Brewing with Cannabis introduces the convergence of marijuana and brewing in the modern craft beer movement. Explore the varied history of how the cannabis plant became federally illegal and dive into both historic and current laws on decriminalization and legalization of cannabis in the U.S. Learn about the agriculture and biology of cannabis, unique characteristics of the plant, and the similarities between cannabis and hop plants. Find out all that is needed to successfully grow cannabis plants in the comfort of your own home (where state legal). Examine the active components of cannabis and the chemistry of how they interact with beer. Discover how to de-carboxylate THC-A into the fully psychoactive form of THC and learn methods of adding cannabis and CBD to non-alcoholic beer and homebrew for different effects. Delve into how and why the plant produces compounds such as cannabinoids and terpenes, how they function, and how to incorporate them into beer recipes. Both homebrewers and professional brewers will be inspired by a wide-range of extract-based and all-grain recipes they can adopt or use as guidance when creating non-alcoholic beer or homebrew. Designed as a practical guide to use in brewing, the final chapter will inspire readers on how the discovery of new cannabinoids and terpenes may be used in the future. This book will be especially useful to brewers seeking information on the responsible and state legal of use of cannabis in brewing.
Brewing with Hemp: The Essential Guide explores the Cannabis sativa plant from a brewer’s perspective. Explore the role of foliage and flowers, seeds, fiber, stems, and roots in product development. Learn the science, methods, and techniques for infusing hemp (containing less than 0.3% THC), hemp flavors, and cannabinoids into beverages. Solubilizing shelf stable cannabinoids in beverages, hemp additions at traditional brewing stages, and quality and legal compliance are all discussed. This book navigates the science of cannabis and teaches brewers how to best use hemp to apply its unique aromas to beer. Discover the use of terpenes, create a tincture, or experiment with new recipes using hemp as an ingredient. Readers will learn how to navigate the shifting legal landscape as hemp becomes more acceptable and accessible. This forward-looking book weaves together familiar topics within the study of beer and brewing and applies it to the vast and fascinating world of hemp as an ingredient in beer.
The wit and weizen of wheat beers. Author Stan Hieronymus visits the ancestral homes of the world's most interesting styles-Hoegaarden, Kelheim, Leipzig, Berlin and even Portland, Oregon-to sort myth from fact and find out how the beers are made today. Complete with brewing details and recipes for even the most curious brewer, and answers to compelling questions such as Why is my beer cloudy? and With or without lemon?
Beer has never been a stranger to North America. Author Stan Hieronymous explains how before European colonization, Native Americans were making beer from fermented corn, such as the tiswin of the Apache and Pueblo tribes. European colonists new to the continent were keen to use whatever local flavorings were at hand like senna, celandine, chicory, pawpaw, and persimmon. Before barley took hold in the 1700s, early fermentables included corn (maize), wheat bran, and, of course, molasses. Later immigrants to the young United States brought with them German and Czech yeasts and brewing techniques, setting the stage for the ubiquitous Pilsner lagers that came to dominate by the late 1800s. But local circumstances led to novel techniques, like corn and rice adjuncts, or the selection of lager yeasts that could ferment at ale-like temperatures. Despite the emergence of brewing giants with national distribution, “common brewers” continued to make “common beer” for local taverns and pubs. Distinctive American styles arose. Pennsylvania Swankey, Kentucky Common, Choc beer, Albany Ale, and steam beer—now called California common—all distinctive styles born of their place. From its post-war fallow period, the US brewing industry was reignited in the 1980s by the craft beer scene. Follow Stan Hieronymous as he explores the wealth of ingredients available to the locavores and beer aficionados of today. He takes the reader through grains, hops, trees, plants, roots, mushrooms, and chilis—all ingredients that can be locally grown, cultivated, or foraged. The author supplies tips on how to find these as well as dos and don'ts of foraging. He investigates the nascent wild hops movement and initiatives like the Local Yeast Project. Farm breweries are flourishing, with more breweries operating on farms than the US had total breweries fewer than 50 years ago. He gives recipes too, each one showing how novel, local ingredients can be used to add fermentables, flavor, and hop-like bitterness, and how they might be cultivated or gathered in the wild. Armed with this book, brewers in America have never been better equipped to create a beer that captures the essence of its place.
