Making Beer

An oft-overlooked branch on the farmhouse-inspired, mixed-culture family tree, bière de mars represents a chance to brew something tart, funky, and refreshing.

New to brewing? Welcome to the world’s most rewarding hobby. It can be as simple or as complicated (and as cheap or as expensive) as you want to make it. This opening section of our Illustrated Guide offers an overview of the basics—with much more to come.

Homebrew expert Brad Smith, author of the Beersmith homebrewing software and the voice behind the Beersmith podcast answers a question from a homebrewer looking to go all-grain.

Homebrew expert Brad Smith, author of the Beersmith homebrewing software and the voice behind the Beersmith podcast, examines the importance of conical fermentors.

Homebrew expert Brad Smith, author of the Beersmith homebrewing software and the voice behind the Beersmith podcast, offers some practical advice for adding whirlpool hops.

Big beers often garner a lot of attention, but don’t let that keep you from appreciating (or brewing) the smaller beers.

With so much flavorful, interesting beer on tap, is it worth investing the time and money into homebrewing? 

Although still something of a catchall category, there are some useful distinctions and targets to work with when it comes to American strong ale. As the air begins to cool this autumn it's the perfect time to try your hand at making one.

Homebrew expert Brad Smith, author of the Beersmith homebrewing software and the voice behind the Beersmith podcast, offers some practical advice for when your fermentation becomes stuck when brewing with a low-attenuating yeast.

Sometimes tough to find commercially, wheatwine is a beer made for homebrewing. It's a fun style to brew and it makes for an outstanding fall beer that holds up to a lot of aging.

Let’s talk about how filtering can give your beer a makeover.

Homebrew expert Brad Smith, author of the Beersmith homebrewing software and the voice behind the Beersmith podcast, looks at what can cause unintentional bitterness in beer.

We’ve heard it many times: Store your beer in a dark, cool place. Brad Smith explains what damage light and heat can do to finished beer.

A classic Flanders Red Ale is a riot of flavors, from rich fruity notes of black currant and plum and berries, to bright acidity and dark funk, and even a raw-grain-and-biscuit malt background. Read on and get brewing!

If you have a set of recipes you always use or if you usually stay within the bounds of the BJCP styles, challenge yourself once in a while to ignore the style guide and go where your muse leads.

Homebrew expert Brad Smith, author of the Beersmith homebrewing software and the voice behind the Beersmith podcast, tackles a question about saving a batch of beer gone wrong.

Getting really low efficiency when brewing all-grain and missing your original gravity target? Brad Smith explains the areas to check for sources of problem.

Explore the approach that showcases the flavor of hops while preserving the distinctly “Belgian” character of Belgian beers, embodied in the Belgian IPA.

The challenge with all-grain brewing is hitting and holding your mash temperature. The sous vide cooker solves both of those problems with a minimum of fuss.

Homebrew expert Brad Smith, author of the Beersmith brewing software and the voice behind the Beersmith podcast, tackles your homebrewing questions about oxygenating wort, brewing with fruit, and using dark crystal and other darker malts.