511 results for 'them'

So, you danced a little too much with Bacchus. You clinked glasses, toasted to good times, maybe recited sonnets to your favorite IPA. And now, here you are: dehydrated, dazed, and wondering if your ...

The original predecessor of the modern wine kit did not come with juice or any of the additives available today. The instructions also had to be disguised as a warning. If you’re not familiar, meet t ...

You face the ongoing and invisible battle against bacteria that can grow in your clear hoses. In this article, we will explore the various types of bacteria that can infiltrate your hoses, techniques ...

To Soak or Not to Soak: That Is the Question?Should you soak your corks before bottling? Cork prep is one of those topics where you can ask ten different winemakers and get ten different answers. Let ...

The Need for Frequent Replacement Let’s talk about hoses. Flexible. Clear. Innocent looking. Always hanging there quietly, like they have never done anything wrong in their entire lives. They l ...

Part two of our article on Sulfites will discuss the history of its use in winemaking, its benefits and the pitfalls of omitting them. Part one was premised by a notion of purism in winemaking as a r ...

In previous discussions, we've delved into the potential downsides of using sulfites during the beer-making process. However, upon further examination, we've discovered that using sulfites as a sanit ...

Professor Dumbledore taught Harry Potter that dark magic leaves traces. Don't let your previous batch haunt your new one with a dirty airlock. You might take many steps to ensure good resul ...

Tannins can be scary. When overpowering, they can leave you feeling like Wiley Coyote after a dose of Acme alum. But when they are right, tannins can be intrinsic to red wine. They add a lot of flavo ...

Fruit purees are an increasingly popular ingredient for both beer and winemaking. By adding pureed fruit, you can make your batches stand out. In this article, we will explore how they are ...

Vintner's Best: A Practical Approach to Homemade Wine.Vintner's Best Wine Bases are a practical and cost-effective solution to your home winemaking aspirations. The wines they produce are very respec ...

Preparing your bottles is not on the list of fun tasks for the wine and beer maker. You do it because you must, but it’s not exactly as gratifying as punching down your must cap or watching your wort ...

The use of sulfites is one of the hottest debates in winemaking. It is such an important topic, it will be addressed in two separate blog posts. Part two will be in your next newsletter. First let’s ...

Natural flavorings are the equivalent of the spice rack of the brewing and winemaking world. They are derived from plant sources, like fruits, herbs, spices, and even certain types of wood. They are ...

Ever find yourself in the middle of a brew day, only to be thwarted by a stuck sparge? You know that moment when your mash decides to transform into a stubborn, gelatinous blob that refuses to let an ...

If you are making fruit wines from fresh fruit, hats off to you! They are more difficult than wines made from grapes with a much larger margin of error. Grapes are the closest thing to being rea ...

UK Kent Goldings Hop Pellets are the granddaddy of English hops, the golden child of the brewing world. They've been around since 1790, which means they've seen more beer than a fraternity house duri ...

Most people consume more sulfites before dinner than they will ever get from drinking wine. If you are avoiding sulfites in wine, it is worth taking a closer look at where sulfites actually appear in ...

When the time comes to choose your yeast, you have lots of choices. Ask what’s the best on social media and you’ll get a lot of different answers. So how do you know what to do? In the end, your sele ...

The journey from raw ingredients to the final product is a complex ballet of molecular transformation. It involves trillions of cells, invisible to the naked eye, yet their collective work is what gi ...

Clean, Sanitize then Sanitize: The Brewer's Mantra.  Let’s talk about the uninvited guests at your brewing party. They are those microscopic party crashers that can turn your delightful br ...

Sangiovese is named for the top god in Roman mythology. It means blood of Jupiter. If you’ve made Sangiovese and not been happy with the outcome, you may be wondering why? You’ve successfully made ot ...

Ah, the humble wine cork. It's the gatekeeper of your precious wine, the final obstacle between you and a delightful evening. But did you know there's more to these little stoppers than meets the eye ...

When making beer or wine, one of the most important moments is adding yeast to the wort or must. Many homebrewers and winemakers, eager to get things moving, cannot resist reaching for stirring spoon ...

If you’re interested in making beer and wine, but you’re worried about how to start, you’re not alone. From the outside, it can seem very daunting. You might follow social media pages or forums and f ...

Modern civilization is never short of things to admire. Before mechanized corkers, corks were inserted into wine bottles using a wooden mallet or hammer to drive the cork into the bottle. This was a ...

