What I Wouldn't Do For a Cold One

Years ago, when I was back in high school, having a beer (among other things...) was considered a rite of passage. None of us knew enough to delineate the differences between a domestic lager and an imported stout but an appreciation for that cold unique taste has stayed with me through today.

With the advent of information technology, and the subsequent entrepreneurship that naturally followed, micro-breweries became chic and when they began to market their line, more and more people rediscovered their fascination with beer. Thus started the movement to home brewing.

I have to admit, I was one of many who jumped at the chance to make my own beer. Little did I know how uninformed I was. Sure, there were lots of "home brewing kits" out there and, if you followed their instructions completely, you generally ended up with something you tried to convince yourself (and others) was the "real mccoy". But it took a lot of effort and money to finally achieve a brew worthy of enjoying and sharing with others.

Lots of people out there will tell you that the water you use is the most important ingredient; others will say it's the yeast. Still others swear it's the hops. As somewhat of a veteran at this, I offer up this bit of advice....every ingredient is critical and every step (making and cooling the wort, fermentation, bottling) are of an equal priority. Just as some people will drink light beers while others swear by darker, fuller brews, so it is with yout won taste. If is appeals to you, it's quality. If not, try again.

And for those of you (or us, since I really love sampling others' fine work) who care to check out awesome microbrews from all over or don't have the time to go at it yourselves, check out www.americandiversions.com and click your way to true refreshment.

Making Your Own Beer - What You Must Know Before You Start Brewing

You and your family recently were to go to a micro-brewery where you experienced a number of beers. There was one you fell in love with, your brand new favorite. A beer you merely have to have in your own fridge at all times. Driving home you decide that rather then go to the brewery every time you are struck with a raving you're going to create a home brewery and start making your own beer inside your basement. Making your own beer guarantees you'll always have your favored beer on hand, and that you will not waste precious gas driving backwards and forwards to the brewery. Well before you rush out to buy a home brewing system, empty beer bottles, and other ingredients, you will find some home brewing basics you should know before you start making your own beer.

Speak with Your family

A valuable home brewing tip to keep in mind is before getting started is communication. It does not matter if the very first batch of your own beer is great enough to be marketed world wide, your own partner won't be pleased if they're constantly stumbling over your home brewing system, or cleaning spilled beer off the counters. Make certain your whole family is okay you making your own beer at home.

Begin with an easy recipe

You will be amazed at how many recipes you can find for beers you can make in your own house. You can find them everywhere, in magazines, in recipe books, and over the internet; some micro-breweries will handout a few of their recipes. Just because you've got a recipe doesn't mean you have to work with it. Home brewing your own beer is to not get in over your head, get a recipe that is simple and clearly written. It may help if your first recipe is for a beer that is easily available to you, that way you can buy samples to compare the flavor of the commercially made brand towards the batch of your own beer.

Get some help

One of the basics to making your own beer would be to not try out it totally by yourself in the beginning. You and everybody around you will be happier if you find someone who has previous brewing experience to help guide you through making your own beer at home. This person ought to be somebody that can help you setup your home brewing system, and talk you through the ins and outs of your very first recipe. They will also be a person who will enjoy sampling the fruits of your labors. In case you are unable to find somebody to help you making your own beer, try looking at the web, there are various home brewing websites where you can find some help.

Don't give up

One of the tips in making your own beer is that you need to keep in mind is to not expect perfection the initial time. The Sistine Chapel was not Michelangelo's first art project, he had a ton of knowledge before tackling that particular task. You will probably must brew a number of batches of beer before you're able to perfectly duplicate your favorite recipe. If the first batch isn't ideal keep working at it, just keep making your own beer following the basic home brewing facts and you'll eventually succeed.

The author of this article, Peter Waterman, writes on his website HomeBeerMakers.com about his greatest hobby, making his own beer. Read his articles about plate wort chiller for example a stainless steel therminator wort chiller.

