The Brew Times Homebrewing Blog
Beer Sensory Skills 101 | Hops | Hop Burn
Learn what hop burn tastes like, why heavily hopped beer can feel harsh, and how brewing choices can create a smoother finish.
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Beer Sensory Skills 101 | Malt | DMS
Learn how DMS forms from malt, why it can make beer taste like cooked corn or cabbage, and how brewing practices help prevent it.
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Beer Sensory Skills 101 | Yeast | Diacetyl
Learn how diacetyl creates buttery beer flavors, why it forms during fermentation, and how to prevent or reduce it in homebrew.
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Beer Sensory Skills 101 | Yeast | Cidery
Learn why homebrew can develop a cidery flavor, what causes it, and how fermentation and ingredients affect the finished beer.
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Beer Sensory Skills 101 | Infections | LAB
Learn how Lactobacillus affects homebrew, recognize sour or tart infection flavors, and improve sanitation to prevent contamination.
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Beer Sensory Skills 101 | Water | Chlorophenol
Learn how chlorine and chloramine affect homebrew water, create chlorophenol off-flavors, and how to prevent them in your beer.
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Beer Sensory Skills 101 | Malt | Oxidation
Learn how malt oxidation can create stale flavors in beer and discover practical brewing and storage steps to protect freshness.
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Beer Sensory Skills 101 | Hops | Lightstrike
This article is part of a series of lessons and exercises that focus on enhancing your sensory skills to better recognize and address brewing problems. By training your sense of smell, taste, mouthfeel, etc., you will have a better understanding of identifying off-flavors/aromas and their causes, which can greatly assist you when looking for solutions to these problems. This blog series will come in many parts dealing with Yeast, Hops, Malt, Water, Infections/Contaminations, and Miscellaneous issues. Each lesson includes an exercise in a separate tab to assist you in developing your palate and other senses to better detect these flavors, aromas, etc. Lesson Exercise Beers Lesson 2.1- Hops: Skunky - Why Does My Beer Smell Like A Skunk? The Chemistry: Lightstrike, also known as "skunking," is a chemical reaction that occurs in beer when certain compounds derived from hops are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, typically from sunlight. This reaction can significantly alter the flavor and aroma profile of the beer, often resulting in an unpleasant and distinctive "skunky" smell and taste. The primary agents responsible for lightstrike are hop compounds called isohumulones, which are responsible for contributing bitterness to beer. These isohumulones are sensitive to light, particularly in the blue spectrum (around 350-500 nanometers), which is present in sunlight. When beer is exposed to UV light, particularly in the blue range, the photons in the light interact with the isohumulones, causing them to undergo a photochemical reaction known as photoisomerization. During this process, the molecular structure of the isohumulones is altered, resulting in the formation of new compounds, notably 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol (MBT). It is this MBT compound that gives the characteristic skunky aroma and flavor to the beer. The "Stink": The skunky aroma is often described as similar to that of a skunk's spray, hence the term "skunking" for this phenomenon. It's important to note that this aroma is distinct from the natural aromas of hops and is generally considered undesirable in beer. However, you have most likely experienced this flavor/aroma profile in some popular bottled beers like Heineken, Corona, Beck's, Stella Artois, and Grolsch. It's also a common profile in malt liquors such as Mickey's, Olde English, etc. What do all of these beers have in common? They are all bottled in green or clear glass, which won't protect the beer from the UV light that causes lightstrike. This is why most breweries bottle their beer in brown/amber glass. Of course, regarding the European beers I mentioned above, and despite what some American fans of those beers may think, those breweries never intended for their beers to "skunk" in that way. Unfortunately, it's a more common flavor profile in the US because of the time it takes for imported beer to arrive in our country. The extra logistics required for importing foreign beers significantly raises the risk of lightstrike, oxidation, or other undesirable issues in the beer. This is also why these beers always taste better when consumed in their home countries. Many of these breweries have been taking steps in the recent years to mitigate occurences of lightstrike in their beer. For example, Heineken now cans most of their beer for export. They've also switched to brown glass for some of their products. Corona, Beck's, and Stella Artois have all made similar efforts to reduce lightstrike in their beer. Avoiding Lightstrike: As a homebrewer, there are several steps you can take to minimize the risk of lightstrike and preserve the quality of your beer: • Use Dark Bottles: Similar to commercial breweries, using dark brown or amber glass bottles, provides better protection against UV light compared to clear or green bottles. This practice helps prevent lightstrike and preserve the flavor integrity of your