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Did you know that you can easily calculate the alcohol content of your beer or wine if you know your specific gravity (S.G.) readings at the beginning and end of the beer/wine making process?

To calculate the approximate value of the alcohol content in your beer/wine use the following formula:

Approximate Alcohol Content (%) =

Starting S.G.- Ending S.G.

0.0074

For example:

Starting SG = 1.090
Ending SG = 0.995

% Alcohol = 1.090 - 0.995 = 12.84

0.0074

> You can therefore say that the approximate alcohol content of this batch of wine is 12.84%

Note: This method assumes that difference in specific gravity is solely due to the conversion of sugar into alcohol

Did you know that sulphite is not strong enough to kill bacteria and therefore is of no use in beermaking?

I typically make wine and therefore use a metabisulphite solution to clean my equipment and to date have had no issues with my batches. I should point out though that I’m pretty fussy about keeping my equipment clean, especially when storing it between batches!

I was surprised to read in the cleaning instructions that came with the Brew House beer kit from RJ Spagnols that sulphites shouldn’t be used to clean beer making equipment as they can’t kill bacteria, which will alter the taste of the beer and also opens up the possibility that you’ll get sick from your beer - not good!

I have to say though that I was quite impressed with the cleaning instructions that they included with the kit as they give four cleaning options: Trisodium Phosphate (aka T.S.P. - i.e. the stuff you clean your walls with before you paint them), Diversol (aka Sani-Brew - i.e. the pink solution commonly used in beer/wine making), Bleach (i.e. aka the stuff you use to whiten your shirts) and Iodophor (aka Iodine).

My personal preference is Sani-Brew as it has bleach in it (so I know it’s a good disinfectant) and works well when removing stains from your equipment (especially for your primary - great when you are brewing several different types of wines/beers out of the same container).

Here’s a the page on RJ Spagnol’s website that goes into greater detail about cleaning your equipment as well as the differences between four types of cleansers that they recommend. Definitely worth checking out (even if to serve as a refresher):

www.RJSjspagnols.com/resource_view.asp?HandoutID=44

I realize that cleaning your equipment is one of the least favourite jobs when making beer or wine but consider this interesting thought from RJ Spagnols:

“If you get tired of scrubbing and sanitizing, remember: lapses in sanitation are responsible for 90% of all homebrewing failures. You can avoid them.”

- Scott “The Wine Making Guy”

Thought I would pass along an interesting tidbit of information I learned this morning about home made beer - the easiest way to eliminate the sediment at the bottom of the bottle of home made beer.

As a wine maker I assumed that the sediment was from dead yeast that hadn’t settled out from the fermentation process and that the only way to get rid of the sediment was to filter it - after all, don’t the commercial beer makers filter their beer?

It turns out (after a chat with a fellow customer who I met this morning at one of the local wine making supply store that I frequent) that I was right that the sediment is from dead yeast, but I was wrong in terms of where it came from.

The typical way to carbonate your beer is by adding sugar to your beer before you bottle it (you can also add carbonation tabs to each bottle as well). The sugar re-energizes the yeast in the beer and restarts the fermentation thereby producing carbon dioxide naturally. The sediment that you see in the bottom of the bottle is therefore the dead yeast from this round of fermentation.

The easiest way to avoid this sedimentation, therefore, is to use a different method of adding carbon dioxide to your beer! To do this you’ll need to use a kegging system such as the one used in your local pub or you can purchase one of those “Tap-A-Draft” systems I mentioned in my previous post “Suggestions On How To Carbonate your Beer, Sparkling Wine or Wine Cooler“.

It’s just a matter of time before I purchase the “Tap-A-Draft”!

Honey Blond Ale

For those of you who like a honey beer like Sleeman’s Honey Brown Lager, I think I might have found a kit that you should give a try. RJ Spagnols, who is known for their wine kits also has a line of beer kits called “The Brew House“.

They have a honey beer called “Honey Blonde Ale” that is similar to Sleeman’s but the owner of the store said that if you wanted to “kick it up a notch” to add 1/2 kg of unpasteurized honey along with a kettle full of boiling water to the primary before you added your water and beer wort.

Sounded very interesting so thought I would give it a go. Haven’t made this brand of kit before but it comes highly recommended. If you have any experience with them please leave a comment!

Here are some tasting and technical notes for The Brew House’s Honey Blonde Ale:

STYLES AND HISTORY
A refreshingly smooth, full-bodied ale with a touch of all natural honey to create a slightly sweet finish. Golden in colour, with a rich, soft and round palate, we use pure clover honey to balance the satisfying ale character.

FOOD AND SOCIAL
It pairs extremely well with classic summer fare, such as cold fruit or fresh leaf lettuce salads but also has the resilience to stand up to most strongly flavoured foods like char-grilled meats and pizzas.

Enjoy!

- Scott “The Beer & Wine Making Guy”