If you have finished making the wort and let your brew ferment, you have completed most of the work, but your not done yet. You still have to bottle your beer and wait a little longer. Bottling is an easy step but there are several key things that are important to know before you jump into it.

Before you bottle your beer, you have to find bottles. You can either buy your bottles from a brewing retailer or you can just reuse old bottles. Either way, you will have to sanitize them before you fill them. There are several things that you should think about when choosing bottles. They should be glass, preferably colored glass. Colored glass lets less light reach your brew, which protects it. Also, make sure you don’t use twist off bottles because the caps will not create a good seal around the threads.

You probably know that your beer is currently flat. It will remain flat until you add a sugar mixture to your brew. After you make a sugar mixture mix it evenly through your beer and use a siphon to transfer the beer to the bottles. Make sure you have sanitized the bottles before adding the beer.

After you have capped all your bottles, find a place to store the beer. It has to sit for about two weeks before it is ready to drink. The yeast that is still present in the brew will react with the sugar to create carbonation. Keep in mind what yeast you used when deciding where to store your beer. If you made a beer with ale yeast, you need to store your beer at room temperature. Do not refrigerate! However, lager yeast should be kept at a cooler temperature. Your beer should be ready to drink in about 2 weeks and can sit for about a year. Don’t let it sit for much longer than that or the seal might leak.

Now that your done, your ready to drink your beer. I recommend pouring your beer into a cup or mug because the yeast has settled at the bottom of the bottle. This happened when the yeast reacted with the sugar you added during bottling. You will find the last couple drinks of your brew to have some of this settlement if drinking from the bottle. Pouring it in a cup will solve this problem so you can enjoy your brew from the first sip to the last.

Pat McLoughlin is a avid homebrewer and enjoys writing about it on his website homebrewhints.com. Home Brew Hints gives step by step instructions on how to brew beer at home as well as a collection of helpful hints that can assist you in your homebrewing process.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/homebrewing-bottling-and-storing-1707914.html

They prefer this so that they can control their alcohol intake, they can still become tipsy thereby making them have more fun, meet more people while still being able to conduct themselves properly in social situations such as parties, office events and family gatherings. They wouldn’t want to be too inebriated that they couldn’t anymore control their drunkenness.

If you are hosting such parties, how will you make sure that your ladies will have such fun? In making wines and other alcoholic drinks, how will you go about making sure that the ladies’ drinks are well concocted?

It’s actually very easy. In making wine, liqueurs, cocktails  and any alcoholic drink, make them delicious but don’t put it too much alcohol. That will do the trick!

First and foremost, if you use any wine making recipe, you can turn any of them into a ladies’ drink. Just lessen the alcohol content by making sure that the wine or drink you are making for the women are in dry to medium-dry range of dry wines. Additionally, in making wines, make those in the range medium-dry to sweet.  Below are some tips on how you can do it:

Bear in mind (and this is important) that wines have the possibility to continue fermenting if it contains less than 12% alcohol at a given time. This is because of the yeast spore that has strayed and which was left while making wine or might have reached it at a later time while it was being stored. The spore has the exclusive probability of living and reproducing on the sugar present. The driest one will keep and there will be no sugar that will not remain fermented. But bear in mind also that this type of wine is unconventional among most wine enthusiasts. In making wine, the medium-dry to medium-sweet kind are most often than not preferred.

The aim here in making wine with lesser alcohol content is to be able to put in just enough amount of sugar in order for the wine can ferment it out.

Simon Thomas is a homemade winemaker, enthusiast and author. He lives in California and spends his time teaching others how to setup an amazing boutique winery. You can find more information about how to make professional quality wine at your own home, at Simon’s popular site: www.homemadewinesecrets.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/how-to-make-ladies-wine-1714380.html

Do you know where some of the best selling beers come from? Are most of them domestic or most of them imported? Is there a reason why Milwaukee, Wisconsin is nicknamed “Brew City?” Which continent produces the best beers? The next time your making friends at local bar stools check out what people are drinking. The majority of the time you will likely see someone holding a domestic beer from right here in our very own Midwest states. From Germany to Mexico, the US still is the leading seller of domestic beers worldwide.

Here are 15 of the Best Selling Beers, domestic and otherwise.