beer. If you're reusing bottles, consider choosing dark bottles for storage. Alternatively, using PET plastic bottles, which are often brown or opaque, can also help reduce light exposure. • Store Beer in a Dark Place: After bottling your beer, store it in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight or artificial UV light sources. A cellar, closet, or cupboard are good options. Avoid storing your beer in areas where it's exposed to sunlight for extended periods, as even brief exposure can potentially lead to lightstrike. • Limit Exposure to Light: When handling your beer, try to minimize its exposure to light as much as possible. Keep it covered with a cloth or towel when transferring it to and from storage locations, especially if you're moving it outdoors during brewing or bottling processes. • Consider Packaging Methods: If you have the equipment and resources, consider investing in a kegging system. Beer stored in kegs is typically not exposed to light until it's poured into a glass, minimizing the risk of lightstrike. • Monitor Storage Conditions: Regularly check the storage conditions of your beer to ensure it's not being exposed to light inadvertently. If you notice any changes in flavor or aroma, such as skunkiness, consider adjusting your storage methods accordingly. • Be Mindful During Brewing and Bottling: While brewing and bottling your beer, take care to shield it from direct sunlight or artificial UV light sources. Use shaded areas or cover your fermenter with a dark cloth or blanket during fermentation and bottling to minimize light exposure. By following these steps, you can help minimize the risk of lightstrike and preserve the quality of your homebrewed beer. Remember that even small amounts of light exposure can potentially lead to off-flavors, so it's essential to be vigilant about protecting your beer from light throughout the brewing and storage process. Detecting Autolysis Aroma: • Skunky Aroma: The most recognizable characteristic of lightstruck beer is its aroma, which is often described as reminiscent of the scent produced by a skunk's spray. This aroma can range from subtle to intense, depending on the degree of light exposure and the beer's susceptibility to lightstrike. • Sulfury Notes: Lightstruck beer may also exhibit sulfury or sulfur-like notes, which contribute to the overall off-putting aroma. These sulfur compounds are byproducts of the chemical reactions that occur when hop compounds interact with UV light. Flavor: • Off-Flavors: In addition to the skunky aroma, lightstruck beer can develop off-flavors that detract from its overall taste profile. These off-flavors may include a stale or cardboard-like taste, which can further contribute to the perception of the beer as unpleasant. • Loss of Freshness: Lightstruck beer may also lose its freshness and vibrancy, with the hop-derived flavors and aromas becoming muted or altered. Instead of showcasing the intended characteristics of the beer, such as hoppy or floral notes, lightstruck beer may taste dull and lackluster. Overall, lightstruck beer is characterized by its skunky aroma, sulfury notes, and off-flavors, which can significantly detract from the drinking experience. Sensory Training: • Compare Beers: Purchase some Heinekens in green bottles and some in cans. The green bottles should taste much different and have a more "skunky" profile. • Leave Some Beer Out in the Sun: You can do this as an experiment with your own homebrew, or you can purchase some commercial beers and try this. Acquire two bottles of the same beer, one of which has been intentionally exposed to sunlight for a period of time to simulate lightstrike, while the other has been kept in a dark environment. Conduct a side-by-side tasting of the two beers to compare their flavors and aromas. Take note of any differences in aroma, taste, and mouthfeel between the two samples. • Blind Tasting: Prepare samples of various beers, including some that have been intentionally lightstruck and others that have not. Serve the samples to participants in opaque or covered glasses to ensure a blind tasting experience. Encourage participants to evaluate each sample and identify any off-flavors associated with lightstrike without knowing which samples have been exposed to light. • Dilution Experiment: Dilute a lightstruck beer with a neutral-flavored beverage, such as water or a light lager, to reduce the intensity of the off-flavors. Prepare several dilutions with varying levels of concentration, ranging from undiluted to highly diluted. Taste each sample and note how the perception of the skunky aroma and flavor changes as the concentration of the off-flavors decreases. By regularly engaging in these experiments and activities, homebrewers can develop their sensory skills and become more adept at detecting off-flavors, including those caused by lightstrike, in their beer. This heightened awareness can be invaluable for improving the quality of their homebrewed beer and refining their brewing techniques over time. Recommended Beers For This Lesson Lagers, pale ales, and IPAs tend to me the most susceptible to lighstrike due to the light-body and/or prominent hops. Take extra care when fermenting, bottling. and storing these beers to keep them from being exposed to UV light for too long. Pale Ales Lagers IPAs
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Beer Sensory Skills 101 | Yeast | Autolysis
Learn what yeast autolysis is, how it can affect beer flavor and aroma, and how homebrewers can reduce the risk during fermentation.
