Home Brewing Beer - I Love It and You Can Do It!

I know that I love to go inside an old-fashioned pub with lots of earthy wood and even more great atmosphere to have a tasty brew. Have you ever noticed that many of these places have big brass beer machines that add to that atmosphere and make it a favorite place to hang out with your friends?

Have you ever wanted to make your own beer? Do you think it is difficult or time consuming? Well, you can do it, and it's really quite simple to do.

I bet I know what you're thinking: There is no way you can fit a big, beautiful brass brewing machine inside your home or apartment - let alone afford it! You probably are right on that one, but no worries - home brewing does not require such a large piece of equipment. In fact, you'd probably be amazed at how little the homebrewer needs in order to make a crowd-pleasing beer or ale.

To start with you need just one six-gallon fermenter jar with an airlock, and some ready-made malt with hops, and you're basically set to go. Now that you can get the malt extract in a can, there's no more messy and difficult malting of your own grains. Nowadays, it's just that easy.

Simply put - mix, brew, bottle, and enjoy. Mixing is done in a fermenter - just hot water, malt kit, add some cold water, and then yeast. It's easier than making bread in a bread machine (and that is pretty darn easy). Next, the brewing is done by the yeast (that hard working yeast - thank you!). Then, you bottle your delicious brew, and soon you can enjoy that first tasty sip.

As an added benefit, you save a lot of money by home brewing instead of buying commercial brands. You can brew up six gallons of your favorite ale for about $25 AND have a lot of fun doing it!

By the way, did I mention how much better a homebrew tastes when compared to the beers you can buy? Once you try the home brew, you will be spoiled and not want to go back to the boring, commercial variety again. But hey, there is nothing wrong with being spoiled.

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Every beer drinker has their own favorite brand of beer. For many Americans, a Coors or a Budweiser will do, or perhaps a cold Mexican Corona. Some love an Indian Pale Ale, while still others need the malty taste of a dark Irish Stout. But when you ask those who love to make their own brew, in the comfort of their own homes, the number one beer recipe of all time is Goat Scrotum Ale.

Beyond the initial reaction of cringing and thinking that it must be something really unappetizing, you might be a bit surprised to find it's anything but! In fact, one of the biggest reasons that Goat Scrotum Ale is so popular is due to the variety of ways that you can make it. For instance, you can make it taste like a spicy hot licorice, a bitter-sweet chocolate, or even a fruity ginger blend.

During the early 1800's, Goat Scrotum Ale first came onto the beer-making scene. At that time it was known as "Tumultuous Porter". The dark, spicy and quite fragrant brew drew in the crowds until prohibition hit, and then the brew and its recipe disappeared for a while. Thankfully, a man named Charlie Papazian did research and was able to bring the recipe back to the delight of all homebrewers and beer drinkers alike.

So, I'll bet the question on your mind is: What is the recipe, and what does it taste like? Well, the first ingredients are five pounds of dark malt extract, one pound crystal malt, a quarter-pound each of crushed black patent malt and crushed roasted barley, and three and a half ounces of Hallertauer leaf hops. You will also need one cup of brown sugar and one cup of blackstrap molasses, one pound of corn sugar, two teaspoons gypsum, one teaspoon Irish Moss, and a package of ale yeast. Finally, about three-quarter cups of corn sugar to prime the bottles with.

This brew has a fairly long ingredient list, but then there are the optional ingredients as well. The optional ingredients that you can use all together, by themselves, or mix and match as you see fit. They are two to four ounces of freshly grated ginger root, up to two inches of brewing licorice, two tablespoons of spruce tree essence, anywhere from one to ten dried chili peppers, one-quarter cup of slightly crushed juniper berries, and/or six ounces of unsweetened Baker's chocolate or baking cocoa powder. (Can you see why this recipe would have so many variations in flavor?)

Now for the recipe itself: First, steep the crystal malt in the brewing water for one hour at 150F. After removing any leftover crystal malt, mix in dark malt extract, brown sugar, blackstrap molasses, and one pound of the corn sugar. Bring to a soft boil and make sure all items dissolve completely. Next comes the hops: add in a quarter ounce, plus any of your optional ingredients, and boil fifteen minutes. Next, add another half ounce for an additional fifteen minutes.

Then, add in the black patent malt and crushed roasted barley, boiling another fifteen minutes. Add in another quarter ounce of hops and also pour in the gypsum and Irish Moss, boiling for 13 minutes. Finally, add the remaining ounce and a half of hops, boiling for two more minutes.

Allow the wort to cool to room temperature. Pour this mixture into the fermenter, making sure to strain out all the boiled items. Once the wort's temperature falls below 80F, pitch in the yeast. Finally, once the wort has completely fermented, prime the wort with the three-quarter cups of corn sugar and bottle. Enjoy!