1. Bud Light (from the United States)

2. Budweiser (from the United States)

3. Miller Lite (from the United States)

4. Coors Light (from the United States)
5. Corona Extra ( from Mexico )
6. Natural Light ( U.S.)
7. Heineken (Amsterdam)
8. Michelob Ultra Light (U.S.)
9. Busch Light (U.S.)
10. Miller High Life (U.S.)
11. Guinness (Ireland)
12. Samuel Adams ( U.S.)

13. Keystone Light (U.S.)
14. Milwaukee’s Best (U.S.)
15. Yeungling Traditional Lager ( from the oldest brewing company in the U.S.)

What’s your preference? Personally, I prefer any type of Miller and will definitely never pass up a tasty Sam Adams. Then again, I could go with a Corona at times and on occasion I’ll open up a Heiny’s. I do like Guinness at the right time as well. Wow, now that I think about it, it’s no wonder that these beers are among the most highly sold beers in America. I can honestly say, I prefer more than I hate.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/15-best-selling-beers-are-domestic-bar-stools-better-1714992.html

Boston, Massachusetts is the brewing location of one of the best selling American lagers, Samuel Adams. Obviously, Sam Adams was named after the famous American patriot who was famous for his role as the “brewer” in the American Revolution. Not sure if that means he was found on a bar stool a lot or if it was a broader term back then, either way this beer has definitely got some American spirit. From the label to the advertisements, it seems that Sam Adams has a way of taking us back to our roots through thirteen different flavors. After seeing this list it is no wonder that this Boston Beer Company is the largest America-owned brewery in the country.

If you have never tried a Sam Adams, get to it. The original has a great taste but there are also thirteen other variations that will leave you asking for more.

Boston Lager- the original Sam Adams

Sam Adams Light- a lighter Boston Lager

Boston Ale-

Pale Ale-

Cherry Wheat-

Cream Stout-

Brown Ale-

Hefeweizen-

Scotch Ale-

Black Lager-

Honey Porter-

Irish Red-

Blackberry Witbier-

Additionally, the Boston Beer Company also offers four seasonal beers a year, they are White Ale (for January through March), Summer Ale (April through August), Octoberfest (for August through October), and the Winter Lager (from November to January).

There is also the Brewer Patriot collection which eclusively includes:

• Traditional Ginger Honey Ale
• James Madison Dark Wheat Ale
• George Washington Porter
• 1790 Root Beer Brew

Try one during your favorite season and see for yourself just how good Sam Adams Beer really is.

Cheers!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/samuel-adams-beers-13-tasty-flavors-4-seasonal-beers-1715095.html

If you have finished making the wort and let your brew ferment, you have completed most of the work, but your not done yet. You still have to bottle your beer and wait a little longer. Bottling is an easy step but there are several key things that are important to know before you jump into it.

Before you bottle your beer, you have to find bottles. You can either buy your bottles from a brewing retailer or you can just reuse old bottles. Either way, you will have to sanitize them before you fill them. There are several things that you should think about when choosing bottles. They should be glass, preferably colored glass. Colored glass lets less light reach your brew, which protects it. Also, make sure you don’t use twist off bottles because the caps will not create a good seal around the threads.

You probably know that your beer is currently flat. It will remain flat until you add a sugar mixture to your brew. After you make a sugar mixture mix it evenly through your beer and use a siphon to transfer the beer to the bottles. Make sure you have sanitized the bottles before adding the beer.

After you have capped all your bottles, find a place to store the beer. It has to sit for about two weeks before it is ready to drink. The yeast that is still present in the brew will react with the sugar to create carbonation. Keep in mind what yeast you used when deciding where to store your beer. If you made a beer with ale yeast, you need to store your beer at room temperature. Do not refrigerate! However, lager yeast should be kept at a cooler temperature. Your beer should be ready to drink in about 2 weeks and can sit for about a year. Don’t let it sit for much longer than that or the seal might leak.

Now that your done, your ready to drink your beer. I recommend pouring your beer into a cup or mug because the yeast has settled at the bottom of the bottle. This happened when the yeast reacted with the sugar you added during bottling. You will find the last couple drinks of your brew to have some of this settlement if drinking from the bottle. Pouring it in a cup will solve this problem so you can enjoy your brew from the first sip to the last.

