In Part 1, I talked about starting with the finished beer and working backwards. This is where that process becomes real, turning an idea into actual brewing decisions. Water Chemistry: Setting the Structure A big part of how a beer presents comes down to the chloride-to-sulfate ratio . This ratio helps shape how the beer feels and which flavours are emphasised: Higher sulfate (calcium sulfate / gypsum) → accentuates hop bitterness and dryness Higher chloride (calcium chloride) → enhances...

Everybody knows that beer is made using four basic ingredients, water, malt, hops and yeast, and i'm sure most know that recipe design is not as simple as just mixing these ingredients. For me, it usually starts somewhere else. It starts with an idea of the finished beer. Before I begin writing a recipe, I’m usually trying to picture the beer in the glass. What colour is it? How does it smell? What does the carbonation feel like? How does it hit the palate? Is it soft and rounded, or bright...

One of the most fascinating things about brewing with wild fermentation and barrel ageing is that you rarely know exactly what the final beer will become. When a beer goes into barrel, it begins a long and slow process of evolution. Over months, and sometimes years, wild yeast and bacteria slowly transform the beer, developing flavours that weren’t present when the beer was first brewed. Unlike clean fermentation, where the brewer has a fairly clear idea of the finished beer from the...