Beer scientist CJ explores the infinite universe of hops and homebrewing.
CJ lives in San Francisco, but can usually be found in Ocean Beach surfing, or feasting on pork and oysters.
Tap This
April 30, 2009
Tap This: Home Brewing Part 4, Moving to Secondary Fermentation
READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THEÂ TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE I am so excited to try this beer! I have a long way to go before it will be drinkable (at least 40 days). So meanwhile I started another batch, this time a blond summer ale that should actually be finished before this IPA […]
April 26, 2009
Tap This: Home Brewing Part 3, Fermentation
READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THEÂ TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE In the last post we went through the entire boil, pitched the yeast and moved our wart to the primary fermentation vessel. Within a day or so you should begin to notice the beginning of the fermentation process. As the yeast converts sugars into […]
April 16, 2009
Tap This: Home Brewing Part 2, The Boil
READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THEÂ TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE Now that you have gathered all of the equipment and ingredients needed, as described in the first post, you are ready to make your beer. You should plan on starting on a day that you have at least 3-4 hours of free time. You […]
April 8, 2009
Tap This: Home Brewing Part 1, A Trip to the Home Brew Supply Store
READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THEÂ TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE Hello all, sorry its been a while since my last Tap This post. There will be plenty coming for the next few weeks as I am going to walk you through the process of home brewing. Since this is a pretty involved process, I […]
March 22, 2009
Tap This: Ales
Sketch of a Medieval Brewery. Ales were the beverage of choice in Medieval times for most people, including children. Dirty river water was unpleasant to drink and milk went rancid easily. They even drank it for breakfast! Ales are brewed using top fermenting yeast, which ferments the beer quickly producing a sweet, fruity taste. In […]
March 7, 2009
Tap This: Lagers
They say the American lager is similar to having sex in a canoe… It’s damn near water. Last week in Beer 101 we talked about the two major categories of beer, ales and lagers. Many beer enthusiasts would argue that this is an evil beer that lacks flavor, is mass produced, and was unfortunately the […]
February 26, 2009
Tap This: Beer 101
Last night, a bunch of us were hanging out at Magnolia for Umamiventure #14. Over a few good strong beers we somehow got into a conversation about yeast infections (don’t ask). Kayoko asked, “Is there yeast in beer???” Uhhh… After that, I thought it would be a good idea for me to do a post […]
February 20, 2009
Tap This: SF Strong Beer Month
For seven years now the brewers of 21st Amendment and Magnolia Brewery in San Francisco brew an amazing range of beers (usually over 8% ABV) for the annual Strong Beer Month.The kegs and casks of vintage and barrel-aged beers will appear throughout the month starting February 1st, but you should get on it as soon […]