Jay's Brewing Blog

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

In order to improve our beer, we need to know what is wrong with our beer. Wait, don’t leave the page. I’m not trying to insult your talents, but even the best brewers in the world make mistakes from time to time. Some of the most sought after beers in the world can have problems […]

If you’ve ever visited an online brewing forum or Facebook group, you’ve certainly witnessed people who seem to hold beer styles as if they are ancient laws not to be broken. You’ve also seen people who can look at the most outrageous ingredients and find a way to put it in their beer. Like all […]

I love milk stouts. Seriously, I have a milk stout recipe for just about every occasion. Mint Chocolate, Chai, S’mores, I’ve got one for each season. The smooth, soft mouthfeel coupled with an assortment of roasted flavors, it’s this stout lover’s dream. You should see the look of horror when I offer a milk stout […]

I’ve always held the belief that a good measure of your ability to brew is to brew another brewer’s recipe, and get it as close as possible. I think the best way to do that is by cloning a popular commercial example that you have access too. There are a lot of intangibles outside of […]

This week’s Jay’s Brewing spotlight is Weyermann German Pilsner Malt. This lager based malt is produced from high quality 2-row spring barley and was originally produced in the world renowned Bürger-Brauerei, or what is now called Pilsner Urquell, located in the Czech Republic. Concerning color and flavor, this malt is capable of producing a pale […]

This week’s spotlight is Rahr 6-row malt. 6-row is considered to be an older, more traditional type of barley. This malt is made from a blend of American 6-Row barley varieties. 6-Row malt has a unique flavor and, in many cases, is used as a base for specialty beers. An interesting note about 6-row is […]