Starting Your Own Micro Home Brewing

When you are producing less than one million hectoliters of beer each year then you are considered a micro brewery in the United States, when you reside in Canada however you should not be making more than 300.000 hectoliters per year. It still is more than you are allowed for private use, having a micro brewery can be a wonderful way of living. Specially when you enjoy brewing beer and you wouldn't mind being a bit more commercial then it's perfect for you.

Always sanitize

When you want to get started with your micro home brewing you should first start by sanitizing all the equipment that you are going to use in the brewing process. After the sanitizing you should give everything a good rinse to be sure that no sanitizer is left in the system. If there is any sanitizer left then this could kill the yeast and this on it's turn will result in a poor tasting and flat beer.

Cooking and stirring

The first thing that has to be done when you are micro home brewing is to start the cooking process. Put about 2 gallons of water in the pot and bring it to a boil and when it is boiling you add the malt syrup. Now we need to start stirring this mixture can dissolve in the boiling water but be careful now and make sure that the pot does not boil over because when that happens we could lose ingredients so always keep a close eye on the pot while you stir it.

The next steps

We need to do a lot of other steps to complete the brewing process. The worth, which is the name of the mixture we created should be left alone to cool after this we need to siphon it, bottle it etc. etc. You will find out that there are many methods you can follow when you start micro home brewing. It is probably best to do a lot of testing so your beer will have a distinctive taste to it that will be your signature.

Do not fear, help is near

If you, at some point do not know how to tackle a certain problem you can always ask one of the many microbreweries that are out there, maybe give a few of them a visit to introduce yourself. If you don't know any in your region then get online and start looking nearby breweries with an online search.

If you have always liked brewing you own beer for private use and really would like to make a small living out of it then give micro home brewing a try. It will not be a large investment and you would be doing something that, because it is your hobby, will not have a high learning curve.

Keep in mind that it should be something you enjoy doing. It will reflect in the taste of the beer and if the taste is good then half of the task is done.

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Just How Good is Blue Moon Beer?

Beer is drunk just about everywhere in the world while there are many different brands which taste fantastic you may have your own personal favorites. Of these many types and brands you may like the taste of the Blue Moon Beer. This particular beer is an example of a Belgian style white beer. In most instances you should be able to find this brand of beer at your local alcoholic beverages stores, bars, restaurants and sometimes in your local supermarkets.

The Blue Moon Beer is a variety of white beer which is made by Molson Coors Brewing Company. This beer was presented to the public during 1995. The creator of the Blue Moon Beer is an individual named Keith Villa. Originally Blue Moon Beer was called Bellyslide Belgian White. It was created at the Coors Field’s Sandlot Brewery.

This brewery is the Molson Coors onsite brewery. Even though the Blue Moon Beer is an example of Belgian Beers it is made in the US. This labeling of the beer as Belgian in origin has caused the company some problems with Belgium. As the Blue Moon Beer was also called Belgian White it was felt that consumers would think that the beer was produced in the US.

Even though the Molson Coors Company has had to amend the labeling of the name it has kept to the original advertising to get the public to buy the beer. The interesting thing about this Belgian styled beer is the various ingredients which are used to produce the beer. While most beers use ingredients like oats, hops, and malted barley the Blue Moon Beer is made slightly differently.

To make the Blue Moon Beer distinctive from that of other beers you will find that it contains malted oats, barley and white wheat. Additionally you will find that coriander and orange peels have been added to some hops. These final ingredients provide the beer with an interesting orange flavor.

You will find that most places serve this beer with orange slices to enhance the flavor of the beer. This is in contrast to the lemon slices which are served with other types of beer. For those of you who are interested in buying this beer you will find that it is sold in beer kegs and bottles. Another interesting fact about Blue Moon Beer is that it has variations which are known to be a winter and fall time beer.

To let you see just how good this beer is you will discover that various awards have been given to the beer. These medals which were given during the years of 1995 to 1997 all indicate to us that the Blue Moon Beer is an excellent beer to drink at any time of the year.

Muna wa Wanjiru is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Beer for Years. For More Information on Blue Moon Beer , Visit His Site at Blue Moon Beer

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Home Beer Brewing - How to Make Beer

The history of making alcoholic beverages is essentially the history of home brewing. Historians believe that beer was originally discovered by people of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Barley was a staple grain of this area and it was soon learned that if the barley got wet and was allowed to germinate, it would become sweet and could be used in foods like bread. This process is known as malting.

