In the world of homebrewing, there are many techniques and tips that brewers swear by to ensure their beer turns out perfect. One such technique is the idea of a "CO2 blanket" protecting the beer from oxygen ingress and subsequent oxidation. But what exactly is a CO2 blanket, and does the science support this line of thinking?
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There are a number of processes and factors to consider when brewing your own beer. Everyone wants to make the best beer they possibly can, but often want to keep things as simple as possible in the process of doing so. A common question that brewers will ask themselves is "Do I need to rehydrate my dry yeast before pitching it into my wort?"
Looking at purchasing, or have recently purchased one of KegLand's popular FermZilla PET fermenters? Here's a quick list of some helpful hints, tips and tricks from our time using one.
We've made a number of light lagers recently, so in order to continue our quest of continuously trying new and interesting beer styles, we've turned our attention to brewing a Vienna Lager. With more malt character than a regular light lager, the Vienna lager strikes a delicious balance between maltiness and bitterness.
In a recent YouTube video, KegLand had a quick demonstration and run through of the relatively new range of yeasts from CellarScience. This certainly piqued our interest as we're excited by new yeast varieties, particularly dry yeast, as they potentially open up whole new flavour and recipe options to create and hone our favourite beers. In this post, we're going to dig in to see what this Cellar Science yeast is all about.
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Nico from Keg King about their innovative homebrewing products. Here's a quick rundown of our discussion as well as an embedded link to the YouTube video.
"Soft Crashing" is a relatively new concept that we first heard about when reading up on Lallemand's Verdant IPA yeast. James Heffron from Verdant Brewing Co mentioned that it's something they implement as part of their fermentation schedule to try and avoid hop creep - a phenomenon that causes over attenuation during fermentation as a result of (usually large) dry hops increasing the amount of fermentable sugars within your wort as a result of enzymatic changes from hops breaking down long chain unfermentable dextrins and making them fermentable.
We recently purchased a new stainless steel fermenter. Cheeky Peak Brewery, the manufacturer, recommend passivation of their equipment before first use. This got us wondering about what passivation actually is and why we need to do it, so in this article we'll be outlining our findings.
These mini gauges are a upgrade part for KegLand's range of inline regulators and spunding valves. Check out our in depth review to see how they perform and if they're a worthwhile upgrade.
The FermZilla All Rounder is a relatively simple, yet versatile pressure capable plastic fermenter. It's popularity is largely due to it's simple design, especially in comparison to it's more complicated brother, the FermZilla Conical.
American Pale Ale would have to be one of the most craft popular beer styles, and in this post we'll be taking a deep dive into what makes them, and what you need to include in your own homebrew recipe to make your best version of the style.
After several years of ownership of our KegLand BrewZilla 3.1.1, we wanted to do an in-depth review of our experience with the 3.1.1 version after a number of successful brew days. Read on to find out everything you need to know about one of the worlds most popular all-in-one electric brewing systems.
Once you dive into the world of pressure fermentation, it opens the doors to loads of options and possibilities for achieving things when brewing and fermenting. In this post we're going to look at how you can pressurize and purge your kegs with carbon dioxide (CO2) gas created during fermentation, saving you from wasting precious CO2 from your gas bottle.
Duotight is a range of push in fittings for gas and liquid connections often used in homebrewing keg/draught system setups such as kegerators for connecting beer and CO2 gas lines to and from regulators, kegs, taps and other bits of equipment. The range was first released by KegLand in 2018, with a design update/revision in 2020.
Hop creep is a phenomenon that refers to beer becoming over-attenuated due to additional diastase enzymes being introduced to the wort/beer when quantities of hops are added for dry hopping. These enzymes can cause the conversion of long-chain unfermentable dextrin's into fermentable sugars.
LalBrew® Verdant IPA was specially selected in collaboration with Verdant Brewing Co. (UK) for its ability to produce a variety of hop-forward and malty beers. Prominent notes of apricot and undertones of tropical fruit and citrus merge seamlessly with hop aromas. With medium-high attenuation, LalBrew® Verdant IPA leaves a soft and balanced malt profile with slightly more body than a typical American IPA yeast strain. This highly versatile strain is well suited for a variety of beer styles including NEIPA, English IPA, American Pale, English Bitter, Sweet Stout and Sours.
Hydrometers are a simple but incredibly important piece of equipment for professional brewers and homebrewers alike. They are used to measure the specific gravity of a fluid, which gives a reading on the density of that fluid. In this Homebrew School lesson, we'll take a look at why hydrometers are important and how to easily test their accuracy to ensure you're getting the most out of yours.
