On this page I answer some of the questions that I get to hear frequently about my homebrew hobby. I hope, yours is among them... ;)
Question: Do you brew your beer according to the Reinheitsgebot?
Answer: Most of the time I do. Despite many of the stories about the Reinheitsgebot are just plain bogus (e.g. the myth that it is the oldest food law in the world that is still valid or the myth that it guarantees the quality of German beer, just check out the Wikipedia page) I think it is still valuable as a mindset for brewing. All the beers in this world, even Belgian Krieks and Chinese rice beers are made with hops, malt, water and yeast. Anyone who can master these four ingredients can produce decent beer with almost any other ingredients. And with special malts, aromatic hops and new yeast breeds, brewers can create a lot of flavors just using these four. Before I throw some fruits into the kettle for a fruity summer beer, I always look if I can find a hop variety that will have a similar effect on the flavor. However I do not follow the Reinheitsgebot dogmatically. If the only way to a nicely dry Belgian Dubbel is through the use of rock candy sugar or if only the use of rolled oats can give me the creamy texture of an Oatmeal Stout, then I just throw them in. I do however try to use mostly natural ingredients. You can rely on one thing though: I will never use any fining agents or head retention stabilizers as most of the German breweries do. Even if it says "brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot" on the back. So much for that "oldest valid food law in the world" myth...
Question: Why do you brew so many dark beers?
Answer: Because my brewing water is quite hard and I don't want to do water chemistry. Dark beers work better with hard brewing waters. Oh and I like their taste better.
Question: Wann braust du mal ein Pilsener?
Answer: Probably never. Most of the Pilseners out there taste a little boring to me. And they are very difficult to make. Since they are bottom-fermented beers, I'd need a brewing fridge to make them and I don't hvae the space for that. I think that most of the ales that I made taste more interesting than pilsener and I am very content with them.
Question: What's the difference between top- and bottom-fermenting beers?
Answer: The fermentation temperature. The yeasts that turn sugars from the malt into alcohol have different comfort zones with regards to temperature. Top-fermented beers or ales need temperatures between 15 and 25°C for fermentation. These yeasts work quickly but they produce esters and phenols that add flavors to the beer. The most common example in Germany is the Weizenbier. Its banana-and-clove flavor profiles are created by fermentation temperatures beyond 24°C. Most of the American, British (as in British Isles, not UK) and Belgian beer styls and Kölsch and Altbier are also ales. In contrast to that, bottom-fermented beers or lagers ferment at 8-10°C. This takes longer but the flavor profile is cleaner and free of esters and phenols. This makes them taste lighter and crisper. The typical example is the Pilsener that lacks any banana or clove flavors. Helles, Munich Dunkel, Schwarzbier and Bockbier are other notable lagers.
Question: Is home brewing difficult?
Answer: Not at all. With extract kits, brewing beer is just as difficult as making packet soup. And just as exciting. But that's the skill level that is required for basic home brewing. There's however no limit to difficulty with decoction mashes and wild fermentations waiting at the other end of the scale. The price range is similarly wide. Extract kits for around 30 € and fully automated brewing systems and fermenters for the price of a used car are the limits here. My recommendation for beginners: The Braubox by Besserbrauer. It offers you the full flexibility of mash brewing, good tutorials that help you avoid the pitfalls of starting into this hobby and almost all the gear you need (just short of a 10-liters pot, a bucket and a sieve) for a moderate price. I only have one remark on the tutorials: If they still say that primary fermentation takes a week, make it two. This saves you from your first batch of bottle bombs.
Question: Do you have a naming scheme for your beers.
Answer: Yes, I name most of them after songs I like to listen to. Sometimes I have to translate them into another language. If you try all my beers you should end up with a good buzz and a pretty cool playlist. I do however make exceptions for small batches and funny label ideas. Good luck guessing...
You really want to contact me? Weird... but okay. Before you contact me I'd like to clarify some stuff. This might make your request superfluous:
You can contact me on crimson_sunrise[awithacircle]gmx[dot]de with questions, constructive feedback or bad bottles.
