There are 4 different products needed to brew beer at home.

1.  Equipment Kit

2.  Recipe Kit (Ingredients)

3.  Brewing Kettle (Stock Pot)

4.  Bottles

Equipment Kits

The most important part of getting started in Homebrewing is choosing an Equipment Kit. All of Homebrew4less.com’s equipment kits will provide all of the components needed to brew 5-gallon batches of beer. Read each of the descriptions to determine which equipment kit is right for you.

Brewing Basics Equipment Kit: This equipment kit has everything you need to start brewing beer at home except for bottles, ingredients and a brewing kettle. Our starter kit includes all of the essential equipment needed to start homebrewing and is an economical way to get started. If you are worried that brewing beer at home is complicated and difficult, don’t be. Just follow along as we boil it, bucket it, and bottle it. After 2 hours you’ll be surprised how easy brewing is. Our starter kit is designed to be expanded as your level of homebrewing progresses. Be sure to check our new upgrade options!

*If you’re on a tight budget, this equipment kit along with a Homebrew Recipe Kit will provide the basic components to get started.

Deluxe Brewing Starter Kit:  This is our most popular brewing equipment kit. This equipment kit provides the essential equipment for the aspiring brewer who wants to make the best beer they can from the start. This is accomplished through two-stage fermentation. Primary fermentation is the first step. During this 5-7 day process, most of the fermentation takes place and by the end of this period most of the particles and solids will settle to the bottom. The second step is transferring the beer in to the secondary fermenter. (7-21 days)  Separating the beer from the sediment will result in clearer beer and improve the characteristics of the beer. Beer can condition and clarify in the secondary fermenter for weeks or months depending on the style and strength of the beer. Transferring the beer in to a 5 gallon glass carboy or better bottle will reduce oxidation of the beer. This kit is highly recommended if you intend to brew any high alcohol or lager beers.

*6 out of 10 customers purchase this equipment kit.
 

Homebrew  Recipe Kits

Homebrew4less.com offers a large selection of 5 gallon recipe kits. Homebrew Kits such as Brewers Best, True Brew, and Brew House conveniently included all ingredients needed to get started in homebrewing. For first time brewers we recommend brewing an Ale recipe kit. Ales ferment at room temperature and are ready to drink faster than lagers. Beer Kits are the perfect addition to our Equipment Kits. ****9 out of 10 gift givers will include a recipe kit with their gift****

Brewing Kettle

The brewing process requires the brewer to mix and boil the ingredients from our recipe kits in a stock pot. Many brewers might already have a stock pot in their kitchen that might work for this process. The pot must be at least 2-3 gallons in size. Stainless steel, Enamel and Silverstone coated pots will work fine. We do not recommend using aluminum pots. They can oxidize the beer. Homebrew4less.com offers a an economical 4  gallon stainless steel brewing kettle for homebrewing. This high quality pot has riveted handles and can be used for other things like boiling pasta or crab legs. Also check out of full selection of high quality Blichman Boilermaker Brewing Kettles for brewers who demand ultra quality brewing kettles loaded with features at an economical price

**Including a new shiny stainless steel brewing kettle will complement any gift equipment package  ***

Bottles

Five gallons of beer will require 52-56 twelve ounce beer bottles. Roughly two cases of 24 and a six pack. Shipping glass bottles can get expensive due to the shipping weight. Many homebrewers will collect empty 12 ounce as they drink them, rinse them out and use them for their homebrew. IMPORTANT: the bottles can not be screw off bottles. They must be pop top bottles. These are the bottles that are commonly found in the 24 bottle case returnable. The kind of bottle that requires a deposit when purchased. If all of that seems like too much work. Buy one or two cases of bottles when getting started with Homebrewing.

*Most homebrewers who accumulate 10 case of bottles typically will have purchased 5 new cases and cleaned 5 used cases of pop top bottles.

Homebrew beer, the basics of home beer brewing.
Thisis a great “How To” video on YouTube that outlines the basics of homebrewing.

This video is handy for anyone just starting out, or is a good resource for an experienced brewer to pass on to their friends if they have any questions.

I really think that it’s above and beyond anything else available on YouTube

If you’re holding a beer in your hand right now, click through and watch the video, “I am a home brewer.” If you don’t have a beer in your hand, go get one right now. And if it’s a homebrew, that’s all the better. And if isn’t homebrew, why not?!

