low alcohol beer

Low Alcohol Beer By Eleanor Dark

The history of beer

Brewing is one of the oldest processes known to and perfected by man. As with many other items of daily use, the Chinese are credited with being the first ones to brew a type of beer called Kui . This was almost 5000 years ago. The humble beer has evolved over the years and is now brewed in almost all countries of the world.

Beer in today's world

Depending on the region of the world where the beer originates, there are differences in the strength, taste and colour of the beer. Australia is a large producer of beer, as well as being a large consumer. As per a 2004 statistic, Australia was the fourth largest consumer of beer in the world after the Czech Republic, Ireland and Germany.

Many different types of beer are available on the market today and light beer or non-alcoholic beer has become very popular. Such beers have been popular in Europe for a long time now and the Australian market, too, is waking up to the benefits of the same.

One of the most popular ultra light beers in Europe is Schlossgold, originating in Austria, which has a fresh taste with the quality of a full-strength beer. Whilst the beer does contain 0.4 percent of alcohol, it is not liquor and is considered a non-alcoholic drink by most of the authorities. Therefore, Schlossgold non-alcoholic beer is a potential product for all retailers, small or large, without a liquor license. You can also drink and drive with Schlossgold. It is currently available in Woolworth s supermarkets in NSW, QLD and VIC and in clubs.

Konrad Beverages is a Sydney-based company that represents various international drinks and brands in Australia. Apart from representing Schlossgold low alcohol beer, they also sell a power drink called Powerking from Holland, which is available in three flavours (Classic, Cranberry and Sugar Free) and a natural mineral water from Slovakia. The range contains a first in Australia; the natural mountain mineral waters are mixed with herbs and flowers. Thereare seven different flavours: Dandelion, Sage, Wild Thyme, Lemon Balm, Sparkling, Low and Still Mineral Waters. To know more about both Konrad Beverages and Schlossgold, please log on to their website at http://www.schlossgold.com.au

Make Beer at Home

Make Beer at Home By Clair H Alston

Home brewing is an expanding pastime for folks who need to make beer at home and drink something that cannot be found in the aisles of a local spirits store and it is becoming more popular all the time. Discovering the way to make beer at home is not that tricky, though new hands should trace recipes conscientiously to ensure results that are drinkable and palatable.

When you are ready to make beer at home, it's vital to trace a recipe till you learn all about the homebrewing process. Home brewing is evolving from a simple hobby into an alternative source of cheap alcoholic drinks. It is simply the method where anyone can make lager from grains and fruits, in their own home from choosing their own ingredients to the packaging and consumption of the completed beverage. When you make beer at home it is sometimes a very strong beer, with higher density than store purchased lagers of a corresponding type, and should taste delicious since you make it, chill it, bottle it, and drink it while it is still fresh.

Beers and lagers have been in existence for a long time, in different cultures from all over the world. It is largely just fermented grains, just as wine is fermented fruit. Beer generally comes into two classes: ales and lagers. These days, beer is still made with all manner of herbs and spices like ginger, clove, cinnamon, for example When you decide to make beer at home you may find it is more fun that you will have previously thought. It is fun to try and your own, and it is not troublesome at all. Lots of the enjoyment of brewing your own lager is the anticipation of what it will taste like when it is ready! Ale is made from fermenting cereals and hops, so in that viewpoint, lager is a living organism, which wishes time to mature. The process is straightforward : just find a corner you can control the temperature of and pick the right yeast. The natural process of fermentation does the rest. All that is required is a little patience to make beer at home!

Brewing from home is both intensely easy, and yet a little complex. Learning to make beer at home is the method where you prepare the ingredients, ferment them, bottle your end-product and, best of all, consume the completed product. Home brewing is an inexpensive way of manufacturing lager that can taste nearly as the product that enormous companies create, if not better. And you get the bragging rights of placing your own name on the label

Characteristics of Beer Brewing Regions in the United States

Characteristics of Beer Brewing Regions in the United States By Michael Briggs

Regional Characteristics of Craft Brewing.

