Using rocks heated over a fire to boil your wort is an ancient technique that can provide a whole new dimension to your beer – not the mention your brew day.

What happens when you brew a batch of beer without the aid of a hydrometer, thermometer, or even a clock? They did it in medieval times, so why not today?

When two old college friends get together for their annual brew day, they make it a family beer fest with games, grilling and big batches of beer brewed in cast iron kettles over an open fire.

In his latest book, Microbrewed Adventures, Charlie Papazian departs from the how-tos of brewing to take readers on a world tour of some of the people and places that have shaped the craft beer renaissance.

Just as you can’t cut a “normal” recipe in half and make a small beer, you can’t simply double or triple a recipe and make a big beer. Making wort for big beers requires focus.

Really big beers need two things: a lot of very healthy yeast and a high percentage of fermentable sugar. The founder of White Labs steers you in the right direction.

Just as with lighter beers, big beers require finesse and fine tuning to avoid unharmonious flavors and a harsh finish. We look at unique ways to use hops before and after the boil as well as some alternatives.

In this issue of thinking big about beer, barleywine gets a makeover with the nontraditional use of wheat, rye, and oats instead of malted barley.

An excerpt from the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s founder and president’s latest book, Extreme Brewing, explores one of the most recent trends in U.S. brewing.