Big Monster Brewing

Spoiler alert: This is one of the most fun, interesting, and tasty beers I’ve ever made! It started with a ridiculous idea of smoking hops with a nine-dollar cocktail smoker....

Saying “I don’t like Belgian Beers” is the quickest way to generalize my preference over the entire range of Belgian beer styles. But, like with most things, there’s always an...

Changing one of my most awarded beers to make it a different style will prove challenging or stupid. Chances are it’s going to be a little of both as I...

More and more “lost style” historical beers appear on local breweries’ taproom menus. In this episode, I will jump on that “lost style” train and make my first “Kentucky Common,”...

For most of my adult life, I wondered how people made beer at home. The entire process was a mystery to me for many years. To solve that mystery, I...

Mead is the oldest known alcoholic beverage. In its simplest form, it’s honey, water, and yeast. But mead can be as diverse as the people that make this traditional fermentation....

The malt-forward, sweet, clean, and often complex nature of a Scottish Ale is a unique and usually phenomenal experience. An experience that I rarely get to enjoy because they just...

In this episode, I revisit a style that was one of my first ten all-grain recipes many years ago. A Black IPA. All the hop-forward aroma and tastes you’d expect...

Low ABV and full flavor usually don’t go together when discussing craft beer. But the classic British style “Dark Mild” can deliver both when brewed right. The BJCP Guidelines describe...

The fifth annual Iron Homebrew Festival and Competition is coming, and this year we were lucky enough to day espresso as our required ingredient! This beer is the fourth test...

Extra Special Bitter, or Strong Bitter, is the strongest of the Bitter Beer category. Its ABV range is 4.6 to 6.2 percent, not a range that many would call strong....