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How is beer carbonated? That’s actually a question that has far more answers than you’d think, and to some beer fans, is serious enough to dictate whether they will drink a beer or not. In the simplest terms, a beer is carbonated by adding carbon dioxide to the beer, to a desired level depending on the format and the style. Most ales have around 4.8g/L (or 2.7 grams per pint) of carbon dioxide in them. A lager or a wheat beer will generally have more than that, and a cask beer will generally have less than that (I won’t begin...

With the weather suddenly taking a glorious turn, and with certain sporting events coming alive this summer (I am of course talking about the Thumb Wrestling World Championships), you might find yourself waking some mornings with a slightly wooly disposition.  It’s quite a British thing, despite your new-found dislike of alcohol the morning after, to very quickly begin making a mental catalogue of everything alcoholic you consumed the day/evening before. If you have company, this activity may become a group activity, sometimes even with a competitive nature. But really, how much did you drink? And who drank the most? Alcoholic...

Sourness in beer is traditionally associated with ‘off beer’, so it can be a hard sell to people who are new to sour beers/the taste of sour beers. However, I’ve found that I have more success converting non-beer drinkers with sour beer rather than something more typical like a lager or a pale ale. I think the main reason behind this is that sour beers are generally low in bitterness, but another factor is that the sourness means that sour beer has more crossover with other beverages that haven’t typically eschewed this aspect of the drinking experience, namely ciders and...

WIthout yeast there is no beer. With this in mind, it’s important for a brewer to ensure that this vital ingredient is treated and used in the correct way. One variable of importance when using yeast is how much. Using too much yeast can limit the amount of yeast growth and prevent a desired yeast character from developing. Not using enough yeast can create a myriad of issues, namely an unfermented beer and/or undesirable characteristics from the stressed out yeast cells. So, how does a brewer control this? Two pieces of equipment most commonly used in combination are a microscope, and...