Jay's Brewing Blog

Hmm.. *cough* whew.. it’s dusty in here. Sorry about that. The busy time of year always seems to catch me least prepared. Holidays, school, work. Still, that’s no excuse. The people demand beer content and beer content is what the people should get! So, with that being said, I am back and I’m going to […]

If you’ve been into Jay’s Brewing in the last year or two, you’ve likely noticed when it comes to dark malts, we’ve got a lot of them. Sometimes it can get a bit confusing as what each one should be used for or even in what quantities they should be used. With this being the […]

This past weekend I brewed for the umpteen hundredth time. Something that has become so customary in my life, it’s almost like I go into autopilot. I knew my recipe, I knew my process, I knew my numbers. Yet, something was different. I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I went along brewing without […]

You may have had a Kölsch, but do you know where and how it got its start? In the early 1600’s in the Cologne region of Germany, all beer that was produced were top-fermented ales. However, outside beers started making their way into the local market and giving the brewers of Cologne a run for […]

As I write this, the day before Thanksgiving, I realize that while I love the holiday season, I often find it stressful. Managing expectations of extended families, families who live hundreds if not thousands of miles away, and even more intense pressure from the family members who live nearby can be build up to mountainous […]

If there is one thing about beer that fascinates me, it is the history. Like everything, beer styles have waves of popularity, right now we’re going through a phase of hazy IPA’s, Brut IPA’s and pastry stouts. With the market being so strong for these styles, it’s very easy to find information about them. For […]

This week for Jay’s malt spotlight we are looking at Briess’s American Midnight Wheat Malt. The flavor of this malt is described as subtle and smooth with no bitter, astringent, dry flavors, or aftertaste. Midnight Wheat starts slightly sweet with hints of roasted flavor and finishes exceptionally clean and is an extremely smooth way to […]

Journaling may seem like something you’d only need to do if you were running a business or writing a blog, but as most brewers will tell you, the single hardest thing to master in brewing is consistency. It’s often said that 20 people could brew the same recipe, and you’d end with 20 different beers. […]

Jay’s Brewing spotlight is back after a long hiatus, and this week we are looking at Simpsons Golden Promise™. Simpsons Golden Promise™ malt is made from spring barley and is considered a UK classic. It is considered the Scottish equivalent to Maris Otter and has similar applications. This malt is excellent for both brewing and […]

Last month we discussed how to determine if your beer has any flaws. This month, we’re going to begin looking at what some of those flaws might taste like, how they are caused and what we can do to avoid them in the future. We won’t get into all of them, as many are not […]