Uncategorized

Beginning In Photography: Exposure Basics

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

So you’ve just bought a shiny new DSLR camera huh? And a lens or two to go with it? That’s great. Now all you have to do is learn how to use it. I’m assuming here you bought an DSLR camera because you want to do a little bit more than take happy snaps at family events and holidays. So for those new to photography as anything more than that, this article aims to give you a little background on the basics of exposure to help you on your way.

Shutter speed

There are two elements to creating a correct exposure. These are aperture, and shutter speed, which we will look at first. When you press the trigger button on your camera to take a picture, it opens a set of sliders, like opening a window. How long it stays open, depends on how you set the shutter speed. Shutter speeds can range from extremely fast (ie 1/8000 of a second), to very slow (30 seconds), or even infinity if your camera has a bulb setting. These are extreme shutter speeds and not often used, except by people who shoot fast moving subjects, or in very low light. For most of us, we tend to stick to somewhere in the middle. As a general rule, the faster the shutter speed, the sharper your photo will be. For most people, anything at 1/60 of a second or above is acceptable when hand holding a camera. Lower if you have a particularly steady hand. If you need to use slower shutter speeds, you will need to use a tripod or rest your camera on a steady surface. These slow speeds can be particularly useful for creating blurred effects. For example the flowing water in a waterfall.

Aperture

Ever wondered how photographers get their subjects to really stand out by blurring the background? The secret (which really is no secret) is adjusting the aperture. The aperture changes the depth of field in your photo. Depth of field is how much of the image is in focus. For example, if you have a depth of field of 4 meters, anything within that distance of the subject you are focusing on will also be in focus. There is as much variety with this control as there is with shutter speed. You can choose to set a narrow aperture (long depth of field) when you want the whole shot in focus, for instance a great, sweeping landscape, or a wider aperture for portraits.

Ok, so youve got your shutter speed sorted from your aperture. Now we just have to put them together. Any SLR camera will have an inbuilt light meter. This little gadget measures the amount of light you will need to create a correct exposure. It is usually in the form of a little bar with a too high (+) and a too low () sign at each end. It is simply a matter of balancing one against the other so that the meter is centered. Once youve done that you can press the button! Thats all there is to it.

ISO

Another choice that will effect your exposure is the ISO you use. With film cameras, this means the speed of film that you use. If you use a 100 speed film, your ISO is 100. Digital cameras also have an adjustable ISO speed. Its just in the form of turning a dial instead of loading a different film. A general rule is to use the lowest ISO you can get away with. Higher ISO films or digital settings can result in noisy (grainy) pictures. They do, however, allow you more freedom in your exposures in that you can shoot with less available light. Experiment with your particular camera, see what you can get away with. Remember that the quality required will be different for everyone. If you only want to make small prints to put in an album, or just store the photos digitally on your computer, then you will not need the same quality as if you want to make large prints to hang on your wall.

So there is some food for thought for those starting out in photography and looking to do more than just point and shoot. Now its time to go out there and shoot. Experiment with different settings. Try new things. The technical side of photography you can read about anywhere. The creative side, well, thats up to you.

Photography as a Hobby

Learning Photography – Basics For All

Some Important Principles Of Photography

Digital Photography Lessons

PHOTOGRAPHY 101

Finding The Right Photography Book

Beginning In Photography: Exposure Basics

Beginning In Photography: Composition

Beginning In Photography: Choosing A Camera

Learning Photography can be Fun. Now you can Master your DSLR camera. More information. CLICK HERE

The Beginner’s Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera 

Understanding Exposure, Fourth Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

5 Myths About Homemade Wine

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

There are many misconceptions and misguided assumptions about making wine at home. Most all of them are perpetuated by individuals who never even tasted or made homemade wine. Others are simply born out of the mystique surrounding the commercial wine industry.

How can something so sophisticated be made at home?

Here are the ones that we run into the most. The ones that flat-out drive us silly every time we hear them.

