Brew Drinker

Brewing Pumpkin Beer

If you haven’t started your pumpkin beer brew by now, you won’t make it by Halloween.  But, it doesn’t matter.  Pumpkin beer is good all year around.  You can definitely have a batch of pumpkin beer ready by Thanksgiving.  So, let’s get started!

This set of steps is from my first batch of pumpkin ever.  It’s a fairly new concept for me, so I had to really do some research to find the right stuff. It was a little difficult at first to decide on what types of extracts, malts and hops would go best with pumpkin flavor.  Also, I have heard that some pumpkin ales have come out with a slight pumpkin taste while others come out syrupy oozing with pumpkin flavor.  I prefer more toward the former.

So, the recipe I finally decided to use would combine cinnamon and nutmeg with an actual pumpkin. I had some other ideas, but I kept going back and forth…Continue Reading at the Learning Center  

Calculating Alcohol by Volume – ABV

Home brewing can be a tricky science. Of course, there are home brewers who just throw it together and look forward to whatever brews. But making changes along the way, documenting every possible contingency and then tweaking it when it doesn’t come out just right is the art of the master brewer.

The one question most brewers ask will always be how potent is their beer going to get. It’s not really all that scientific. You need to know a little math and you need to be aware of a few measurements as you brew. Other than that, it’s a piece of cake…

Learn more at the Beertaps Learning Center!

White House brewing its own beer

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(CBS News) 

Former Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer, who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Thursday, had a simple but unusual request when White House staffers talked to him a few days ago, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante.

 

Meyer said he would like to have a beer with the president.

 

Great idea- right? And how could the president refuse?

 

So it happened. Mr. Obama and the war hero hung out together on the patio outside the Oval Office.

 

Wondering what brand they were drinking? Are you ready?

 

It was — the White House’s own brew, made with equipment the Obamas bought with their own money — the first beer ever made at the White House, according to historians.

 

It is White House Honey Ale.

 

It was the first beer served at the Super Bowl party. A very small batch — 90-100 bottles — all consumed that day.

 

The White House chefs have been brewing since, a little at a time. There was some for St. Patrick’s Day, another batch in June, and the beer served to Sgt. Meyer.

 

And just for the record: Home-brewing is legal in Washington, D.C.

 

Plante says he’s never tasted it – but he keeps volunteering!

Brew Drinking Technology

This is some awesome new beer technology.  Thought I’d share.

If you have some awesome beer technology to share, join us at the Pub for Beer Enthusiasts, Beertaps.com Pub.

Making Wine From Grapes

In the ordinary way, recipes for wines made entirely from grapes are not a practicable proposition. This is because grapes are merely crushed and fermented without either sugar or water being added. Provided you have enough grapes, making wines from them is the simplest winemaking of all-that is, of course, provided they are fully ripe. Small unpruned bunches often contain a lot of small undeveloped fruits between the large juicy ones and these must be removed before the bunches are crushed. The whole bunches, stalk as well, are used as these add something to the wine. The yeast forming the bloom on your grapes may be the kind that will make excellent wine, but we cannot be sure of this owing to the near-certainty that wild yeast and bacteria are present with it. As we have seen in previous chapters, we must destroy these yeasts and bacteria and add yeasts of our choice to make the wine for us.

You will need at least twenty pounds of grapes to be assured of a gallon of wine-and this amount may not make one gallon of wine, though it make one gallon of strained ‘must’. Therefore the more grapes you have the better.

If enough grapes are available, the process is as follows:

METHOD: Put all grapes in a suitable vessel and crush them, making sure each grape is crushed. Measure as near as you can or judge as accurately as possible the amount of pulp you have and to each gallon allow one Campden tablet or four grains of sodium metabisulphite. Dissolve this in an egg cupful of warm water and stir into the pulp and leave for twenty-four hours.

After this, give the mixture a thorough mixing and churning and then add the yeast. The mixture should then be left to ferment for five days.

Following this, the pulp should be strained through a strong coarse cloth to prevent bursting and wrung out as dry as you can. The liquor should then be put into jars and fermented the same ways as other wines.

