Microbrewing With Fruit

Adding fruit to beers will add a new and unique twist of complexity to the beverage.  A raspberry wheat for example, would add a tart flavor as peach would add the smooth sweet taste that we all associate with peaches in your brew.

If you plan to add fruit to your brew, it’s highly recommended that your fruit is fresh. The longer fruit is allowed to ripen from the time it has been picked, the greater the chance that airborne bacteria can infect your batch.

Although the fruit will most likely be boiled with the wort, the precaution above is still highly recommended.  Alternately, you may decide to use fruit puree, which will offer home brewers the chance to brew with fruit without having the fear of contamination.  Regardless of your style of brew, you can normally add fruit to it.

The process of adding fruit is simple.  Crush, chop, or break up the fruit that you are planning to use.  Next, place the processed fruit into a sparging bag then let it steep in the hot wort for five to ten minutes after the boiling has been finished.

When you are transferring your brew mixture to your primary fermenter, you may choose to sparge your fruit with some added water to extract every last drop of essence from the fruit. Always keep in mind that when you add fruit, you are adding additional sugar to your wort.  This added sugar concentration will effect your original and final specific gravity when you measure it with a hydrometer.

Some fruits that you use are actually easier to work with than others. Raspberries for example, may leave seeds in your primary fermenter if they aren’t properly filtered.  The basic object to achieve a quality fruit beer is to capture the essence from the fruit then remove all that remains before you start the primary fermentation.

Adding fruit to your microbrew will give your brew a unique taste.  There are many brews out there that take full advantage of fruit, many of which are extremely popular.  Fruit can bring a very refreshing taste, especially when it is brewed the right way.

For home brewers all over the world, fruit is a nice addition to any microbrew.  You can use virtually any type of fruit you can think of, which is one of the reasons why fruit brewing is so very popular.  Just like wine, fruit can make any brew taste like a tropical paradise.

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Clipper City Microbrew Company

The Clipper City Brewing Company was founded by by pioneer Hugh Sisson, with the intention of restoring a rich brewing tradition to the entire Baltimore area.  By focusing on the classic styles of beer that are made with fresh ingredients and high standards, Clipper City is the largest brewing company in Baltimore, giving the entire Bay area residents reason to celebrate.

After the inception of craft brewing in Baltimore, Hugh immersed himself in developing and market recognition of both Sisson’s brewpub and all of its beers.

The Clipper City Brewing Company produces three regular offerings year round - Chesapeake lager, Chesapeake amber, and the Chesapeake gold ale, which was chosen as the official beer of the Baltimore City bicentennial.  Clipper City also includes a line of specialty beers under the Clipper Reserve heading.

These types include a Pilsner which is available in May, Irish stout available in February, Oktoberfest available in September, and a winter ale that’s available in late November.  Clipper City also manufacturers a separate line of beer, known as the Oxford Brands, which include an English pale ale and a refreshing summer blend made with real raspberries known as the Oxford raspberry wheat.

For many years, Clipper City has proven that they are the dominant brewing company in the entire Baltimore area.  Residents of the area enjoy the many varieties this brewing company offers, as they have everything for the seasons.

Even if you don’t live in the Baltimore area, there are other ways to get the excellent beers that Clipper City has to offer.  There are several bars and pubs that carry their beers, although most are in the Baltimore and surrounding areas.  If you’ve been looking for a brew that is different from the rest, you can count on the Clipper City Brewing Company to deliver everything that you’ve never thought possible about beer and microbrews.

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Original Microbrews

Beer is almost as old as civilization itself.  It is mentioned in Sumerian texts that date back more than 5,000 years ago.  Beginning in the 1950s, scientists debated the notion that beer, not bread, was actually the start of the development for agriculture.

Almost every culture around the world has invented its own concoction of beer. History says brewing was a home based operation, as part of the preparation in meals.  From South Africa to China, the production of beer grew in scale with the rise of society, then later became primarily a function of the state.

The physical evidence of ancient brewing isn’t easy to obtain. With most cultures, home beer brewing required only the basic of ingredients, such as a fire, cooking vessels, and some jars.  None of these materials are unique to the brewing process.  Jars that were found near a kiln could have been used for storing barley or wheat for bread, while cooking pots could have been used for heating liquids.