  1. Homemade Wines Don’t Taste That Good.
    Without question, you can easily make wines that are just as good, if not better, than the wines you find on the store shelf. And not with practice, but with your very first batch. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done side-by-side, blind tastings with a challenging friend or an acquaintance between a glass of wine made from one of our wine ingredient kits and a glass of store bought wine, only to have the homemade wine win – hands-down. I’m not going to name any names, but I’m not talking about doing a blind tasting against the $8 stuff. I’m talking about higher dollar stuff that you’d buy to take to a dinner party, etc. Wouldn’t it be nicer to take your own personalized wine gift, that you made, to the party instead.
  2. Homemade Wine Takes A Lot Of Time To Make.
    Learning how to make your own wine is much easier than most individuals can even begin to imagine. It’s deceptively easy. There are a lot of wine making products on the market today that make it as simple as following a few directions. And, it doesn’t take that long. You can be bottling your first batch of wine in as little as 28 days. And as far as the time it takes out of your day, I’d say it doesn’t get any worse than the time it takes to bottle the wine – an hour to get it start, another half-hour to siphon it to a second container, etc.
  3. Making Homemade Wine Requires A Lot Of Expensive Equipment.
    This may have been partially true 20 or 30 years ago. Back then, depending on what type of wine you were making, you might need a grape crusher to crush the fruit and a grape press to press the fruit. Today it’s different. You don’t need to crush and press the fruit if you don’t want to. You can buy it already done for you. Now there are hundreds of wine making juices packaged up and ready for use from all over the world. You can get Cabernet grape from France, Shiraz grape from Australia, Merlot grape from California…  The choices are endless.
  4. Homemade Wine Spoils Easy.
    Absolutely not. Homemade wine keeps just as good as commercially made wine. There is no difference in the keeping abilities between the two. There is no reason for one to keep better than the other. They are both made the same way from the same basic wine making materials. One’s just on a smaller scale than the other.I currently have several bottles of homemade wine that have been in my cellar aging since 1998 and 2002 and I would not hesitate to drink them myself or serve them to my friends and family.
  5. Making Homemade Wine Is Illegal.
    Wrong! Ever since October 14, 1978 it has been perfectly legal for Americans to make their own wine and beer. This is when President Jimmy Carter signed into law legislation introduced by Senator Alan Cranston of California. You can make up to 100 gallons per year. If you live in a household with another adult, you can make up to 200 gallons per year. It can be for your own personal consumption or to hand out has wine making gifts to friend and relatives. Just make sure you don’t sell it. That would be illegal!

—–
Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.

Courtesy Adventures in Homebrewing

More Articles on Making Wine

Beginner’s Winemaking

What Is In A Bottle Of Wine?

Things to know about making wine

How To Brew Wine At Home

HOW TO MAKE WINE AT HOME From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

The Benefits Of Wine Kits vs Fresh Grapes From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

5 Myths About Homemade Wine

Try something new

How to make wine at home. A Great lesson. CLICK HERE

Small Batch wine Kits to try. Learning is Fun. CLICK HERE

ONE GALLON WINE KITS

The Total Wine System

Home Winemaking: The Simple Way to Make Delicious Wine

Some Important Principles Of Photography

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

A camera is actually a sensitive machine, which will follow your command and you will be able to take the picture exactly the way you want it. Of course, there are quite a few things that you need to keep in mind before you push the camera button. Here is an insight into certain elements that needs to be taken into account when you are going for that classic picture!

Creativity using camera controls
Mastery over camera controls is necessary. You just cannot do without that. You need to first read the guidebook that most camera manufacturing companies provide with the camera. You need to know the various modes your camera offers from macro to panoramic, back lighting and others.

If you have bought a DSLR then there are several elements that you will have to master and understand to bring out the best composition. A serious digital camera has the ability to provide you with a creative control over the images that you shoot. A digital camera can do this by allowing you the luxury to control both motion and light in all your photographs and at the same time it can demarcate between sharpness and softness. Most of the commonly available consumer digital cameras are completely automatic and hence you will not have to make too many adjustments. But high-end cameras like the DSLR offer the ability to work upon a wider range of controls. So before, you can even think of clicking away to glory; check the automatic exposure as well as the focusing systems, which is a key to achieving a good composition.

