Today’s post is a conversation with Steve from Winston-Salem, NC. In his spare time, he is an organic gardener and home brewer. He’s also kind enough to shop at FSG (Thank you!). Steve has been growing his own hops for a few years now and we thought it would be fun and useful to get his insights on growing this great plant. We hope you agree! Please introduce yourself to our readers. Hi, well you already shared my name, some of my hobbies and my home town. Other things that … [Read more...] about Soooooo Many Hops!
Homebrew
Celebrating a Successful First Brew!
As the new year picks up speed, it’s a prime time to get started on some of those hobbies you resolved to try on for size! Many out there may have found themselves with supplies or a brew kit from the holidays and are looking to get the ball rolling. Whatever the reason, there’s good news for everyone on the front end of the homebrew journey: brewing is a fun, rewarding hobby from the start, and isn’t as complicated as you might think! And if you’re looking to take the plunge but are still … [Read more...] about Celebrating a Successful First Brew!
Making Your Own Mead At Home
Mead is quickly becoming a popular alternative to typical beers and wines. Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made with honey. It can range from 4%-20% alcohol and can be flavored with a wide variety of fruits and spices. At Fifth Season, we’ve been experimenting with a simple one-month mead that can be easily brewed in around 60 minutes. Whether you keep your own bees or enjoy local honey, this is an easy project that results in a delicious drink to sip on the cooler evenings. To … [Read more...] about Making Your Own Mead At Home
DIY Hard Seltzer: A Trend Worth Trying 2022
This is one of our Top 10 most popular articles based on customer feedback and engagement. Originally published in July 2019, it has been updated with new information and product links. As always, please leave us your comments below! Summer is the busiest season nationwide for beer sales, and in recent years, the adult beverage industry has witnessed a major rise in popularity of a different kind of boozy beverage: hard seltzer. This light, low-cal, low-carb alternative to beer is … [Read more...] about DIY Hard Seltzer: A Trend Worth Trying 2022
The Art of Making Tequila
-Ryan Blankenship- Tequila was first distilled back in the early 16th century near the city of Tequila, which is located in the state of Jalisco about 35 miles from the city Guadalajara in Mexico. Tequila is a distilled beverage from a mash made out of Blue Agave. The Spanish conquistadors actually were the first to produce this spirit when they had run out of all of the brandy that they brought with them. They were the first to understand how to extract the sweet nectar from the core … [Read more...] about The Art of Making Tequila
A Review of the Cider House Select Cider Kit
-Tanner Frizsell- As someone with years of beer brewing experience, I’ve been interested in trying my hand at other types of fermentation. Fifth Season stocks a selection of Brewer’s Best Cider Kits including Apple, Pear, and Cherry. I decided to try out the cherry kit for my first venture in cider brewing. The kit is packaged in a double-layer pouch containing the juice concentrate, yeast, flavoring sachet, sweetener, and instructions. The recipe calls for additional corn sugar that … [Read more...] about A Review of the Cider House Select Cider Kit
A Brew For Every Season, and Every Season a Brew
-Elliott Richter- One of the best things about homebrewing is the vast selection of beers, ciders, meads, kombucha, and wines that you can create for any occasion. As the year unfolds, a cornucopia of flavors and ingredients is opened up for us to peruse and sample. We are able to create and develop, with high hopes, our year’s best concoctions and libations to be enjoyed, by not just ourselves, but in the company of our loved ones and companions. One of the most celebrated homebrew … [Read more...] about A Brew For Every Season, and Every Season a Brew
DIY Pizza Dough with Brewers Yeast
Not everyone shopping our homebrew department for yeast is actually brewing beer. We often get folks looking for fresh yeast for baking. This summer, a friend turned me on to what she described as “hands down, the best pizza dough in town” from White Labs Kitchen & Tap here in Asheville, NC. White Labs is a San Diego-based yeast production company and a popular yeast brand among homebrewers. In 2017, they opened a second location in Asheville that aside from the lab has a restaurant concept. … [Read more...] about DIY Pizza Dough with Brewers Yeast
The Art of Making a Whisky Mash
-Ryan Blankenship- Whisky has been around for many centuries. In fact the “Guild of Barber Surgeons” were some of the first monks to make whisky in Scotland back in the early 1400s. It was originally made for medicinal purposes and to help cure smallpox and colic. James IV of Scotland enjoyed whisky so much that he purchased over 500 bottles from the Barber Surgeons. Now at this time whisky was still so new that they didn’t even age it in barrels, so the spirit was extremely harsh to … [Read more...] about The Art of Making a Whisky Mash
UPDATED: Making Beer Kits at Home with Brewer’s Best
With fall on the horizon this week we decided to re-feature one of our most popular brewing posts focused on successful brewing from kits. Our kits are fantastic for people looking to get into brewing, for people with a few brews under their belts, and even for experienced brewers. Learn how to dial your kit brews up a notch or two without going to whole grain brewing and you'll have batches of beer ready to go by Oktoberfest. -Gabrial House- With fall in full swing, why not start a batch … [Read more...] about UPDATED: Making Beer Kits at Home with Brewer’s Best
