The educational goals of the Carolina BrewMasters include helping all members to improve their knowledge of brewing, from the beginner doing their first extract batches to the very experienced brewer. Members share information informally at club meetings and brew sessions, so attending those regularly is very helpful. Over the years, members have also shared major presentations on many topics, including those below.
Complete Beer Fault Guide – Sept 2013
Comprehensive review of most common beer flaws.
Brewing with Bugs – May 2013
Shawn McBride presented some great information on brewing with wild yeast and bacteria for souring beer. Click here to see a YouTube video of the live presentation at Shawn’s Education session.
Beer with Chocolates and Desserts – December 2012
Girl Scout Cookie Pairing – December 2012
Brian Beauchemin and Shawn McBride each did excellent food pairings with chocolates and Girl Scout Cookies.
CBM Wooden Barrel Care – October 2012
Shawn McBride collected Care and Use Guidance for whiskey barrels used to age beers.
Sour Mash Technique – June 2012
Shawn McBride demonstrated a sour mash technique from Zymurgy magazine at his brew session.
ASU Hop Growing Seminar – April 2012
ASU Yeast Metabolism Seminar – April 2012
Shawn McBride attended a Yeast Metabolism and Hops-growing workshop by ASU held at Highland Brewing. Here are summary slides from those presentations.
Hop Growing 101 Presentation – March 2012
Brian Beauchemin explained how to grow hops in your Charlotte backyard, and how to use them in a fresh-hop ale.
Yeast Culturing 101 Presentation – January 2012
Shawn McBride and Larry Dykema explained the techniques and tools needed for culturing yeast for brewing.
Water Chemistry 101 Presentation – 2010
Richard Lane explained the major brewing minerals that shape local water profiles and beer styles.
Water Reports from around Charlotte
When using these data, ensure you use the numbers properly and convert any that are shown in units different from what brewers expect.
- Plaza Midwood – 2014
- Concord – 2013
- Primo Bottled Water – 2012
- Southeast Charlotte – 2010
- Harrisburg – 2010
- Union County – 2009
- Concord – 2006
Get your own water tested at Ward Lab – (test W-6)
Base Malts 101 Presentation – November 2009
Todd Bowman shared insights into various types of base malts and how to select the best ones for different styles.
Hops 101 Presentation – April 2009
Tom “Hop Juice” Henderson presented on hops and the characteristics they impart to beer.
Yeast 101 Presentation – Jan 2009
David Segletes presented on yeast characteristics and how to select the correct yeast for your next batch.
CBM member Tony Profera has written some articles on homebrewing gadgets he has made.
