Top 10 Homebrewing, Cider Making, and Hard Seltzer Articles

We gathered our top 10 articles based on performance over the last year and our customers did not disappoint. We start off with two articles geared toward getting more alcohol out of the final product and we couldn’t be more proud. You chugged (pun intended) through a pandemic like a champ, learning how to brew new things and how to brew better beer. Our top 10 blog articles go from in-depth to general how-tos, cover questions from new and advanced brewers, and deviate from just beer.

10. How to Make Boozy Kombucha

Kom-booze-cha! Who wouldn’t want that low-calorie, probiotic goodness to also have alcohol? And we’re not even talking average beer ABV, we’re talking up to 14%.  You’ll end up with a flavor profile similar to a lambic beer or a wild fermented fruited beer using just a few ingredients, minimal equipment, and in just a few steps.

9. How to Ferment for Higher Gravity

We always hear, “can’t I just dump more fermentable sugar in?” which yes, that does increase the ABV - but it won’t give you the beer you want. You’ll stress your yeast out and probably get off-flavors or other unpleasant characteristics. The balance between the malt sweetness, hop bitterness, and other fermentation characteristics is delicate but we provide options (using malt extract vs simple sugars) and include a video that goes even more in-depth on this topic.

8. How to Make a Yeast Starter

Before you get here, you may ask, “What is a yeast starter? Why should I make it?” which we do also go over. Basically you make a yeast starter to have more yeast cells (instead of less, stressed out yeast cells) which means better fermentation (better beer!). It’s kind of a “mini wort” that’s easy to make and quite the game-changer - as long as you remember to do it 24-48 hours before your brew day.

7. How to Make Hard Cider

Want to make something new without new equipment? Oh and it’s even easier than beer? Just juice, yeast, and corn sugar are about all you need to make your own hard cider. You can adjust how sweet or dry you make it, customize it with some added spices, and tout it to your gluten-free friends who look longingly at your homebrew wishing they could enjoy a boozy beverage too.

6. How to Brew All-Grain Beer

Whether you have never brewed before or  you’re one of many extract brewers switching to all-grain, this guide is the place to start. You can follow the steps laid out or watch our video for a crash course on everything you need to know to get started with all-grain brewing. If you’re intimidated by the process, we’ll show you just how approachable it really is.

5. Cold Crashing Beer for Crystal Clear Homebrew

We love a hazy NEIPA, but some beers just don’t look quite as refreshing if they’re hazy. A crisp, clear lawnmower beer just hits the spot and cold crashing is one of the best ways to achieve that perfect appearance. You’ll need a fermentation temperature controller and a refrigerator or temperature-controlled keezer to hold your fermenter. That’s all it takes to make the yeast fall out of suspension - resulting in crystal clear beer.

4. How to Carbonate Beer in Bottles and Kegs

Bottle conditioned beer is the process of naturally carbonating beer by adding sugar to flat beer, which starts a “re-fermentation” in the bottle. The CO2 produced in this step is absorbed into the beer and creates carbonation. Kegging on the other hand, takes CO2 from a pressurized gas cylinder and carbonates your beer faster. Both ways of carbonating your beer are good to know as you’ll likely do a bit of both in your homebrewing.

3. How to Make Hard Seltzer

As easy as hard cider, with even less ingredients and even more flavor options! Homebrewers and people completely new to fermenting beverages both find making hard seltzer a breeze. The process takes about 6 weeks and at the end, you’ll have an effervescent treat without any artificial flavors or additives. The steps are easy to follow and we have recipe kits in just about every fruit flavor, like classic Ruby Grapefruit, or try something different like the Cascade Dry Hopped seltzer.

2. Beer Grains: The Complete Guide for Homebrewers

Our second most popular blog article is one that’s great for both new and advanced brewers. Here we cover the basics of “what is malt?”, adjunct grains (pumpkin, potatoes, rice), the difference between toasted and roasted malts, and include a chart of all the grains we carry which features region, flavor descriptors, and diastatic power.

1. How to Make Beer

We’re so pumped to see this is the #1 article, because we love having new people join our favorite hobby. We break the process down into 4 basic steps that are easy to follow, will actually create beer flavored beer, and we know it’ll become your favorite hobby too. We like to tell people that if you can make mac and cheese from a box without help, you can make beer. Reading through this article will make you realize that the hardest part of homebrewing is waiting to drink the final product.

Pour over our entire Expert Knowledge Base for everything there is to know about homebrewing, winemaking, hard seltzer, and more.

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