Paul’s Brewsletter

It has been a busy spring for brewing so far. I have two beers ready to go! The first beer is called Atonement Beer. It is an ale with the added flavor of boysenberries. Alcohol content came to 4.71% by volume for this one. Also ready to go is a beer I call Black Magic (5.85% alcohol by volume). It is a variation of a recipe from the Mr. Beer website. My variation is I substituted molasses for brown sugar. This resulted in a darker color and an unusual taste. It is good, just not the typical beer taste I’ve encountered.

Currently it is Strawberry season in Louisiana, so I’m going to try and make a strawberry beer soon before the street vendors stop selling fresh strawberries. Until next time….

Happy brewing!

By Michael Russell

Let me start out by saying that nobody should host a bear tasting party unless all the participants are over age and there is a designated driver for each person. That way you are assured of nobody getting arrested for underage drinking or driving under the influence. Having said that, what exactly is a beer tasting party and how do they work?

A beer tasting party is just that. You bring a number of people over to your place and have them sample a variety of beers. At the end of the evening the beers are ranked from best to worst. There are many variations you can do on this such as having friendly wagers on what beer you think will come in first. Of course gambling for money is illegal so the wagers would have to be for something other than.

It’s best, when having a beer tasting party, to have a small group. The reason for this is simple. With a small group, the tasting party is just that, a tasting party. With a larger group, it tends to become a party, period. And parties with large groups can become quite rowdy. So if you want a serious tasting party, keep it small.

The next thing is the selection of the beers themselves. How do you go about doing this? A good tasting party will have about eight to ten different kinds of beers, all very distinct in taste. You should probably select a beer by its brewing style rather than by its country of origin. You should mix up your beers between beers that are expensive and beers that are cheap. You don’t want to have two beers that are very similar. This way you are sure to get a more accurate ranking of the beers. If all goes as it should, the cheap beers should end up at the bottom with the premium beers coming in first.

Because this is a tasting party, you don’t need a lot of beer. Probably a six pack of each beer will be more than enough and you’ll still have plenty left over after you’re done. If you’re on a tight budget and don’t want to buy whole six packs, then figure one bottle of beer for every three people at the party. This way you can pull off your party without going broke.

Because you don’t want your guests to get rip roaring drunk, it is a good idea to have food at this party. What kind of food? You want foods that will go well with the beers, like cheese and bread. These things won’t interfere with the tasting process itself. And if you want, you can even turn this into a combination cheese and beer tasting party. They make great fund raisers.

Finally, there should be a certain order to the tasting itself. You want to taste your beers from the lightest beers to the heaviest, making sure that you take a bite of cheese or bread in between each beer so that the taste of the previous beer is gone.

Your guests should rank each beer on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. All scores for each beer should be added together and then divided by the number of tasters. This will give you an average score for each beer.

By following these simple steps, your beer tasting party should go off without a hitch.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Beer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell
http://EzineArticles.com/?Beer—Tasting-Parties&id=235602

Wow, hard to believe it has been ten years homebrewing beer for me already! In that time I’ve…

…brewed beer through approaching hurricanes (that means more if you live in the gulf coast region, believe me)…

…made beer with ginger (not the best idea lol)…

…bottled stout beer in glass root beer bottles (that sure made an interesting impression at parties)…

…made mini kegs (kind of a neat idea but more of a hassle in the end)…

…bottled beer in used 2 liter bottles (laugh all you want, but its a lot less bottles to deal with!)

and of course, I had a great time through it all. My attitude on homebrewing beer is “even when its bad, its still kind of good.” I can’t imagine what the next ten years of homebrewing will bring - I do know that I am having a blast and plan on doing this as long as I’m able to.

Anyway, the Czech the Halls beer made a great New Years brew. I along with several other guilty parties killed off the last of that beer for New Years. Everyone loved it all around. I need to do that one again.

My next brew is going to be a recipe from Mr. Beer called Atonement Beer. I can tell you it is an ale that includes boysenberries. Should be interesting - it probably won’t be ready for the Mardi Gras season, but it should be ready soon after.

Happy brewing!
Paul

By Graham Williams

Belgium beer is one of the most varied collections of beer in the world. Beer making in Belgium has its origins in the Middle Ages when monasteries produced beer. Belgian beer often has a higher alcohol content than other beers. This is due to a law that prohibited the sale of spirits in pubs, causing them to make beer with higher alcohol content so they would no longer be classified as spirits. The law was lifted in 1983; however, many breweries still produce beer with an alcohol content between 6% - 8%.