The History and Evolution of Microbreweries

Most commonly, brewing itself means the production of malt beverages, like beer or ale, by grinding and boiling the malt and hops and fermenting the resulting mixture with yeast. This art of brewing established itself with the advent of agricultural societies and cultivation of grains such as wheat and barley back in ancient times. Microbrewery, however, is a rather modern term that originated in the late seventies in United Kingdom and was originally considered to be a brewery with limited capacity. Initially this capacity was limited to less than 3,000 barrels but due to increase in popularity, it increased to as much as 15,000 barrels per year by the end of 1980.

Back in its early days, micro brewed beer was often referred to bear that was mainly produced in homes or small pubs. During the early parts of the twentieth century, a lot of microbreweries were forced to closure and bankruptcy, especially in the U.S, mainly due to the prohibition of alcohol and lack of resources. Mainstream beer production was limited to large corporations only resulting in a very uniform tasting beer. But consequently, with the failure of prohibition law and the need for a larger variety of beer, people began taking the concept of home brewing to a larger scale. As popularity of these products grew, many such locations sprang up across the globe giving rise to the concept of microbreweries. These places commonly had bars built along with them, giving an opportunity to sell the product directly.

Microbreweries make it possible for the producers to create their own unique concoctions and make different experiments with flavor of the beer. Beer often looses its flavor and freshness due to excessive storage. That is why hundreds and thousands of beer lovers from around the globe have come to love the taste and feel of the beer brewed in microbreweries mainly due to their unique touches and freshness. Micro brewed beer tastes richer and has a darker color tone to it as compared to commercially and mass-produced variety. That is why the concept of microbreweries is not restricted only to the pub. Just for the love of it, a lot of beer aficionados brew their own beer at home too.

Though microbreweries do not give any real competition or pose an alarming threat to major beer brewing companies as they claim a very dismal market share when compared to these giants. Still, their influence and uniqueness has caused these major market players to open their own microbreweries based on their brand name. In some cases, these companies have been forced to buy the local microbreweries outright.

Thus microbreweries have carved their own niche in the market. Thanks to them, people now have a choice of beer they want to drink. Either they can buy the brand available in the locality, visit the nearest pub for a drink or brew their own masterful blend at home. It provides a great opportunity to explore different recipes and do experimentation in brewing rich and hearty beer.

Emilie is an article writer and freelance product reviewer. To see more articles written by Emilie please visit http://truehepafilter.org including the newest reviews of True Hepa Filters

Home Brew Shops Are Often Little Brewing History Museum

If you want to know about home brewing and home brewing history, the best place is probably not in a museum or library. The best place to go for information and to get a feel of home brewing in the old days is to go to one of your local home brew shops. If you have never been in one of these stores you will be surprised because the moment you step in, it looks like time stood still. Many home brew stores are often part of a small brewery that produces there own wines, beers and/or even some non alcoholic beverages. Of course they also sell supplies for home brewers but they also use there own equipment to introduce others in the craft of brewing. They often sell their beverages in the shop and supply the local pup and party's with their products.

Many of these home brew shops and adjoining micro breweries where started by home brewers who made their hobby into work. Many just started making beer or wine and developed a good recipe that not only their family and friends liked to buy but also the friends of their friends, until the day came that complete strangers were asking for that special brew. After they acquired the licences to sell their products and found a good location to start there shop they were in business. These kind of shops are often the best ones to get good advice because they have been where you are at this moment.

Home brew shop owners of the kind we described above, are also the ones that at some point in there brewing career started collecting historical brewing stuff. Even though not much is changed in the brewing methods over the years the materials have changed, and have become more modern. Home beer brewing has only been legal in the USA since 1978 but in the period before the prohibition brewing at home was a common practice. Much of the home brewing equipment got lost during the prohibition and this is a reason that many collectors also collect brewing equipment from Europe and especially from Germany.

