Take Your Brewing Up a Notch or Thirty-Three
Someone once said, "The difference between drinking beer and tasting beer is taking notes." Same goes for brewing. You'll never catch a commercial brewer without her brew log, used as much as a planning tool as a record for future reference. Good brew notes help you repeat great beers, but also help you refine your recipes (and process).
33 Brews is a homebrew log I designed for myself. I've been homebrewing since 2002 or so, and like many homebrewers, my recipes used to live in the margins of brew manuals, on random bits of paper and all too often, in my disorganized head.
This book keeps your brew notes in an orderly and professional format, with unique features designed to improve your record-keeping. Bound in a recycled chipboard softcover, it lays flat and wears well, and it never runs out of batteries! With a compact size (5 x 7 inches), 33 Brews is the perfect addition to your brewing kit.
Inspired by Professionals, Designed for Home Brewers
My wife's least favorite part of my home brewing hobby used to be its lack of timetable. With good intentions, I would promise to be done by 3, but 6 PM would generally find me still cleaning equipment.
Professional brewers generally plan their brew days before they start, so they're home in time for supper. I took that idea, and adapted it to homebrewing. A unique "Brew Milestones" table on each page of 33 Brews helps you plan your brew day before you spark your kettle. Check out the example brew below:
Start by writing down the time you intend to start, and work forward from there, planning when you'll start to mash in, mash out, start sparge, start boil and knockout. As you brew, you simply follow the plan, and spend your down time prepping for the next step in the process. No more scrambling, just a smooth day brewing.
Easy ABV Reference
The inside front cover of 33 Brews contains a handy reference table that lets you estimate final alcohol by volume (ABV) based on original (OG) and terminal gravity (TG/FG) hydrometer measurements. No internet connection required.
Secret Ingredient
A teeny, tiny amount of real beer is added to the ink in each new edition, which is cryptically noted on the back.
Eco-Friendly
33 Brews is made with 100% recycled papers sourced in the Pacific Northwest. Interior pages are 100% post-consumer recycled content and covers are 85% post-consumer recycled content and 15% recycled content. The booklets are printed using US-grown soy-based inks in sunny Portland, Oregon.
Special thanks to Sam, Scott, Ben and Van at Gigantic Brewing for letting me shadow their busy brew day. Thanks also to homebrewers J., Tej, Rodrigo, Tony, Indigo, Kevin, Ron, Ritch and Philip for their input on early prototypes.
