Questions tagged [ingredients]
The items included in the recipe to make the beer/wine
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What are the benefits of using brewing sugar over types of sugar?
In many kits I've used, the instructions recommend using brewing sugar. Of course it's okay to use other sources of sugar, but I was wondering whether there are any benefits of using brewing sugar ...
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1
answer
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Why is it bad to pitch too much yeast?
What are the effects of over-pitching? Where is the line for, say, a 1.050 beer?
There is also a question for to under-pitching.
16
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8
answers
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What malt should I use to get a red beer?
So, I want to make a red beer, what is the best malt to get this color?
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3
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Using honey in beer
This thread is not actually one single question, but a number of different ones.
When calculating sugars used in the wort, how much sugar does honey contain? Is it closer to dry malt extracts, raw ...
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1
answer
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What is torrified wheat?
What is torrified wheat and in what styles is it used?
Are there any restriction or special procedures you need to follow to when using torrified wheat?
Can you substitute torrified wheat with ...
12
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2
answers
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Whirlfloc versus irish moss - pros and cons?
What are the pros and cons of using irish moss versus whirlfloc tablets for clarifying beer?
11
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4
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Fruit for fruit beers
What are the best fruits for brewing fruit beers?
Some fruits appear to be classics like cherries raspberries. Some fruits you rarely hear about like kiwi and papya.
Which fruits have flavor ...
11
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3
answers
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Why is it bad to pitch too little yeast?
What are the effects of underpitching your beer?
We have an answer for over pitching, I think we need the complete set.
11
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4
answers
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Using Multiple Strains of Yeast in the Same Batch?
I've been thinking about this recently, so I figured I'd ask it here. Is there any reason you couldn't use two strains of yeast in the same batch of beer? For a particularly high gravity amber ale, ...
11
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1
answer
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[WIKI] Characteristics of a Good Cellaring Beer
Every once and a while I come across beers that say they can be kept up to 5 years and become more developed over that time period, while other beers that are of the same style don't indicate this at ...
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Any People with Celiacs Tried Clarity Ferm?
There's been a lot of discussion around Clarity Ferm, and it's ability to break down gluten in beer.
The manufacturers just say it makes "gluten reduced beer", but Omission and others uses it to make ...
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What causes a stout's creamy head?
Stouts, especially beers like Guiness (its cousin Kilkenny as well), have a head that's really creamy. Being a stout lover myself, I always envied this head, but I have no idea how one can achieve it. ...
10
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7
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Why would a recipe use both Light LME and Light DME?
I just brewed a clone of Belhaven Scottish Ale using the extract recipe from the book, Clone Brews. The recipe calls for both light LME and light DME. Why would it use both? It does specify brands ...
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3
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Confused by malts!
great site. I am a total newbie at brewing (used a Mr. Beer kit a few times with success), and recently got a 2 tier homebrewing system for Christmas. I got a prepackaged "American Amber Ale" kit as ...
9
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2
answers
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Munich and Vienna Malt
How do these two malts differ? I can find sources at times with slightly different colors and I know there must be flavor differences.
I was wondering if anyone could shed light on how the two are ...
9
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5
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How do you make your own recipe?
I guess most people brew from kits, or from the many available recipes on the net. But for those few recipe formulators, how do you go about building a recipe?
And, given the inexactness of brewing, ...
9
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3
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Hops: Buy vs. Grow
Is it worth it to grow my own hops or should I just buy them somewhere?
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How do you calculate a beer's nutrition facts?
How can I figure out a beer's nutrition facts when I've homebrewed?
It's not a sum of the ingredients any more, is it?
--EDIT--
So when I say "beer's nutrition facts" I means values like calories, ...
9
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2
answers
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Why do extract recipes call for a late addition of the bulk of the extract?
My recipe calls for a pound of DME at the beginning of the boil and 6 pounds at 15 minutes to go. What's the point of that?
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Suggestions for cheap recipes
I would like to create a recipe (or recipes) that is fairly cheap and will serve as a session beer that I can drink when I just want a beer in the evening, and I'm not particularly choosy about what ...
9
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2
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At what point can a beer be called organic?
A lot of the homebrew I make is made with organic ingredients - organic grain and hops. However, I have never come across organic yeast (!?) or irish moss. Can I rightly call this beer organic, or ...
9
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3
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What is the difference between Caramel Malts and Crystal Malts?
They are not always one in the same. I believe the process for making them are slightly different as well. I just don't know what that difference is.
How do they differ?
Where are they made?
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1
answer
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Adding Oak Flavor/character to beer
Short of buying an oak barrel, what forms of oak are available to the homebrewer for getting oak into yuor beer?
Are they available with different levels of toast?
Are some forms easier to sanitize ...
8
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6
answers
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What is Extract Twang?
This term pops up from time to time and it often cited as a reason to go to all grain. But maybe its because I don't really know what it tastes like.
Do you believe in extract twang?
How do you get ...
8
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4
answers
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How do i determine the quality of ingredients?
I'm new to home brewing and want to make sure I'm using quality ingredients. I've been to a few stores, but have trouble knowing if what they offer is good quality or not. What tips / techniques can i ...
8
votes
2
answers
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Green wood in beer
I was wondering if I can make some post-christmas beer out of the christmas tree (Norway Spruce).
