A Methodical Approach to Beer Brewing
Seattle home brewer and software engineer Trystan Larey-Williams approaches the brewing task with the kind of precision a scientist in the lab might approach an experiment. While brewing, he takes copious notes on all aspects of the process. According to Trystan he is “careful to hold most variables constant between batches, change one element such as an adjunct grain, hop type or boil duration at a time, and observe the result.” Trystan’s goal is usually to emulate an existing style that he admires. “When the beer is finished, I document my perceptions of the beer and often compare it side by side to my favorite commercial example of the style subjectively. If there is an attribute I want to increase or decrease in the next batch, I research what elements of the process effect that attribute and modify my process accordingly.”
Trystan’s rigorous procedures have helped him produce what he calls “exceptional examples” of Bavarian Weiss, Belgian Special, and Stout. However, his attempts at Bock beers have so far “fell short of expectations.” And he has yet to produce a completely satisfactory Belgian Wit, which he refers to as his “brewing Unicorn.”
From the very beginning a methodical approach has characterized Trystan’s brewing. He had already tried his hand at wine making when three years ago a friend suggested he give beer a try. Unlike most home brewers starting out, Trystan shunned extract brewing in favor of the all grain method. “All grain is not terribly difficult and grants the brewer much more control over the final product.”
Trystan advises beginning brewers not to be discouraged when they have to toss out a batch and in fact to expect an occasional failure as an inevitable part of the brewing journey. “My first brewing attempt was a stout which contained far too much roasted grain. Taking a sip was similar to licking ash from a fireplace; it was undrinkable. Identify the flaws in each batch as you progress and make an educated effort to alleviate them. Avoid changing too many variables at once or it is impossible to determine what actually fixed the flaw.”
In addition taking setbacks in stride, Trystan recommends that beginners have a look at Dave Miller’s Homebrewing Guide. He recommends the entire Classic Beer Styles Series for anyone looking to clone a particular brew and Designing Great Beers for the more experienced brewer who wants a deeper knowledge of the process. He also likes Principles of Brewing Science by George Fix, which Trystan explains “illustrates the process from a biochemist’s point of view. However, you do not need an extensive chemistry background to glean valuable information from it.”
Trystan describes his current brewing setup as a “Sabco Brew-Magic frame with three 14 gallon stainless steel vessels with built in temperature gages and various valves. This system is a ‘hacked together’ version of the Sabco Brew-Magic IV minus the electronics and a pump or two.” Recently he has been making changes that will save him time and labor. “For instance, I usually practice a step mashing program. For ages, I lacked a way to quickly cool water prior to mashing-in. It can take hours for 10 gallons of boiling water cool to 95F. I recently added a wort chiller to the hot liquor tank to avoid this.” In the future Trystan would like to automate his system even more using software and electronics. “Some folks think this takes the fun out of it, but remember I’m a geek.”
You can learn more about Trystan’s brewing from his website at http://trystan.org/beer.html, which includes pictures, the brewing software he created, and his recipes for Bavarian Weisse, Belgian Special, and Dry Irish Stout.
