I had the good fortune to pick up a Barnes and Noble gift card for my birthday.  Based on the recommendations of others, here’s what is on the way:
The Homebrewer’s Garden: How to Easily Grow, Prepare, and Use Your Own Hops, Malts, Brewing Herbs
Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition
Brewing Classic Styles: 80 [...]

go to permalink....

I received my homebrew kit for Christmas in 2006.  I brewed my first batch on January 14th.  Here’s a quick rundown of my first year as a homebrewer.

First batch - Black Butte Porter clone.  I used a primary fermenter only with a blow-off tube.  I ditched the blow-off tube after this batch.
Favorite beer - Either [...]

go to permalink....

The Bearded Brewer put up a provocative post today - Hop Madness.  Or at least provocative out here in hop heaven.  It’s a short step from heresy out here in Oregon!  He’s taking issue with some of the extremely hopped IPAs and over the top “imperials” (stouts, IPAs, etc.)  Personally, I enjoy a well [...]

go to permalink....

This weekend I bottled the stout that I brewed early in October. I decided to call it “Rank Ambition Stout” in honor of recent events at work.

go to permalink....

I have a question for my reader(s): So I’m obviously by no means an expert, but I’m wondering what I can do to improve my brewing.  I’m still using malt extract, and I don’t have the room or the equipment to go all-grain.  I’m using grains and whole hops (not a kit) and primary and [...]

go to permalink....

At the fresh hop festival last weekend I overheard some woman asking one of the servers if any of the beers were “very bitter.”  I wanted to suggest to her that she step away from the beer, give her tickets (for samples) to someone who actually knew what a hop was, and head on over [...]

go to permalink....

So the big news this week is that Molson-Coors and SABMiller are merging in order to better compete against Anheuser-Busch.  Apparently Anheuser-Busch controls 50% of the US beer market, Molson-Coors has 11% and Miller 19%.  Pete Coors (Vice Chairman of Coors) said in a statement, “Consumers are broadening their tastes and are increasingly looking for [...]

go to permalink....

If you’re a nervous brewer like I am, I discovered a great tool. It is a tool for estimating original and final specific gravity for your brews. Link here. You shouldn’t use it to determine if fermentation is finished, but it is a good guide. You do have to convert everything [...]

go to permalink....