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When starting out, most homebrewers opt to package their finished beers into bottles. It's almost inevitable that at some point down the track, most will start looking into options for kegging their beer - to save time and the hassle of endlessly cleaning bottles.
If you're using a single vessel brewing system like the BrewZilla and like incorporating ingredients like wheat and oats into your grain bill, there's a good chance you're going to experience a stuck mash or a stuck sparge. In this article, we'll take a look at exactly what these are, and what you can do to save your brew day if it happens to you.
SMaSH beers are a fantastic way for homebrewers to explore the unique characteristics of individual malts and hops. This brewing method simplifies the recipe, allowing the true flavors of the ingredients to shine.
Most homebrew recipes, books, and other literature reference a 60-minute boil time. For decades, this has been the standard boil time. However, we're seeing an increasing number of recipes calling for shorter boil times, typically 30 minutes. This prompted us to dive deeper into this topic: what are the pros and cons of shorter or longer boil times, and do we still need to do a 60-minute boil when brewing beer?
NEIPA's and Hazy IPA's are undoubtedly one of the most popular styles of craft beer at the moment. Consumers are craving heavily hopped beers more than ever before, but don't necessarily want the assertive bitterness that is typically associated with loads of hops being thrown into a beer.
In this guide we'll go over all aspects of recipe creation to make your best NEIPA/Hazy IPA
Flaked grains are a common and versatile ingredient used in the world of homebrewing. They offer unique characteristics that can help to enhance the body, flavour and mouthfeel of your beer. Let's take a look at what they are, how they're made and what makes them different to the more commonly used malted grains.
These straps are a simple and effective way of tethering your FermZilla to the included metal stand. This makes it much easier to move the FermZilla by picking it up by the handles and having the base move with it.
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In a previous post we covered how to select and setup the BrewZilla equipment profile within Brewfather. But did you know that you can then use this equipment profile to automatically scale any recipe found within Brewfather to suit your BrewZilla?
The beloved IPA has taken the craft beer world by storm, captivating enthusiasts with its bold flavors and rich history. In this article, we'll explore the origins of IPAs, the unique characteristics that define them, and the various sub-styles that have emerged over the years. Whether you're a seasoned IPA aficionado or new to the world of craft beer, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know about this iconic style.
In our previous blog post we ran through some different methods of force carbonating your beer, where some of the methods involve a risk of over-carbonating the beer inside. If you've ever poured a beer and ended up with a glass full of foam, it's quite possible the cause is over carbonation. Here's a guide you can use to correct this if it happens to you.
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Kegging beer into cornelius (corny) kegs is great - much less mucking around compared to bottling, but once your beer has finished fermenting and transferred to a keg, you will need to carbonate it to get the required amount of "fizz" into your beer.
When it comes to homebrewing, the color of your malted grains plays a crucial role in determining the final appearance and flavor of your beer. Two common scales used to measure and describe these colors are the European Brewing Convention (EBC) and Lovibond. In this blog post, we'll dive into what these scales mean, how they differ, and how you can convert between them.
In our previous blog post, we gave an introduction into the world brewing water chemistry and how some of the key elements can impact on your brewing and final beer product. In this post, we'll be covering how to take the information you already have about your brewing water, and enter it into Brewfather to get the details on how to adjust your water profile for your desired beer style.
When it comes to homebrewing, one of the most exciting decisions you'll make is how to store and serve your beer. Two popular options are kegerators and keezers. Both have their unique advantages and can significantly enhance your homebrewing experience. In this article, we'll dive into the differences between kegerators and keezers, helping you decide which one is the best fit for your needs.
Ever wondered why your homebrew doesn't quite match up to your favorite craft beer? The secret might be in the water! Water is the most significant ingredient in beer, yet it's often overlooked by home brewers. This post aims to break down some of the daunting and overwhelming concepts of water chemistry, making them easier to understand and giving you the confidence to begin adjusting your own brewing water.
Dry hopping is a crucial technique in homebrewing that can significantly enhance the aroma and flavor of your beer. In this post, we'll explore what dry hopping is, why it's used, various dry hopping methods, and recommended dry hopping rates for popular beer styles. Let's dive in!
Pressure fermenting is a relatively new concept in the world of homebrewing. As the name suggests, it's a process that involves having your fermentation occur in a sealed vessel that is capable of holding pressure. These can be made of stainless steel, or in some cases, even specialised plastic.
Spunding valves are a relatively simple but crucial bit of equipment when dealing with pressure fermentation. A spunding valve allows you to set a predefined level of pressure within your pressure fermenter which the valve will maintain by venting or releasing any pressure above this predefined level.