It is surely apparent to even the most casual observer that the selection of small batch, or micro brewed, beer has grown steadily for many years. Early on in the craft brewing revival it was widely speculated that the microbrew revolution was merely a fad and once over, factory beers would once again be the only beer left standing on the shelves. But these smaller brewers have not only survived, they have thrived and revitalized many brewing traditions nearly lost forever. What has emerged is rather amazing. When you travel the United States and sample beers over a wide geographic range, patterns emerge in the beer styles and flavors you sample. These brewing tendancies are based on the history of beer making in the region, the availability of ingredients, and even the climate of the area and its effect on the demand for various beer styles.

Let's look at some of the broad regions of the country and what you can expect in the general styles of beers. While this exercise sheds some light on how each region has evolved, it is by no means an absolute reference. There are many wonderful exceptions to every generalization.

North East

New England has roots that run to the very beginnings of when Europeans first settled North America, and one of the first traditions these settlers brought with them was brewing. Many of our founding fathers not only enjoyed a brewed libation, they often made their own. One of the biggest craft brewers even takes its very name from a famous patriot and brewer from the American Revolution. The microbrew revolution has not traveled far from its heritage, and you will find almost exclusively beers made in the English tradition. This is ale country, and most brewpubs even have the traditional hand pulled beer engine offering true cask conditioned ales at cellar temperatures. While English ales rule in the North East, a few renegades are offering Belgian style ales. These beers are very traditional in their hops and malt balance, smooth and very drinkable.

Midwest

Many Germans migrated during the 1800's to the Midwest in search of farm land and work in the booming cities. With them they brought a long tradition of brewing cold fermented lagers from their homeland of Germany, Bavaria, Poland, and other middle European countries. True to form, this portion of the country still has some of the best lagers to be found in the world. It is this part of the country where brewing survived during prohibition and then blossomed after its downfall. The United States largest brewers are still in the Midwest, but they are no longer alone. The beer selection you will primarily find here focuses on lighter beers that have been cold fermented and offer crisp clean colors, the floral and citrus aromas of Noble hops, and little in the way of estery yeast by-products. The exception to this rule is the amazing bounty of aromas you may find in a glass of traditional Hefeweizen, or wheat beers with the yeast left unfiltered.

South

Settled mainly by the French, the south and Gulf Coast has little in the way of a brewing history. The very warm climate made growing malt and hops nearly impossible, and fermenting in this heat is unpredictable. As such, the South does not have many brewpubs and Micros in order to define their space. With the advent of refrigeration, and the ease of shipping ingredients now, there are some great brews beginning to take shape. So perhaps it would be better to wait until more brewing traditions have been created before pigeon-holing this newcomer to the brewing scene. One thing that is noticeable is the effect hot weather has on the beer drinkers desire. Lighter beers served ice cold are in much greater fashion than the heavier and warmer ales served by their neighbors to the North.

Mountains

The mountains of Colorado, Nevada, and Idaho are especially noted for unparalleled skiing. Along with skis, vacationers often bring a hearty thirst worked up from multiple trips down the mountains. Here an ever-growing brewpub scene offers some of the most varied selections in the country. It is almost like the brewers of the mountain region reflect the many expectations brought by visitors from every corner of the world. Here you will find German lagers, English Ales, and American originals all served side by side. But one characteristic that begins to shine through comes from the proximity of the hops growing region in the Pacific Northwest. Beer here has a distinct extra dose of hops that make them All American. Instead of using hops imported from Europe, beer is most often embued with American varieties descended from traditional hops of the world.

West Coast and Pacific Northwest

The West Coast is mostly affected by the very close US center of hops growing in Oregon and Washington states. Beer styles here are most certainly American. The Pacific Northwest is also the heart of barley growing in the United States, so it is no surprise that the density of micro brewed beer is higher here than most anywhere else in the country. And every brewery or brewpub offers many styles with assertive hops; in the kettle for bitterness as well as large amounts of dry hops in the barrel for aroma. Most styles are American adaptations of German or English traditional brews, adapted for the cool wet weather and utilizing the abundance of local ingredients.

While throughout the world there are literally dozens of styles of beer, relatively few are brewed in any one region of the United States. Each area has been influenced by climate, availability of ingredients, and tradition, to develop a limited number of distinct beer offerings.