Winexpert: ‘I Made This’–Introduction

Winexpert: ‘I Made This—Before You Begin’

Winexpert: ‘I Made This–Primary Fermentation’

Winexpert: ‘I Made This–Secondary Fermentation’

Winexpert: ‘I Made This–Fining and Stabilising’

Winexpert: ‘I Made This–Bottling’

Homebrew4less.com LLC has the best prices on Winexpert Wine Kits and ships UPS daily, or stop by their retail store in Chambersburg, PA 17202

Items not regularly stocked typically ship in 7 to 14 days

Selection Estate Series Ultra premium wine kits	Selection Premium Wine Kits	Selection International Wine Kits	Selection Speciale Premium Wine Kits	Vintners Reserve 10 Liter Wine Kits
Vintners Reserve World Vineyard Wine Kits	Island Mist Premium Fruit Flavored Wine Kits	Selection Limited Edition Wine Kits	Winery Series Kits

Malt Type                  Color(ASBC)              Grist % by Weight

Pilsener                        1.6                               75.0%

Munich                         14                                15.0%

Special Aromatic          4.5                               5.0%

Amber/Biscuit               20                                1.2%
Caramel Vienna            20                                3.5%

Kiln Black                    500                              0.3%

Bittering Hops: 20-22 IBUs

Suggested Variety: Brewers Gold or Fuggle

Late Hop Addition (last 20-30 min. of boil):

2 oz./US bbl (9 grams/5 gal.)

Suggested Variety: Strisselspalt or Hallertauer

Options: Add up to 8% white sugar (by extract)

Fermentation: White Labs WLP072 French Ale Yeast at 66-68ºF

Secondary Storage: 3-4 weeks at 32-35ºF

Original Gravity: 17ºP (1.072 SG)

Comments: This version uses a variety of specialty malts to yield a greater complexity and depth of malt flavor. Use of White Labs WLP072 French Ale is suggested.

During a wine tasting event, women are always served before the men. Some tastings will serve you bottled water between tastings, so you can clean your mouth out and be ready to taste the next wine that is served. When you take the wine, you should always handle the glass by the stem, to avoid heating it with your hands. There will also be crackers and other goodies on hand as well, to help you cleanse your mouth between wine tastings.

As you may already know, you can tell quite a bit about the wine by the color. When you attend a wine tasting for the first time, you will notice that the glasses are clear. This helps you to examine the wine better. There should also be white tablecloth on the table as well, to help you see the color the wine more clearly. You should never go by the name of the wine alone, as it can easily fool you.

You will also notice the more experienced wine tastes swirl their wine around in the glass before they taste it. Although it may look weird, slightly swirling the wine actually helps to bring out the flavor. Most wines have been aging in bottles for long periods of time, sometimes even years. When the wine is swirled around in the glass, the swirling will release the flavors in the wine and bring them out when the wine is tasted.

At wine tastings, you will need to look at the wine, smell it, then after swirling it around in the glass – taste it. Smells play an integral part of the process, as you will get a lot more from the wine by smelling it first. Wine has quite an intriguing aroma, which helps to bring out the taste that wine is so well known for. Once you have smelled the wine, you should allow a few moments to take in the smell and think about the wine that you are smelling.

Last but not least, you will want to know how to properly taste the wine. Your tongue has taste buds in the front and the back, which helps to detect flavors. Wine is full of flavors, and how you taste it will make the biggest impact. When you put the wine in your mouth, you should always swish it around in your mouth for a few seconds, and allow the flavors plenty of time to dance on your palate. Once your taste buds have started to discover the wine, you can think about what you are tasting. After swallowing the wine, the aftertaste that remains in your mouth should give you even more of an idea as to the type and flavor of the wine.

Before you attend a wine tasting, you should always learn as much as you can about the many different flavors and varieties of wine. This way, you will have a better understanding of what you should look for in both taste and flavor. Even though you may be new to wine tasting, you should never pass up an opportunity to go. You will get a great experience in the world of wine tasting and get to experience wines that you may have never heard of before.

Getting your homemade beer off to a good start

- 1 “growler” or large 22 oz bottle
- soup pot with a lid
- sanitizer
- airlock and stopper that fits your growler or bottle
- measuring cup
- yeast
- scissors or knife if you have to cut open the yeast packet
- 1/3 cup Dried Malt Extract (DME)
- small funnel

If using a Wyeast “slap pack”, make sure the pack is bulging (swollen so it’s hard to the touch) before making your yeast starter. It usually takes a “slap pack” anywhere from one day to one week for the packs to bulge. You should make your yeast starter a day in advance of the actual brewing day. If you plan on brewing on Friday night, make your yeast starter on Thursday night.

