by Karl Ockert

Karl Ockert began his brewing journey in 1983 after earning a BSc degree in fermentation science from the University of California, Davis. He has spent his career designing, building, and operating craft breweries—from brewpubs to major regionals. Karl has written The Craft Brewer’s Guide to Best Practices to pass along hard-learned lessons and up-to-date methods to the next generation of craft brewers worldwide.

The Craft Brewer’s Guide to Best Practices—written by Karl Ockert, lead editor of Master Brewers’ bestselling series Practical Handbook for the Specialty Brewer—provides information to help readers design, build, and run a craft brewery to consistently make high-quality beer. Presented in an accessible question-and-answer format, these books cover subjects and current practices relevant to craft brewers everywhere. Based on his wide-ranging experience, Ockert provides information and insights that are not found in other brewing guides and textbooks.

Volume 3: Dry Hopping, Sours and Funky Beer Production, Packaging, and Utilities provides practical, real-life answers to technical questions on an array of topics crucial for successful craft brewing:

• Techniques for developing hop flavor in the brewhouse and cellars and mitigation for hop creep
• Production and wood aging techniques to produce saisons, sours, funky, and flavored beers
• Preparation methods and materials for finishing the matured beer for packaging
• Packaging beer into kegs and serving tanks and draft system design, care, and upkeep
• Packaging line design and packaging beer into cans and bottles using rotary and inline filling equipment
• Using a proactive maintenance program and understanding key plant utility systems

Who will benefit from reading this book?

• Anyone looking to start or maintain a career in craft brewing
• Personnel in manually operated craft brewpubs and breweries (although many of the concepts can be applied universally to a brewery of any size)
• Brewing and malting science educators and students
• Technical staff and other professionals in industries related to brewing and fermentation

The Craft Brewer’s Guide to Best Practices
Volume 3: Dry Hopping, Sours and Funky Beer Production, Packaging, and Utilities

Chapter 1
Developing Hop Flavor

Chapter 2
Sour, Funky, and Fruited Beer Production

Chapter 3
Wood Barrel Aging

Chapter 4
Finishing Beer

Chapter 5
Keg, Serving Tank, and Draft Beer Operations

Chapter 6
Packaging into Small-Pack Bottles and Cans

Chapter 7
Maintenance and Utilities

Appendix 1
Sample Packaging Sheet

Appendix 2
Sample Maintenance Log Sheet

Appendix 3
Useful Equations

Index