When giving homebrew to a friend, I find there are generally three options for bottle presentation.

Go Naked
Deliver a clean, labeless bottle to say "homebrew inside" like nothing else. If you're gonna do this, at least put a wrinkled paper bag on it for character.
Use a Post-it Note
Scribble some chicken-scratch handwriting on a note and be sure it sits in the back of the recipient's refrigerator for months.
Make a Label
Now we're talking!
What is this brilliant concoction of alchoholic goodness you've placed in my hand? Is this from a craft brewery?
To make labels for your homebrew, perhaps try a simple and free site called beerlabelizer. There are many different label styles to choose from and you can print or save as needed. Some people criticize the amount of info that can be entered, but it does have all of the basics. Let us know if it works for you!

One of the challenges of the brew in a bag method of all grain brewing is lifting the heavy bag of waterlogged grain once the mash is complete. The larger the grain bill, the heavier the bag.

We've seen a number of BIAB brew stands in the past, some even had winches built in, but none were quite as nice as what itzkramer has put together in this build!

Check out all of the construction details including a parts list in the link below.

[Read More]

Nothing says my bar is not in the garage or basement like a nice sign!

I've wanted a sign like this for a while (and there are quite a few online) but none caught my eye like this one. 

It's from HomeWetBar.com and is customizable with hand painted accents.  At $39.99 plus shipping, it's pretty affordable too.

Check out all of the details here.

Check out the deals for Black Friday.

Here are a bunch.

I can't condone mixing homebrew into frilly drinks but this chart may help if you can't resist.

Credit goes to Fabio Rex and more of his work can be seen here.

What has 237 blocks, is fun for the whole family, and stirs the crap out of yeast starters?  

awarner322's sweet lego stirplate of course!!

Actually, I don't know how many blocks they used or whether any legos were harmed in its making, but one thing is for sure; any project that includes a lego guy gets my vote!

It appears to have the standard controls such as power on/off and fan speed. The top opens to expose a computer fan and I'm guessing space for a few extra stir bars.

Well done awarner!

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You've been feeling depressed lately but you don't know why. Annoyed and having frequent angry outbursts, you ponder the possibilities. Is it because she goes on and on about her girlfriends? Maybe someone stole or borrowed tools and didn't put them back. Is it because you want to watch football or play a video game and there's not enough time?

Do like I do.  Put on a pair of comfy sweatpants and cry into a carton of ice cream! This always makes me feel better.

Look man, I'm just joking alright!!!  

If I were serious, and you'd need pictures to prove it, I would find the nearest pint of craft beer ice cream. It turns out there is a new company in Atlanta, GA called Frozen Pints making just that. There are not many details on the site yet (which looks amazing btw), but they appear to be launching 7 flavors.

Peach Lambic
Honey IPA
Pumpkin Ale
Brown Ale Chip
Cinnamon Espresso Stout
Vanilla Bock
Malted Milk Chocolate Stout

If you have tried any of their desserts, please post a comment and let us know what you thought!

I've always loved history; especially when it has to do with my hobbies. While tracing my family history with my father, we recently traced our way back to my 11th generation grandfather. His name was Sparrowhawk Sparks! Well... with a name like that, I was going to have to design a recipe named after him. So, I decided I needed to start with a historical English beer recipe. I couldn't think of a better resource than Ronald Pattinson's "Shut Up About Barclay Perkins". 

If you haven't visited his blog, you have to check it out! It is an enormous resource, illustrating a detailed history of brewing in the United Kingdom. Additionally, Ron sifts through and translates old brew logs from well known breweries into home brew recipes. Now I must admit, the site can be a bit difficult to navigate but by simply typing "Let's brew Wednesday" in the search, you'll find tons of home brew recipes. But don't just visit for the recipes. You can spend hours reading through his posts and learning about the rich history of brewing in the UK. One of my favorites is his family's impressions of Pliny the Elder.

-Scoundrel

We are big fans of using a direct-fire mash tun here at BrewGeeks. Its main benefit is the ability to raise temperature during the mash and is particularly useful for step mashes where rests are done at different temperatures.

Be careful though, because step mashes and raising the temp for mashout can present a problem for BIABers. A heavy bag filled with grain sitting directly on the bottom may produce scorch marks that are a PITA to clean. Aubiecat has a great solution for this that doesn't limit circulation.  Check out his design in the link below.

"I have been wanting to get away from using the steamer basket on my BIAB rig because I don't get efficient circulation during mashing. I happened to acquire some heavy 1/2" stainless mesh from work and I was all gung ho about making a mesh basket to solve my problems.

After contemplating all the work it was going to take to make a basket, I thought why not try to fashion a false bottom instead. My wort chiller can sit on top of the false bottom pretty easy as well.

Knowing the mesh alone wouldn't be strong enough by itself, I had a 1/2" wide flange cut from 1/16" thick stainless steel. The flange covers the ends of the mesh so the bag won't get snagged. The two flat areas on the flange are due to the steamer basket lip on the Bayou Classic pot." [Read More]