All about brewing beer.
1 Tin, 250g LDM, 500g Dextrose, 250
Dried Corn Syrup, 15g Saaz Hops
(Standard),Saflage Yeast and 23 litres
Water.
After making a couple of Morgans Blue
Mountain Lager and being impressed I
thought I’d give it a go. Not
impressed at all, lacks depth, mouth
feel, basically unimpressed.
– Rating:1/5
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On special for 8 bucks a can so had a go
at this: Two Cans, 15grams Fuggles,
Safale yeast. 18 litres of water.
At three months old a bit too bitter but
nice flavour. Would do again.
– Rating:4/5
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We live in an enlightened age of beer, which is perhaps the best time ever for beer in America in terms of diversity, quality and innovation. If, however, you’re one of the unfortunate souls living today in Alabama, only 1/3 of the beers made in the world are legally allowed to be sold there. The Yellowhammer State is determined to keep its beers yellow and fizzy. Only beer under 6% abv is legal there and only in packages holding 16 oz. or less. As you might expect, wine has no size restrictions and can be up to 24% and spirits none whatsoever.
There are other odd restrictions, too, such as homebrewers are not permitted to hold competitions. The fact that homebrewing is even legal, I confess, is almost surprising in and of itself. For a more complete picture of the antiquated restrictions in Alabama, visit Free the Hops.
Free the Hops is a grassroots organization that started in 2004 that’s trying to drag Alabama’s beer laws into the 21st Century and, sadly, they’re meeting with a lot of resistance from … well, let’s say folks who would rather keep the status quo, don’t really understand what’s happening in the rest of the world, and would rather Alabamians stopped drinking altogether.
Despite these hurdles, and with the support of 61 businesses in the state, they’ve managed to get their “Gourmet Bill” through the house and the state senate is poised to vote on it later this week. As you might imagine, such effort needs money. To raise some funds for the fight, Free the Hops is conducting a raffle of rare beers at only $4 per raffle ticket, 3 for $10 or 5 for $15. There’s a special raffle website where you can buy raffle tickets online using credit cards or PayPal. It couldn’t be easier and it’s for a very worthy cause. I just bought five tickets. Who’s next? Let’s help Alabama to enjoy more of the wonderful beers we take for granted.
Apologies to all for there being no posts in a while. This will be the last post regarding Easybrew that I will make for the foreseeable future.
See these posts for background on the Easybrew saga:
Action regarding Easybrew.co.uk Problems
Easybrew.co.uk – Order Problems Resolved
Easybrew.co.uk – Developments & Advice
Various commentors have noticed over the last few days/weeks that the Easybrew online shop is “down for maintenance”. Whether it ever reappears from this maintenance remains to be seen, although they do still appear to have been having problems fulfilling orders recently.
My advice would be to not attempt to shop with them if/when they reappear on the net. Also note that the Easybrew company set up a new website at http://www.homebrewingandwinemaking.co.uk/ so avoid this one as well.
I hope everyone that has outstanding orders/money owed gets there problem resolved. If the company has gone bust then you may need to register with the administrators as a creditor to get anything back.
My recommendation for a good homebrew shop online would be Hop & Grape. In my experience they have delivered goods very quickly and have let me know promptly if any item is out of stock (only happened once!)
I hope to post more actual homebrewing information/stories here as of now, and would welcome comments/questions from anyone.
Thanks,
Graham
One of the most interesting things announced at the Craft Brewers Conference in Boston last week was the Draught Beer Quality Manual published by the Technical Committee of the Brewers Association, in collaboration with all of the large brewers, as well. As a result of working with virtually the entire industry, the manual should become the industry standard for all things concerning draft beer. The committee was headed by Ken Grossman, of Sierra Nevada Brewing, who is known for his attention to detail and thoroughness. Everyone I know who’s looked at the manual so far has nothing but high praise for it. If you own or work in a bar or any other place that serves draught beer, or are simply interested in the subject, you should get a copy of the manual. Happily, it’s available free of charge online at DraughtQuality.org as a Wiki and the entire thing can be downloaded as a pdf, also free of charge. It includes just about everything you ever wanted to know about draught beer.
These kits are expensive but this one is
worth every penny. Brewed as per
instructions with the US-05 yeast
included in the pack and the fuggles
teabag finishing hops. Easily the best
brew I have made. Rich malty flavour,
good hop balance, dark red-brown colour,
good head retention. Will definitely be
making this one again. – Rating:5/5
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Greg Koch, co-founder of Stone Brewing Co. put together a video with around 35 different craft brewers from around the country for his keynote address at the Craft Brewers Conference taking place this week in Boston, Mass. The video ends with a toast to craft beer, so you may want to get a beer ready before you watch it. Enjoy.
I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.
Pyramid Breweries, brewers of the award winning Pyramid Hefeweizen and the 2008 Brewery of the Year, announces the introduction of a refreshed brand positioning and bold new packaging launching in April.
Building upon its rich craft heritage, Pyramid will introduce a new look and inject a fresh attitude into its family of craft ales and lagers. The evolved brand position is an expression of the proud tradition of brewing great beer combined with the energy, activity and the community that is the essence of the cities where Pyramid brews and serves its collection of award winning offerings.
“As a craft pioneer, Pyramid is extremely passionate about our brewing and we are continually inspired by the cities where we brew, live and play everyday. We believe we have successfully distilled that enthusiasm into our beer and our new packaging,” said Mike Brown, President of Pyramid Breweries. “The robust craft beer business continues to grow with new breweries and brands arriving everyday. To remain relevant in a landscape with greater variety, we believe we must constantly evolve our portfolio and Pyramid is committed to providing craft consumers with interesting beers and experiences that quench their thirst for adventure.”
The updated brand will launch with bold new packaging that builds upon Pyramid’s rich heritage, icons, and color palette. Created with a “Windows of the World” theme, the updated packaging captures the recognizable Pyramid icons complete with bright new illustrations reflecting the active and dynamic urban environments Pyramid brews its variety of year round, seasonal, and specialty beer.
With the new packaging, Pyramid will introduce new names for two of its best selling ales. Pyramid Hefeweizen becomes Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen, an ale that is unfiltered like life itself. Pyramid Apricot Ale will boldly go where no fruit has gone before and become Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale. The beers will be the same great beers, but with new names and bold new packaging. “In essence, we’re going haywire,” remarks Brown.
Brewed this according to instructions
(no sugar necessary). Bottled after 6
days at approx 21-24�. Primed bottles
with half the amount recommended in the
instructions and cracked first bottle
after 10 days. Still a little ropey, but
with potential. fantastic after 1 month
or so, but a few were a little
‘lively’ would definately use again
with extra hops and some liguid malt.
– Rating:4/5
Click here for more
Brewed this according to instructions
(no sugar necessary). Bottled after 6
days at approx 21-24�. Primed bottles
with half the amount recommended in the
instructions and cracked first bottle
after 10 days. Still a little ropey, but
with potential. fantastic after 1 month
or so, but a few were a little
‘lively’ would definately use again
with extra hops and some liguid malt.
– Rating:4/5
Click here for more