Pat McLoughlin is a avid homebrewer and enjoys writing about it on his website homebrewhints.com. Home Brew Hints gives step by step instructions on how to brew beer at home as well as a collection of helpful hints that can assist you in your homebrewing process.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/homebrewing-bottling-options-1707914.html

They say, in distributing gifts, it is the thought that counts-so, why worry much about gifts to give? Well, it is because the one you are offering your gift is the person special to your heart. You wish to give him something that he will appreciate a lot. So, you think, you want to give him something new and/or unique. You hope to find something that is rarely thought of as gift, but is useful to him (talk about practical gifts). Why not consider giving him a shot glass? You can make him feel more special, though, by wrapping a personalized shot glass for him.

Drinking hard liquor is not complete without a shot glass. It quenches the thirst of the drinkers in sufficient amount. Yes, a shot glass helps eliminate the process of measurement in drinking because the amount of hard liquor it can hold is the exact amount of liquid enough for one satisfying drink of an individual. It is often used during celebrations or in simple times of relaxation.

A personalized shot glass is more appreciated than a plain shot glass because it is made exclusively for the recipient. Generally, it bears the name or the initials of the person. What will make it more appealing to the receiver is its design, shape, or look. Shot glasses are usually clear glasses; but, with the creative minds of the sellers, there are some that have colorful designs. In addition, there are shot glasses that are tall and stout, and rounded and rectangular, among others. Visit gift shops near your place that sell personalized shot glasses. But, if you do not have the luxury of time, you may choose to check the web sites online. There are company web sites that feature a wide variety of personalized shot glasses. You may select from among their product lines. No need to go to their stores. What more, in just a few clicks, you have bought these items and they are ready for delivery!

Personalized gifts are often heart warming to receive because the effort of the receiver is seen and felt. Why not, instead of buying something that is ready for wrapping from the department stores or gift shops, you go out of your way to have your gift, the shot glass that is, engraved with his name or initials. You will truly make him special with your personalized shot glass. A reminder, though. Shot glasses are not only for drinkers. It is one of the best gifts for everyone. Shot glasses are also made as collectibles. There are individuals who collect shot glasses of different shapes, colors, and designs, and of different logos. In addition, some would-be husband and wife even prefer to have them as souvenir gifts for the guests. So, do not make a second thought. Do not spend another hour thinking of what gifts to give for your loved ones and friends. A personalized shot glass is a perfect gift for a perfect drink.

Harrison Fray is a an expert at various types of wedding and relationship issues. He can help you to pick out the best in groomsmen gifts with unique style. Harrison can definitely help you with choosing the proper personalized pub signs also. Stop by Engraved Gift Creations to see what Harrison recommends.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/personalized-shot-glass-makes-great-groomsmen-gifts-1708546.html

Cinnamon, particularly its bark, is not just a spice but a lot of other things too. It may be the oldest kind among the spices, but other than that, it also serves as an embalming agent during the ancient times and was considered more precious than gold. Regularly drinking cinnamon made from the bark has been found to be beneficial to curing stress related illnesses among humans since the plant contains tremendous amount of antioxidants. It has been used to cure flu, give energy, provide relief from colds especially when mixed with some fresh ginger.

Its medicinal properties were the reasons why through the years, people found out about its capability to be turned into a wine diy kind. Cinnamon sticks, especially fresh ones, can be turned to a powerfully flavored wine diy. You just have to ensure  that the sticks (a rolled bark,

actually) are fresh and not old and stale. This will ensure that their flavor will remain strong and will not be greatly reduced. Please  take note  also that oily cinnamon sticks should not be used because cinnamon oil does not fit well in wine diy making. Use the cinnamon sticks as a

base for a more fully flavored kind of spice wine diy.

You can add to the following to the simmering water: 6 whole cloves or 12 whole dried allspice berries or three 9-inch vanilla beans or 1/2 ounce of shredded ginger root. However, it is important to note that these ingredients should not be added all together. What you can do is try the following combinations for your wine diy:  cinnamon, vanilla and allspice; cinnamon, allspice and ginger. Remember that the cloves do not fit with vanilla, but they can work with ginger or allspice if the cloves are taken out as soon as the water starts boiling. Cinnamon will also fit well with 12-15 whole peppercorns.