So far, archaeologists haven’t been able to find a complete set of evidence.  One of the oldest breweries was found in southern Egypt and dates back to over 5,000 years ago.  At this site, teams found well heated vats that were encrusted on the inside with a cereal based residue.

Another ancient brewery was discovered along the Nile in the middle of Egypt. The site was located in what is thought to be the Sun Temple, where a king’s wife was buried.  Archaeologists found a complex set of rooms that had been used for cereal processing.  Ovens, grains, and larger jars indicate that the rooms were used as a bakery or a brewery.

In a different area of the world, excavators found a brewery dating back to the times of the Romans. On this site, there were preserved tables that date from A.D. 100, with beer being specifically mentioned on several of the tablets.

The chemical evidence of beer would prove to be a site’s purpose once and for all, although that normally isn’t easy.  Alcohol is much too delicate to last for centuries, as any cereal based residue found could have come from baking just as easily as from brewing.

Throughout the course of time, there will always be evidence of beer being brewed many centuries ago.  Without actually finding physical evidence though, it can be really hard to determine.  If there were physical evidence, it would be really different indeed.

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Oregon Microbrews

To get the most out of a visit to Oregon, you’ll need to try a local craft beer. Even if you don’t like to drink craft beer, it’s something you should at least experience.

If you are knew to microbrews, you should know that just because the beer is a microbrew, it doesn’t mean that you’ll need a knife and fork to drink it.  All over the state, you’ll find several different microbreweries that offer everything you could ever want.

All mass produced American style lagers have set a rather disappointing standard for the beer drinkers of the country.  These beers can only be as good as their ingredients.  Instead of the fine grains such as barley and wheat, corn and rice are often used as cheaper replacements.  In place of the whole kiln hops, the bigger breweries rely on small pellets of compressed hop dust.

Throughout the state of Oregon, there are more than 50 breweries that provide both locals and visitors with many alternatives to drinking.  The microbrewed craft will rely on tradition, using the more expensive ingredients in place of money saving shortcuts.  The implication here, is that these types of beer are normally bitter or overly sweet.

Anytime you visit an unfamiliar brewpub, there is a great way to sample a variety of brews without having to buy a whole pint.  Several pubs offer a sampler tray with five to seven two ounce beers, often labeled to avoid any type of confusion.

Throughout Oregon, microbrews are very popular, in the pubs and on the street.  You can find many different varieties, more than you can find in other states.  If you don’t live in Oregon, and you get the chance to visit, you shouldn’t hesitate to check out some of the excellent microbrews.

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Microbrewery and America

The term microbrewery originally originated in the United Kingdom during the late 1970s. Though it was originally used to reflect on the size of the breweries, it gradually came to reflect a different attitude and approach to adaptability, flexibility, experimentation, and customer service.

The term eventually spread to the United States,  where it was eventually used to indicate a brewery that produces no less than 15,000 barrels of beer per year.  The term microbrewery is now falling out of touch in the United States, as the term craft brewer is preferred.

During the early twentieth century, prohibition drove a majority of the breweries into bankruptcy because they couldn’t rely on selling bogus wine as wineries of that era previously did.  After going through several decades of consolidation of breweries, most commercial American beer produced by a few large companies, resulting in a mild tasting lager of which Budweiser is a great example.

Some beer drinks will consequently crave a variety and turn to home brewing and eventually start doing it on a much larger scale.  When they need inspiration they’ll turn to Britain, Germany, and Belgium where centuries old tradition of artisan beer and cask ale production have never died out.

The popularity behind these products was the fact that they trend was spread quickly, and hundreds of smaller breweries popped up, attached to a bar where the product could be enjoyed by all.  As microbrews gained in popularity, some became more than just simple microbrews, as they catered to a broader range of beer.

Normally, American microbreweries will distribute through wholesalers in traditional three tier systems, then act as their own distributor and sell to retailers.  Selling includes tap rooms, restaurants, or even off premise sales.

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Equipment For Microbrews

Before you can start brewing beer, you’ll need to
have the right equipment.  If this is your first
time brewing, you should start simple.  Before
you begin, the first thing that you’ll need is a
brewpot.  Before you rush out and buy one, you
may already have one that will work just fine.