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Enhancing Your Belgian Beers: Making Candi Sugar at Home
What Exactly Is Candi Sugar, And How Does It Benefit My Beer? The process of making candi sugar involves inverting, then caramelizing sugar syrups at high temperatures, which results in a range of colors and flavors. This caramelization process can produce a variety of sugars with different characteristics, allowing brewer to tailor the sugar to their specific beer recipes. Simply put, inverting sugar is the process of breaking down complex sugars, such as sucrose, into simple sugars, such as fructose and glucose. These simple sugars are more efficient for the yeast to ferment since the yeast would normally have to create an enzyme (invertase) to break the sugar down itself, which is just more work for the yeast. This inversion will result in a much cleaner flavor profile than using sugar on its own. Candi sugar is very easy to make from normal cane or beet sugar, which are both sources of sucrose. You will only need 1 other ingredient, and that is a food grade acid of some sort to invert the sugar. Citric acid will work, but “cream of tartar” (potassium bitartrate) is available in just about every grocery store so it may be more accessible to you. The exact method of making real Belgian candi sugar is a closely guarded secret held by the manufacturers, but with the instructions below, you should be able to make something very similar at home, and for a fraction of the cost (it can be expensive stuff to obtain). Cane Sugar and Cream of Tartar The History and Tradition of Candi Sugar “Candi” sugar, also known as Belgian candi sugar, or candi syrup, has a long history in Belgian brewing and is integral to the production of many Belgian beer styles, particularly the stronger ones like Tripels, Dubbels, and Quadrupels. The spelling, “candi sugar” is a variation of “candied sugar”. This also differentiates it from other sugars that may be used in the candy making process. The spelling specifically denotes its association with Belgian brewing practices and traditions. The use of candi sugar dates back centuries in Belgium, and it became particularly popular during the medieval period. Brewers initially used honey as a fermentable sugar source, but as trade routes expanded and other sources became more widely available, candi sugar became a more common ingredient in brewing. Historically, cane sugar and honey were precious commodities in Europe and were quite expensive. Belgian brewers found that using adjunct sugars derived from a cheaper, but plentiful product like beets, could boost the alcohol content of their beers without adding excessive body or sweetness - and at a more affordable cost than using more expensive sugar sources. This was particularly important in regions like Belgium where beer was a staple part of the diet. The addition of candi sugar serves several purposes in Belgian brewing: 1. Color Enhancement: Candi sugar comes in various forms, such as liquid, soft, and rock, and it also comes in various colors, including light, amber, and dark. Brewers use different types of candi sugar to achieve the desired color in their beer. The sugars undergo caramelization during production, contributing to the color of the final product 2. Flavor Enhancement: Candi sugar can impart unique flavors to the beer, depending on its type. Dark candi sugar may add caramel, toffee, or dark fruit notes, while light candi sugar may contribute a more subtle sweetness. 3. Alcohol Boost: Belgian beers are often characterized by higher alcohol content, and candi sugar is an efficient way to increase fermentable sugars without adding excessive body to the beer. The additional sugars boost the alcohol content without significantly increasing the maltiness. 4. Dryness: Some Belgian beer styles, such as Tripels and Strong Golden Ales, benefit from the addition of candi sugar to create a drier finish in the beer. This is because the sugars are highly fermentable and can be easily consumed by yeast. Real Belgian Candi Sugar Making Hard Candi Sugar: SAFETY WARNING: Working with boiling hot sugar can be dangerous and can cause severe burns! It is advised to wear eye protection and heat resistant gloves when handling hot syrups. Adding cold water to hot syrup can result in splash-back so, as with all cooking, please be safe and use the proper protective gear. I’m using 1 lb of sugar for this recipe, but feel free to adjust to your needs. Ingredients: • Cane or beet sugar (both work equally well) • Cream of tartar (citric acid will also work) • Water Tools: • Cooking Pot • Thermometer • Long Spoon • Baking sheet/tray lined with aluminum foil or, preferably parchment paper, which will peel off easier. Process: 1. Add the sugar to your cooking pot and place over medium heat on your stove. 