Beer experts have a high esteem for Belgian beer. There are 125 breweries that produce about 500 different types of standard beer.

Trappist beer is a top-fermented beer, which is brewed at a monastery. In order to qualify as a Trappist beer the entire brewing process must be overseen by or carried out by Trappist monks on the monastery site. There are only 6 monasteries in Belgium, which qualify for this categorization.

Lambic beer is unique to Belgium. It is produced using spontaneous fermentation using wild yeasts, which are found in abundance near Brussels. This is the only beer to be produced this way. The fermentation process takes place over a rather long period of time, from 3 - 6 months for some to over 2 or 3 years for others.

Fruit beers are a variation of Lambic beer. Fruit beers are made by adding fruit or fruit concentrate to Lambic beer. The most common type is Kriek, which is made with cherries. Other common fruits used are raspberry, peach and black currant. The fruit is used to trigger a second fermentation in the brew.

White beer is made with wheat hops and contains spices. Typically it is made with orange peel and coriander and is often served with a slice of lemon. Flemish Red is a strong fruity beer that is a reddish brown color. Other Belgian beers include Dubbel, Tripel, Blond, Brown and Amber. Each has its own specific brewing method and ingredients which cause a distinct flavor. Each type of beer has its own specially shaped glass. The Belgian pubs are called cafes, and they use these beautiful different glasses.

Graham Williams is the owner of http://www.gw-ebooks.com this site is full of books that are about hobbies such as Brewing your own beer, Camping, Bird watching, Beekeeping. While your there don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter and you will receive monthly discounts in any new book that is added each month you can visit my site here http://www.gw-ebooks.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Graham_Williams
http://EzineArticles.com/?Beer-Making-In-Belgium-Has-Its-Origins-In-The-Middle-Ages&id=795943

Hello and Happy Holidays! I hope you’re having a great time and are getting ready for Christmas - it is fast approaching!

Countdown to Christmas 2007:

I finished off my holiday beer for 2007: Czech the Halls…get it? It is a Czech style pilsner similar to Pilsner Urquell. The alcohol content on this batch came out at 3.89% by volume, which is just fine for me. I typically don’t like to overload on the alcohol content with beer.

Are you still shopping for gifts? I created a page on Paul’s Brewsletter to give you some ideas. Take a look:

http://www.prhsolutions.com/brewsletter/beer-gifts/

You might find that beer related item you’ve been looking for that beer nut in your life…or maybe for yourself!

I’ve also added a Beer search engine on the brewsletter homepage. Check it out!

I haven’t tasted the Czech the Halls yet…will probably do so Christmas Day for my family’s huge get together. Will let you know how it goes!

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Find a wide selection of beer gifts at http://www.prhsolutions.com/brewsletter/beer-gifts/

By Graham Williams

Beer has been a staple in England for centuries, dating back to the days of Chaucer. The most popular type of beer in England is ale. Ale is a type that is brewed using hops and malt, making it strong and rather bitter. The English prefer ale (darker beer that uses more hops) to lager type, which is popular in America.

In England, beer has traditionally been kept in the cellars of the many pubs. Although not refrigerated, the temperature is cooler than room temperature. The English prefer their beer to be only slightly cool, while those in the United States drink beer as cold as possible.

English pubs also sell a good amount of stout and porter. Stout is a darker, heavier hopped ale that has a creamy head when poured into a glass. Porter is a dark beer, which was often known as the workingman’s drink.

In the past, English pubs were tied to specific beers because they were owned by that brewery. In recent years the laws have relaxed, allowing pubs to offer many types of beer. Still, many of the local pubs are owned and operated by breweries. The most popular of these are Whitbread, Bass and Guinness.

In England the term “light beer” is used to refer to a pale beer, such as a light colored lager. Beer is made using hops. The dried flowers of this plant are used to impart a slightly bitter flavor to beers and ales. In England, hop shoots are widely available and are cooked and served as a vegetable.

Stout is a dark beer that originated in the British Isles. Stout has a strong hops smell and is made with dark-roasted barley which gives it a deep dark color and slightly bitter taste. Pale Ale is also common, which is a slightly lighter in color. The darker the color of the beer the more hops and barley have been used in the brewing process.

Beer does not age as wine does and is best consumed as fresh as possible. Beer is usually low-alcohol, typically less than 5% by weight. Water makes up most of the beer or ale, so the taste of the water used will make a distinct difference in the taste of the finished product. This may explain why people often prefer the beer brewed closest to their home.