Translucent Aluminum Beer Cans

Translucent Aluminum Beer Cans By Lance Winslow Lance Winslow Level: Platinum Greetings to Everyone, I am a retired Franchisor, Business Consultant, Philantropist and I run a Think Tank, as well as do a lot of Traveling, ... ...

Imagine tossing your friend a beer can which was invisible? As you threw the beer can they could see the fluid inside sloshing around, but they couldn't see the edges, and when they grabbed it from the air they would feel the beer can but the beer can would be translucent. Wouldn't that be cool? Well that could be a reality in the future. No, this isn't science fiction, well it's almost science fiction except for the fact that some scientists in Hamburg Germany have come up with translucent aluminum.

How do they do that, you ask? Well, they take micro-lasers, and they shoot off the electrons spinning around the aluminum atoms, this creates what scientist believe could be a fourth state of matter. But for beer drinkers it's just plain cool. Maybe President Obama might like this too, it could be something great for his next Beer Summit, even better than killing a fly like the Karate Kid.

Can you think of a cooler thing to have a party, than beer cans that are see through? I'm sure as this fad catches on people will also want it for their soft drinks, and diet sodas. But for those that are serious partiers the translucent aluminum beer can would surely do the trick.

And speaking of serious partiers what if you're throwing a major Keg'er? Imagine if you put down your deposit, and picked up a tap at the local beer company or distributor, and they gave you two or three translucent beer kegs to take over your party?

Wouldn't that be cool? Well, at least one online think tank and Futurist believes it will happen, and beer drinkers across America cannot wait. Please think on this.

Beer Clone Recipes

How to Make Beer Clone Recipes By J. T. Freeman

Although I make a vast majority of my own beer, I still like to head to my local tap house and have a fresh, quality craft beer from time to time. I benefit from this in a couple of ways and so can you.

First, it helps with the continuous education of my passion for beer making by discussing the specifics of the beers I am drinking with the knowledgeable bar staff. I also solicit feedback from my fellow patrons at times and their input can be informational as well. This can lead to inspiration for tweaking an existing recipe you use or creating one from scratch.

Second, have you ever been out at a bar or restaurant and tried a beer that you absolutely loved? That has happened to me more than once. For most people, that initiates the desire to purchase more of that beer whenever they visit their local watering hole or liquor store. However, for me and the eager home brewer, this could be an opportunity to duplicate our favorite adult beverage. The problem is that the beer bottle does not have the recipe on it and most of the time, that information can be a highly guarded secret.

Well, it's a good thing that there are clone recipes to make beer like our favorites. The easiest way is to Google "beer clone recipes". You will find and adequate amount to start exploring. One of my favorite sites for clone recipes and home brewing information in general is BYO.com. I have hand picked 5 clone beer recipes from their site to get you started. Good luck and enjoy!

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone Author: Greg Snapp

Hundreds of our customers at my homebrew shop have made this. Most swear it's identical to the original. Dry hopping is essential for classic Cascade flavor and aroma. (5 gallons)

Ingredients:

* 8 oz. caramel malt, 30degrees Lovibond * 6 oz. DeWolf-Cosyns cara-pils malt * 6 lbs. light malt syrup * 1.5 oz. Perle hops (8.2% alpha acid) for 60 min. * 2.5 oz. Cascade hops (5.4% alpha acid): 1 oz. for 15 min., 1 oz. for 5 min., 0.5oz. pellets (dry hopping). * Wyeast 1056 (American ale) * 11/4 cup dry malt extract

Step by Step:

Add grains to 1.5 gal. water. Bring slowly to 170degrees F. Remove grains and bring to a boil.

Total boil is 60 min. Boil 10 min. and add Perle hops. Boil 45 min. more, adding water as needed to maintain liquid level. Make first Cascade addition. Boil 5 min. more. Turn off heat. Wait 10 min. Add 1 oz. Cascade. Wait 3 to 5 min. Remove hops and transfer to fermenter.

Top up to 5 gal. Pitch yeast at 70degrees F.

Ferment three days and rack to secondary. Dry hop with 0.5 oz. Cascade pellets. Ferment two weeks at 65degrees F. Prime and bottle.