Steps for creating a yeast starter

1. Bring one pint of water to a boil in your soup pot.

2. Add your 1/3 cup of DME and boil your wort for approximately 3 minutes.

3. Take your pot off the heat, cover it with the lid and shut off your stove. Place your soup pot in a sinkful of cold water so it cools. DO NOT ADD COLD WATER OR ICE DIRECTLY TO THE SOUP POT.

4. Sanitize the growler/large bottle, airlock, funnel, and stopper while the soup pot is cooling.

5. When your wort has cooled (usually is cool within 15 minutes, try to get it down to 75-80F), add your cooled wort to the growler/large bottle via the funnel.

6. Add the yeast to the growler/large bottle via the funnel and place the airlock(filled halfway with water) and stopper on your growler/large bottle.

7. Voila! Your finished, keep the starter in a cool place between 65-75F. You should see some sign of fermentation within 12-24 hours. You want to pitch your yeast starter while it is active.

8. Make your batch of homebrew. Pitch yeast starter after the wort has cooled.

The common acids found in fruit, other than grapes, are citric or malic. Most winemakers add citric acid to their musts, partly because of its general availability and partly because it stimulates a quick fermentation. Tartaric acid, the major acid in grapes, is used by some winemakers, however, because any excess is precipitated during maturation as potassium tartrate – little glass-like crystals. Malic acid also has advantages in that it is frequently subject to a malo-lactic fermentation by members of the lacto-bacillus group. The sharp-tasting malic acid is then converted to the mild-tasting lactic acid. A combination of the three acids has all the advantages, but is less widely used than it deserves.

As a general rule a dry wine needs an acidity of between 3.5 and 4.5 parts per 1,000. A sweet wine needs a little more, between 4.5 and 5.5 parts per 1,000 to balance the sugar. Strong wines which it is hoped to mature for 10 years or so, need more still, and 6 or 7 parts per 1,000 would not be too much.

As a general guide a mixture of 2 parts tartaric acid to 1 part malic acid should be added to fruits containing citric acid, and a mixture of equal parts citric and tartaric acids to fruits containing malic acid. To vegetable, flower, cereal and herb musts a mixture of the three acids in the proportion 2 parts citric, 2 parts tartaric and 1 part malic acid, make a suitable blend.

For must containing no acids at least 20 grams (J oz.) and preferably 28 grams (1 oz.) of acid should be added per demijohn of must, ie for 6 bottles of wine. This quantity may be increased up to 40 grams (1^ oz.) for a strong dessert wine, that is to be matured for a number of years.

Acid, in the form of crystals, keeps for years in an airtight jar stored in a cool dry place. It is best to buy the crystals in bulk so that you always have plenty when needed.

Tannin

This is the substance which gives wine ‘zest’ or ‘bite’ and contributes substantially to a wine’s character. Wines lacking tannin have an insipid taste, do not keep well and seem rather ’spineless’. Grapes, of course, have an abundance of tannin, to be found in skin, stalk and pips. Many fruits have some, including apples, apricots, bananas, blackcurrants, bilberries, damsons, elderberries, peaches, pears and sloes. Most fruits have insufficient, however, especially after dilution. Flowers, vegetables, cereals and herbs have no tannin. It is readily available to the home wine-maker in the form of grape tannin powder and about half a level 5 ml spoonful should be added to all musts. Some winemakers add a quantity of strongly brewed cold tea left in the pot, varying from 1 table-spoonful to cup. The process of fermenting a must on the pulp, extracts the maximum amount of tannin from fruit.

Nutrients

It is essential that they must should contain sufficient nourishment for the yeast cells, if a satisfactory fermentation is to be effected. This can be added in the form of a mixture of different salts of ammonium phosphate and sulphate and vitamin B. Experience has shown, however, that some fruit mucilage is also needed to produce a good wine. Some grape juice concentrate, fresh grapes or dried grapes should therefore be added to every must and especially to flower, herb, grain and vegetable musts.

Pectic Enzyme

Fruit juice is contained in a cell surrounded by a wall composed of cellulose and a mixture of substances called pectin. Pectin acts as a protective colloid or haze-forming particles and unless it is destroyed prevents a wine from clearing and becoming star-bright. It does not respond to fining agents or to filtering and has to be treated with an enzyme called pectinase. This enzyme is present in many fruits, especially the grape, and will clear many musts during fermentation. Pectinase is inactivated by heat, however, and the pouring of boiling water over fruit damages it.