Top Crop – The Science of Modern Brewing

A good head on a beer’s shoulders isn’t just pretty. Foam (and the carbonation that kicks it off) serves up the bouquet. It affects appearance and mouthfeel, too. Most beers are force carbonated, but capturing CO₂ through spunding can lead to a finer foam.

In this light and refreshing lager, delicate floral aromatics come from jasmine rice, and a thoughtful hopping regime adds hints of tangerine, fresh herb, and black pepper. All of that nuance is begging for superior foam to carry it all to the finish.

You can remove the alcohol, avoid making it in the first place, or… a secret third option.

Know when to take the counts and what to do with that information.

When yeast leaves some of its discarded things around, it tends to pick up after itself (well, with a little encouragement). Then again, sometimes it just has too much on its plate. That’s where ALDC comes in. ALDC is like the Marie Kondo of diacetyl. It gets rid of what will later become a mess before it even starts. And it can be even more effective when yeast are enabled to produce it.

Getting the most out of your yeast, one generation at a time.

Malt, yeast and hops all have important roles to play in different, cumulative sources of haze. Leaning on haze that forms in one way rather than another could make your beercraft significantly easier. It matters where the haze is coming from if you want to control it.

History plays a major role in beer style formation, but yeast predates all brewers and consumers.