Fullsail Golden Clone Author: James Crane

The rye adds a pungent fruitiness characteristic of Full Sail Golden ale. (5 gallons)

Ingredients:

* 6 lbs. pale malt extract * 1 lb. light dry malt extract * 8 oz. crystal malt, 10degrees Lovibond * 8 oz. flaked rye * 3 oz. Cascade hops (6.1% alpha acid): 1 oz. for 60 min., 1 oz. for 30 min., 1oz. for 2 min. * 750 ml. starter of Wyeast 1056 (American ale) or White Labs California Ale pitchable yeast * 3/4 cup dextrose for priming

Step by Step:

Steep grains for 30 min. in 2.5 gal. water at 150degrees F. Remove grains and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and add extract. Total boil is 60 min. Return to boil and add 1 oz. Cascade. Boil 30 min. more and add 1 oz. Cascade. Boil 28 min. more and add 1 oz. Cascade. Boil 2 min. more. Top up to 5 gal. with cold, preboiled water. Cool below 75degrees F and pitch yeast.

Ferment at 68degrees to 70degrees F until completed (about five days). Secondary ferment 10 days to two weeks. Prime with dextrose and bottle

Sierra Nevada Stout Clone

Creamy and malty with notes of dark caramel, chocolate, light molasses and ripe plums. An American stout that truly typifies citrusy hops and black malt.

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain) OG = 1.065 FG = 1.019 IBU = 60 SRM = 40 ABV = 5.8%

Ingredients:

* 9.0 lbs. (4.1 kg) American pale malt * 3.0 lbs. (1.4 kg) Munich malt (10 degrees L) * 1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) American Black Patent malt (500 degrees L) * 0.67 lbs. (0.30 kg) American crystal malt (60 degrees L) * 14 AAU Magnum hops (60 mins) o (1.0 oz./28 g of 14% alpha acids) * 5.8 AAU Cascade hops (10 mins) o (1.0 oz./28 g of 5.75% alpha acids) * 2.0 oz. (57 g) Willamette hops (0 min) * Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast * 1 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step:

Mash 154 degrees F (68 degrees C) for 60 minutes in 16 qts. (15 L) of mash liquor. Boil wort for 60 minutes. Ferment for 7 days at 68 degrees F (20 degrees C). Rack to secondary and condition for 14 days at 68 degrees F (20 degrees C).

(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash) OG = 1.065 FG = 1.019 IBU = 60 SRM = 40 ABV = 5.8%

Ingredients:

* 0.33 lbs. (0.15 kg) American pale malt * 3.0 lbs. (1.4 kg) Munich malt (10 degrees L) * 1.0 lb. (0.45 kg) American black patent malt (500 degrees L) * 0.67 lbs. (0.30 kg) American crystal malt (60 degrees L) * 2.0 lbs. (0.91 kg) Briess Light dried malt extract * 4.0 lbs. (1.8 kg) Briess Light liquid malt extract (late addition) * 14 AAU Magnum hops (60 mins) o (1.0 oz./28 g of 14% alpha acids) * 5.8 AAU Cascade hops (10 mins) o (1.0 oz./28 g of 5.75% alpha acids) * 2.0 oz. (57 g) Willamette hops (0 min) * Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Safale US-05 yeast * 1 cup corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step:

Mash at 154 degrees F (68 degrees C) for 60 minutes in 7.5 qts. (7.1 L) of mash liquor. Combine partial mash wort with dried malt extract and enough water to make at least 3.5 gallons (13 L). Boil wort for 60 minutes. Add liquid malt extract with 15 minutes left in boil. Ferment at 68 degrees F (20 degrees C). Rack to secondary and condition beer for 14 days at 68 degrees F (20 degrees C).

