Norwegian Farmhouse-Inspired Mead

Heat water to 180F (82C). Allow to cool to 160F (71C) and immediately pour over the juniper branches. Infuse for a minimum of 1 hour (cover to retain heat, and/or wrap with a blanket), this step is often left to sit overnight.

When the juniper infusion is ready, taste it! If it does not have detectable pine/resin/spice you should stop and find another source for juniper branches. Alternate: Spruce or Fir tips, light green spring growth only, use 1oz per gallon – taste before using. Spruce and Fir tips can have a powerful impact!… Read the rest “Norwegian Farmhouse-Inspired Mead”

2023 Great American Beer Festival Member Sale on July 11

American Homebrewers Association members enjoy Great American Beer Festival® (GABF) presale benefits

Join by June 29, 2023, to be eligible for the GABF member presale on July 11. Here is what you’ll receive:

  • An exclusive AXS presale code
  • Member presale access on July 11 at 10:00 a.m. MT – July 12 at 8:00 a.m.
  • $ 10 Member-only discount on all General Session tickets
    Note: Discount is available during the member presale only
  • Exclusive access to Saturday afternoon members’ session
  • Early access to tickets

Get Presale Access

Anyone of legal drinking age is welcome to join anytime; annual AHA memberships start at $ 43.… Read the rest “2023 Great American Beer Festival Member Sale on July 11”

About the Genus Brettanomyces and the SafBrew™ BR-8 Dry Yeast

SafBrew™ BR-8: bring “funky notes” to your beer with the first dry Brett for your bottle and cask conditioning!

By Hugo Picard, Technical Sales Manager Home segment at Fermentis

The wild yeast Brettanomyces has made a comeback in the global beer industry in recent years. In response to its newfound popularity, Fermentis offers the first Brett in a dry, micro granular format. SafBrew™ BR-8 offers brewers and homebrewers all the flavorful benefits of the “wild” yeast Brettanomyces but with more control and reliability. Selected specifically for secondary fermentation in bottles and casks, SafBrew BR-8 is characterized by the production of phenolic compounds, such as 4-Ethylguaiacol and 4-Ethylphenol, responsible for many of the funkier flavor descriptors like horse blanket, leather, and barnyard aromatics at the end of fermentation.… Read the rest “About the Genus Brettanomyces and the SafBrew™ BR-8 Dry Yeast”

Pursuing a Passion: Mentorship Program Fuels Participants

Maddie Fritz’s camera went dark during a virtual meeting for the Brewers Association’s Mentorship Program. Most would assume, in the age of Zoom meetings, that she might be eating or her internet connection had gotten shaky. Instead, Fritz couldn’t believe what she heard would happen after the mentorship program ended.

She was crying. Not from sadness, but jubilation.

Fritz, who works in marketing and sales for Potosi Brewery in Potosi, Wis., had just wrapped up the 12-week mentorship program when Brewers Association DEI project coordinator Alana Koenig-Busey explained how there would be funds after the program ended—to continue education in a brewing or related program, pursue level one and two of the Cicerone Certification Program, attend the Craft Brewers Conference with travel reimbursement, or build a resource library of Brewers Publications and Brewers Association resources.… Read the rest “Pursuing a Passion: Mentorship Program Fuels Participants”

4 Homebrew Con Recordings on Cheese Making and Pairing

Join us in San Diego for Homebrew Con 2023.

Beer and cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly! They’re even made in very similar ways through the magic of fermentation.

To delve into the world of home cheesemaking and pairing, we’ve compiled 4 seminar recordings from past Homebrew Cons. AHA members have access to Homebrew Con seminar recordings.

1. Homebrew Cheese Making for the Beer Lover

Learn how to apply what you already know about homebrewing to the world of home cheesemaking. Discover techniques and microorganisms, find out how to use beer in cheesemaking, and learn how to combine beer and cheese in cooking.… Read the rest “4 Homebrew Con Recordings on Cheese Making and Pairing”

San Diego’s Swell Beer Scene

Join us in San Diego for the 45th annual Homebrew Con, June 22-24, 2023.

Sunny San Diego is known for its idyllic climate, world-famous zoo, and meteoric rise as “The Craft Beer Capital of the World.” Over the past two decades, the San Diego craft beer scene has seen immense growth and currently boasts 150+ breweries, beer bars, tasting rooms, and their own signature style: the West Coast IPA.

“Local pioneers like Karl Strauss Brewing, Stone Brewing Co., Ballast Point, Coronado Brewing, AleSmith and Pizza Port lead the charge, anchoring a beer scene with everything from backyard and nano-breweries to world-renowned mega craft brewing companies regularly serving up gold medal brews.… Read the rest “San Diego’s Swell Beer Scene”

How to Make Bokashi Grains

This article on bokashi grains is the You Can Ferment That! column from the May/June 2023 Zymurgy magazine.

By Amahl Turczyn

This installment of You Can Ferment That! is a slight departure—bokashi is not a fermented food product, but rather a method of fermenting compost. With spring in the air, there’s no better time to start composting food, your brewery waste, and food scraps. The ancient Japanese technique of bokashi diverts all kinds of organic waste from the landfill and into fertile soil for gardens, yards, or potted plants.… Read the rest “How to Make Bokashi Grains”

Five Unique Places to Drink a Beer

What’s the appeal of a brewery? Of course, the easy answer is the beer. But that’s just one component of the sum of a brewery’s parts. When you go to enjoy that beer or seltzer, have you taken the time to look at your surroundings? What, if anything, makes this place unique?

These five U.S. breweries all make good beer. But for folks who have been there, they know that they’re in for an experience that doesn’t just stop there. There are stories behind each one, and they go beyond the beverages they serve.… Read the rest “Five Unique Places to Drink a Beer”