Greg Noonan’s classic treatise on brewing lagers, New Brewing Lager Beer, offers a thorough yet practical education on the theory and techniques required to produce high-quality beers using all-grain methods either at home or in a small commercial brewery. This advanced all-grain reference book is recommended for intermediate, advanced and professional small-scale brewers. New Brewing Lager Beers hould be part of every serious brewer’s library.
The ubiquity of gluten-containing grains, such as barley, wheat, and rye, in modern-day brewing has prevented many potential consumers from fully enjoying the craft beer revolution. Individuals who have celiac disease, nonceliac gluten intolerance, or gluten sensitivity (as well as those who simply feel better when they avoid gluten) have historically been unable to enjoy today's characterful beers. But many other types of grain can be used to brew beer of all styles; such alternative grains greatly expand the options available to beer lovers and brewers who cannot or choose not to ingest gluten, or those who just want to experiment with new and interesting flavors. Gluten-Free Brewing includes a discussion of available gluten-free ingredients, how to source them, and how to malt them. Explore the world of ancient grains and adjuncts and learn how today's malted and roasted varieties can be used to brew to-style beers. Learn about different mashing techniques, when to use them, what additional ingredients and enzymes can help throughout the brewing process, and how they can deliver specific flavors in your beer. Take a deep dive into recipe formulation and fermentation challenges, as well as flavor, body, head retention, and color considerations when using these not-so-alternative grains to create mainstream flavors. More than 30 tested recipes are included to help brewers explore British, German, Belgian, New World, and ancient-style beers. Gluten-Free Brewing will teach you how to brew full-flavored, world-class gluten-free beers.
It is difficult to believe that at one time hops were very much the marginalized ingredient of modern beer, until the burgeoning craft beer movement in America reignited the industry's enthusiasm for hop-forward beer. The history of hops and their use in beer is long and shrouded in mystery to this day, but Stan Hieronymous has gamely teased apart the many threads as best anyone can, lending credence where due and scotching unfounded claims when appropriate. It is just one example of the deep research through history books, research articles, and first-hand interviews with present-day experts and growers that has enabled Stan to produce a wide-ranging, engaging account of this essential beer ingredient. While they have an exalted status with today's craft brewers, many may not be aware of the journey hops take to bring them, neatly baled or pressed into blocks and pellets, into the brewhouse. Stan paints a detailed and, at times, personal portrait of the life of hops, weaving technical information about hop growing and anatomy with insights from families who have been running their hop farms for generations. The author takes the reader on a tour of the main growing regions of central Europe, where the famous landrace varieties of Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Germany originate, to England and thence to North America, and latterly, Australia and New Zealand. Growing hops and supplying the global brewing industry has always been a hard-nosed business, and Stan presents statistics on yields, acreage, wilt and other diseases, interspersed with words from the farmers themselves that illustrate the challenges and uncertainties hop growers face. Along the way, Stan gives details about some of the most well-known varieties—Saaz, Hallertau, Tettnang, Golding, Fuggle, Cluster, Cascade, Willamette, Citra, Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin, and many others—and their history of use in the Old World and New World. The section culminates in a catalog of 105 hop varieties in use today, with a brief description of character and vital statistics for each. Of course, the art and science of using hops in making beer is not forgotten. Once the hops have been harvested, processed, and delivered to the brewery, they can be used in myriad ways. The author moves from the toil of the hop gardens to that of the brewhouse, again presenting a blend of history and present-day interviews and research articles to explain alpha acids, beta acids, bitterness, harshness, smoothness, and the deterioration of bittering flavors over time. Perception is all important when discussing bitterness, and the author touches on genetics, evolution, the vagaries of individuals' perceptions of bitterness, and changing tastes, such as the “lupulin shift.” The meaning of the international bitterness unit, or IBU, is not always properly understood and here Stan lays out a brief