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
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Kolsch: Tips & Recipe
-Ryan Blankenship- After brewing and sampling beers over the last decade, I would have to say that my favorite summer ale is the Kolsch. This light colored, low hopped ale has the perfect balance for that 90 plus degree day. Whether sitting by the pool, relaxing at the beach, or even after doing all of that dreaded yard work, this ale is so refreshing. So what exactly is a Kolsch? It is an ale that takes on several characteristics of a lager. This beer is best fermented at 60F to help it … [Read more...] about Kolsch: Tips & Recipe
Making Strawberry Wine
-Ryan Blankenship- With the spring gone and summer in full swing, strawberries are being harvested. What better thing to do with that sweet berry than to make some wine out of it. Strawberries not only have great antioxidant value to them, but they are full of macro, micro nutrients, and some vitamins as well. So while you're enjoying that sweet wine, you are also filling yourself with some good nutrients as well. On top of all this goodness, they also contain an enzyme called amylase, … [Read more...] about Making Strawberry Wine
‘Tis the Saison
- Dan Toot - Let’s talk variety in our homebrew. Like many homebrewers, I have my go-to’s. The recipes that have been proven to work, are loved by friends and family, and the routine is so familiar, it’s a low-fuss way to get a good drink in your hand in relatively little time. Every once in a while, however, we want to branch out. Brewing being the ancient art that it is, there are virtually limitless possibilities (any poor fellow-traveler who has spent any time on a brewing forum online … [Read more...] about ‘Tis the Saison
Home(brewing) for the Holidays
-Dan Toot- Let’s talk about Hygge. Translated from Danish it roughly means: a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. Folks, I think we’ll need quite a bit of Hygge as we enter this fast-approaching, still-weird Holiday season. Hard to believe we’re already talking about it, but for a homebrewer, thinking about the process of making a beer, it’s practically here! So I’m here to help the homebrewer plan their gift-giving options … [Read more...] about Home(brewing) for the Holidays
Elizabethan Style Mead
-Ryan Blankenship- Mead could possibly be one of the oldest styles of alcoholic beverages known to humanity. Pottery vessels discovered in northern China that dated back to 7000 BC had chemical signatures consistent with honey, rice, and organic compounds associated with a fermented beverage. Fast-forward to the 16th Century, and we find that most of the meads created during Elizabethan times usually contained honey, herbs, fruits, and even hops. The majority of the alcohol content in this … [Read more...] about Elizabethan Style Mead
My First Wine From A Kit
-Mike Weeks- I recently decided to venture into the world of winemaking because, like many of you, I enjoy pairing a nice glass of wine with dinner and had heard from folks that the kits we carry can make some really nice wine. A customer shared with me that she and her husband once made wine from one of our kits and when her wine connoisseur brother visited, they conducted a test and he named the kit wine as the most expensive and best one in the lineup! I have to say, I was surprised at how … [Read more...] about My First Wine From A Kit
Ghosts on the Balcony: A Novice Grows Golden Ghost Peppers Organically
-Dan Toot- We’ve seen the labels in the grocery store, and maybe we’ve looked into the overall benefits of organic growing, but many of us have not put it into practice ourselves. This may be especially true for those of us living in an apartment. But as quarantine encourages us to lean into our hobbies and interests, even an apartment dweller like me can dip their toes into the soil of organic gardening and understand firsthand the allure and benefits of growing organically. I got my hands … [Read more...] about Ghosts on the Balcony: A Novice Grows Golden Ghost Peppers Organically
Sanitation in Brewing and Why It’s Important
-Ryan Blankenship- When I attended beer school, the first lesson we were taught is sanitation is the key to happiness. The reason for this is microorganisms, bacteria, and fungi can start to grow in any little nook or cranny they can stuff themselves into. These bacteria will cause an infection in your brew and create an off-flavored brew or a completely undrinkable product. The first thing I do before I make any type of beer, is fill my kettle up to the top with water and add the … [Read more...] about Sanitation in Brewing and Why It’s Important
Tutti Frutti, A Magical Elixir
-Pam Scott- The long warm days and cool nights of May and June have made our fruiting trees and bushes flourish. Berry picking has become a daily pastime in our neighborhood. I just got a call from my neighbor that her sour cherry trees are laden with fruit needing to be picked, soon to be made into pies, tarts and liqueur soaked Maraschinos. Another neighbor has more strawberries than she can keep up with. The rush to get blueberries and raspberries picked before the birds eat them brings me … [Read more...] about Tutti Frutti, A Magical Elixir