How about a much simpler recipe, with a lot less ingredients, and even less steps to making it? Go get your own free guide, chock full of easy beginner's beer making recipes, as well as a much simpler version of the famous Goat Scrotum Ale at :
Easy Homemade Beer

Most people who think about homebrewing beer have fears, real or unfounded, that hold them back. They worry that they will mess it up so badly that they will have to throw the entire batch away, along with it all their hard work. No worries, future homebrewer! I am going to give you some simple things to do that will make the process easier and guarantee you will end up with tasty brew each time.

First, read all the way through the recipe before beginning your brew. This may seem obvious, but sometimes when you are excited to begin, it's quite easy to overlook an item that was hidden inside the recipe. Once you have read it through, make sure you have all the ingredients on hand and ready to go.

Second, always (repeat always) remember to sanitize your equipment - especially the fermenter. Doing this isn't difficult, and many home brewing kits have a simple sanitizer you can use to ensure all your equipment is clean and ready to use before every batch you brew.

Third, make sure you know how to properly read a hydrometer. This device will show you exactly when your beer is completely fermented, and therefore takes all the guesswork out of it.

Fourth, stop worrying about making a mistake. Truth is, if you use one of the simple brewing kits available, the brewing method is almost fool-proof. Furthermore, if you followed all the previous advice, your chance of making a mistake is almost nonexistent.

Fifth and final: Relax and have fun! Take a deep breath, follow the recipe, and you will end up with a great brew. Then you can enjoy the fabulous taste, and have your friends and family beating down your door for more!

By the way, so that I may help you even more, come visit my website. Once there, you'll get a free report that explains the simple process of homebrewing, and it has a collection of tasty and easy beer recipes you're going to love to make.

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Ladies, do you ever notice how the guys seem to have all the fun when it comes to beer? They feel like they "own" the beer market? They swill it down and hog the keg. Also, when it comes to making beer, the men love to think that they are the king of the craft - like home brewing is a guys-only club (it reminds me of a tree house with a hand written sign - "no girls allowed"). Well, I'm here to say that I am no longer going to stand for this, and neither should you.

Come on girls; men might think that beer is a "manly drink" - but this doesn't mean we have to believe it as well. I for one love to enjoy an ice cold beer with my girlfriends while talking about the latest workplace gossip, comparing amazing shopping finds, planning my life, or just plain relaxing while away from the opposite sex. There's nothing like the feel of a cool brew slowly trickling down my throat, especially after a long day.

But where I have something really special, and where I'd like to encourage many of the other beer-loving women out there to shine as well, is by making my own beer at home. Girls, think about it: we have been expected to cook and clean house for ourselves and our "significant others" since the beginning of time. Why not learn how to make your very own home brew as well? Take it from me - making beer at home is not only easy to do, but the results are better than anything the guys can buy.

I recently took my very own home brew and served it to my guy friends while they watched the game on my HDTV. They kept complimenting it, begging me to tell them where I got such great beer. And these are guys that have tasted a lot of beer before. But, I want most of my batches going to my gal-pals, and to the guys who really appreciate it.

So come join with me. It's fun, it's not very expensive, and it can be our little secret. Well, that is unless you want to make the boys beg to you for a change.

Want to get started on your new ale-wives (or ale-girlfriend, or hey, ale-sexy-single) brewing adventure? Great! Just go and download a great free report that shows you exactly how to brew your own beer at home. 13 delicious recipes inside. Get them at my favorite link below.

Happy Brewing! Tracey

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"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." So said Benjamin Franklin. Beer, a health drink? Who would have thought it? Of course, I am not talking about binge drinking here. What I am saying is that beer has healthful qualities when you drink it responsibly and in moderation.

Here is what is true: Beer, especially home brewed beer (due to it having no artificial colors or flavors, and no preservatives), can help when it comes to your health. Like apples, you could say, "A beer a day keeps the doctor away!"

Following are the eight ways that home brewed beer is healthy for you:

1. Studies have shown beer to increase HDL ("good" cholesterol) and decrease the occurrence of blood clots.

2. In May of '99, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that moderate beer drinking would lower the drinker's chances of getting coronary heart disease by 30% - even upwards of 40%.

3. "The New England Journal of Medicine" reported in their November '99 issue that moderate beer drinkers would decrease the chances of their suffering a stroke by a full 20%.

4. The TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute found that home brewed beer contains the vitamin B6, which prevents the build-up of the amino acid homocysteine (these have been linked to causing heart and vascular disease).

5. Home brewed beer contains no fat and no bad cholesterol. Drink it guilt free!

6. Drinking home brewed beer helps promote blood vessel dilation, sleep, and eases urination in elderly people.

7. Home brewed beer is a proven stress reliever and sleep inducer. Nothing like relaxing with a glass of delicious beer you brewed yourself. In fact, the very act of making beer is relaxing.