2. Add enough water to dissolve the sugar into a syrup, adding slowly and stirring as you go until it is all dissolved into a syrup. Don’t worry about the exact amount of water added as it will boil off during this process anyway. ½ cup of water to 1lb of sugar is the ratio I use. It will be thick, but once heated, it will eventually thin out as the sugar melts. 3. Once dissolved, you now have what is known as “simple syrup”. Now it’s time to add the acid. 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar per lb of sugar is an acceptable ratio. 4. Raise the boiling temp to just above 260° F, but do NOT let it go above 275° F. Hold this temperature for 20 minutes. During this time, the acid will invert the sucrose into glucose and fructose molecules. Water will slowly boil off during these 20 minutes, which will raise the temperature of the solution. To keep from going above 275° F, add a few tablespoons of water to lower the temperature. BE CAREFUL when doing this as the water can steam and cause splash-back. 5. After 20 minutes, you now have clear candi sugar. If this was your goal, you can skip to step 7. However, if you want a darker candi sugar, continue to the next step. 6. To make a darker candi sugar, simply keep boiling between 260° F and 275° F until you have achieved the desired color. The longer you boil, the darker it will get. Remember to keep adding teaspoons of water if the temperature gets too hot. 7. Raise the temperature to 300° F. In candy making, this is known as a “hard crack” temperature and will solidify the candi sugar into a “rock candy” when it cools. 8. Once at 300° F, carefully pour the syrup into the aluminum/parchment-lined baking sheet/tray and let it sit at room temperature until it hardens, which may take up to an hour or more. 9. Once hardened, you can break it into pieces and store it in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a year. Tip: Lightly coat the pieces in powdered sugar to prevent them from sticking together in storage. Adding water to the sugar Boiling sugar solution at 260° Freshly poured dark candi sugar Finished product Making Candi Syrup: While the steps above will result in a hard candi sugar that can be stored for long periods of time, this form of the sugar can be difficult to dissolve into the wort, taking more time than you may want to spend. For this reason, I am also including instructions on how to preprocess your hard candi sugar ahead of time into an easy-to-use syrup that will dissolve into the wort much faster. Process: 1. Add ½ lb of hard candi sugar to your pot and bring the heat on your stovetop to medium. Don’t add the entire 1 lb you made above, or it may become too messy and can possibly burn. 2. Add ¼ cup of water to the pot and begin stirring until it is fully dissolved. Do not raise the temperature to dissolve the sugar faster. This may cause it to burn. Patience is key here. 3. Once it is fully dissolved, you can add any remaining candi sugar and stir until it is also fully dissolved. 4. If the mixture is too thick, add a small amount of water until you’ve reached the desired consistency. 5. Store the candi syrup in glass jars. If using plastic jars, be sure to cool the syrup first. Store in a dry, cool place, but do NOT refrigerate as this will result in the sugar crystallizing and hardening, making it difficult to use. Keep in mind that candi syrup doesn’t have the long shelf life hard candi sugar has. The syrup will only last for about 30 days before it loses quality via oxidation, and it is also more prone to mold. Commercial syrups can last much longer because they are typically sealed with nitrogen, protecting the sugar. Using Candi Syrup in Mr. Beer refills/recipes: Use 1 cup of syrup for every 2 gallon batch. Use more if you want a higher ABV and dry body. See below for some of our Belgian recipes and recommendations. Candi syrup will enhance any of these recipes. Cheers!
