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120 articles · Page 2 of 10
Homebrewing
How Many Campden Tablets per Gallon? Purpose Matters
The number of Campden tablets per gallon depends on why you are using them and what each tablet contains. Brewing-water treatment generally uses much less than…
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Homebrewing
How to Brew Beer at Home Without a Kit
You can brew beer without buying a boxed kit. Purchase the ingredients and equipment separately, then follow a complete recipe. Malt-extract brewing is a manageable starting…
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Homebrewing
How to Make a Priming Sugar Solution for Homebrew
To make a priming sugar solution, first calculate the sugar needed for the beer you will actually bottle, dissolve that measured amount in a small quantity…
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Homebrewing
How to Use a Hydrometer: Accurate Beer Gravity Readings
A brewing hydrometer measures the density of wort or beer relative to water. To use it correctly, place a cooled sample in a suitable test cylinder,…
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Homebrewing
What Does Beer Fermentation Smell Like?
Beer fermentation can smell yeasty, fruity, malty, or sulfur-like, with the balance changing as the batch develops. The expected aroma depends on the yeast strain, recipe,…
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Homebrewing
Fizz Drops vs Priming Sugar: Bottle Size and Control
Fizz Drops are premeasured sugar portions used to carbonate bottle-conditioned beer. Loose priming sugar serves the same underlying purpose: yeast consumes the added fermentable sugar and…
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Homebrewing
How Many Shots Are in a Beer Can? Volume vs Alcohol
A 12-US-fluid-ounce can contains eight 1.5-ounce shot-sized portions by liquid volume. That does not mean it contains eight shots' worth of spirits alcohol. If the beer…
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Homebrewing
How to Calculate ABV from Original and Final Gravity
To estimate beer alcohol by volume from gravity readings, subtract final gravity from original gravity and multiply the result by 131.25. For example, a beer that…
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Homebrewing
How to Measure ABV Without Original Gravity
Without original gravity, you cannot obtain a reliable beer ABV from final gravity alone using the usual gravity-difference calculation. Your options are a qualified estimate from…
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Homebrewing
How to Use a Refractometer to Estimate Beer ABV
A brewing refractometer does not directly measure the alcohol percentage of ordinary finished beer. It measures optical behavior that can be related to wort concentration through…
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Homebrewing
What Are Hops Used For in Beer?
Hops are used in beer mainly to shape bitterness, aroma, and flavor. The same ingredient can produce different results depending on its variety, product form, amount,…
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Homebrewing
Best Homebrew Books: A Practical Reading Guide
The most useful homebrew book is the one that solves your next problem. A first-time brewer needs a complete process, not an advanced discussion of water…
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