Graham Williams is the owner of http://www.gw-ebooks.com this site is full of books that are about hobbies such as Brewing your own beer, Camping, Bird watching, Beekeeping. While your there don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter and you will receive monthly discounts in any new book that is added each month you can visit my site here http://www.gw-ebooks.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Graham_Williams
http://EzineArticles.com/?English-Beer&id=795949

By Gregory McLaw

The homebrewer has two types of yeast to choose from; liquid yeasts or dry yeasts. For some this argument is similar to a “taste-great less filling” debate or “Ford versus Chevy” discussion and is just a matter of preference while others are very passionate about their preference. Good beer can be made from both dry and liquid yeast and both have their advantages and disadvantages. While many homebrew enthusiast claim that dry yeasts are a poor fermenter and can produce undesired flavors since they are not as pure a culture as a liquid yeast others favor the convenience and lower cost that dry yeast offers.

Dry yeast is inexpensive, convenient, hardy and does not require a starter. However most experts agree that a starter would be beneficial when using a dry yeast. A simple starter to rehydrate your dry yeast is available right in your brew kettle. A starter will create a larger number of yeast cells that are added to the wort resulting in a more efficient the fermentation process. A more efficient fermentation results in a better quality beer with less likeliness of contamination. To create a starter simply remove 1 cup of wort 30 minutes before the end of the boil and allow to cool in a covered container. Add the dry yeast and allow 10-30 minutes to proof. After this time the yeast should be visibly churning and/or foaming, and is ready to pitch. I also find the addition of a good yeast nutrient to your wort to be very beneficial. The best nutrient is actually dead yeast cells in the form of Vegemite or Marmite yeast extracts. The addition of a yeast nutrient to wort promotes a healthy and hearty fermentation resulting in a beer with a lower final gravity. You can use the trub from your kettle as an excellent yeast nutrient.

Dry yeast also stores easily and it is hardy. Dry yeast tends to produce a more solid yeast cake making racking easier and producing a clearer final product. Also, dry yeast is much cheaper than liquid yeast. Liquid yeast can run 25% of the total cost to brew. Fermentation with dry yeast starts quickly and helps prevent your beer from getting an infection due to lag time. Since dry yeast can be stock-piled you won’t find yourself running out to your local brew shop to pick some up if you accidentally forgot to purchase it.

However, the selection of good dry yeasts is quite small, and therefore limits the range of possible beer flavor profiles you can get with the yeast. Liquid yeasts are pure cultures or blends of pure cultures and come in a extremely wide range of choices allowing a lot of possibilities when it comes to affecting the flavor profile of your beer (and if you want to make a lager, liquid yeast is your only option). There are a many wet yeast strains available. Each produce a distinct tasting beer. There are only a few dry strains available. Simply put, all of the subtle flavors offered by wet strains are simply not available in dry form. Some of the most popular ones are, but certainly not all. With liquid yeast you can propagate, split, and reuse wet to get your costs down, if you are careful about sanitation and want to take the time to do so. You can split, and re-split to get the cost on a per batch basis to less than half that of dry yeast. But, this takes a lot of time and effort.

For the absolute best beer, there is no question that liquid yeast is a superior product and worth every bit of the extra cost. But like so many things, we have time, money, and quality from which in many cases we can only choose two. If you want high quality and want to save time, buy a liquid smack pack with a higher price tag. If you want high quality and want to save money, propagate from a liquid smack pack which takes a lot of time. If you want to save time and money, buy dry but recognize the fact that you probably won’t get all the subtle flavor choices you desire and possibly a lower quality, but nevertheless a good, beer.

About the author
Gregory McLaw is a regular contributor to www.makebeerathome.info
and enjoys brewing and drinking his own beer. For homebrew related supplies try www.brewbuddies.com or www.perfectbrewing.com.

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Find beer gifts at http://www.prhsolutions.com/brewsletter/beer-gifts/

By Sky Joe

The advantages of beer-of-the-month clubs are many. While details vary from club to club, most benefits of beer clubs will include, members receiving two six-packs of fresh beer from two different microbreweries each month. There are also some beer clubs who will produce there own newsletters with all sorts of fun info about the beer you’re drinking. These newsletters usually include letters, columns, articles, and recipes.

The selection offered by these beer clubs varies with the seasons, guaranteeing you a wide range of Christmas brews, bocks, wheats, Oktoberfest beers, and so on. Hence you will most likely find yourself being exposed to a wide variety of beers you might not be able to find, such as California microbrews on the East Coast.