Sam Adams Winter Brew

(5 gallon, extract with grains) OG = 1.069 FG = 1.016 IBUs = 26 to 30

Ingredients:

* 6.6 lbs. Briess wheat malt extract syrup * 1.5 lbs. crystal malt (60degrees Lovibond) * 1 lb. wheat malt * 1.5 lbs. Munich malt (20degrees Lovibond) * 1 teaspoon Irish moss * 1 oz. Curacáo orange peel (bitter orange peel) * 0.5 oz. ginger root (freshly grated) * 0.5 tsp. cinnamon (powdered) * 9.5 AAU East Kent Goldings o (2 oz. of 4.75% alpha acid) * 4.5 AAU Tettnanger o (1 oz. of 4.5% alpha acid) * 4.7 AAU Hallertau Hersbrucker o (1 oz. of 4.7% alpha acid) * 3/4 cup corn sugar to prime * German Lager yeast (White Labs WLP830) or Bavarian Lager yeast (Wyeast 2206)

Step by Step:

Steep the grains in 2.5 gallons of water at 150º F for 30 minutes. Strain out the grains, add the wheat malt syrup and return to a boil. When the wort begins boiling, add East Kent Golding hops, Irish moss, and boil for 60 minutes. Add spices for the last 15 minutes of the boil.

Add Tettnanger and Hallertau hops for the last 2 minutes of the boil. Remove from heat and cool wort in ice bath or with wort chiller. Transfer to fermentation vessel (glass carboy). Add enough cold water to the wort to bring the volume up to 5.5 gallons. Pitch yeast and ferment at 50º to 55º F for 3 to 4 weeks. Prime, then bottle or keg. You should lager this beer for about 4 weeks prior to serving.

All-Grain Option:

Replace the wheat malt syrup with 3.5 pounds of pale malt. Increase the Munich malt to 4 pounds and the wheat malt to 4 pounds. Also change the boiling hops to a smaller quantity, 7 AAU (1.5 oz of 4.75% alpha acid). I would suggest a two-step mash schedule for this beer. This involves doing a 30-minute protein rest at 122º F, followed by 60 minutes at 155º F.

Note that the quantity of boiling hops are slightly lower for the all-grain batch. This is due to the greater hop extract efficiency that results from a full boil of the entire wort volume. The remainder of the hop, spice additions and fermenting instructions are the same as the above extract-with-grains recipe instructions.

Bend Brewing Co. Hophead IPA Clone

The secret to a good Imperial IPA is dry-hopping. It can make or break this style. It is very important to have a huge aroma that leads you into the beer, complementing the inherent bitterness. - Tonya Cornett, Brewmaster

Hophead Imperial IPA Bend Brewing Co.

American-Style India Pale Ale (5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)

OG = 1.073 FG = 1.017 IBU = 100 SRM = 6 ABV = 8%

Ingredients:

*14 lb. 10 oz. (6.6 kg) 2-row pale malt *8.0 oz. (0.23 kg) crystal malt (30 degrees L) *1.1 oz. (31 g) Saaz hops (first wort hops) *19 AAU Chinook hops (90 mins) o(1.6 oz./44 g of 12% alpha acids) *1.8 oz. (51 g) Northern Brewer hops (5 mins) *1.8 oz. (51 g) Cascade hops (5 mins after knockout) *1.5 oz. (43 g) Cascade hops (dry hop) *Wyeast 1968 (London ESB) or White Labs WLP002 (English Ale) yeast (2.5 qt./~2.5 L yeast starter) *0.75 cups corn sugar (for priming)

Step by Step:

Mash at 155 degrees F (68 degrees C) for 60 minutes. Boil for 90 minutes. Ferment at 68 degrees F (20 degrees C). Dry hop for 7 days.

Extract option:

Reduce amount of pale malt to 1.5 lb. (0.68 kg).

Add 7.1 lbs. (3.2 kg) light dried malt extract at beginning of boil. You will need to perform a full-wort boil to get the specified level of bitterness.

Homebrew Ingredients

Using the Right Homebrew Ingredients Simplifies the Brewing Process By Peter Waterman

Making your own beer at home is one of the most favorite hobbies today in North America, Canada and big parts of Europe. There are millions of people who have discovered the many advantages of home brewing and the fun of the activity. In this article we look at the ingredients you need to start brewing yourself and you will learn how simple and cheap home brewing can be.

With the right ingredients for a homebrew the process is quite simple and because the complete methodology can be found, described step by step, at online websites and in offline books and manuals it has been made possible for everyone to start out with this great activity.