Germany is an important country when it comes to beer brewing, most of the popular aroma hops that are used grow extremely well in Germany. And because of this Germany is a real beer country. The aromatic hops are the most important ingredient of beer because the hops provide the beer's taste. Because hops need to be fresh when you put them in your brew and they dry fairly quickly most home brew shops sell plugs or pellets. The taste of the beer can turn almost rancid, when you use old hops the hops from pellets have a much longer shelf life.

In the USA, the Prohibition of Alcohol lasted from 1920 until 1933 and when the ban was lifted it took until 1978 before a new law made it possible to brew beer at home again. In the years between 1933 and 1978 home brew shops were only allowed to sell materials for making wine and liquors. And even today home brewers can only produce 100 gallons of beer per person over 21 and with a maximum of 200 gallons a year.

Drew Brown has one hobby and he loves to share it with the world. He just loves to brew his own beverages. www.brewingyourown.com

Home Brewers Are Still Making Small Beer

Miller Brewing Company launched the first reduced alcohol beer, "Miller Lite" in 1973. Now, almost 40 years later, almost every major and micro brewing company offers a reduced alcohol product and it accounts for an ever growing percentage of the annual 180 million barrel US market.

To be considered a light, or reduced alcohol, beer must contain no more than 3.5% "alcohol by volume" (ABV). This compares with "regular" beer that, generally, contains between 5% and 6%. A recent testing of the best selling US light beer, Bud Light showed it to have about 100 calories in a 12 oz. can compared to about 142 in Budweiser's regular beer. The spelling "Lite" is a trademark of Miller brewing company and should not be used to refer to reduced alcohol beer in general.

The states of Utah, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Kansas, and Colorado will allow convenience stores and supermarkets to only sell beer with ABV of 3.2%. Higher alcohol content beer may be sold only in liquor stores licensed by the state. Interestingly, Oklahoma further mandates that beer over 3.2% ABV must be sold only at room temperature. Some classify this reduced alcohol beer as "near-beer" but that term originated much earlier, during the prohibition era.

Originally, "near-beer" was a name for malt based beverages with little or no alcoholic content. These brews sprang up as soon as prohibition outlawed the brewing of any alcoholic beverage. These brews were officially classified as "cereal beverages" to distinguish them from the illegal recipes. These brews proved to be popular with the public and about 300 million gallons were produced in the early 1920s and provided a much needed revenue source for many breweries.

One of the most important reasons for near-beer's popularity was that it was easily spiked with grain alcohol and soon acquired yet another nickname; "needle beer" because of a needle was often used to inject the alcohol through the cork.

Preceding near-beer was "small beer" which was widely produced both in colonial America and even earlier in Europe. Small beer is an extremely low alcohol drink that is flavored with different ingredients such as molasses. It was often served to children and servant along with meals, including breakfast. At the time, it was a safer drink than water because of the brewing process which boiled the wort, which killed the water born diseases of the time such as cholera.

Small beer has fallen out of favor with today's drinkers and is mostly brewed by home brewers and some microbreweries. However, Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco still produces "Anchor Small Beer" which is listed with an ABV of 3.3%.

Instead of searching the online beer sites endlessly for information about home beer making, simply download the ebook Brew Beer Bible found at Brew Beer Today.com.

The Brew Beer Bible is inexpensive, has an iron clad money back guarantee if it does not meet expectations, and offers step by step instructions on how to always get the best tasting beer out of your home brewery.

Price of Beer Getting You Down - Home Brewing Kits Discussed

Indeed, I guess it goes without saying that not all home brewing kits are created equal, and it also goes without saying that if you want to produce a quality beer with a decent head, one you could float a bottle cap on, as if it was the first beer out of the keg, then you need to pay attention. You must study the various home brewing kits, and understand the chemistry and physics behind how it all works and why.