Competitions for members are stiff hence in order to get more members; some beer clubs do offer hard-to-find brews made by tiny breweries with the highest standards. These beers are usually fresh from the breweries and shipped within a few days.

However there are downsides to the starting of a beer-of-the-month club. In the whole world, only 14 states consider beer-of-the-month clubs legal. The National Beer Wholesalers Association has declared war on the clubs for violating the three-tier (brewery/distributor/bottle shop) systems in place in many states. Kentucky has made direct shipping of alcohol a felony, punishable by five years in prison.

On top of the law against beer-of-the-month, there are no safeguards to keep the beer out of the hands of minors; although, most clubs require an adult to sign foe the package. On a less serious note, beer can arrive hot or frozen. Most UPS shipping trucks used to ship beers are not great environments for beer. Make sure the beer club you join will immediately replace any bad beer. Another issue with beer clubs is you usually do not have much of a choice. You might fall in love with a beer that you can’t buy where you live. On the other hand, you might hate one month’s selection and most beer clubs require a mandatory two- or three-month sign up.

If you happen to live in a lager city, you could probably find most beers you will be receiving cheaper if bought locally. Before you sign up for any beer club, do check on the type of beer they ship in. Some beer clubs are shipping contract-brewed beers, which are generally not as lovingly mad as microbrewed beers.

For more information on Beer Clubs, Beer of the Month Club or Home Beer Brewing, you can visit this site: My Beer Store

©Skyjoe. All rights reserved. This article may be freely distributed as long as it remains unaltered inclusive of the active links and the copyright notice. No alteration is allowed without express written permission from the author.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sky_Joe
http://EzineArticles.com/?Joining-Beer-of-the-Month-Clubs&id=714304

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Find a wide selection of beer gifts at http://www.prhsolutions.com/brewsletter/beer-gifts/

I’ve been lagering the Red Ale I brewed in October, and I’ll probably unveil that at the New Orleans Concert Band Christmas Concert after party. I just love seeing the looks on people’s faces when I pull out 2 liter bottles (with the original soft drink labels on them, mind you) full of my own beer and start serving my beer from 2 liter bottles. Are they clean? Yes, in fact all the bottles I use for my beer have been sanitized using One-Step Sanitizer. Is this beer competition worthy? Probably not, but I’m brewing beer to make beer I like and beer that my friends like.

I am going to start primary fermentation on my Christmas Beer this weekend. Primary Fermentation just means that I’m mixing the beer extract with water, yeast and the corn sugar to put in the barrel for several days. Once this is done, I will bottle the beer for another week or two until it is carbonated and ready to rock. This beer is a Czech style pilsner. Did you know that the Czechs invented the pilsner style of beer? In fact, the name pilsner comes from a town in the Czech republic called Pilsen. So it’s not just a clever name

Since this is my holiday beer, I’m calling it “Czech the Halls”. Get it?

This probably won’t be the highest alcohol content beer I’ve done, but it’s not always about the alcohol. Besides, you can drink more of them to get the desired effect

Remember to shop for beer gifts for yourself and your friends at http://www.prhsolutions.com/brewsletter/beer-gifts/

I’m going to tell you something a little shocking - beer makes a great gift. Whoa! Did that stun you? Okay, maybe that statement is just a tad obvious. I have recently used beer, specifically homebrewed beer, as a thank you gift for a neighbor and let me tell you, that goes a long way.

My wife and I took a trip out of town over the summer. We asked this particular neighbor of ours to keep an eye on things while we were gone. You’ve probably done something similar time and time again. While you’re away, the neighbor collects the newspapers, mail, etc., that arrives at your house and gives it to you upon your return. Many times as thanks or repayment, you offer the same service to your neighbor when they leave town. After all, that’s what neighbors do, right?

That’s correct, and it should be that way. But how about going an extra step in saying thanks?

For under $50, you can get a kit to make good beer in your home that you can:

a) enjoy yourself
b) share with neighbors as thank you gifts or just gifts in general

This kit comes with simple to follow instructions, and all the ingredients you need except for water and maybe a few extra bottles (used beer bottles or soft drink bottles will do). It doesn’t get much easier than that!

The look in my neighbor’s face when I handed them a six pack of beer that I made for them to enjoy said it all. Do something nice like this for your neighbor and yourself, you’ll both benefit.

Keep this in mind too for the Holiday Season: giving someone a unique gift that you personally made, like homebrew beer, is a really nice touch that shows you went the extra mile and didn’t just get something quick and easy from the store.

Get yourself started at http://prhsolutions.com/thankyoubeer