A good plan when doing this is to mix a quart of water with grape pulp and to crush this well to get as much from the skins as you can. If you do this, you must add one pound of sugar and dissolve it by warming the juice just enough for this purpose. This thinner juice may be mixed with the rest but before the better quality juice is put into jars.

Where grapes only are used with water (as suggested above) it must be borne in mind that to get enough alcohol for a stable wine we must have between two and two and a half pounds of sugar to the gallon. Juice crushed from grapes rarely contains this much, therefore it would be wise to add one pound when the fruit is crushed and before the juice is put into jars. If the wine turns out dry, it may be sweetened.

We may use a hydrometer to find the sugar content so that we know how much to add to give the amount of alcohol we need, but this is not for beginners without previous experiences in this sort of thing. The better plan is to follow my suggestions above, and if the wine is dry to sweeten it and then preserve it with Campden tablets or metabisulphite.

Since the color comes from the skins, if we want a red wine from black grapes we ferment the skins as directed earlier in this chapter. A white wine from black grapes is made by crushing the grapes and pressing out the juice and fermenting the juice only. The difference in the process already described is that instead of fermenting the skin for five days, the juice is pressed out after it has been allowed to soak for twenty-four hours.
If you happen to be making some of the fruit wine such as elderberry, plum, blackberry or damson, at the same time as making grape wine, it would be a good idea to put the strained fruit pulp which would otherwise be discarded into the ‘must’ of the other fruit and let it ferment there.

About the Author
Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For fine wines and wine accessories go to http://www.oldworldvineyard.com

Article source:
Making Wine From Grapes

Home Brewing : A Recipe For Success

Home brewing is something which has been popular for many years. Still, many are resolute that convenience is best for them and continue to drink only beer that they have paid for at a liquor store or at a bar. However, as with everything else in life, convenience costs. As insignificant as the additional cost can seem at the time, it certainly becomes significant over the course of a years worth of sports games, parties and nights out.

The issue of paying an upfront sum for beer brewing supplies puts a lot of people off getting involved with it. They calculate that they could have a few nights at their local bar for the same cost and think to themselves that it would be a lot less effort to do so too. However, look at the situation beyond just a few weeks ahead and you’ll see that home brewing is a much better option. After the initial amount that you pay for the kit and supplies, which is little more than the cost of a few crates anyway, you’ll have the potential to make enough beer to see you through the next couple of months.

To some people, the idea of making their own beer is too much like hard work. That’s why we have major breweries to do it for us, is it not? Well, of course it is, but then again you could think of it this way – you can eat in a restaurant every night of the year, but you’ll save money and develop a skill if you cook your own meals. At first restaurant food seems better than anything you could possibly cook yourself, but, with a little practice, you soon develop your own recipes that are superior. It’s exactly the same with beer brewing.

Beer brewing supplies are easily sourced. In most towns you will find a store which has the necessary equipment and the right ingredients, and if you are not so lucky you will certainly find them on the Internet, often at a lower price. Do a little online research first to find out what you need. There are various beer brewing forums that are full of like-minded beer lovers who will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

Beer brewing supplies come with instructions if you have never brewed beer at home before, it is worth following these closely to make sure you do not miss out an important step. The best way to learn how to do something right is to keep doing it and get the technique down. Once you have the basics learnt, you can then start deviating from the standard processes in order to make your own special recipes. You’ll soon be viewing it less like hard work and more like fun!

Luke Porter is a home brewing beer enthusiast, and an expert author. You are invited to discover the simple secrets of brewing world class beer from the comfort of your home by reading his latest book, “Home Beer Brewing Secrets” – available online today!

categories: home brewery,home brewing,brew your own beer,beer brewing,home brew,beer,alcohol,parties,recreation

Home Brewing For The Brew Drinker

Introducing: Home Beer Brewing Secrets

If the idea of being able to craft delicious homemade beer is something that appeals to you – regardless of how much money you have, you’re educational background, your skills or the amount of equipment you own, then you will love this…

But one quick thing before I continue: I have $89.90 in free bonuses reserved in your name. To discover how easy it is to get all of them for FREE, follow the link below.