Many folks like the concept of DIY beer, and they want to re-invent the wheel. Okay fine, but there have been 100s and 100s of years behind the making of beer, so let's not get too cocky here. Secondly, you'd be surprised how well some of the simplest of systems work and how easy it really is. If you screw it up believe me you will know it, as it will taste like absolute crap, and you'll kick yourself for not following instructions.

Why not do this, go online and look on Google Images searching "home brew kits" - and see the different schematics and designs. Choose one that is simple, and then go to that website and see the cost and see if that is in your budget, then determine if you really want to be the guy on the block who has his own back-yard micro-brewery.

One thing that many home brewers have found is that the odor often offends the neighbors, so if you live in a neighborhood where everyone lives very close together, you could have issues. Also, there are health rules about brewing for anything other than self-consumption, so don't be thinking you can recoup costs by selling your excess, it doesn't work that way, plus you are setting yourself up for legal liability anyway.

If after you do all this research and you still decide you want to go for it, then follow the instructions and do it their way first. Only after you have experience, and knowledge of the complete process should you try to go and modify anything. Oh yes, and one last thing, home brewing of beer is quite a bit different than making your own bio-fuel for your car, so don't be thinking you can use that same system to make both beer and fuel, okay?

Lastly, please check your local ordinances, as many cities, counties, and some states have restrictions, and/or rules against home brewing, and if you get arrested for breaking the law, you will be placed into a gated community with no beer at all!

By Lance Winslow

Malt Extract Brewing: The Best Option for Beginning Home Brewers

If you want to get into the home brewing scene, then you should take advantage of extract malt brewing because it is by far the easiest option if you are new to brewing beer at home. Because you do not have to worry about the mashing process, there is less room for error. This is not to say that extract brews cannot be messed up, but the odds of them turning out favorable are better than they are with all grain brewing.

In its most basic form, beer needs 4 ingredients to achieve proper fermentation, and ultimately become alcoholic. You need malted barley, hops, water, and yeast. When you purchase an extract kit, you don't need to worry about the mashing process because the kits include either liquid or dried malt extract. Not only does this help you to not make mistakes, but it also saves a lot of time. Which if you are as busy as I'm not, then this is a good thing.

You may have read that extract brewing limits your ability to have complete control over your brew, and while this is true, you need to gain a thorough understanding of the brewing process before you worry about becoming the head brewmaster of your own micro-brewery. What makes brewing with extracts so nice is that you can slowly incorporate the use of grain into your brewing process.

Brewing your own beer is like any other hobby in that you need to start at the basic level, and then move to more advanced techniques as you gain more experience. I think that you will find home brewing to be a very fun hobby, and as soon as you are producing delicious beer that none of the grocery store brands can compete with, you will want to keep on brewing. Another advantage is that chicks will dig you, men will admire you, and you can rub the fact that you brew your own beer into the faces of all of those that you went to school with, who eventually went on to have successful careers and lives. Oh sweet, sweet revenge.

So, get out there, and start brewing!

If you would like more information on brewing and brew kits, then visit my page on home brewing beer. You won't be disappointed.

Lake District Breweries

I hear a rumour that there are 28 breweries in Cumbria. Certainly, I ran out of fingers AND toes listing the ones that come readily to mind! I tried to come up with a Top Ten from that fabulous long list, but I'm afraid it just wouldn't get shorter than fourteen. There are plenty of self catering lake district cottages to stay in near these breweries, it'd be crazy to miss out. So, in no particular order, enjoy!

1. Keswick Brewery
Thanks to the Keswick Brewery, Brewery Lane is once more alive with the sounds and smells of a proper craft brewery. Established in 2006, the Keswick Brewery is located on the site of the town's Victorian brew house, producing a number of popular beers all named 'Thirst - something': Thirst Run (4.2% ABV), a golden pale ale; Thirst Fall (4.8% ABV), a chocolatey, malty bitter; Thirst Noel (6% ABV), a dark, rich, malty ale and Thirst Rescue (3.7% ABV ), a citrussy, golden bitter that makes a donation to the Mountain Rescue.

