Iceberg! Kölsch
Learn to Homebrew Day Celebrates the Art of Making Beer on November 4
Boulder, Colo. • October 24, 2023 — The American Homebrewers Association® (AHA) is delighted to announce that the 25th annual celebration of Learn to Homebrew Day is set for November 4, 2023. This nationwide celebration aims to demystify the art of homebrewing and provide valuable resources. For seasoned brewers and curious beginners alike, Learn to Homebrew Day offers an opportunity to learn, connect with fellow beer enthusiasts, and celebrate the hobby of brewing at home.
For this year’s Learn to Homebrew Day, the AHA has selected two official SMaSH beer recipes, short for Single Malt and Single Hop, which use one type of ingredient.… Read the rest “Learn to Homebrew Day Celebrates the Art of Making Beer on November 4”
Imperial Beer Takes the Throne
Low- and no-alcohol beer has dominated beer industry headlines for several years. The average craft beer fan is getting older and doesn’t want to derail their day with a drink; Gen Z entered legal-drinking status with a focus on wellness; and brewer appreciation for 3% milds and 4% lagers thrives.
More recently, however, there’s an opposing extreme at work, too. Last August, Kate Bernot reported for The Washington Post: “Craft Beer is Polarizing. Many Drinkers Want High ABV or None at All,” examining consumers’ rising interest in high-ABV beers alongside that sustained penchant for near-zero beers.… Read the rest “Imperial Beer Takes the Throne”
2023 National Homebrew Competition Gold Medal Recipes
The gold medal-winning homebrew recipes from the 2023 National Homebrew Competition (NHC) are now available online! Browse through the winners from each of the 40 beer, mead, and cider categories.
For even more world-class homebrew recipes, access a selection of bronze/silver recipes from NHC 2023 as well as an archive of past medal-winning recipes in the Beer Recipes Library.
Powerful Pils
Cliftyfest Festbier
A Day in Vienna (Vienna Lager)
The Most Gluggable Czech Dark La
MI Blonde Baby (Blonde Ale)
Midnight Beach Dream (Dunkles Weissbier)
Mark’s Australian Sparkling Ale
British Mats Irish Red Ale
Horizon Pale Ale
Challenge Accepted American Amber Ale
Maxwell Porter
Critter Milk Stout
Sable Porter (2023 version)
Like Falling Off a Bike IPA
The Induction IPA
XXM (Double Extra Medium) Hazy IPA
Big Blimp!
… Read the rest “2023 National Homebrew Competition Gold Medal Recipes”
Egg over Mead-ium: Measuring Gravity With an Egg
Being frugal and making friends with beekeepers have benefits for the experimental meadmaker, and occasionally I get to play with crystallized comb or rinsings from extruded frames. But because the sugar concentration of washed honey is unknown, the density (specific gravity) of diluted honey has to be checked. Today we enjoy access to the wonderful glass hydrometer, but hydrometers have a habit of rolling off the counter when brew day rolls around. In the absence of a hydrometer, brewers in the past often used an egg. Really.
How the Floating Egg Test Works
The floating egg technique works thanks to the internal anatomy of an egg, which includes an air sac at the rounded end for the bird embryo to breathe.… Read the rest “Egg over Mead-ium: Measuring Gravity With an Egg”
These 19 Breweries Are on U.S. Islands
The United States is home to more than 18,000 islands, and for travel lovers, many are worth adding to a list of must-see destinations. Luckily for craft beer enthusiasts, there are breweries located on several of these islands.
Brewing on an island isn’t always a sunny vacation, though. For some, it can mean shipping challenges, an increased cost of materials, and relying on tourism season for business. On the other hand, these breweries are creating a unique community gathering place for locals and travelers alike, often adding an unforgettable experience to a trip itinerary.… Read the rest “These 19 Breweries Are on U.S. Islands”
Customizable Homebrew Club Code of Conduct
The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) has developed a homebrew club Code of Conduct template, with a review by the AHA Governing Committee.
After customizing the template, suggestions of where to publish include:
- Post your code of conduct on your website
- Link to it on all club social media accounts and groups
- Link to it in all event materials and promotions
- Have members review and agree to the code of conduct when renewing their membership
- Make QR codes available at meetings for attendees to scan, review, and/or submit code of conduct violations
Reporting
Clubs can offer members third-party resources, including apps like #NotMe, as a means for independent reporting.… Read the rest “Customizable Homebrew Club Code of Conduct”
A Guide to Coffee (and Coffee Beer) for Homebrewers
Coffee and beer go together like peanut butter and jelly. Individually, the two beverages claim some of the most passionate followers who pine over different styles, processes, and stories.
Together, coffee and beer blend to create a world of interesting flavor adventures. Stouts and porters have stepped into the role of go-to styles when devising a coffee beer, but the opportunities are endless as brewers explore new styles and innovations that bring coffee into the beer-drinking experience.
Brewing coffee beers at home is fun and easy! Use the resources below to learn how to roast your own coffee, how to prepare coffee to be used in beer, and how to homebrew a coffee beer.… Read the rest “A Guide to Coffee (and Coffee Beer) for Homebrewers”
The People Behind Beer Quality
Krysta Boisvert was a new brewery quality manager who had found her groove. Fermentations were to spec, microplate tests were coming back clean, and everything was going swimmingly—until one day, she found traces of pediococcus and lactobacillus.
This is a moment no brewery employee wants to witness. Thankfully, Boisvert is a trained microbiologist and determined the cause and solution before any major issues arose—exactly what the brewery had hired her to do.
Quality matters at any size brewery, especially if you can’t see it. And the team behind beer quality is what matters most since data doesn’t analyze itself.… Read the rest “The People Behind Beer Quality”