37th Anniversary of Homebrew Legalization
Among homebrewers, President Jimmy Carter is best known for signing H.R 1337, which contained an amendment sponsored by Senator Alan Cranston creating an exemption from taxation for beer brewed at home for personal or family use.
Want to read more? Please click…
HERE
For a more complete article, please click…
HERE
Sahti: One of the World’s Oldest Beer Styles
One of the world’s oldest, continually-brewed styles of beer is the Finnish farm-style sahti. Rich with Nordic tradition, this centuries-old style has overcome many twists and turns throughout its history to remain a prevalent yet ancient style.
The Story of Sahti
The earliest written records of sahti only date back a few hundred years to the late 18th century, but casks of the traditional Finnish style were found aboard a sunken Viking ship dated back to the 9th century. Some historians even claim ancient beer styles like sahti were the motivation behind developed agriculture in Scandinavia.
Want to read more? Please click…
HERE
Brewing with Potatoes: Techniques
Both corn and rice are used as starchy adjuncts by brewers worldwide. These adjuncts boost the strength of a beer without increasing its body. Corn and rice also dilute the protein content of wort. As adventurous homebrewers, there is another common starchy food we can use as an adjunct — potatoes.
Types of Potatoes
The common potato comes from the potato plant (Solanum tuberosum), a member of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family. The nightshade family also includes tomatoes, tobacco and peppers. The edible portion of the potato plant is the tuber, a modified underground stem. There are many varieties of potatoes found on supermarket shelves and they can be grouped into two functional categories, waxy or mealy (or starchy). Mealy varieties — such as Russet, Yukon Gold or baking-type potatoes — can easily be used in homebrewing. Waxy varieties — such as Chef’s potatoes or red potatoes — may be usable, but I don’t have any experience with them.
Both corn and rice are used as starchy adjuncts by brewers worldwide. These adjuncts boost the strength of a beer without increasing its body. Corn and rice also dilute the protein content of wort. As adventurous homebrewers, there is another common starchy food we can use as an adjunct — potatoes.
Types of Potatoes
The common potato comes from the potato plant (Solanum tuberosum), a member of the nightshade (Solanaceae) family. The nightshade family also includes tomatoes, tobacco and peppers. The edible portion of the potato plant is the tuber, a modified underground stem. There are many varieties of potatoes found on supermarket shelves and they can be grouped into two functional categories, waxy or mealy (or starchy). Mealy varieties — such as Russet, Yukon Gold or baking-type potatoes — can easily be used in homebrewing. Waxy varieties — such as Chef’s potatoes or red potatoes — may be usable, but I don’t have any experience with them.
Want to read more? Please click…
HERE
The Import Snobs
Just this morning, I was reading a list of tweets and a couple of comments from a person who shall remain anonymous. The comments and tweets leaned heavily on this theme:
“Dear US Craft Beer: You are trying too hard.â€
“The reason for calling something “craft beer†is an additional $2 – $4 a six-pack.â€
“@GABF In terms of German styles, not winning a medal would appear to be more of a badge of honor than winning one. Embarrassing.â€
Want to read more? Please click…
HERE
Say No to Style Loyalty in 2016
Written by Franz Hofer for A Tempest in a Tankard
Coke or Pepsi. Bud, Miller, or Coors. Many a craft beer aficionado has railed against brand loyalty, criticizing the consumption of advertising over what’s in the bottle. And rightly so.
But a specter haunts the craft beer world –– the specter of style loyalty. A chicken in every pot and an IPA in every fridge is one thing. Entire lineups of IPAs?
Want to read more? Please check…
HERE
7 Tips on Brewing German Wheat Beers
Chris Swersey and Chuck Skypeck currently serve as technical staffers at the Brewers Association (BA). Both had long careers as craft brewers before joining the BA staff. As brewers at Mickey Finn’s (Libertyville, Illinois), Leinenkugel’s Ballyard Brewery (Phoenix, Arizona), and Boscos (Tennessee and Arkansas), Swersey and Skypeck racked up 14 Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup medals in various German-style wheat beer categories ranging from the light Leichtes style through Bavarian Hefeweizen and on to Dunkelweiss.
Consider these tips from the (former) pros next time you fire up your burners to brew a traditional tasting German-style wheat beer.’
1) Pick the Right Yeast for the Job
Select your yeast strain carefully to develop the flavor profile you desire. Different stains produce varying amounts of the esters and flavor compounds associated with German-style wheat beers. Choose a strain that emphasizes the characteristics you desire.
Want to read more? Please click…
HERE
Hops Used to Save Honey Bees
We all know that hops are a major component of craft beer, but it turns out they have another important function—saving the world’s honey bee population! Researchers have discovered that the beta acids of Humulus lupulus can be used to repel plant pests, including the varroa mite, which is a main contributor to the colony collapse disorder (CCD) that has been destroying the bee population in recent years.
Want to read more? Please click…
HERE
Penn Students Can Ferment Beer 9 Times Faster
A group of Penn students have a plan to streamline the beer-making process — and it just earned them $10,000.
Siddharth Shah, Shashwata Narain and Alexander David took home the grand prize of the 2016 Y-Prize Competition from the University of Pennsylvania for developing a process that speeds up the fermentation process in beer production by up to nine times — while maintaining alcohol quality and composition. Not to shabby for three students in the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Their advisors include executives from some of the biggest brewers in the world: MillerCoors, Anheuser-Busch, InBev, Biocon India and Heineken.
Shah is already the founder and CEO of a financial services startup and an e-commerce startup. They’re located in Dubai and India. Narain has worked in product development at a logistics technology startup in India.
Want to read more? Please click…
HERE
Top 10 Tips for Brew Day
When you first start to homebrew, it seems like there are a million people telling you a million different things you HAVE to do to make good beer. Fortunately, as you get more experience, you start to figure out how things work and what really matters. Now, while I may not have as much experience as some homebrewers, I’ve brewed 493 batches since I began in March 1998. And since my brewing is driven by my laziness, I’ve used that experience to figure out what matters and what doesn’t.
If you’ve read the writings (Experimental Homebrewing or www.experimentalbrew.com) or listened to the podcast (“Experimental Brewing,” available on iTunes and others) I do with my co-author, Drew Beechum, you might think my tips come down to: 1.) Brew like me and 2.) Don’t brew like him! But that leaves out the other 8, so here’s a list of my Top 10 Tips for Brew Day.
1. Plan and prepare….I like to think about my recipe at least a week ahead of brew day and get my ingredients prepped at least the day before. Even if you’re doing a spur of the moment brew, take a few minutes to calmly think through what your brew day will be like and get your brewing supplies mise en place….that’s French for “aggregate your fecal matter.” 🙂
Want to read more? Please click…
You must be logged in to post a comment.