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Mr. B’s EASY Party Time Beer Punch
Mr. B’s EASY Party Time Beer Punch Today I have a recipe for the cooks and non-cooks alike. That’s right, this little gem is SO easy and so delicious! Mr. B’s Party time beer punch is a great way to incorporate your beer into an easy and refreshing beer cocktail and it makes the perfect addition to almost any meal, party or cook-out. If you can make a Mr. Beer refill, you can make this jug of boozy goodness in less than 5 minutes! What are you waiting for? Let’s make some beer punch! What You Need: 48 ounces (4, 12 oz beers) of Light-colored beer (lager, light ales) 1 12 oz can frozen pink lemonade concentrate ¾ cup thawed frozen Blackberries or raspberries ½ cup Vodka Ice cubes Lemon slices for garnish How to make it: In a large pitcher, combine the beer, lemonade concentrate, blackberries or raspberries and vodka. Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices. Yep, that’s it! You did it! Now pour yourself a big cold glass of beer punch (enjoy responsibly of course), kick back and sip away! As always, please let me know how this turned out for you in the comments! We always love hearing your feedback. “slurrrrrrp” Cheers! Ashley
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Foam Stability in Your Beer and How to Improve It.
Foam Stability in Beer and How to Improve It Lace, foam, bead, head… These are all terms that you are likely familiar with if you brew or even just drink, beer. We all know foam is pretty, eye catching and something that is goes hand in hand with the aesthetics of advertising beer, as well but there’s even more to it. The amount and quality of foam says a lot about a beer: how it was brewed, conditioned and even if it was served correctly! One of the more frequent questions we get especially with extract brewing, is “how do I improve my foam/head retention?”. Truthfully, this could turn into a very complex discussion, so I am going to give you a more straightforward explanation and a few tips to help you get the most out of your beer foam! First, lets start with what “creates” and contributes to the foam quality in your brews. The “main” component of foam is something called hydrophobic polypeptides. So, what the heck is that? Polypeptides are long strings or organic polymers formed by amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins that tend to move up and away from liquid. If your beer is deficient in these polypeptides, this will hinder the head retention of your fermented beer. Another factor in head retention are iso-humulones, that come from hops, but more about that later, but for now, lets focus on those amino acid chains. Where to polypeptides come from? That’s a great question! The primary source of foam enhancing poly peptides comes from the grains used in your beer. This why if you brew a recipe containing certain specific steeping grains or DME, you may see a far better quality of foam than with an extract only recipe. Extracts, especially liquid extracts, contain highly modified malts, this modification happens during the malting and extraction processes. Because these processes work to break down the complex chains, you can end up with a poor quality of head retention within the beer. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to remedy. Steeping as opposed to mashing can be a quick and easy way boost the foam on an all-extract beer, the reason for this is the low and quick application of heat to steeping grains has a more minimal effect on the poly peptide chains found within any grain used within the steep. There are two primary proteins that make up these chains in lesser modified grains called Protein Z and LTP1. Protein Z is the most abundant within brewing grains and tend to be resistant to the enzymes that will break it down. Thus, the addition grains higher in this enzyme resistant protein will aid in creating a better beer foam. The secondary LTP1 protein is excreted during the mash and to a lesser extent, the steep. LPT1 is a shuttling protein that serves to move lipids around the membranes in barely and like protein Z, both Amino acids are hydrophobic which is an important feature when it comes to pushing CO2 bubbles to the surface on your beer. So now that we know what components help to make those bubbles, what helps them to stay at the surface? The lion share of that duty comes from proteins called “Hordeins” that are found in barley grains. Having a good head formation and subsequently retention, comes down a harmonious proportion between proteins Z and LTP1 and Hordeins. Earlier in this article, I briefly mentioned the role of iso-alpha acids in foam stability and retention. As you probably already know, iso-alpha acids are the bittering