It didn't take much time after the discovery of malting to discover beer. Someone probably allowed their malted barley to get wet and remain exposed to the elements. Perhaps wild yeast contaminated the exposed liquid. The yeast then took hold and multiplied generating a bubbly liquid of alcohol and barley that soon became the first beer.

Today, there are many people who enjoy home beer brewing. The main ingredients include malted barley, hops, yeast and water. Like wines, beers have many different flavors. This is caused by differences in the the type of malt, the moisture content, the type of barley used and the temperature used in the kiln.

Malted barley, also known as malt, is barley that has been soaked in water until it starts to sprout. A kiln is then used to dry it out. Barley has a hard husk, is low in protein and high in starch, making it perfect for brewing beer.

The next crucial beer making ingredient is hops. Hops are flowers which provide a natural preservative quality and bitterness to the beer.

The third ingredient is yeast. Yeast may be the most important beer making ingredient. Yeast is a living creature that lives off the ingredients in beer. It is responsible for converting sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide in the fermentation stage.

The final ingredient is water. This is an important ingredient considering that beer is 90% water. For better tasting beer, it's best to always use quality water.

Beer is made from simple ingredients, but the process of brewing beer can be a little bit more complicated than it seems. If you love beer, you might find home beer making very enjoyable.

Here is an overview of the beer brewing process:

Steep and boil malt and hops
Ferment for one week
Transfer to secondary fermenter for two weeks
Transfer to clarifying keg for one week
Transfer to serving keg
Pressurize beer keg to carbonate for 7 days
Serve!

Many people who decide to make beer at home often choose to buy a beer making kit. This is often the easiest way to get started, so you can begin enjoying the satisfaction of making your own beer at home.

For more on home beer brewing please visit CocktailsAndBeerAndWine.com where you will find more information as well as tips and advice related to beer, wine and cocktails.

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California Common: California's Answer to Lager Beer

California Common is a style of beer brewed during California's Gold Rush.
This beer has a deep and long passed that were still not sure of.

Points that we do know:

1. It came at a time when cold refrigeration wasn't possible for Lagering the beer.

2. It was brewed using all American ingredients.

3. It was made using one particular American hop.(Most likely Cluster)

4. Original Gravity's were between 1.044-1.050.(Just a guideline, Could be more or less)

5. Use all American grains, Go for an American Pale Malt or 2-row.

6. Mashing should be carried out between 152 and 156F.

We also know that fermentation was carried out between 60-62F.
It was a beer well suited to Northern California's climate.
The hop levels that were used were between 28-40 IBU's.

The reason believed for the name "Steam Beer", Because it was krausened for carbonation will the beer was still fermenting.
So this beer was made for quick turn over.
The beer was then ran into shallow vats called clarifier's.

These clarifier's were 12 inch's deep, They were long,wide and shallow.
1. To prevent a high rise in temps.

2. To make the beer clear faster.

At this point the beer would ferment between 60-70F.
Fermentation was usually complete between two to four days.
From the clarifier the beer was racked directly to kegs.
At this stage krausen was added. (Clean fresh sweet wort.)

A 15-gallon barrel would get up to 6 gallons of krausen then filled with fully fermented beer.
Fining's also were added to aid in clarity of the fresh beer.
The kegs were sealed with Iron Bungs and aged two or three days before shipment to the Tavern.

The beers had to sit for at least two days before being tapped.
This would allow the yeast and fining's to settle.
High levels of C02 were reported in writings from the turn of the century.

Values from history tell us between 40 to 70 psi reported.
So when the kegs were tapped it would look like "Steam" coming out of the beer.
This is why it's believed that California Common is called "Steam Beer".

Now a days when this style is made, Anchor Steam comes to mind.
Of course it is made from the use of Northern Brewer hops.
I say try some of the other variety's of hops.
I just would stay away from the American three C's.(These would tend to be to citrus for this style.)

Again be creative and make this delicious satisfying Lager-Ale for yourself.
You know what you like so stay in style, Make it your own.
You'll be glad that you did.

http://www.thebrewmeister.info

I have been brewing since the craze in the 90's, I stuck to it. Now I'm sharing what I know with you. So give the site below a visit today.

It will be evolving and growing with many resources for the new and old brewer alike.

The Brewmeister "Where it's a pleasure to Brew" http://www.thebrewmeister.info

Shawn Burgy

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