Rapid Bartender

Archive for August, 2009

Make Your Own Beer — Without Making Mistakes

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

If you are going to make your own beer then your biggest worry has to be that something will go wrong and the whole brew will be ruined. What can you do to reduce the chances of that happening to almost zero? The answer could be very simple…

Who Likes A Challenge?

OK, sometimes a challenge is good. It can stretch us, and if the task is that bit more difficult then the satisfaction in getting a good result is all the greater. But it’s all a matter of degree. If the odds are so stacked against you that the chances of failure are seriously high, then that can kind of take away the enjoyment.

Homebrew Beer — 6 Great Reasons To Get Started Now

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

If you are a beer advocate and enjoy the fine taste of a delicious brew, then you will love what you can achieve with homebrewing. Making homebrew beer is a hobby enjoyed by thousands, but what makes it so popular? Here are six top reasons why you too will want to get started now on brewing your own.

1. It’s Easy

Forget the mess and difficulty of malting your own grains, now with a simple beer kit and malt extract it couldn’t be easier.

Beer Making Kit — The Best Way To Homebrew?

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

OK! So you’re thinking of joining the thousands who partake in this fine, rewarding and delicious hobby of making their own beer… But, you might ask, is using a beer making kit the best way to homebrew? Well, here are the key points to help you decide…

Kits Are Easy To Use

No question, if you are just starting out then using kits is certainly the easy way to go. But a great many people also choose to stay with them, and no surprise. They are very straightforward to use — no mess and difficulty of malting your own grains as in the traditional way.

Myths Debunked On How To Brew Beer

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Do you enjoy the delicious taste of beer? Have you ever thought about how proud you would feel to learn how to brew beer? Want to learn the simple truth to the most popular-held myths about brewing beer at home? Well, it’s time to arm yourself with some knowledge to debunk the top beer myths and set the record straight - even with people you know who may think they know more about beer than you.

The top of the list…Myth one: Only men have an interest in homebrewing beer. Drinking or brewing beer is just not popular with women.

Cleaning Beer Lines Keeps Your Brew Fresh

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Anyone who owns a kegerator knows the importance of keeping it sanitary. Each time that you take a draw from your kegerator, the lines are slowly building up with beer stones as well as yeast, both of which leads to a very unsanitary condition.This surface is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mold. At the least, this can lead to an off taste in the beer and at the worst it could cause serious problems for anyone who drinks beer that has passed through these lines.
This is why cleaning your beer lines is a vital task for every kegerator owner. This will make sure that both you and your friends are always drinking beer that is pure and safe. The problem is that most people do not know how exactly to do this and do this effectively.
With every kegerator, there is a certain amount of responsibility and maintenance that is required. Fortunately, cleaning your beer lines is a very quick process and is great to ensure that your lines are sanitary and functioning properly.
There are many different cleaning kits available for purchase, but they will almost always recommend the same cleaning schedule. If you do not use your kegerator on a consistent basis then you should make sure to clean the lines before each use.The easy thing to remember is that it is impossible to get your lines to clean.
This process is not difficult or complicated once you know what you are doing.The bonus is that with the right cleaning kit, you will be provided with everything that you need. With these kits you will get a container filled with a combination of water and a cleaning solution which will be used to clean and sanitize your lines. The pump on the kegerator should be used to force the cleaning solution through the lines and will help you to remove the buildup that exists in your lines.
Make sure that you are soaking your lines with the cleaning solution as recommended by the kit.
Additional components such as, the faucet and tap should be soaked and rinsed as well. You may also want to use a brush to scrub them as well. If you are stuck only cleaning the lines, then you are still pushing clean beer through a dirty tap and you gain nothing from cleaning the lines, as you are still ruining the beer.
When your kegerator is apart from the lines, take some time to do some other basic maintenance as well. Take this time to inspect all of the o-rings and make sure that their seal is working correctly.Also take time to make sure that the coupling washer, friction washer, and the shaft seat are working properly as well.You should also use a lubricant, food grade lubricant if possible, to coat the probe o-rings and the keg coupler.
However, if you fail in this regard, then you will understand what bad beer really tastes like.
You can easily avoid the embarrassment of serving rancid beer to guests and avoid possible health concerns as well. All you need to do is use proper maintenance techniques as well as keeping to a strict cleaning schedule will ensure that you will always have the best tasting beer available.