Stuck fermentation is a common issue in the world of brewing and winemaking, but it's one that can and should be avoided with the right knowledge and techniques. This article will guide you through t ...

If you believe professional brewers and winemakers rely only on raw ingredients and tradition, you have bought into a marketing story, not reality. The truth is far less romantic and far more interes ...

Storing wine bottles with natural corks on their sides isn't merely a space-saving strategy or an aesthetic preference; it's an essential practice to ensure the quality and longevity of your wine. If ...

What would you think if a Yale scientist said that tasting wine engages your brain more than math or listing to music?Professor Gordon Shepherd from Yale School of Medicine is saying just that! He ha ...

Whether you’re brewing beer or making wine that require sugar additions, one of the first questions you’ll face is: What kind of sugar should I use? If you are a winemaker working from gr ...

You’ve got all the best ingredients to make your wine and beer, but there's one thing you might be overlooking - the cleaners specifically designed for your beer and winemaking equipment.

How do you bring out the best in your Sauvignon Blanc? Some of the most common commercial fermentationtechniques include stainless steel fermentation, barrelfermentation, and wild fermentation.

If you are looking to venture into craft beers, try making a red ale. Red ale is a great transition to craft beers because it has a full-bodied flavor, but it is not too strong and doesn’t have an ov ...

All natural beer flavorings can be used as a substitute for actual spices by adding them to your brew during the fermentation process. The flavorings can give your beer a variety of different fl ...

Oak has been an important part of winemaking for centuries, and its influence can be felt in many of the world's most beloved wines. Oak aging, or barrel aging, gives wines complex flavors and aromas ...

If you are a homebrewer, you are likely using tap water. If you have had results with plastic, medicinal or band aid off flavors and aromas, chlorine and chloramine are the causes. While brewers can ...

You, my curious home winemaker, may have wondered why white wines are often fermented without their skins. It's a fascinating tale that takes us back through history, revealing the origins of this st ...

If you've ever found yourself scratching your head on a wine kit page, wondering if you should try making a Merlot or a Syrah, you're in the right place. You may have thought to yourself, they are bo ...

As a home winemaker, you may have come across social media posts showcasing neatly sliced fruits in water, poised for fermentation. While aesthetically pleasing, this method doesn't quite hit the mar ...

Ah, sulfites! Those little chemical wonders that have been saving wines from spoilage for ages. But what happens when these tiny preservative powerhouses make their way into your beer? Well, my frien ...

Deep in the heart of every wine lover, there is a hidden desire to make your own vintage entirely from scratch. For many, making wine means more than just getting drunk. It’s a labor of love that req ...

If you're looking to add a little pizzazz to your pint, let's talk about the magic of crystal malt. It's like the fairy dust of the beer world, adding color, flavor, and a certain je ne sais quoi to ...

Winter is the perfect time to make your summer whites. The temperature at which you ferment your white wine is not just a minor detail. In this article, we will investigate what happens when you ...

Beer making is not all hops and barley. There's a delicate dance happening in your brew, and it's all about the ABV. That's Alcohol by Volume, for the uninitiated. It's the measure of ethanol (r ...

From Field to Froth: Unraveling the Journey of Hops to Hop PelletsLet’s talk about hop pellets, those little nuggets that give your beer its signature bitterness and aroma and start with a histo ...

So, you've done your homework. You have the right grains, hops, and yeast all lined up, ready to create your next award-winning homebrew. But wait! Before you dive into the boiling pot, let's talk ab ...

A Practical Guide for Late Summer and Early Fall Harvests As the late-summer harvest arrives, many home winemakers look beyond grapes to apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, and berries. While th ...

It is said that the most important innovations happen with things no one thinks to change. Like all home beer and winemakers, you have been using the same style airlocks for years. It's probably neve ...

When it comes to brewing beer, yeast plays a crucial role in determining your beer's flavor, aroma, and overall character. All beers fall into two umbrella categories: ales and lagers, and the t ...

Today, we're diving deep into the bottom of your carboy where the lees lie. If you're scratching your head wondering, "What on earth are lees?" or if you're a seasoned winemaker looking to refine you ...

Have you ever used potassium sorbate by itself and were disappointed by the banana off-flavors in our wine? To protect against infection or oxidation, sulfites can be a lone wolf. Potassium sorbate h ...

Comparisons to fine wine abound when it comes to aging gracefully, but is the analogy justified? Do all wines age well? Does aging potential come from the wine, the storage or both? In this article, ...