Here are the rest of the ingredients for your wine diy:

12 six-inch cinnamon sticks, 3 lbs granulated sugar, 7-1/2 pts water, 1

tsp yeast nutrient, 1/8 tsp tannin, 3 tsp acid blend, 1 crushed Campden tablet, Champagne wine yeast

Follow these procedures carefully:

1. Put cinnamon sticks and one quart of water in a pot with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Let it simmer and hold for 10 minutes with the lid on.
3. Put off the heat and just immerse the cinnamon sticks  for two hours.
4. Seep the water into a secondary container  and throw away the cinnamon sticks.
5. Using the remaining water, add sugar and then boil it.
6. Put off the fire or heat then keep stirring until you see that the sugar is dissolved.
7. Add all remaining ingredients to secondary except Campden and yeast and then pour in the sugar-water mixture.
8. Cover with a napkin held in place with a rubber band and let it cool.
9. Add Crushed Campden, stir, and allow to sit 24 hours covered.

10.  Add activated yeast and recover.

11.  Ferment 5-7 days, or until specific gravity falls below 1.030.

12.  Fit with airlock and continue fermentation for 30 days.

13.  Rack into sanitized secondary, top up, and refit airlock. Ferment for another 3 months, rack again and ferment for additional 3 months.

14.  Stabilize, sweeten to taste, and let sit under airlock for an additional 10 days. Rack into bottles and store in dark place.

Simon Thomas is a homemade winemaker, enthusiast and author. He lives in California and spends his time teaching others how to setup an amazing boutique winery. You can find more information about how to make professional quality wine at your own home, at Simon’s popular site: www.homemadewinesecrets.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/diy-wine-cinnamon-wine-1705196.html

As it is, home brewing is a much cheaper alternative to buying your beer at a store, but if you’re looking for even cheaper ways to brew beer at home, there are several things you can do. The biggest money savers are explained here.

Buy a used home brew kit

The biggest investment in home brewing is the initial home brew kit. This kit usually runs about 100 dollars but if you buy it used, for instance on eBay or from a friend, you can cut this investment in half.

Recycle bottles

Every beer bottle costs around a dollar if you decide to buy them at a beer-brewing retailer but you can completely avoid this charge if you just recycle your own bottles from previous beers you drank. Ask your family and friends to save their bottles and you will have enough to make your own batch in no time.

Grow your own hops

Growing your own hops will cut down on the ingredients cost and even give you some profit if you decide to sell the hops. I would recommend experimenting doing this for someone who has been brewing for years.

Make your own kits

Beer brewing retailers put kits together to save you the hassle of finding all the ingredients. However, the pre-made kits cost a dollar or two more than if you found the ingredients by yourself.

Use a U-brew facility

Check to see if there are any U-Brew facilities near you. They have all the necessary equipment and ingredients. You can use their place to create a beer, come back in 3 weeks to bottle, and then take it home with you. This is good if you want to brew once or twice but don’t want to buy a home brew kit.

Brew cheaper beers If you really don’t care about which beer you make, buy a cheaper home brew kit. Certain types of beer such as Gluten free beers or some types of ales are less money than other beers.

If money is really an issue, some of the above tricks can help you brew beer for less. No matter how you look at it though, if you brew beer enough, it is definitely a money saver compared to buying it at the store.

Pat McLoughlin is a avid home brewer and enjoys writing about it on his website homebrewhints.com. Home Brew Hints gives step by step instructions on how to brew beer at home as well as a collection of helpful hints that can assist you in your homebrewing process.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/simple-ways-to-save-money-homebrewing-1701794.html

So are you somewhat interested in home brewing but unsure whether you want to invest in a home brew kit? It was recently brought to my attention that you can brew your own beer at home using a coffee pot.

Necessary Equipment (nothing that you wouldn’t normally find in the kitchen)
Coffee maker
Coffee filter
Wooden rolling pin
Saucepan larger than 2 quarts
2 1-quart canning jars with lids
cheesecloth
2 rubber bands
½ gallon of filtered water

Necessary Ingredients (can be bought at your local beer brewing retailer)
1 ¼ cups of malted barley
5-7 Hop pellets (compressed hops)
½ packet of champagne yeast (or baker’s yeast)

If you are new to brewing, one of the most important things to remember is to keep everything sanitary. If any bacteria gets in your beer when you are brewing or bottling, it could ruin your entire batch. Brewing in a coffee pot is no different. Be clean.