The automatic mode
Most of the digital cameras work on an automatic mode. The automatic mode can set the focus as well as the exposure for you and all you have to do is click the subject. The automatic mode will help you in situations where you do not have the luxury of changing lenses or manually focusing especially when you are taking shot of a moving subject. But in spite of the automatic mode, you should choose a sub-mode like the night mode for taking pictures at night, so that according to the sub-mode the camera can adjust itself.

Some key areas
Some of the key areas that most amateurs miss are too basic to be noticed and yet hold a lot of importance. For instance, you should always check in advance if the battery is full or not. You should not be in a situation where you get a great opportunity for a classic composition and the camera battery dies. Check all the minute things and then turn your camera on and set it to the automatic mode. Most digital cameras have an icon that says Auto mode.

Another key area is lighting, which is something that you will need to understand and feel to become a professional photographer. Here are some of the most important lighting conditions that assist photography composition:

Backlighting: This kind of lighting comes from behind the subject. If you are unable to control the requirement of backlighting then it can turn your photography session into a disaster. Most of your pictures will either be over-exposed or burnt. The best way to take pictures with high amount of backlight like the sun behind your subject is by using a fill-flash.

Diffused lighting: As you will learn on the way that sometimes whether the lighting is through an artificial source or a natural source, it can be quite harsh. When the lighting is harsh, you will need to soften it and try to minimize the contrast. Normally, it is advised not to take pictures in such a lighting condition. It is extensively encountered in landscape or nature photography and the best you can do is come back at a different time when the lighting conditions are better.

Framing
This is an important aspect and you need to frame your subject before you can push the camera button to take the picture. The automatic mode gives you a well-prepared platform but if you are unable to frame the primary subject then the final outcome will not be to your liking. Images can become hazy, blur or even distorted. You can frame the subject by using the viewfinder or the LCD monitor. Digital cameras have the zoom view also. So if you need to bring the subject closer then press the optical zoom or digital zoom as necessary. Once all your elements are in place, then go ahead and click the picture.

There will be times when you might not be satisfied with the outcome in spite of having framed the subject and following the guidelines. Do not be disheartened! The best way to move ahead is by experimenting with controls and through improvisations!

Photography as a Hobby

Learning Photography – Basics For All

Some Important Principles Of Photography

Digital Photography Lessons

PHOTOGRAPHY 101

Finding The Right Photography Book

Beginning In Photography: Exposure Basics

Beginning In Photography: Composition

Beginning In Photography: Choosing A Camera

The Beginner’s Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera 

Understanding Exposure, Fourth Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

The Benefits Of Wine Kits vs Fresh Grapes

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

What is the going opinion of making wine with fresh grapes and crushing them, as opposed to using a wine kit? Is one better than the other by default, or would you say either method can produce excellent or horrible results?

What is the going opinion of making wine with fresh grapes and crushing them, as opposed to using a wine kit? Is one better than the other by default, or would you say either method can produce excellent or horrible results?

Phil B. – TN
_____

Hello Phil,

Thanks for bringing up this great question about wine kits vs fresh grapes. It’s a question we get from time to time, so I’ll be more than happy to answer it here…

Whether you are making wine from grapes or making wine from kits the quality of the wine starts with the quality of the grapes. There is an adage in the wine making industry that says:

“You can never make a wine that is
better than the grapes used to make it.”

What this means is that you’ll never make great wine out of poor wine grapes. The quality of the wine always starts with the quality of the grapes.

When making wine from fresh grapes the individual winemaker usually has a limited selection of grapes to choose from. Quality can suffer when dealing in the take-it-or-leave-it type of market that often arises for the home winemaker.

The quality of grapes that you will find in wine kits varies from good to outstanding. It is not in the interest of these kit producers to spend their time preparing and packaging poor wine grapes. It doesn’t make economic sense, so great care is taken to locate and acquire grapes that are above average quality.