8.Beer increases vitamin B6 absorption into the blood plasma by 30% - no other beverage can do this!

Now you have another reason to finally begin brewing your own beer at home. It's not only tastier and cheaper than any commercial beer, it's also healthy for you. Salute!

Why not start your own batch of healthy home brew today? Isn't your own health worth it?

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Do you think you know beer? Do your friends and family swear they know beer better than you? Well, let's see who really knows beer by tackling the top five beer myths of all time.

Myth 1: Bitter beer is bad beer.

Okay, let's get this one straight: Whether a small amount of bitterness or a lot, all beers have a bitter flavor. The reason for this is the use of hops, which is required for the authentic beer taste. So if your beer is bitter - it's just fine as it is. It is all a matter of what your taste buds like.

Myth 2: Only men homebrew - women don't drink or make beer.

Whoa Nelly! Although there are a huge number of male homebrewers and beer drinkers, there's also a huge number of women who do the same. Please see my article on women homebrewing and getting "in on the action".

Myth 3: The only reason to homebrew is because the alcohol content is higher than the beer you purchase at the store.

This is false. This myth is because of some confusion in the way the alcohol is reported: Many beers you buy at the store show the alcohol content by weight, while homebrew alcohol content is measured by volume. Quite often the homebrew beer matches a similar alcohol content of the store-bought brands. The reason to homebrew is because it is fun and for the delicious result.

Myth 4: Homebrewed beer is ruined if the bottles are not kept refrigerated.

Fact: if the bottle has not been opened, just return the warm beer to the fridge. Once cold, it will taste just as great as before. The only ways to destroy a good homebrew is to let it sit out open to the air, or set a clear bottle of brew in the sun for an extended period of time.

Myth 5: For best results, you must bottle your homebrew with green bottles only.

Negative! Brown bottles are actually the best color - they keep out the most light. Exposure to light is a sure-fire way to ruin a good batch of tasty beer.

Now you know the truth - how did you do on these beer myths? Were you busted or can you be trusted to be a beer expert? Oh, and one last myth, and it is the biggest myth of all: Homebrewing is hard work. Nowadays, with prepared malt extracts and six-gallon fermenters, it's no more difficult than making bread in a bread machine. Just mix the ingredients, cap the fermenter, and let the yeast do all the work!

Cheers!

(Image courtesy of the Amalgamated Printers' Association's)

When we drink, we get drunk.
When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
So, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven!
--Old Irish toast

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day!

To the holidays-all 365 of them.

I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. - Frank Sinatra

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Trivia has been around forever. Alex Trebec is what, a million years old? Or there is the Cash Cab or if you are into board games, there is always the classic Trivial Pursuit. We all get a sense of power when we are able to answer a little-known fact. So, here are five little known facts about our favorite, refreshing beverage - beer!

Have you ever been served a watered-down beer? Pretty nasty tasting, but fortunately not something that happens often. Back in ancient Babylonia around 1750 B.C., a law was passed that if a barkeep gave a watered down beer to a patron, the owner would be drowned in his own offending brew. I bet that kept it from happening very often!

Also, I am sure we all know the story of the pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock. But here is a part of the story that most people don't know. The main reason the pilgrims landed there and did not travel south to warmer climates is simply because they ran out of beer! Think about that one for a moment: if they had brought more beer, or the supplies to make more with them, we would not have had our Thanksgiving!

On the contrary, Americans would not celebrate our independence July 4th - and this would also mean that July would not be known as "American Beer Month" (do all of you know this? If not, spread the word around) What seems more "American" that having a few brews with family and friends around the 4th of July?

One last event you may not know about occurs in the fall in Denver, Colorado. There is a huge celebration called "The Great American Beer Festival." Each year over thirty thousand people come to drink beer, share their own homebrews, and just enjoy themselves with other beer lovers. If you are a lover of homebrewing and travel, you might want to look into attending this event.

AUTHOR'S BOX

The final little known fact? You can join those of us who homebrew. How? Quite simply, go to http://www.QuickHomeBrew.com and download your free homebrewing guide, with 13 easy and delicious beer recipes.

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There aren't too many people in this world who don't LOVE great desserts. Nothing beats a moist, dark chocolate brownie. Since you are on this website, I know you love beer. Well, here is the blending of your love of beer and dessert. This is a rich, chocolate brownie made with a freshly brewed stout. But the best of both worlds can be found when making your very own decadent dark stout chocolate brownies with your own homebrewed Irish Stout. This is a rich chocolate brownie that uses dark Irish Stout beer to add in flavor and keep the brownies moist and delicious. I am salivating as I type.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then, line a 9 by 13 baking pan with nonstick foil (this makes the brownies easier to remove from the pan after they've cooled). Next, inside of a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together one cup all-purpose flour, three-quarter cups of unsweetened cocoa powder, and a quarter teaspoon of salt. These items make up the dry ingredients.

