Homebrewing Champagne-style Beers (and Mead!)
Let’s talk Champagne beers. And, no, we aren’t talking about the macro-brewed American light lager that has commandeered the title.
In our case, “Champagne-style” refers to beers with carbonation and body characteristics reminiscent of sparkling wine. Specifically, beers that exhibit higher-than-typical levels of carbonation paired with a drier finish.
The following Homebrew Con seminar recordings and National Homebrew Competition medal-winning recipes are a great place to start your Champagne-inspired homebrew journey!
Méthode Traditionelle: Brewing in the Champagne Method
Join Annie Johnson–award-winning homebrewer and 2013 Homebrewer of the Year–as she explores how to use the traditional Champagne method to produce amazing Champagne-inspired beers.
Cheers to a Year in Beer
As another year in beer begins to sunset, we thought we’d share some highlights from Craftbeer.com’s year. 2023 sure felt like that old saying: the days are long, but the years are short. We felt that while waiting for Thursday (or was it Tuesday?) to become Friday and oh, we for sure recognize that as we come to the start of 2024.
If you’re feeling the same way and ready to look back on 2023, we suggest starting off with this article about cocktail beers. Grab a Sazerac or barrel-aged Old Fashioned and settle into that winter mood.… Read the rest “Cheers to a Year in Beer”
January/February 2024 Zymurgy Magazine Links
Find links to all the web pages mentioned in the January/February 2024 Zymurgy magazine.
About Zymurgy Magazine
Zymurgy is the bi-monthly journal for members of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA). All issues of Zymurgy magazine through the year 2000 can be accessed digitally online or with your smartphone device.
Join the AHA for a Zymurgy magazine subscription and to enjoy other member benefits!
Director’s Cut
Now On Tap
The post January/February 2024 Zymurgy Magazine Links appeared first on American Homebrewers Association.… Read the rest “January/February 2024 Zymurgy Magazine Links”
2024 National Homebrew Competition News, Dates, Prizes, Oh My!
By Chris Williams, National Homebrew Competition Director
As we bring 2023 to a close, we’re looking forward to the future of the National Homebrew Competition (NHC)—the world’s largest amateur homebrew competition for celebrating the most outstanding beer, mead, and cider, brought to you by the American Homebrewers Association with support by the Beer Judge Certification Program. Collectively, NHC has judged more than 160,000+ homebrewed beers, meads, and ciders in its 46-year history.
The 2024 competition will boast exciting new plans, including expanded award categories, variable shipping dates for first round sites, winners announced on-site during the Great American Beer Festival®, great prizes, and more!… Read the rest “2024 National Homebrew Competition News, Dates, Prizes, Oh My!”
Rise and Shine: Brewers Add Coffee & Workspaces
With growing challenges in the beer market and increasing competition from other drink sectors, many breweries are looking for innovative ways to leverage their taprooms and bring in new customers. For some breweries that means opening their spaces to the public earlier in the day.
Taprooms have long been community meeting places, and now some are choosing to welcome that community bright and early by using their buildings as coffee shops and all-day workspaces.
The Virginia Beer Company | Williamsburg, Va.
The Virginia Beer Company recently made the decision to launch a coffee shop and breakfast menu, opening early in the morning in hopes of attracting a working crowd.… Read the rest “Rise and Shine: Brewers Add Coffee & Workspaces”
American Homebrewers Association Turns 45
By Julia Herz, American Homebrewers Association Executive Director
On December 7, 2023, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) turns 45. That’s a lot of beers since 1978. In four-and-a-half decades, the world has changed for the better because of the AHA’s existence, with homebrewers around the world setting the stage.
The AHA has fueled the craft beer movement and, even more relevant, catapulted the modern pastime of homebrewing. Yup, that’s what we did. In 1978, The New York Times published an article titled “Beer Is Most Popular of U.S. Bar Drinks”1, but we know what a dismal time for beer it was.… Read the rest “American Homebrewers Association Turns 45”
Keeping Kosher in Craft Beer
Around a decade ago, Avrahom Pressburger started losing interest in domestic lager. The insurance broker swapped Budweiser for fragrant Blue Moon and seasonal beers from Sam Adams. He examined cans and bottles, looking beyond styles and ABV for a certified-kosher symbol.
Born into Orthodox Judaism in Brooklyn and now living in New York State’s Rockland County, Pressburger follows dietary guidelines that forbid mixing meat and dairy and mandate how foods are processed, produced, and prepared.
Oyster stouts were off the table. What about double IPAs? Or strawberry sour ales? Details on certified beers were scarce, so he crowd-sourced information from BeerAdvocate’s message boards and Facebook groups, eventually creating the website and Instagram account Kosher Craft Beer.… Read the rest “Keeping Kosher in Craft Beer”
2023 Radegast Club of the Year: Horseman of the Hopocalypse
[Above: Members of the Horsemen of the Hopocalypse donate to the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, Texas. Image provided by the Horsemen of the Hopocalypse.]
This is an excerpt from the September/October 2023 Zymurgy magazine. Go to Zymurgy Online to access all magazine issues through the year 2000!
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By Kristen Kuchar
Each year, one homebrew club is awarded the Radegast Club of the Year, named for the Slavic god of hospitality and the creator of beer. The recipient is a club that does fantastic things in addition to brewing great beer, such as finding creative ways to promote the hobby and joys of homebrewing, engaging in philanthropy efforts, and focusing on the community.… Read the rest “2023 Radegast Club of the Year: Horseman of the Hopocalypse”