The 1970s were a time of significant changes in the world of beer. With the rise of mass-produced, commercially available brews, the general public began to develop a taste for a wider variety of beer styles. In the 1970s, some popular beers included Schlitz, Miller High Life, Budweiser, Coors Banquet, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Falstaff.…
Alcohol is made by fermentation and can be further concentrated by distillation. They are two different processes that can be carried out sequentially, and there is no distillation without a previous fermentation! Some beverages, such as wine, cider, mead and beer are made exclusively through fermentation whereas spirits such as brandy, whiskey, vodka and tequila…
Whether you’re interested in learning about traditional manual presses or state-of-the-art super efficient hydraulic models, this guide has got you covered. We’ll explore some of the features of different types of presses and discuss what makes them suitable for certain uses. So read on to learn more about how to make sure you find the…
Wine is a popular alcoholic beverage that has been enjoyed for centuries around the world. It is made from grapes and other fruits, but how wine is actually produced may not be widely understood. The process of producing wine can involve fermentation, distillation or both, depending on the type of beverage you are making. So…
Brewing hard cider is an art form that takes patience, precision and creativity. Whether you are a novice or experienced brewer, it can be a challenge to retain some of that natural sweetness from the apples in your final brew. To achieve a sweet, and stable, hard cider requires understanding of fermentation techniques as well…
For those who don’t know, a pint is the same as 0.13 gallons or 0.5 liters of your cider, beer or sparkling wine etc. So this is what we will use when calculating the amount of sugar needed to carbonate single pint bottles in the following. So, how much priming sugar per pint bottle? For…
Metabisulfite (known from campden tablets) is a key ingredient in wine and cider brewing. It has been used for centuries to preserve alcoholic beverages by killing wild yeast and bacteria that can spoil the beverage or alter its taste. Sulfites in brewing work by reacting with oxygen molecules (works as an antioxidant) to form sulfur…
Brewing your own hard cider at home is a fun and rewarding experience. It allows you to be creative, explore different flavors, save money on store-bought varieties, and gain an appreciation for the craft of brewing your own alcoholic beverage. Whether it’s something you’re just starting out with or have been doing for years –…
Do you know what makes a cider dry? Have you ever wondered why some ciders have a dry finish and others don’t? Essentially, a dry cider is a cider with low levels of residual sugars. Specifically a typical dry (Brut) cider has a sugar content of less than 1.5% or a final specific gravity of under…
As a home brewer, you may be wondering how much priming sugar you need to carbonate 1 gallons (3.8 liters) of your sparkling wine. So, how much priming sugar per gallon do you need exactly? For 1 gallons or 3.8 liters of brew, you will want to add 16 grams of sugar to get a…