The one thing I can count on as publisher of Brew Your Own magazine is that my e-mail in-box will have questions each day from homebrewers asking for help and looking for answers. Brewing beer is an incredibly fun and fulfilling hobby, but it definitely comes with a host of questions. Some questions are obvious ones we all face in our brewing pursuits; others pop up only when something has gone horribly wrong with our latest batch. Then there are the questions that are just plain strange, such as the one about making beer from acorns. But all of these questions are important to ask — and answer — because they help build a greater base of knowledge among brewers, which results in a more successful and more satisfying hobby for each of us.
When Brew Your Own magazine launched in 1995, we realized the value and importance of seeking out reader questions and answering them in each issue. We were lucky to bring Ashton Lewis on board for that first issue as our “Mr. Wizard” and technical editor. Fresh out of the University of California–Davis’s renowned graduate brewing science program, Ashton brought a wealth of wisdom and a sense of humor to his answers. He has since answered literally hundreds of questions spanning the world of brewing. Homebrewers can’t get enough of his Q & A department. Every year, we send out a reader survey. Every year, readers tell us their favorite department in the magazine is Mr. Wizard, because of the variety of questions and the depth of the answers it provides. The “Brew Wizard Question of the Week” section of byo.com is among the most visited areas of our Web site. Simply put, homebrewers have lots of questions and love reading Ashton’s answers.
The funny thing is that few people knew Ashton was Mr. Wizard. We decided it would be fun to keep Ashton’s identity as Mr. Wizard a secret, as with superheroes whose real names remain mysteries. So for 10 years, Ashton shared his wisdom anonymously with readers, on top of his daily duties as a professional brewer in Missouri. Not even many of his coworkers and friends in the craft beer industry knew of his double life as brewer by day and wizard by night. Now the secret is out, and Ashton’s best work over the years has been collected here in this book for you.
More than 11 years of the best questions from small-scale hobby brewers follow in these pages. These are real questions from real brewers like you, many of whom made mistakes I hope you will learn from. Ashton’s answers will help your understanding of beer and brewing, whether you are a first-time brewer or a knowledgeable veteran.
So, enjoy as the “Master of Mash,” the “Sultan of Suds,” the “Hero of Hops,” the one and only “Mr. Wizard” answers common — and some not-so-common — brewing questions. You will definitely learn more about making super beer from this superhero.
— Brad Ring, Publisher, Brew Your Own magazine