Now for the chocolate: Melt six tablespoons of butter, eight ounces of bittersweet and three-quarter cups of white chocolate chips in a double boiler over low heat. Remember to stir constantly until melted fully, so that the chocolate won't burn. Next, inside a larger mixing bowl, beat four eggs with a cup of sugar. Do this until the mix is light and fluffy, for approximately three minutes. Then, add in the melted chocolate mix, beating until fully combined.

It's now time to combine the dry ingredients with the wet. Slowly beat in the flour mixture into the melted chocolate mix. Once all the flour is poured in, add in the secret ingredient: your homebrewed dark Irish Stout beer! You only need one and a quarter cups (about ten ounces) of the beer - and feel free to pour a little extra to drink while baking because it is a delicious brew!

Once all mixed together, the batter will seem to be rather thin. Pour this into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips over the batter. Bake brownies for 25 to 30 minutes on the center rack of your oven. Remember, if a toothpick is inserted in the middle and comes out clean, the brownies are done. Allow them to cool for a couple hours, and then dig in to the most decadent and delicious brownies you have ever tasted!

Though there are many tasty foods that go with beer, there is one famous snack that comes to many a beer drinker's mind and that is New York's Buffalo Wings. Nothing goes better with beer than the original spicy chicken wings, as served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. And, if you have never been there, you get the opportunity to bake up a batch with the recipe below. Oh, and they go especially good with the American Wheat Beer that is in the free homebrewing guide in the link below (shameless promotion there).

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs chicken wings (about 12 wings)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
4 Tbsp bottled hot pepper sauce (Frank's Original is best, but another will do)
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut off wing tips. Cut wings at the joint. Put the chicken wing
pieces in a plastic bag and set aside.

Food safety note: when cutting raw chicken, it is best to use
a cutting board reserved just for cutting raw chicken. Wash
thoroughly when finished. Do not let raw chicken juices come
in contact with other food.

2. Create a marinade by stirring together the melted butter, hot
pepper sauce, paprika, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper.
Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the marinade over the chicken
pieces in the plastic bag. (Keep the extra marinade for coating
the wings after they come out of the oven.) Seal bag and let wings
marinate at room temperature for half an hour. When marinating is
finished, drain the marinade and discard the bag.

3. Place wing pieces on the rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5
inches from the heat for about 10 minutes on each side, until the
chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove from the oven and
baste with the reserved marinade.

Makes approximately 24 pieces (about 12 appetizer servings).

Picture this: Delicious homebrew in one hand, tasty wings in the other. Seriously, life doesn't get much better than that!

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There is a list of necessary items in order to home brew beer. As with any hobby, you can "make do" with a homemade versions, or you can get fancy and go all out on many of the items. As far as what is required for making beer, you need a fermenter, ingredients such as hops, malt syrup, yeast, and then an item called a hydrometer. A hydrometer is extremely important, and you want to make sure you use it properly and have a good one. You may ask, what exactly is a hydrometer, and why should you, the beginner, wish to own one?

According to Webster's dictionary, a hydrometer is "an instrument for determining the specific gravity of a liquid, commonly consisting of a graduated tube weighted to float upright in the liquid whose specific gravity is being measured." Let me try to make it a little easier to understand.

Home brewers have to use the hydrometer to see how heavy the brewed liquid is when compared to a base reading from ordinary water. The heaviness of the brew is caused by how much, or how little, of the sugar has been used by the yeast (which is the fermentation process).

Again, you may be asking yourself why this matters. It is important to know because you must understand when your homebrew is completely fermented. Once this has occurred, you can bottle the brew and shortly thereafter enjoy partaking of your tasty ale!

So, how do you use a hydrometer? The process is very easy. To begin with, fill a mason jar (or any jar with straight sides) t2/3 full with water. It is important that the water you are using is room temperature, or approximately 60 degrees. Next, place the hydrometer into the water. It will bob around for a moment, then balance. The reading should be very close to 1.000. Once you have verified this reading, take the hydrometer out of the jar and dry everything off.

Next, fill the jar 2/3 full with your homebrew. Place the hydrometer into the brew, allow it to bob around until balanced, and take your new reading. Fermentation is still occurring if the reading is more than 1.015. Fermentation is close to completion when the hydrometer reads between 1.010 and 1.008.

Just to be sure fermentation has finished, take two readings over a twenty-four period. If the readings match, your brew is ready to be bottled. If it is still changing, the fermentation process is still going. Wait a little longer, and retest.

Important tips: It is absolutely necessary to make sure your jars, as well as the hydrometer, are clean and dry before the reading to ensure a proper outcome. Also, if your brew has any foam or bubbles, pour the solution into a glass, then back into the jar, until they subside. Finally, always make sure your hydrometer is not touching the sides of the jar before you take your readings.

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