There are brewery tours all year round with a charitable donation from each tour divided equally between the Climate Contribution Fund and Red Squirrel Conservation. The Keswick Brewery's beers are available from the on-site shop and many pubs in northern Cumbria.

2. The Strands Brewery
The Strands Brewery is based at the Strands Hotel public house in Nether Wasdale. They brew only for their own use, producing a number of beers which are nonetheless favourites with the CAMRA crew. The pub was runner-up in West Cumbria CAMRA's Pub of the Year competition in 2009.

Their most famous beer is 'Errrrrrm' (apologies if the incorrect number of 'r's are quoted!), a name developed as an apparent absence of creativity inspired a very unusual moniker! Errrrrrm (3.8% ABV) is a light, hoppy, amber bitter. Still lacking name inspiration when they brewed a delicious dark, smooth, porter-style ale, the pub's regulars submitted suggestions and T'Errrrrminator (5% ABV) was born.

3. Hardknott Brewery
Until recently, Hardknott's brewer was the landlord of the Woolpack Inn at Boot in Eskdale, where he brewed a few interesting numbers from a tiny set-up behind the pub. The Hardknott Brewery seceded from the pub earlier this year, setting up new premises in Millom. The Woolpack still stocks their brews, though (phew!). News is still thin on the ground since the relocation, but Millom seems to have been very good for their creativity. Try their Continuum (4.0% ABV) 'there is always time and space for good beer' and Dark Energy (4.9% ABV) 'without it, the cosmos would be inexplicable'. So there.

4. Coniston Brewery
Home to the very popular Bluebird Bitter, the Coniston Brewery is based at back of the Black Bull pub in Coniston. They've won a lot of awards, and reckon that Bluebird is the bestselling bottled beer at a certain regional supermarket! They supply a lot of pubs, including The Manor Arms at Broughton-in-Furness and the Kirkstile Inn at Loweswater.

Bluebird Bitter (3.6% ABV), named after Donald Campbell's ill-fated boat, is a very pale ale with a hint of orangeyness. Old Man Ale (4.2% ABV) is something a bit different; complex, chocolatey, fruity and bitter. At this time of year, perhaps we should try Winter Warmer Blacksmith's Ale (5.0% ABV), a rich, strong ale very reminiscent of Christmas pudding.

5. Jennings Brewery
Founded in Cockermouth in 1828, Jennings is by far the largest brewery in Cumbria. Aficionados were shocked when the brewery was taken over by Wolverhampton & Dudley in 2005, later migrating to Marston's. But the consensus is that Jennings remains Jennings, continuing to brew all the old favourites on site right here in Cockermouth. They also gained brownie points by collecting 10p in the pound for every pint sold in the aftermath of last year's cataclysmic floods, raising a tremendous ?178k. They too were flooded, but brewing again by spring of this year.

Favourites are Jennings Bitter, Cumberland Ale, Cocker Hoop and Snecklifter with seasonal specials including Yan T'yan Tethera, Tom Fool, Cross Buttock, Crag Rat and World's Biggest Liar (Jennings sponsor the annual competition, based in the Santon Bridge Inn in Wasdale). Their beers are widely available in pubs and by the bottle.
There are brewery tours throughout the year, with sampling. There is a bar and tea room on site.

6. Stringers Beer
This micro-brewery in Ulverston on the west Cumbrian coast makes lovely beer, but that isn't all there is to get excited about. They're powered by Cumbrian nature - wind, wave, hydro and solar energy.

Popular brews include their Champion Stout (4% ABV), jet-black and, for a stout, very quaffable. Their West Coast Blond (4.4% ABV) is a flavoursome, floral ale made with blond hops on the west coast of Cumbria - no Californians here! They make a number of specials from time to time, including this summer's Sunbird, a curiously tangerine-y number; we look forward to their Christmas brew.

