Ever thought about what it would be like to make your own beer? To custom brew a combination of flavors exactly to your personal preferences? You don’t need a factory or plant – all you need are some basic materials and a little bit of space to start brewing beer at home!
We offer the Beermakers Necessities Box as the premiere home beer making kit. It has all you need to start brewing beer at home. For those just starting out home brewing,

1. Screw-top Fermenter – The fermenter is usually in the form of a tub or jug. This is where the yeast ferments, both in the first and second fermentation cycles. The best fermenters offer airtight concealment and faucets to make draining and bottling easier.
2. Plastic Carboy – In case your fermenter isn’t optimal for both fermentations, a carboy is ideal for the second fermentation cycle. Its main purpose though is to store the beer (or wine) you’ve created at home in mass quantities (they usually come in 3-6 gallon sizes!
3. Triple Scale Hydrometer – The purpose of a hydrometer is pretty basic: to track the progression of your fermentation process. The triple scale hydrometer found in this kit can also measure the alcohol content of the finished product.
4. Curved Racking Cane – The cane’s purpose is to take away any sediment during the siphoning process by acting as a filter system of sorts from the beer to the hose. You want to get a curved racking cane so you don’t have to worry about crimping hoses.
5. Double Lever Capper – A Capper crimps standard caps into beer bottles and assists with the finishing touches of the bottling process.

The other items included in the kit are: the handbook, vinyl hose, SDH cleaner, a beer bottle brush, and your choice of Brewer’s Best ingredient Kit.
Once you understand the purpose of the basic products necessary for home beer brewing you’ll be on your way to be a beer-brewing master!

Do you enjoy drinking wine, but feel a little intimidated when you order wine at a restaurant or share wine with wine-knowledgeable friends? Are you confused about how to properly taste wine? You needn’t be. Tasting wine the right way is easy when you get the hang of it. Plus, it not only increases your wine confidence, but allows you to enjoy the full aroma and taste of wine. Here’s how:
1. Use the right glass. Think that one wine glass will suffice for any wine? Think again. The proper glass enhances the flavor of the wine. At minimum, you should have three styles of glasses: a clear, stemmed glass with a narrow rim for white wines; a clear, stemmed glass with a bowl and a wide rim for red wines; and a flute for sparkling wines. Remember, too, to hold the glass by the stem so that the warmth of your hand doesn’t change the temperature of the wine.
2. Fill the glass less than half full. Filling the wine glass no more than half full isn’t being stingy with the wine; it’s allowing the drinker to enjoy the full scent (called “bouquet” in wine circles) of the wine.
3. Look at the wine. The color of the wine can tell you a lot about what to expect from the taste. Notice more than just red or white. Is the red wine maroon, ruby, brownish-red or burgundy? Is the white wine pale, straw-colored, yellow or even light green? Look also at how clear or opaque the wine is and whether the liquid clings to the sides of the glass as you move the wine around.
4. Smell the wine. Next, swirl the wine gently in the glass for about 10 seconds, bring the glass under your nose and inhale deeply. What do you smell? Think beyond berries. Wine aromas can include hints of such things as leather, oak, melons and vanilla.
5. Sip the wine. Finally, put the glass to your lips and take a small sip of the wine. Roll the wine around in your mouth before swallowing to allow the flavors to fully develop. Follow with a slightly larger sip and hold the wine in your mouth again for several seconds.
So, stop feeling you don’t know anything about wine. Follow these five steps and not only will you gain more enjoyment from tasting wines, but your wine friends may just start turning to you for advice.

More than one million Americans brew their own beer at home at least once a year, according to the American Home Brewers Association. They also estimate that nearly 90 percent of professional brewers got their start as home-brewers. Crafting your own beer is legal in 48 states (all except for Alabama and Mississippi), and even a first-time effort can yield tasty results.
Have you decided you’re ready to make your own beer, but you don’t know where to start? Tasty home-brewed beer isn’t difficult to make, but you do need the right tools before you begin. Below are just a few popular ways on how to brew to create your own beer at home.

• Use a kit. Home-brewing kits take much of the guesswork out of making your own brews. Such kits include all of the tools and equipment you’ll need to craft your brew: a book of recipes and instructions, and the necessary ingredients for the brew of your choice (such as pale ale, Irish stout, India Pale Ale, or a host of other brews).
• Start with Pale Ale. If you decide not to use a kit, it’s best to keep your first beer brewing effort simple. Starting with pale ale allows you to learn the process without the complications of extra ingredients. The only ingredients you’ll need to make pale ale are ale extract syrup, sugar, yeast, hops and water.
• Use a grain recipe. Although using extract syrup to make your beer is easy and affordable, don’t rule out using a grain recipe for your first brew. This technique of home brewing allows you to craft beer the same way George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison did more than 200 years ago. A grain recipe uses all natural ingredients, such as barley and wheat, in addition to yeast, hops, water, sugar and other flavorings.

So, what are you waiting for? Delicious home-crafted beer is within your grasp. Start creating your own home brews today.

You might enjoy drinking beer, but have you ever stopped to actually taste it? Properly tasting beer, especially your own homebrew, is a lot different than sipping from a glass or a bottle. It’s a process that will enhance your enjoyment of the drink. Learning how to taste beer will open a new world of flavors and tastes to you. Once you learn to taste beer fully, the watery mass-produced beers you might have enjoyed in the past will lack appeal.
Follow Your Nose
The senses of smell and taste are very closely connected, according to brewer Randy Mosher in “All About Beer” magazine. The sense of taste is considerably less complex than the sense of smell. Traditionally, there were four tastes: bitter, salty, sweet and sour. A fifth and a sixth flavor have been recently discovered: umami and fat. Unlike taste, your sense of smell is far more developed. You can smell tens of thousands of aromas.
When tasting beer, you actually taste with your nose before you taste with your mouth and tongue. Up to 95 percent of the flavor of beer comes to you through smell, according to “Beer Advocate.” Try these steps when learning to taste beer:

• Agitate the beer in glass to release aromas. Swirling the glass with your hand will gently release aromas.
• Bring your nose towards the glass and sniff the beer, breathing in through your nose.
• Make note of what you smell. Your descriptions of the aromas can be as creative as you wish. Don’t worry about censoring yourself. Just describe what comes to your head first.
• Smell and taste the beer in an area that is free from other aromas. A smoky location is not a good spot to taste beer. Don’t wear a lot of perfume or cologne when tasting beer, as the fragrance will interfere with the tasting.

Tasting the Beer
Once you’ve smelled the beer, it’s time to taste it in your mouth. Tasting beer is much more that taking a sip and swallowing. When you sip the beer, hold the liquid in your mouth. The beer should travel over your tongue so that you are able to fully appreciate all the flavors in it. As the beer travels around your mouth, think of the tastes that occur. It might taste sweet one moment, then bitter. Try breathing through your nose as you swallow the beer so that you can fully appreciate all the aromas and flavors.