Columns - Jeff Irvine

Bodensatz Brewing

Dr. Pivo's Tips from Bergslagen

by Jeff Irvine

These are the halcyon days for the home brewer! So much good raw material, so much ready made equipment, and so much advise. I am afraid that at the higher end of the advice scale, there is a risk of repeating the mistakes that have been made before. Much of the more advanced technical information comes from an industry where they have completely different needs than your own, and are aimed at producing a product that you might already have scorned in favour of what you can produce at home.

Technical advances come through being able to measure things. You have to have a laboratory with electrodes, chromatographs, spectrometers, etc. to prove that any procedure actually has the effect desired. Fortunately, in your very own home, you have some incredibly sensitive and highly relevant test equipment-- Your tongue, your nose, and your eyes.

'Dr. Pivo' is the accumulation of thousands of litres of brewing over a couple of decades, where there has been an attempt to parallel brew and double blind test different brewing techniques. Much of the advanced advice given just might turn out to be nonsense and unnecessary work, if what you're trying to achieve is something that has more taste, and tastes fresher than what you can buy in your local shop.