7. Barngates Brewery
Based at the Drunken Duck between Ambleside and Coniston, Barngates is lucky to have its own water supply, which adds its distinctive flavour to their brews. All their beers are named after various pub pets, so it's a good job for all of us that there have been quite a few!

Try Cracker Ale (3.9% ABV), a clean, smooth ale, named after the pub's favourite Jack Russell, Cracker. Aaah! Chester's Strong &Ugly (5.2% ABV) is popular with CAMRA and at the local beer festivals.
Red Bull Terrier(4.8% ABV), named after a dog called Brutus, is a proper winter ale; tangy, spicy and malty. It won three awards at the latest SIBA North Beer Competition.

8. Hesket Newmarket
If you're scrabbling around in your brain thinking, 'I've heard that name somewhere... something to do with Prince Charles', then you're spot-on. It doesn't really have any royal connections other than the fact that Prince Charles is very happy to support this community-owned co-operative, and often pops in when he's in the Lakes.

The brewery is based at the back of the Old Crown pub in Hesket Newmarket, near Caldbeck, and with one noble (and delicious) exception, names its beers after fells. Try Doris' 90th Birthday (4.3% ABV), a fruity number with butterscotch and bitter flavours; Catbells Pale Ale (5% ABV), an easy-drinking pale ale; Great Cockup Porter (3.0% ABV), dark and chocolatey, and Old Carrock Strong Ale (6.0% ABV), with a rich, Christmassy flavour.

Evening tours of the brewery, with a curry at the pub next door, are available all year round.

9. Ennerdale Brewery
Those feeling the loss of the old Whitehaven Brewing Company will be happy to hear that it has been re-born as the Ennerdale Brewery, based on a farm near Cleator. Using skills gained as a head brewer for Jennings, the Ennerdale Brewery has launched a number of beers all with 'Ennerdale' in the name: Darkest Ennerdale Best Bitter (4.2% ABV), Ennerdale Copper (3.8% ABV), Ennerdale Blonde Golden Ale (3.8% ABV), Ennerdale Breeze Mild (3.9% ABV) and Ennerdale Spice (4.2% ABV). It's early days yet for the Ennerdale Brewery - hence no website - but it's looking promising!

10. Yates Brewery
Following the buyout of Jennings, Yates's became the oldest independent brewery in Cumbria. Based at Westnewton in northern Cumbria, Yates' beers are widely stocked in pubs throughout the county and in bottles at Booths' supermarkets. They also have an on-line shop.

Try Yates' Bitter (3.7% ABV), a golden, complex bitter, or their Solway Sunset (4.3% ABV), a golden beer designed to bring to mind an evening at the west coast seaside town, Allonby. Their Christmas number, Yates' Best Cellar (4.6% ABV) became so popular that this old-fashioned, flavoursome beer is now available all year round in the bottle.

11. Bitter End Brewing Co.
Since Jennings was bought out, Bitter End takes great pride in calling itself the largest independent brewery in Cockermouth. They brew six regular beers and a number of specials throughout the year.
Try their Lakeland Bitter (3.8% ABV), a light copper bitter with a sweet, biscuity character, or Lakeland Amber (4.0% ABV), a pale, refreshing beer. Their Lakeland Honey Beer (5.0% ABV) is popular amongst beer-lovers, with a pale golden colour, floral hops and - you guessed it - a hint of honey flavour.

12. Cumbrian Legendary Ales
This Hawkshead-based brewery gained its name producing beers named after legendary Cumbrian characters - Wicked Jimmy, Buttermere Beauty, King Dunmail and Croglin Vampire - but since its takeover by Loweswater Brewery last year has concentrated on producing equally top quality, but more normally named, beers.

Try Loweswater Gold (4.3%), recently voted Best Gold Ale in Cumbria; Langdale (4.0% ABV), a bitter with strong orangey notes, or Melbreak (3.7% ABV), a quaffable bitter with lots of body. Rannerdale Robin (4.0% ABV), a rich, malty Christmas beer, is due out in December.

