9th May 2019
By Greig McGillFollowing on from the last post, sparging - rinsing of residual sugars from the mash bed using hot water - can be accomplished by various methods. The goal is the same. The brewer wants…
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7th Feb 2019
By Greig McGillSurely, the mash is everyone’s favourite part of the brew day? I love the smell of hot grains, slowly unlocking their sweet potential as they steep in hot water. And that’s what the mas…
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16th Oct 2018
The Perils of Opening a BreweryBy Greig McGill“Living the dream, mate!”That’s got to be the most common phrase said to me since I took the plunge, left my job in IT, and shifted Brewaucracy from an ex…
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3rd Jul 2018
Keg vs BottleBy Greig McGillIf there’s one part of brewing that most home brewers seem to dislike, it’s bottling. All those individual bottles to clean and sanitise. Fretting over whether to bulk prim…
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4th Apr 2018
pH – pHantastic or pHooey? By Greig McGill You’ve all probably heard about pH. You probably know what it measures, in practical terms anyway. The exact nature of pH is about as chemistry nerdy as…
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28th Nov 2017
SOBA National Homebrew Competition 2017 ReviewBy Greig McGillAnother year of judging a selection of New Zealand homebrewers’ efforts is complete, and it’s a good time to reflect on the competition. It…
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19th Sep 2017
By Greig McGill“Love”, sang glam-rockers The Sweet, “is like oxygen. You get too much, you get too high. Not enough and you’re gonna die.”I’m pretty sure that the group known for such gems as Ballroom…
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7th Aug 2017
Unclutter Your BrewingBy Greig McGillThis month, the fun and funky team at Brewshop have asked me to write about some general tips and tricks for brewing. I thought I’d centre them around a theme that…
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2nd Jul 2017
Fermenting Under PressureBy Greig McGill There’s been a bit of buzz lately around fermentation under pressure. It’s been a tool in the arsenal of industrial brewers for decades now, but is there any…
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15th May 2017
Making Sense of Judging FeedbackBy Greig McGillHaving been on both sides of the scoresheet, so to speak, I thought it could be useful to create a practical guide to interpreting what can occasionally…
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12th Apr 2017
Recipe BuildingBy Greig McGillSo ya wanna brew a beer? Where do you start? Are you trying to clone (or approximate) something you love? Come up with a new beer you’ve tasted in your dreams? Or simply…
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9th Feb 2017
It's All About the FermentationBy Greig McGillIn my recent post on brewing for competition, it might have surprised people that I didn’t specifically mention the F-word. Fermentation (that’s what you…
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