First take your 1 ¼ cups of malted barley and crack the grain with your wooden rolling pin. Don’t roll the grains too much; just make sure that all the grains are cracked. After cracking the grains, put them in the coffee pot. Pour two cups of water into the coffee maker and turn it on.

After about an hour the coffee maker will shut down. At this stage the “masking-in” process is complete. Strain the “mash” through a coffee filter. After straining, pour the liquid into the water-heating chamber of the coffee maker with one more cup of filtered water. Turn the coffee maker on again. When all the liquid empties into the coffee pot, take the liquid and put it back in the coffee maker with another cup of water. Repeat this step approximately 5 times, each time adding one cup of water.

After you have done this, pour the final liquid into a saucepan and boil. After boiling for 20 minutes, add the 5-7 hops pellets before boiling for another half hour. Remove from heat. Stir the liquid in the saucepan and pour it into a canning jar making sure not to splash. Immediately after you fill the jar, place it in a sink filled with ice.

After your wort, the expression for the beer at this stage, has cooled to about 65 degrees, put on the top to the jar and shake. Take off the lid, add yeast and stir. Next place cheesecloth over the jar’s opening and secure with a rubber band. Do not place the lid back on the jar.

Place the jar in a dark place about room temperature; wait one week, and your beer should be ready. This is a good way to make smaller amounts of beer if you don’t have a beer kit, but once you have mastered this, I strongly recommend investing in a homebrew kit. You will be able to make better tasting beer and much more of it at a time.

Pat McLoughlin is a avid homebrewer and enjoys writing about it on his website homebrewhints.com. Home Brew Hints gives step by step instructions on how to brew beer at home as well as a collection of helpful hints that can assist you in your homebrewing process.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/homebrewing-brewing-beer-in-a-coffee-pot-1701803.html

Bottling the Beer

Bottling is not a hard part of the home brew process, but is important that you take your time and not contaminate the beer or the bottles during the procedure. Things to consider when choosing beer bottles:

1. Made of glass

2. Colored glass (brown and green) is favored over clear bottles. Light damages beer and the colored glass helps in protecting your brew.

3. Do not use twist off bottles. The caps will not seal along the threads.

Bottles can be bought at a local beer-brewing retailer, or to save money you can reuse bottles that you have consumed in the past. I prefer to reuse bottles because it saves money and either way, you will still have to sanitize the bottles.

Equipment Needed:

• Bottles

• Caps

• Siphon

• Tubing (usually part of siphon)

• Bucket

You may notice that your beer (before bottling) is still flat. It will remain flat if you do not add supplementary sugar to the beer right before bottling. Although your beer seems to be inactive, there is still a little amount of yeast left in the brew. Adding sugar gives the yeast something to consume and create the CO2 needed for carbonation. Like many stages in the brewing process, it is important that you get the proportions correct.

Storing the Beer

Sunlight and florescent light will cause beer to become skunky, so when storing your beer, try to minimize exposure to any light. Bottling your beer in brown bottles helps minimize this effect too.

Your beer should sit for at least a week before you drink it. During this first week, you should try not to move your bottles too much because there will still be some reactions taking place. It is also important to store your beer at a temperature that will let your yeast continue to react. If you are using yeast for an ale beer, store your bottles at room temperature (65-75 degrees.) If you store them in the fridge, the cold temperature will prevent the yeast from creating CO2 and your beer will remain flat.

Don’t store your beer for too long. The longer your bottles sit, the greater chance your beer will become oxidized. It is my recommendation that you drink your beer within a year of when you brew it. Beyond this point and there is a good chance that your seal has leaked and effected the taste of your beer. However, don’t rush. A year is a long time.

Drinking the Beer

You may notice that there is a thin yeast layer at the bottom of your homebrew. This has to do with the final yeast reactions that take place after your beer is bottled. When drinking from the bottle, the extra yeast will not bother you until then end of the bottle when it is stirred up. There is no way to avoid this layer, so I recommend pouring all your homebrews into a glass before you consume them. If done slowly, the yeast layer will not be transferred to the glass or mug and you will have a perfect brew to enjoy.

Pat McLoughlin is a avid homebrewer and enjoys writing about it on his website homebrewhints.com. Home Brew Hints gives step by step instructions on how to brew beer at home as well as a collection of helpful hints that can assist you in your homebrewing process.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wines-and-spirits-articles/bottling-storing-and-drinking-your-homebrew-1701823.html