Jay's Brewing Blog

When getting into the hobby of  homebrewing it might get overwhelming because of the new words and tools that are used.  One tool that you will surely see  is called a, “Hydrometer”.  So what exactly is it? What  A Hydrometer Is A hydrometer is a tool that is used to measure the density of liquids […]

We are in the midst of summer and the heat is pouring on us, hopefully you have been keeping cool.  It is a pretty good time to start thinking of beers that are going to be good for September though.  I know, crazy talk!  You figure 2 weeks in Primary, 2 weeks in Secondary, and […]

This is a dense, and dark mead.  Since it is a bit complex, it will be one of those that is better with a bit of age.  It’s a really good mead to make when you have plenty of blackberries and are trying to figure out creative ways to use them. Blackberry Melomel Yield: 1 […]

I know when it’s hot outside and you read these blogs, I will normally say, “And summer is in full swing!”, today though it’s a bit refreshing outside from the insane heat, so kinda hard for me to say that.  However, I am pretty prepared for hot days to come in the future and need […]

  I sometimes hear when people get into all-grain brewing that they are not getting close to their expected original gravity.  You know that you are doing the all-grain process correctly, you are hitting your temperature as well as going by the books, yet you still are coming up with a lower gravity.  I know it can get frustrating – but if […]

Anyone who might find themselves with an abundance of blackberries this year and doesn’t want to see them go to waste, this is the wine recipe that you need!  I live in an area where wild blackberries are pretty easy to find, and they grow like wild fire too! This is a classic blackberry wine recipe that […]

Sometimes when making a recipe it’s a lot easier to work backwards.   Maybe you’ll think to yourself, “I would really like to make a beer that is 9% ABV”.  Well to know how to answer this question you can use a formula to figure out how much DME or LME to use. To calculate ABV: […]

I wanted to throw out another plum recipe since so many people are having an insanely great harvest plums.  Apparently in this area, it’s been one hell of a harvest for plums.  Well if you are tired of making just plain wine with your plums, here is a Sweet Plum Melomel. This melomel is best served […]

It is helpful to have some sort of guide when making any type of beer or wine.  When it comes to mead though, it is style that can be so abstract, and you have so much freedom, it’s nice to have some sort of guidelines to give a helping hand. This information can be found probably the […]

I’m always a bit surprised when homebrewers don’t keep records of what they brewed.  To me it vital part to the hobby.  Now to the extent of it, that’s always up for debate but there are a few things that I would try to write down when ever I make a beer. (You Don’t Keep Records?!) Sometimes […]