When you are choosing a wine kit, it is easy to focus on what appears to signal quality. Higher ABV, fuller body, more structure. These details seem important, but they are often misunderstood. The m ...

Adjuncts are a type of cereal grains or other fermentable ingredients you can use in your beer. They are typically added to alter the flavor, aroma, and body that come from the base grains and m ...

What if you no longer had to move full carboys, position them on tables for gravity siphoning or lift them off the floor when they are full? Better yet, what if you could do this without the need for ...

Have you ever considered the transformative power of all-natural flavoring extracts? Let's take a leaf from the book of commercial breweries and wineries. They've been using a secret ingredient to cr ...

People like to say that little things mean a lot, because sometimes they really do. When you are preparing a batch of wort or must, small details can matter most for your yeast to transform them int ...

If you are making wine from fresh grapes or kits that come with skins, you might have the common concern that most winemakers have about too much exposure to the skins and seeds. You fear your w ...

If you love the IPA, you are not alone. The India Pale Ale (IPA) is a popular style of beer that originated in England in the late 18th century. It has since gone on to become one of the most popular ...

If you have been brewing for a while, you already understand the basics. You know how to boil, ferment, and package a solid beer. But what separates a good brewer from a truly versatile one is not re ...

As the craft beer industry has grown, so too has the need for advanced brewing equipment. One such piece of equipment is the wort chiller, which is used in the cooling process after your boil. T ...

As a budding home beer maker, you're eager to dive into the world of brewing and concoct your own delightful brews. But before you transform your kitchen into a mini brewery, it's important to unders ...

Hops (Humulus lupulus) and cannabis (Cannabis sativa) may seem like very different plants, but they share a surprising genetic connection. Both belong to the same botanical family, Cannabaceae, and t ...

If you've found your way here, you're probably looking for some inside scoop on the enigmatic glass carboy, that bulbous, necked vessel that's as integral to the home beer and winemaking process as f ...

There's a reason Pinot Noir is known as the heartbreak grape. This finicky grape is notoriously difficult to grow and even more difficult to produce into a high-quality wine. But when done right, Pin ...

When it comes to beer, there are a variety of different ways you can give your brews citrus flavors. Some of the most common methods include using citrus fruits or citrus zest in the brewing process, ...

As a seasoned brewer with a taste for the extraordinary, you've probably considered expanding your repertoire to include more specialty beers. But how do you venture into this uncharted territory? Th ...

Recently, your newsletters started to feature yeast spotlight articles. They were so well received, they are now going to be a regular thing. Label Peelers offers many different yeast varieties and y ...

Today, we're going to delve into a topic that's as vital as it is often neglected: burning your brewing equipment after crafting a sour beer. You might be wondering, "Why in the world would I need to ...

There is a lot of debate and mystique surrounding Malolactic Fermentation, AKA MLF. The allure of creamier mouthfeel and more rounded acidity are almost irresistible intrigues. However, if you have t ...

The use of synthetic corks for wine bottles has been steadily increasing over the years. It can be argued that aesthetics and nostalgia are mostly why they have not largely replaced natural ...

Every harvest is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you're gonna get. Even grapes from the same vineyard can surprise you year after year. Weather cycles, temperatures, and a myriad of othe ...

If you are a beer maker, you most likely have heard of dry hopping. If you've never tried it because you use hop pellets, you don't have to let that stop you. The simple truth is that dry hoppin ...

Prepare to embark on an exciting journey into the dynamic universe of Cascade hops. Born from the innovative minds at the USDA in the golden era of the 1950s, Cascade hops are as authentically Americ ...

Fortified wines have long captivated the palates of wine enthusiasts, weaving a tapestry of rich and robust flavors that set them apart from other varieties. This article aims to paint a vivid pictur ...

Ever have a cork blow out of a bottle or wine that was carbonated? If you have, you were not happy about it and either scenario can and should be avoided. The solution is an inexpensive and simple fi ...

When you pour a beer and see a thick, creamy head form at the top of the glass, you are looking at more than just foam. That head plays an important role in the overall drinking experience. It carrie ...

You're here because you've got a burning desire to know more about the grains that make your favorite stout and porter beers.The grains you choose for your beer are like the foundation of a house. Fo ...

If you make wine kits without skins, you already know why they are so popular. They are cheaper, cleaner, faster, and more predictable. But what is less obvious is that this simplicity shifts all of ...