the NATO…
Weird Ingredients Are Everywhere
The inspiration for unconventional brewing ingredients is everywhere–in ethnic markets, the newspaper and your own backyard. Dick will share some of the stories of the beers he has conceived at Elysian Brewing Co. and brainstorm a bit about what he’s got up his sleeve.
Share Post