So far all I can say is Wow. Really enjoyed using it and looking forward to a bottling I have planned in a week. As I noted in the video, I have Eight (8) samples that I will open (One each week) to see how well the carbonation is maintained. This past Friday was the first bottle and it maintained the carbonation level as expected. I am interested in weeks 5 to 8. Stay tuned but in the meantime check out my video with the Beer Gun the first time.

Came across this video on YouTube today, its great to see the start to finish processing of the hops I get from Northern Brewer. My harvesting from the backyard is much simpler

The Boston Brewing Company’s label Samuel Adams has just release a set of brews that are something the world of craft brewing should stand up and take notice of. Even though Sam Adams is a year closer to getting squeezed out of the craft brewer classification, it doesn’t stop them from being still connected to their belief in the craft brewing movement.

The have just releases the Samuel Adams® Latitude 48 IPA Deconstruction 12 Pack. Their Latitude IPA has been very well received and to build on it even further, they are giving us an education in the hops used for the Latitude 48. Each 12 pack has two of the original IPA and then 5 pairs of brews that highlight each of the hops used in the beer as a whole.
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The White House digs Homebrews on Super Bowl Sunday!!!!! None of that Bud, Coors or Miller!!!! Nice!!!

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/the-beeronaut/2011/03/details-on-the-obama-white-house-homebrewed-beer.html

I really enjoyed it when Beer Wars came out, I continue to enjoy Brew Masters on Discovery and this news can only mean more enjoyment. Colorado has an amazing Craft brew scene and I can’t wait to see the “Culture”.

Beer Culture Trailer 1 from FM Productions on Vimeo.

Beer Culture is a documentary film about the growing trend in Craft Beer set in the epicenter of it all, Colorado. Beer Culture explains the cultural phenomenon behind the growth of craft beer telling it through the stories of struggles and successes of some top brewers in Colorado including, New Belgium, Oskar Blues, Avery Brewing Company, Tommyknocker, Upslope, including much more. This film is set to debut in the Summer of 2011

After all the hard work of the mash, sparge, boil, hop schedule, cooling and fermentation, why serve your beer in a substandard method? I learned the hard way by having a pair of standard beer taps on my kegerator. I was new in the homebrew world, especially in kegging the liquid goods I was producing. I had no idea what I was missing out on.

So here I sit a more experienced, season homebrewer and I want to make sure none of you take the path I did so you can save yourself some money and time. If you are going to build a kegerator set up, please take this one bit of advise. Only buy Perlick 525SS Stainless Steel Faucets. These taps are night and day from the taps you get with refrigerator conversion kits. They operate smoothly, are very sanitary and don’t get stuck by gumming up. They are sealed by a front floating O-ring (see the image/info in this PDF from the company ).

They are a little bit more money but I promise you that if you purchase the standard type faucets, you will go back and purchase the Perlicks in a years time. So save on shipping and time and get them upfront. The standard faucets are approximately 20 and Perlicks are approximately 30, discounts are out there as well.

Already have the standard type, UPGRADE! The time fiddling with them and cleaning them is more than enough justification for the expense. Your pouring experience will be hassle free!

These faucets are available at my favorite internet brewing retailer Northern Brewer.

If you decided to try these stop back and let me know what you think.

Well after Beer Wars came out last year I was hoping the coverage of this amazing fast growing industry of craft beer would get even more coverage. Websites and podcasts started popping up left and right which was awesome (some good, some…well…not so good). Now Discovery Channel has launched “Brew Masters”, Sundays at 10pm. I just finished the first episode and let me say that if the other episode are of the same premise, this show will be watched religiously.

Brew Masters follows Sam Calagione and his excellent Dogfish brewery in Milton, DE ,the home for “Off-centered Ales for Off-centered peoples”. They are well know for there 60, 90 and 120 IPA’s and a army of amazing brews. The first episode tracks the brewery teaming up with Sony to make a brew to be released in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew, Miles Davis’ 1970 jazz/rock masterpiece.

Calagione and the folks around him are real funny loving folks you could see yourself having a beer and some good laughs with. The operation of the brewery servers as a back drop to the challenge of creating the Bitches Brew from scratch to production.

The show is off to a great start and if they keep it up, the audience should build. Maybe I am bias since I am a home brewer but I didn’t want the episode to be over. Well I only have to wait till Sunday for the next super brew journey to begin.

Visit the shows site here
Visit Dogfish here

Drinkitdown.com has been my personal site for sometime but is going through a change to become a Hub for a few of my favorite things – Homebrewing, Brewing Equipment, Craft Beers and Beer Events!   Drinkitdown.com will soon be up and if you are looking for me just visit frankweichmann.com