Seven Secret Benefits To Your Health From Drinking Your Own Homebrewed Beer or Ale!

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Has anyone ever told you that beer is a health drink?
Probably not, but drank in moderation it does have health benefits - don’t use this as an excuse to drink a lot though!

Homebrewed beer is definately the best kind because it has no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

Here’s the seven ways  health benefits of homebrew:

1) The November 1999 edition of ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’ reported that moderate drinkers of homebrew could lower their chances  suffering a stroke by as much as twenty percent.

How To Use A Hydrometer for Homebrewing beer and Making Ale

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

If you  asked a bunch of homebrewers what the main items they need for their hobby what do you think they would say?

I suppose the most popular responses would be a fermenter,the  ingredients including hops, yeast, malt syrup , and an item known as a hydrometer. So what precisely is a hydrometer anyway? Why ought you to have one and how would you use it?

After looking up my dictionary, I can tell you that a hydrometer is a tool for measuring a liquid’s specific gravity, generally consisting of a calibrated tube weighted so that it floats upright. Well, that does not actually clarify matters, so let’s explain it in more detail.

Homebrew Kegging Systems Keep Your Hard Work Fresh

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

There are several things that may concern you if you are a home brewer or are just curious about the process. First, you do not want to wait six weeks to find out what your beer will taste like. Second, you do not want to waste extra storage space with bottles.

Fortunately, neither of these need to be a problem any longer. Not only is there a most space and cost effective way to brew your own drinks at home, you may open to the methods used in kegging as well.

Home Soda Maker - Drink Healthy and Save Money

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

You must have heard the popular Bon Jovi song “Cross border they turn water into wine. Some say it’s the devil’s blood squeezing form the vine.” Well, you don’t have to drive across the border or squeeze devil’s blood to have a drink anymore. Now you can have your very own soda maker to make soda and sparkling water or Seltzer at home.

With a home soda maker, you can turn your ordinary tap water into sparkling water in no time. You can also make your own soda healthy ways. A soda maker is not only convenient but also can be very economical as you are just paying for the ingredients and not for fancy bottling, marketing and advertising, or distribution.

Lot of health conscious people refrain from drinking soda as it has lot of calories from sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Since you will be making your own soda at home, you decide the ingredients you want to use. Instead of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, you can use zero calorie sugar substitutes which will work out great if you are watching your calories.

Lot of us are environment conscious these days and big supporters of green living. With bottled or canned soda, you will need to worry about recycling. Depending on where you live, your area might not even offer you recycling options for your soda bottles or cans. With home soda makers, there is no need to worry about the environment any more. No bottles or cans meaning no need to recycle anything.

Using a home soda maker is lot easier than you think. All soda makers these days come with complete instructions to get you started. Some even come with starter packages containing bottles or containers to store the soda, carbonators, soda recipes, wide range of flavors, etc. With the starter pack, you can get into making your own soda in no time.

If you are wondering how much it cost to make a bottle of soda, you would be delighted to know that a bottle of soda made using a home soda maker can cost you as little as $.10 compared to $1.50 average store price. So you can see that making your own soda will save you a lot of money if you are a soda drinker.

If you open a store bought 1 liter or 2 liter soda bottle, you know you will have to drink the whole bottle after opening it. If you lay it aside after drinking a cup or so, then the rest of the soda will go flat giving you no taste at all. Therefore lots of sodas get wasted all the time. With home made soda, there is no waste as you only make as much as you need to drink.

With a soda maker, you can add your own flavor, be innovative in making alcoholic drinks, or even impress your friends and family in a party. If you are a soda drinker, then there is no reason for you not to try out a home soda maker.

Why It’s So Easy To Make Beer At Home

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Ever thought about discovering how to make beer at home? As any person who visits the types of eateries who flaunt the brass brewing apparatus they generate their individual “house beer” in will inform you, discovering how to produce beer the way these eateries do is both straightforward and a lot of fun when you get used to the home brew recipes and brewing materials available which will allow you to make beer at home.