If you are just starting to brew, if you are curious, or if you are a brewer looking for an A-Z guide, this is the one to get. Home Beer Brewing Secrets gives you a solid foundation of knowledge that will serve you well in your brewing pursuits. Everything is presented in a simple-to-understand format that answers all your questions from the most basic, to as technical as you could possibly want!

Home Beer Brewing Secrets is jam-packed with simple, sure-fire instructions for making your very first beer… accurately, clearly, and simply.

All You Need to Know to Start From Square-Zero

to Being an Expert at Making Delicious, Hearty, Home-Crafted Beer!

Here’s just some of what you’ll discover:

• - Learn the 10 crucial steps to an irresistibly refreshing home brew
• - Learn about the ingredients of all forms of beer
• - How to prevent your precious brew from getting spoiled… using one simple, inexpensive tool
• - Which beer bottle you must use to prevent beer being spoiled during storage
• - Simple formula that lets you adjust alcohol content up or down (I suggest UP!)
• - 4 tips for beer storage

Home Beer Brewing Secrets

Brew Great Home Beer

5 Home Brewing Tips to Avoid the Dreaded Bottle Bomb

by Brad Smith in Homebrewing

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1. Use High Quality Ingredients

The quality of brewing ingredients in the 1980s was nowhere near the quality home brewers have access to today.  However, you still need to be careful when purchasing ingredients – particularly those that look like they have been on the shelf for a while.  First, always use fresh malts and malt extract.  Older liquid and dried malt extract in particular will ferment much more slowly than comparable all-grain wort.   Yeast also has a limited shelf life.  Liquid yeast is generally of higher quality than dried packets, but it must be stored under refrigeration and must be used in the recommended shelf life.  Liquid yeasts are typically dated – so pay attention to the date when you purchase and use the yeast.  Old, expired yeast will ferment slowly or possibly incompletely contributing to exploding bottles.

2. Allow the Beer to Ferment Completely

One of the chief causes of exploding homebrew bottles is beer that has not been fully fermented before bottling.  Many home brewers are anxious to drink their newest brew and rush it into the bottle too early.  The beer then completes its fermentation in the bottle, producing extra CO2 pressure that can cause bottles to fail.  Malt extract based beer will ferment more slowly than a comparable all grain beer, so malt extract brewers are at higher risk.  Finally, many extract brewers use plastic buckets with covers that seal poorly.  As a result, gas may leak out the edge of the bucket rather than through your airlock.  A beginner will interpret the lack of airlock activity as an indicator that fermentation is complete, never realizing that the CO2 from active fermentation is leaking from the cover.  I usually allow a minimum of two weeks for an average beer to ferment before bottling, and wait a longer period if brewing a high gravity beer.

3. Use Good Bottles, and Inspect Them

A poor quality bottle is a recipe for disaster.  Even under normal carbonation, a beer bottle at room temperature can reach 30+ psi.  Never use a twist off bottle – they are too thin and your caps will not properly seal.  Select the thickest bottles you can find, clean them thoroughly and inspect each of them by holding them up to a light source each time you use them.   Immediately toss any cracked, chipped or thin bottles.  Consider purchasing high quality reusable bottles from your homebrew store – these are generally better than disposable commercial bottles.  If you use them several times, the cost is quite reasonable.

4. Calculate and Weigh the Right Amount of Priming Sugar

Sugar density varies tremendously depending on who made the sugar – one cup of corn sugar from one manufacturer weigh dramatically more than another.   Weigh your priming sugar – don’t just measure it by volume.  You can calculate the exact weight of priming sugar needed using a spreadsheet, online calculator or BeerSmith.

5. Store your Beer in a Cool Dark Place

Light and heat are natural enemies of finished beer.  Light and heat break down critical flavor compounds, promote additional fermentation and increase the CO2 pressure in the bottle.  As you heat a bottle of beer, it also dramatically increases the pressure in the bottle itself.  Store your beer in a cool dark place to avoid bottle bombs and preserve its natural flavor.