13. Ulverston Brewing Company
Fed up of brewing in their garage after Ulverston's only native brewery, Hartley's, had closed, the owners of Ulverston Brewing Co. finally launched earlier this year. Many of their beer's names pay tribute to Stan Laurel, who was born in the town.

Try Another Fine Mess (4.0% ABV), a pale, hoppy, citrus-y beer, or Lonesome Pine, another pale beer with sweet, honey notes. Fra Diavolo (4.3% ABV) is a fiendish little number with a dark, rich flavour with the bitterness of chocolate and express. Yum!

The Brewery accepts visitors at most times, and can also arrange more formal tours.

14. Beckstones Brewery
Based at The Green between Millom and Broughton-in-Furness, Beckstones makes characterful beers that are worth hunting out at nearby pubs including the Punchbowl at The Green and the King's Head at Broughton.

Their Leat (3.6% ABV) - Cumbrian dialect for 'light' - is a thirst-quenching fruity number. Black Dog Freddy (3.9% ABV) - another beer named after a dog! - is a mild which won a couple of awards when it was launched in 2008. And we all know when it's Beer O'Clock (3.9%) - the perfect time for a pale golden beer with lots of hops.

Talking of which... I think it might indeed be Beer O'Clock. I'll have a pint, please! There are several Lake District cottages near these fantastic breweries, why not come and visit one?

Lake District cottages

Using a Hydrometer for Beer Brewing

A hydrometer is one of the simplest tools a home brewers has at their disposal, but also an important one so I thought I would spend a few moments this week discussing how to properly use a hydrometer and also how to adjust your hydrometer readings for temperature.  Most brewers rely on a hydrometer to determine their original and final gravity, and more advanced users will also track mash gravity and end of fermentation gravity.

A hydrometer is a very simple device that looks like a large thermometer.  When you immerse it in wort or finished beer it sinks to a varying degree depending on how dense the wort is and provides a reading of the specific gravity.  Most hydrometers used by home brewers are scaled for specific gravity readings, which is technically a unitless measure that generally ranges from 1.000 for water to 1.100 or higher for high gravity barley wines.  An average beer might have a starting gravity between 1.040 and 1.050 and a final gravity around 1.010.

The reason specific gravity is unitless is that is is simply a measure of the density of the liquid relative to water – so 1.000 would be the density of distilled water, and most wort or beer has a gravity slightly above that of water (1-10% higher actually).  To calculate the specific gravity of a liquid sample with known density, we just divide its density by the density of water – that is the specific gravity value.

Many professional brewers use hydrometers that measure in degrees Plato, which is another density system developed by Bohemian scientist Karl Balling in 1843 and later improved by Fritz Plato.  This scale is a measure of density relative relative to the percent sucrose in the water, so a reading of 11 degrees plato would be equivalent in density to water with 11% sucrose dissolved in it.

Converting from plato to specific gravity is not strictly linear, but most brewers use the approximation of 1 degree plato = 4 points specific gravity, so 12 degrees plato would correspond to 48 points of specific gravity, or a measure of 1.048 approximately.  For significantly larger values the approximation starts to drift off, so its best to use a calculator at that point (such as the one in BeerSmith).

Use of a hydrometer is a pretty simple affair.  You typically remove a small amount of sample wort, place it in a clear sample cylinder and then immerse the hydrometer in the liquid.  Read the gravity reading from the scale on the hydrometer where it crosses the water-air boundary.  There will be a slight curve along the water-air line (called the meniscus), so if you want to be really accurate you should take the reading at the lowest point in that air-water curve (the bottom of the meniscus).

One final cautionary note – many beginners tend to take the sample in the tube that the hydrometer was sold in.  You need to be a bit cautious when doing so as the tube is quite small and the hydrometer will sometimes stick to the side a bit which could give you an inaccurate reading.  Ideally you want it floating freely in the wort, which is why more advanced brewers will purchase a small sample vessel or use another vessel to hold the sample.