history of how the IBU came to be and an appreciation of the many variables affecting utilization in the boil and final bitterness in beer. Adding hops is not as simple as it sounds, and Stan's research illustrates that if you ask ten brewers about something you will get eleven opinions. Early additions, late additions, continuous hopping, first wort hopping, and hop bursting are all discussed with a healthy dose of pragmatic wisdom from brewers and a pinch of chemistry. There then follows an entire chapter devoted to the druidic art of dry hopping, following its commonplace usage in nineteenth-century England to the modern applications found in today's US craft brewing scene. The author uncovers hop plugs, hop coffins, and the “pendulum method,” along with the famous hop rocket and hop torpedo used by some of America's leading craft breweries. Every brewer has their dry hopping method and, gratifyingly, many are happy to share with the author, making this chapter a great source for inspiration and ideas. Many of the brewers the author interviewed were also happy to share recipes. There are 16 recipes from breweries in America, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, and New Zealand. These not only present delicious beers but give some insight into how professional brewers design their recipes to get the most out of their hops. As always, Stan imparts wisdom in an engaging and accessible fashion, making this an amazing compendium on “every brewer's favorite flower.”
Water is arguably the most critical and least understood of the foundation elements in brewing. For many brewers used to choosing from a wide selection of hops and grain, water seems like an ingredient for which they have little choice but to accept what comes out of their faucet. But brewers in fact have many opportunities to modify their source water or to obtain mineral-free water and build their own brewing water from scratch. Much of the relevant information can be found in texts on physical and inorganic chemistry or water treatment and analysis, but these resources seldom, if ever, speak to brewers. Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers takes the mystery out of water's role in the brewing process. This book is not just about brewing liquor. Whether in a brewery or at home, water is needed for every part of the brewing process: chilling, diluting, cleaning, boiler operation, wastewater treatment, and even physically pushing wort or beer from one place to another. The authors lead the reader from an overview of the water cycle and water sources, to adjusting water for different beer styles and brewery processes, to wastewater treatment. It covers precipitation, groundwater, and surface water, and explains how municipal water is treated to make it safe to drink but not always suitable for brewing. The parameters measured in a water report are explained, along with their impact on the mash and the final beer. Understand ion concentrations, temporary and permanent hardness, and pH. The concept of residual alkalinity is covered in detail and the causes of alkalinity in water are explored, along with techniques to control alkalinity. Ultimately, residual alkalinity is the major effector on mash pH, and this book addresses how to predict and target a specific mash pH—a key skill for any brewer wishing to raise their beer to the next level. But minerals in brewing water also determine specific flavor attributes. Ionic species important to beer are discussed and concepts like the sulfate-to-chloride ratio are explained. Examples illustrate how to tailor your brewing water to suit any style of beer. To complete the subject, the authors focus on brewery operations relating to source water treatment, such as the removal of particulates, dissolved solids, gas and liquid contaminants, organic contaminants, chlorine and chloramine, and dissolved oxygen. This section considers the pros and cons of various technologies, including membrane technologies such as filtration, ion-exchange systems, and reverse osmosis.
Considered the father of all lagers, continental pilsener changed the course of brewing around the world. Noted author and brewer David Miller examines each country's version of pilsener, including ingredients and brewing stages. The Classic Beer Style Series, from Brewers Publications, examines individual world-class beer styles, covering origins, history, sensory profiles, brewing techniques and commercial examples.
A comprehensive look at this once-forgotten beer style, Bock covers the history, style profiles, procedures and recipes of this unique family of beers. You'll find everything you need to understand, appreciate and brew the bock beer style in this book. The Classic Beer Style Series from Brewers Publications examines individual world-class beer styles, covering origins, history, sensory profiles, brewing techniques and commercial examples.