So my question is, does wood have to be dried in order to use it for flavoring or can I use green ...
8
votes
2
answers
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What's the shelf life on crushed specialty grains?
What's the shelf life on crushed specialty grains?
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3
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Coriander: Seed vs Ground?
I'm making a witbier this weekend that calls for 1 tsp of coriander added to the boil at 2 minutes. I'm wondering if I should purchase seeds and grind them myself, or just buy a jar of ground ...
7
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3
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Using commercial (breakfast) cereals in a mash
This question looks similar to Using flakes in a mash, but is not actually the same. I was thinking, if someone runs out of maize flakes, and definitely wants to use some for his mash, what happens if ...
7
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4
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Chile Pepper Ale
I've brewed a simple base ale recipe. It's fermenting happily.
I want to add Chile Peppers to the beer to make a spiced ale. I'm not looking for something with a lot of heat, but I do want some ...
7
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2
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How should I design my new home brewing space?
I am moving into a new house, and the garage in the back garden is just screaming out to be converted into a home brewery.
I realise planning a brewing space depends on a lot of specifics (space ...
7
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1
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Can I make urwagwa?
Urwagwa is a popular beer in Rwanda made from bananas, and I'd like to brew some myself. The recipes and methods I've read online have some very traditional methods (e.g. Bury the bananas for a while!)...
7
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1
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Victory v. Biscuit malt
Are there flavor differences between these two malts?
How can each be described?
I have used them both but often in complicated recipes, and never side by side for comparison.
How is each produced?
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2
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Carastan substitute?
I recently brewed a recipe that called for Carastan malt. My LHBS didn't carry it, so I just used 40 L Crystal. In the finished beer, I'm missing the toffee and toastiness found in the original. Does ...
6
votes
2
answers
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Can theatre buttered and salted popcorn be used for brewing brewing at home?
Can theatre buttered and salted popcorn be used for brewing brewing at home?
A friend of mine has access to leftover popcorn from a movie theatre and I was wondering if it could be used for brewing at ...
6
votes
1
answer
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What is different between American Oak and French Oak?
What other "nationalities" of Oak are used in brewing?
6
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2
answers
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What elements are common to Shiner Bock and Real Ale's Fireman's #4?
Shiner Bock and Fireman's #4 both have this weird aftertaste that I can't stand. Any idea what they both have in common so I can avoid it?
EDIT: It's almost a slimy taste (I know slimy is not a taste,...
6
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2
answers
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Needs to be mashed
I recently had a debate with a brewing buddy of mine about malts that "need to be mashed".
For instance victory malt is listed in Palmers "How to Brew" as being in the needs to be mashed column. I ...
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3
answers
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Flavor extracts - add to secondary or add during bottling?
What are the pros and cons of adding flavor extracts (fruit, chocolate, what have you) at bottling time versus adding them to the secondary? Does it make a difference? Is there a trade-off between ...
6
votes
2
answers
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Using nuts for beer aroma
I'm planning to brew an scottish heavy ale, and I wanted to give it a little different aroma using hazelnuts (other stuff too, but I want hazelnuts to be the main aroma). How do you suggest i use them?...
6
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2
answers
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Estimating Alpha Acids of Home Grown Hops
For the homebrewer that grows and harvests his/her own hops; how best can one approximate the alpha acids in the hops they have?
Is it worth it or should brewers stick to using home grown hops for ...
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2
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Buying bulk hops online
I'm often tempted to buy my commonly used hop pellets online in bulk and storing them in my freezer. A lot of the cheap bulk hops are from the previous year. Assuming they are vacuum packed and ...
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Which sweeteners are good
I need something to sweeten my alcoholic ginger beer. Im currently at the last fermentation stage before bottling.
I was thinking of using Honey as the primer since not all of it will ferment in the ...
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3
answers
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Chilli Alcohol Recipe
Is it possible to ferment chilli-peppers and produce a liquor with a alcohol content and also a hotness?
5
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4
answers
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Espresso Shot (size)
I'm trying to make sense of a Stout recipe and one of the ingredient is:
1.00 Coffee Espresso Shot
Now, according to Wiki, one espresso shot is 25ml. Would this be the right amount for a 23L batch ...
5
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3
answers
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How to avoid a boozy flavor in high-gravity beers
Many of the high-gravity commercial beers I taste end up coming off as boozy. What kinds of ingredients or processes will limit this flavor? I want to brew a big beer, perhaps in the 1.100 ...
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1
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When should I add orange peels to my homebrew?
I've been planning to experiment with orange peels for a while now, but I don't know when to add them, when should I throw them in?
Last 15 minutes with the aroma hops? At flame-out? After primary? I ...
5
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2
answers
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Using Pine with Beer
The only other topic I found on this was here: Using pine in beer - it was asked nearly 10 years ago and didn't have the answers.
Does anyone have experience with using pine in their brewing and if so,...
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3
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Do you use a default/standard base malt? What are the advantages?
Does anyone use a standard base malt to build your recipes from? What are the advantages?
A couple of obvious advantages would be having the ability to buy large bags of the base malt (and ensuring ...
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3
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Dry vs. Liquid Extract
Dry and liquid extract each have their advantages and draw-backs.
What are the perceived ups and downs for using one or the other?