Hydrometers are all calibrated to be accurate at a standard temperature.  For most home brewing hydrometers, the calibration temperature is 60F (20C), though a few laboratory hydrometers are calibrated to a different temperature (usually 68F/20C).   The calibration temperature is usually printed on the scale of your hydrometer in really small letters.

Manufacturers calibrate the hydrometer to be accurate at their calibration temperature, and its often a good idea to validate that by cooling a sample of distilled water to that calibration temperature and verifying that your hydrometer reads 1.000.

If you use your hydrometer at another temperature other than the calibration temperature you should add or subtract a small adjustment to get an accurate reading.  In practice, if you are working near room temperature the adjustment is relatively small (typically one point).  However when you measure hot wort (such as wort coming from the mash tun or boiler) the difference can be significant and you should adjust your hydrometer for the calibration temperature.

The formula I use in BeerSmith is:

sg = sg_measured + sg_measured * (1.628E-5 * (tc – t) – 5.85E-6 * (tc*tc – t*t) + 1.532E-8 (tc*tc*tc – t*t*t))

where sg_measured is the measured value, tc is the calibration temperature and t is the temperature (both in celsuis the sample was measured at.  This gives a pretty accurate measure, but its not much fun to calculate by hand, so there is a hydrometer calculation tool in BeerSmith to do this adjustment for you.

Thanks for visiting the BeerSmith Home Brewing Blog.  I hope you will subscribe for regular articles, and hope you have a great week!

Tagged as: Beer, Homebrewing, brewing, homebrew, hydrometer, temperature adjustment

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What is Micro Brew?: Understanding Beer

Micro brewed beer is often used to refer to beer that is brewed in the comforts of one's home or in small pubs. The term started in the 70s in the UK to describe single units that make their own beer or traditional cask ale.

Before, the term micro brew was only used to characterize output volume and brewery size. In the US, it used to refer to breweries that produces less than 15,000 beer barrels in a year. But, now, it is fast becoming known as a next generation approach to beer brewing and experimentation, as well as customized service.

Beer aficionados will tell you that some of the world's best brews are the ones done in microbreweries. Because makers of micro brew beer have the liberty to create their own concoctions and make experiments with flavor, a number of microbreweries gave starting banking on this popularity and sprouting all over the world.

If you ask micro brew fans what makes this kind of beer so great, they will most definitely tell you it's the distinct flavor. You see, microbrewed beer usually tastes richer and darker than its commercially and mass-produced counterparts. And because each pub or home microbrewery is likely to have its own distinct twist to beer making, you can be assured of a variety of flavors you are bound to taste.

Micro brew is not just for pubs, as said earlier. Some people prefer to brew their own beer at home, for personal pleasure. Home brews are perfect for private parties. In fact, some beer makers even use a home microbrewery as an excuse to invite people over.

However, it is important to note that not all states have legalized microbrewing. To know more information about this, as well as how to start your own micro brew setup at home, you might want to check out the American Homebrewers Association. They have a list of restrictions and how-tos on their Web site, which can help you get started or keep you in control.

You can also join a local micro brew club if there is on in your area. If you're a bit antisocial, this might be the best place to start with because you deal with a fewer number of people. You can exchange notes and compare micro brew flavors with them, and even do joint projects on new tastes. To find out if there's one in your vicinity, check the local directory.

Making your own beer or tasting one that's customized makes a whole lot of difference to the beer drinking experience. If you previously thought the beers you buy from the supermarket are all there is, then you missed so much.

However, it's not too late to start introducing yourself to the wonder that is micro brew. Who knows, you might actually learn to love it more than the commercial fare -- just like any other person who has made the switch before you. Enjoy!

Khieng 'Ken' Chho - Micro Brew
For related articles and other resources, vsit Ken's website: http://microbrew.1w3b.net