The pot should hold at least three gallons of
liquid.  The next thing you’ll need is a fermenter.
For the average five gallon batch, the fermenter
should hold six gallons or more, allowing space
for a foam that will form during the vigorous
process of fermentation.

For this stage, a glass carboy or food grade
plastic bucket is often used.  You’ll also need
an airlock for your fermenter to allow the C02
to escape while also keeping the air out.  A
siphon hose is also needed to transfer beer from
the fermenter when it’s ready, without having
to mix air into it.

A bottling bucket will also help to make the
process much easier.  Bottling buckets are
similiar to fermenters, except the fact that they
have a spigot at the bottom that allows you to
fill the bottles directly, which makes the
entire process less messy and gets things done
much quicker.  You’ll also need a capper to
seal your bottles; as bottles and caps or even
a keg will be needed to store and serve your
brew.

If you look around, you may be able to find a
kit that will contain everything you need.  You
can purchase kits on the internet, many of
which offer the top quality equipment you’ll
need to brew.  All you have to do is look around
the net, as there are many different web sites
that offer equipment for microbrews.

If you don’t want to buy a kit, you can always
buy each piece of equipment seperately.  This
tends to be a bit more expensive than buying
a kit, although you’ll be able to pick each
piece of equipment yourself, without having to
take what’s included in the kit.

Once you get all of the necessary equipment
together, you should know how to use it before
you get started.  This way, you won’t run into
any problems once you start brewing.  The
equipment needed for brewing is easy to use, so
you shouldn’t have any problems.

Brewing microbrews can be both fun and exciting,
especially when you start brewing your own
creations.  You can drink the brew yourself,
or serve it to friends and family.  Microbrews
are fun to drink and create - which makes having
the proper equipment all the more while.

Thanks for stopping by! Please share with us your home brewing experiences, ideas and tips.

Find Brew Pub Heaven

Everyone knows that if your looking for the best in
coffee, you go to Seattle.  For wine, you go to
California.  When it comes to the best in beer, you
go to Portland Oregon, where your never more than
15 minutes away from a quality brewpub.

The Williamette Rive in western Oregon has been
the center of hop growing and brewing since the
days of the pioneers.  When the microbrew revolution
began, the history and the hops were already there,
along with the spring water, the grain, and the
fruit for summer beers.  As a result, regional
brewers and microbrewers began to pop up all over
the place.

After that, it didn’t take long at all for the
brewpub to follow.  These beers weren’t just for
washing down food anymore.  The hand crafted beers
could be used in cooking, just like wine.  In
the brewpubs of Portland, the beer also forms a
base for salad dressing, spices up marinades, and
even helps to sweeten the desserts as well.

Many brewpubs will offer a sampler of the best
in beer tasting.  You can think of it as wine tasting
without the snooty steward.  You sip on small
amounts of a variety of brews to see what the
brewer can do, from the light and hoppy to the
dark yet sweet brews.

What to expect:

1.  Good head on the beer.

Good head ensures that you’ll get a strong smell of the
brew, so be sure to pour it into your glass very
carefully.

2.  Always use a glass.

You should always use a clean glass, a very clean glass.  In most
brewing establishments, the glasses are always hand
washed and air dried to ensure that there isn’t a
speck of grease in the glass to deflate the head
and leave soapy looking bubbles behind.

3.  The English are right.

As the English know, refrigerated beer is too cold to fully
appreciate the taste.  In brewpubs, the beer is
served at temperatures that are cool but not that
cold.  The iced and chilled glasses are saved for
martinis.

4.  Vocabulary.

Beer has a mouth feel, which describes the body of the brew - light,
medium, and full.  The color can be misleading,
as even light bodied beers can be full bodied.

Anytime you are looking for the best in microbrews,
you can count on Oregon to deliver the best in
beer.  There are hundreds of brewpubs here, with
everything you could ever want.  Anytime you
are in the area, don’t hesitate to stop off and
see why the microbrews here are easily among the
best in the United States - or the world for
that matter.

Thanks for stopping by! Please share with us your home brewing experiences, ideas and tips.