# Overview

This section is a reference library for homebrewers who want to understand the science behind great beer and apply it through Brewfather.

## What This Section Covers

| Page                                                       | Topics                                                                                           |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [Brewing Fundamentals](/brewing-knowledge/fundamentals.md) | Grain-to-glass process, core metrics (OG, FG, ABV, IBU, SRM/EBC, attenuation), beginner pitfalls |
| [Ingredients](/brewing-knowledge/ingredients.md)           | Fermentables, hops, yeast, adjuncts — quality, storage, and Brewfather modeling                  |
| [Water Chemistry](/brewing-knowledge/water-chemistry.md)   | Ion targets, mash pH, residual alkalinity, chloride:sulfate balance, Water Calculator workflow   |
| [Fermentation](/brewing-knowledge/fermentation.md)         | Primary and secondary fermentation stages, flavor development                                    |

More topics — mash science, hop utilization, packaging, quality control, troubleshooting — will be added as the library grows.

## Who This Is For

* **New brewers** who want a reliable foundation before dialing in recipes.
* **Intermediate brewers** looking for the reasoning behind process decisions they already make.
* **Experienced brewers** seeking a Brewfather-integrated reference to tie app features back to underlying science.

Every page is fact-checked against established brewing literature and includes at least one **Brewfather Tip** section connecting the science to a specific feature or workflow in the app.

## How to Use This Library

1. **Start with Fundamentals** if you are new to all-grain brewing or want a grain-to-glass mental model.
2. **Jump to Ingredients** when designing recipes or evaluating ingredient substitutions.
3. **Read Water Chemistry** when you are ready to go beyond default profiles and dial in mash pH.
4. **Cross-reference the Glossary** whenever a term is unfamiliar — all key terms used here are defined there.

## Relationship to Other Brewfather Docs

The knowledge library complements, but does not replace, the workflow-focused documentation:

* For recipe *design* mechanics, see [Recipes](/recipes.md).
* For water *calculator UI*, see [Water Calculator](/recipes/water-calculator.md).
* For fermentation *profile setup*, see [Fermentation Profiles](/profiles/fermentation.md).
* For ingredient *inventory management*, see [Inventory](/inventory.md).

## Sources

This library draws primarily from:

* John J. Palmer, *How to Brew*, 4th ed. (Brewers Publications, 2017)
* Chris White & Jamil Zainasheff, *Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation* (Brewers Publications, 2010)
* Ray Daniels, *Designing Great Beers* (Brewers Publications, 1996)
* George Fix, *Principles of Brewing Science*, 2nd ed. (Brewers Publications, 1999)
* Stan Hieronymus, *For the Love of Hops* (Brewers Publications, 2012)
* Brewers Association, *Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines*

Full references for all pages are listed at the bottom of each individual page.

## Related docs

* [Recipes](/recipes.md)
* [Batches](/batches.md)
* [Getting Started](/getting-started.md)


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
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```

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The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.