acids that come from hops! These hop acids also provide a valuable mechanism for increasing foam because of the reaction that occurs between the acids and the proteins in the malt. Now that we know a little bit about the science, lets talk about how to actually put it into action. So how do we increase the foam formation, retention, and quality of an extract beer? We steep the grains that give us the highest probability of foam and we boil some hops! Some of the best grains for increasing foam are Carapils, wheat malt, and black malt just t name a few. These grains have what we call “foam positive” properties. Steeping any of these grains and also boiling even a small number of hops, can go miles in improving the quality of your beer. Just 4 ounces of Carapils malt steeped into a 2-gallon batch can really create a night and day difference even if you choose not to add any additional hops. If you have never steeped grains, I highly suggest checking out our “Specialty Grain” recipes, as we have done the “brain” work on the foam, for you! But maybe, just maybe you’d rather “play” on your own. If that is the case, start simple with just a refill and a 30-mimute steep of 4 ounces of Carapils at 160 degrees, then remove and discard the grains before boiling the grain water, removing it from the heat and adding your can of extract. As I mentioned earlier, the total ins and outs of foam creation and stability can get very in-depth and very complicated. I have not included every detail and potential facet of this subject, however, I have provided some of what I feel are the most important principal concepts of the subject for you as a brewer to understand. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask them in the comments or reach out to us at customer service. We are always happy to go into more detail! I truly hope you enjoyed this and if you have suggestions for future educational articles, let us know in the comments! Cheers! Ashley
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What is Stuck Fermentation and How to Fix it?
Ah, the dreaded “stuck fermentation”, if you brew long enough, you will likely experience one. If you have not experienced this, you might be wondering what exactly a “stuck fermentation” is. To put it simply, “stuck fermentation” refers to the yeast prematurely going dormant during fermentation and before full attenuation has been completed. In this blog, we will examine both the reasons stalls can happen, but also how to potentially remedy them. Reasons stuck fermentation can occur: Fermentation temperatures too high Fermentation temperatures are too low Worts deficient in nitrogen Worts deficient in oxygen Worts deficient in nutrients Yeast stress from the high alcohol content Yeast stress from an uninhabitable environment Strain-specific genetic predispositions Potential Remedies for Stuck Fermentation: Rouse the yeast Sometimes pulling a batch out of a stall is as easy as stirring up the yeast in your fermenter. This can be done by simply giving the fermenter a few bumps, gently swirling, or by using a sanitized spoon to give the trub a gentle stir. Warm up the fermenter If you suspect your fermentation is stuck because of low fermentation temps, try bringing the fermenter to a warmer location. Re-pitch new yeast This is usually the best way to fix a stuck fermentation. You can add more of your original yeast or use a high attenuating yeast such as S-04 or US-05. Introduce simple sugars or pureed fruit Sometimes your yeast just runs out of energy. Adding in a new source of sugar can sometimes restimulate fermentation. Add yeast nutrients Yeast nutrients, like adding sugar or fruit, can help return the nutrients that the yeast has depleted. Add enzymes via Beano Yes, THAT Beano… the enzymes it provides can often move your gravity several points. Use 1 tablet per gallon. Add oxygen Some strains of yeast such as Nottingham, have larger than normal oxygen requirements. Some brewers opt to use air stones or even just agitated the top of the wort with a sanitized whisk. Depending on how “far in” you are on a truly stuck/stalled fermentation, it may or may not be possible to re-stimulate the yeast, for this reason, I almost always just opt to re-pitch my yeast, but if that is not an option for you, try using these other techniques. Another important thing to look out for is a beer that isn’t stalled, but actually “done”. It is certainly possible for a beer to finish fermentation faster than expected. In this case, it’s a good idea to have a hydrometer handy so you can check your beer's actual gravity. As always, if you are still stumped, feel free to contact me at customer service and we will troubleshoot together. Cheers!
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