Little Brother vs. Big Brother I grew up in a big family. I have three brothers and one sister (so, naturally, she outnumbered us), and I’m the fourth of five children. Thus, I have some experience being both a little brother and a big brother. One thing younger brothers do is compete with their older brothers. It’s not always a rivalry; it’s just a way to be your own person. For instance, my oldest brother plays the guitar. And so does my younger brother. But Alan’s style was influenced by The Beach Boys and James Taylor. Ed’s style mirrors Van Halen and Led Zeppelin. Still, when … [Read more...]
This Is The Ultimate Homebrewing Tool
I have one really sexy brew system. Here she is: Display Images To See This! Expensive, too. That darling cost me over $3,500 to build.Worth it though. It lets me hold spot-on mash temperatures, perform complicated step mashes, and chill boiling wort to lager temps in under 15 minutes. Yea, it’s one helluva brewing machine. But it’s not my best brewing tool. Not by a long shot. What is my best brewing tool then? This is... That’s a picture of me judging at my homebrew club’s competition last week. I’m in the middle of critiquing a Belgian Saison. While I … [Read more...]
Best Homebrew Shirts For Men
There are many souvenirs or gifts that you can give. For a beer aficionado though, few things spark a similar interest as an awesome homebrew shirt. Cool shirts are a favorite among beer lovers for their variety within the market and unique versatility. Fans love to use accessories of their favorite brand, and more so if they can combine it with other things. You can represent your preferred manufacturer or brand and live fully with a unique and personalized design. These shirts are varied, each with unique features that can make it ideal for a specific person. Your task is to find … [Read more...]
Wood Beer Carriers
Once you finished your first batch and is already bottled and ready to drink, you will want to present the best way possible to your friends and family. Or, did you just buy your new fancy beer and wish to keep it looking good and in place? The best thing you have is the right carrier for your bottles – and nothing seems better than a wood beer carrier. It keeps your bottles in place and makes it easy to transport and move around without the fear of breaking one or all of them. With a wood beer carrier, you will have your bottles looking proper and safe from … [Read more...]
An Easy All-Grain Brewing Method – Batch Sparge
Watch on Youtube | Transcript: What I want to do today is provide a demonstration of simple all grain brewing. I want to encourage extract brewers to consider making the move to all grain, it's a lot of fun it's not too difficult. It doesn't have to be very expensive and the results I think are quite a bit better than extract beer. You can see some of the beers I have on tap right here, I've got a coffee stout a holiday cheer which is a spiced amber ale with beer still kind of late in the season for that and then a ALM aid with all homegrown hops. So I think they're great the … [Read more...]
How to Harvest and Reuse Yeast
Watch on Youtube | Transcript: What's up everyone thought I should have a beer it's my Friday night no it's Thursday because I'm brewing tomorrow anyway. I'm going to show you guys one way that you can reuse your yeast tonight. It's not the only way, maybe not the best way, but you can save five or six dollars a batch if you're just using one time for the next batch you can save a little bit of money. And you're gonna for sure have plenty of yeast for whatever beer that it is that you're brewing. This is what I got on tap right now, a cider Imperial steam beer a pale Rob beer … [Read more...]
Summer Isn’t Over Yet…The American Blonde Ale
Your Uncle Joe is coming to stay with you for an extended weekend during the scorching summer months. You know Uncle Joe is a big beer drinker who likes his beers simple. What will you brew him? Look no further than to the American Blonde Ale. American Blonde Ale has been in the American beer lexicon for a short amount of time here in the states; around the 1970s. However, the origins of Blonde Ales can actually be traced back to the later half of the 1800’s in Europe. Usually a lighter version of the Pale Ale or even Kölsch. Known sometimes as a Golden Ale or even a Summer Ale, the American … [Read more...]
English Ales
What Ho, Chaps! The United States declared its independence from Britain over 240 years ago. But we still have ties to Merrie Olde England, and not just the common language which separates us. (Because, honestly, who calls cookies “biscuits” and biscuits “scones”?) Biscuit Biscuit?! Biscuit? For one thing, the love of ale is richer and deeper in English history than it is in the States. Shakespeare makes many references to ale in his plays, and we’ve honored that with naming a beer after his beloved character Sir John Falstaff. Sadly, … [Read more...]
Christmas Beer
Christmas beer is a unique and seasonal drink that is specially brewed to enjoy during Christmas time. This beer is usually spicy with great alcohol content. This beer includes a variety of ingredients such as vanilla, coffee beans, cocoa beans, cinnamon, orange peel, cloves, mint, caramel malt, and more. There are no specific standards about making this seasonal drink. But it usually consists of high malt bases, high alcoholic content, and it also tends to be fuller-bodied. This type of brewing makes the Christmas beer a festive, flavorful and very alcoholic beverage. It is trendy … [Read more...]
Homebrew Advent Calendar
The last I checked my calendar it was only September. I am sure you were all thinking that when you saw the title, Homebrew Advent Calendar. It's okay, I totally understand. Let me explain. For those unfamiliar to the Advent Calendars. Wikipedia’s description is as follows: “Advent calendar is a special calendar used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many Advent calendars, especially those that are reusable, often begin on December 1, … [Read more...]