There are many rewards in making your own beer at home, both in terms of fun as well as finances. Brewing your own beer is cheaper then buying it and you could even sell your beer and earn some decent money, but first you can enjoy the learning process to make beers to perfection. And because there are many different types of beer with different ingredients you can do a lot of testing and tasting with your friends and family.

What Homebrew Ingredients Do You Need.

Before you start thinking about launching your own brewing business, you need to know and gather all needed items. And you can do that in more then one way but lets first look at what you need.

Malt barley is one of the the main things that goes into making beer, it is the same as the grapes you use when you make wine. You can't make beer without it.

Brewing sugar and Yeast are two other main ingredients that you can't do without to have it ferment. The yeast uses the brewing sugar and converts it into two chemicals, carbon dioxide and of course alcohol. There are different types of brewing yeast and the one you should use depends on your recipe.

Hops are the homebrew ingredient that makes the taste of the beer a slightly bitter as beer should be and why we all love it so much. Hops are a specific vine's flower and they are absolutely needed to brew a fine beer.

The last but certainly not least important item of the home brewing ingredients is water. Most people forget that water is in fact the main ingredient of beer and it has a great influence on the end result of the taste of your home brew. If you have bad tasting water it could completely destroy the taste of the batch.

There are two ways you can go with these main ingredients. You can buy them all separate from each other and find a recipe that you can use for the right amounts. Or you can buy a home beer kit or package. In these beer kits all of the above homebrew ingredients are included and you can buy them for different types of beer like for example lager, ale, stout or drought beer. For beginning brewers we would recommend that you buy beer kits, because they come with excellent manuals and you can be sure that your first batch will be a tasty one brewed with the least effort and cost.

The Ultimate Homebrew Beer Recipe Book

The Ultimate Homebrew Beer Recipe Book By Jeffrey Jettison

Homebrew beer master's have all been there. In the beginning all we have is a love for beer, and a great urge to set up our own little "brewery" in the garage or kitchen. Once we convince ourselves that we are willing to go through with it, that's when the fun begins.

Of course, buying the homebrew starter kit is pretty simple, and figuring out where to set up shop is also an an easy decision. But what about selecting the right recipe? We only know that there are 1,000's of possibilities. We know what type of flavor's we like. And what type of beer we like to buy. But it's a lot different when we decide to brew are own beer.

Using a recipe book for your homebrew concoction's is definitely a great idea. having many different option's will help in the long run. But as a beginner or someone that hasn't had a lot of experience in homebrewing, it's best to have a homebrew beer recipe book that will do more than supply the ingredients. The right book will give an in depth description of the homebrew recipe. Maybe even a little history of the it as well. When brewmaster's create a flavor, there are usually some determining factor's as to why they choose the ingredient's that go into the flavor.

Thats why I really love the Ultimate Home Brew Beer Recipe Book

This is the homebrew recipe guide that all beginner brewers should have. I will try to be as unbiased as possible, but rarely have I seen or read, a book that can provide great information, yet involve the reader in the actual process as well. When reading these recipe's the reader will get a history of the beer and the ingredients. It's like knowing WHY the brewmaster added certain ingredients, instead of how and when.

Any brewmaster will tell you that brewing beer isn't just about adding some of this and some of that. Its a bit different than baking a cake or brewing a pot of coffee. Therefore it is crucial that we develop our own style of brewing. The Ultimate Home Brew Beer Recipe Book guide's the reader's through each recipe, giving them a great feel for what each ingredient is for and why it's being added to the brew.

Knowing how ingredients interact with each other is paramount to constantly creating a great tasting homebrew.

Learning how ingredients interact with each other come's from experience. And its safe to say that the best experience come's from the actual act of doing something. Baseball player's cant just talk about hitting a curveball and then go out and hit one. They need lot's of practice. But not just practice. Different practice. Like hitting different pitches at different speed's. Its the same with homebrewing. You cant just brew the same beer over and over. You must try many different homebrew recipe's if you want to recall learn the whole process.

The Ultimate Home Brew Recipe Book provides over 600 different recipes.They range from the lightest, most fruity flavored flavors , all the way to the dark, flavorful Ale's. There are even some clone recipe's that rival more well known beer's such as Sam Adams and Budweiser.