A big factor for many brewers is the efficiency they're able to get from their equipment. Efficiency refers to how much sugar they're able to extract from the malts or grains in their recipe - and the more you can extract, the better (and stronger) your beer will be. In this post we'll look at some methods you can use to ensure you're getting maximum efficiency from your BrewZilla all-in-one brewing system.
The Kegland FermZilla is a great bit of kit that can be used for pressure fermenting. When fermenting under pressure though, it's important that the vessel does not have any leaks. Thankfully, the All Rounder model is quite simple in it's design, so there's really only a few places that leaks can come from, so troubleshooting it really isn't all that hard. Is your FermZilla leaking or not holding pressure?
The Kegland Brewzilla is an excellent piece of brewing hardware but is missing some detailed instructions on how to actually use it. We've compiled this post as a follow up to our Getting Started & FAQ, to give an easy to follow step by step guide on completing a full brew day using the BrewZilla.
After making the jump from bottling to kegging - we still wanted a way to be able to bottle our beer occasionally so we could share it with friends and family - or take a couple of bottles to parties etc. Counter pressure bottle fillers looked good but cost more than what we were willing to pay - so we thought we'd give the KegLand Bottle Filler Beer Gun a try.
Pressure fermenting can be tricky - especially for beginners who are often grappling with some of the different concepts and potential problems along the way.
One of the questions we were asking during our first pressure fermentations was whether or not we had a gas leak, or if the gas is being absorbed back into the beer which is causing a reduction in pressure in the fermenter?
Brewfather is our top choice for homebrewing applications. While it offers a free version (with an option to upgrade for additional features), we find the free version more than sufficient for our needs. It's particularly useful for inputting recipes, and it comes with a built-in BrewZilla equipment profile that has proven to be very accurate based on our brewing experiences.
If you've ever been curious about homebrewing but felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the process, fresh wort kits might just be the perfect solution for you. These kits offer a fantastic entry point into the world of homebrewing, combining convenience with quality to help you brew your own beer with ease. Here's everything you need to know about fresh wort kits and why they are one of the best ways to get started with the worlds greatest hobby - homebrewing.
The Kegland BrewZilla is an excellent piece of brewing hardware - an all-in-one brewing vessel at a great price point makes it the perfect way to get into all-grain brewing. One thing I noticed that was lacking though was instructions beyond putting the BrewZilla together - ie. how to actually brew with it and how best to utilise it's great features. The guide below will hopefully be a good starting point to new BrewZilla users on key concepts and features of the unit.
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Homebrewing beer is a rewarding and enjoyable hobby that allows you to create unique and personalized brews right in the comfort of your own home. However, achieving consistently high-quality beer can be challenging, especially for those new to the craft. Over the years, we've experimented with various techniques and learned valuable lessons that have significantly improved the quality of our homebrews.
When it comes to homebrewing, achieving the perfect balance of flavors is key. One essential tool for brewers is the BU:GU ratio, which helps balance bitterness and sweetness in your beer. Let's dive into what this ratio is and how you can use it to enhance your brewing recipes and processes.
As part of our continuous journey in the pursuit of brewing better beer at home, we recently purchased the Kegland Fermzilla - All Rounder (30L) fermenter. Our first 12 brews were done using the basic Coopers PET fermenter, which served us well. However, we're now exploring pressure fermentation and closed pressure transfers to move our beers from the fermenter to a keg, which isn't possible with a basic Coopers fermenter. Oxidation has been impacting our beers, so we're looking for ways to eliminate it.
When using a kegging system at home, it's important that beer lines are kept clean to ensure no infections or off flavours develop within the lines themselves. One of the problems many home brewers face when cleaning lines is they need to waste alot of gas - filling a 19L keg with cleaning solution then pressuring it to force the cleaning solution through the beer lines is inefficient - requiring alot of water and gas to do so.
A CO2 regulator is a critical part of any kegging system. As the name suggests, the regulator is responsible for regulating or controlling the flow of gas from your gas cylinder into your keg. The pressure inside the the CO2 cylinder is much higher than what is required to pressurise kegs, or dispense beer from them, so the regulator helps us set and control the pressure.
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Homebrewing, the age-old practice of crafting beer at home, has experienced significant shifts over the past few years. While some enthusiasts argue that the hobby is in decline, others highlight the unprecedented access to advanced technology and more affordable equipment that makes homebrewing more accessible and enjoyable than ever. Let's delve into the current state of homebrewing, examining the factors contributing to its perceived decline and the counterarguments showcasing its resilience and growth.
