Copyright © 2012 by Matthew Schaefer All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or [email protected]. Skyhorse® and Skyhorse Publishing® are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation. www.skyhorsepublishing.com 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schaefer, Matthew. The illustrated guide to brewing beer : a comprehensive handbook of beginning homebrewing / Matthew Schaefer. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-61608-917-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Beer. 2. Brewing. I. Title. TP577.S33 2011 641.87'3–dc23 2011030377 Printed in China For my son, Evan, and for my wife, Kimberly, who allowed me to write this while she rocked Evan to sleep CONTENTS Introduction PART I Brewing 1 THE BREWING PROCESS: AN OVERVIEW 2 EXTRACT BREWING 3 BOTTLING 4 ALL-GRAIN AND PARTIAL-MASH BREWING 5 CLEANING AND SANITIZING PART II Ingredients 6 WATER 7 MALTS 8 HOPS 9 YEAST PART III Troubleshooting 10 COMMON OFF-FLAVORS AND AROMAS 11 HAZE 12 HEAD RETENTION 13 BOTTLING PROBLEMS Appendixes A. Adjuncts B. Hops 197 C. U.S. Homebrewing Laws Resources Glossary Acknowledgments Index INTRODUCTION WHY BREW? There are probably as many answers as there are brewers out there, and one would presume that before picking up this book that you have come to some semblance of an answer yourself. For me, the beauty of brewing is in the craft–the chance to start with raw ingredients and carefully shape them into a beverage that I can enjoy and share with others. The ability to control the nuances of flavor, body, and aroma, to bring the end product as close to my idea of the ideal, is what keeps me coming back batch after batch. I have some recipes that I have been working on for fifteen years. With each batch, I take detailed notes about my process and the end result: Carefully noting the color, flavor, body, mouthfeel, head retention, and aroma. Slowly tweaking the recipe with each successive batch. Diligently trying to reach a fleeting concept of what I think the perfect porter, IPA, or English bitter should be. And the art of homebrewing gives the modern homebrewer a never-ending palette of ingredients and processes to choose from. Homebrew shops are once again experiencing a resurgence, and the availability of high-quality ingredients over the Internet has made finding even once-obscure grains, hops, and yeast strains easier than at any other time in history.