This is one of the major advantages to using a wine kit vs fresh grapes. You are able to rely on the wine kit producer’s expertise in selecting quality grapes. So on the whole you’ll be starting with a better quality grape when using a wine kit than when obtaining grapes on your own. Of coarse, there are always exceptions. Living near a grape growing mecca such as Napa can turn this point on its head, but for most home winemakers, this is a consideration that should be given some weight.

We offer an array of different brands of wine kits. As you go up the ladder in price, the finer your selection of grape. How much you spend depends on the level of taste. Some people are completely happy with the On The House wine kits and could not tell a difference even if they did choose a more expensive kit. For others, the On The House simply would not do. How far up the ladder one goes is very much a personal choice.

Unfortunately, quality grapes do not guarantee a stellar wine, it’s just the first requirement necessary to get there. Between the grapes and the wine bottle is a whole host of other factors such as: acidity, alcohol, sweetness, etc.

Making wine from a wine kit alleviates you from these variables. This is because all these factors have already been taken care of for you by the wine kit producers. They balance the acidity, sugar content and many other features such as clarification and oak treatment to match the typical character of the wine you are making. By eliminating as many variables as possible they are helping to insure that you will make a remarkable wine every time. This is a very valuable benefit of using wine kits vs fresh grapes – especially for the beginner.

Now having said this, I understand completely that we are talking about a hobby, and for some, part of the hobby is the passion that goes into the picking, the crushing, the pressing, and so forth. I get that. And if this is you, I completely support your efforts to make wine from the dirt to the wine bottle. I’m just trying to bring total objectivity to the consideration of using wine kits vs fresh grapes.

Shop Wine Making Kits

So while both wine kits and fresh grapes holds their own rewards, by starting with a wine you are virtually eliminating any chance of producing a bad wine. Add to that the incredible selection that is now available to the home winemaker and it starts to become apparent that a wine kit is the way to go for the beginner.

I hope this covers all your questions and curiosities about wine kits vs fresh grapes. Please realize that regardless of which path you decide to take, we will be more than happy to help you in any way you need.

Best Wishes,
Ed Kraus
—–
Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.

From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

Below you will find listings for Small Batch Wine Kits and One Gallon Wine Kits, there are several wines listed. What is your favorite wine? If you see it or one similar make note, Read the article How to Make Wine at Home, watch the videos read the article, and see how easy a wine kit can be. Try one, enjoy the results of your efforts. Start your new hobby and share it with family and friends. You never know your wine could be in great demand.

MORE ARTICLES ON MAKING WINE

Beginner’s Winemaking

What Is In A Bottle Of Wine?

Things to know about making wine

How To Brew Wine At Home

HOW TO MAKE WINE AT HOME From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

The Benefits Of Wine Kits vs Fresh Grapes From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

5 Myths About Homemade Wine

Try something new

How to make wine at home. A Great lesson. CLICK HERE

Small Batch wine Kits to try. Learning is Fun. CLICK HERE

ONE GALLON WINE KITS

The Total Wine System

Home Winemaking: The Simple Way to Make Delicious Wine

5 Beer Recipe Kits Perfect For Beginners

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

Homebrewing is not especially difficult… at least it doesn’t have to be. For the beginning homebrewer, extract beer recipe kits are the easiest way to get into the hobby, requiring the least amount of time and energy and still resulting very remarkable beer.
As an absolute beginner, try to focus on the most important steps (like cleaning and sanitation) and just try to get the process down. As you continue to brew, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try new and exciting brewing methods.
To get you started on that first batch, here are five excellent, easy-to-brew beer recipe kits:

  1. Munton’s Connoisseur Kit: India Pale Ale 
    IPAs are one of most popular styles of craft beer today, delighting hop heads from coast to coast. With this beer recipe kit, the hoppy bitterness is already present in the malt extract, so there is no need for a 60-minute boil with multiple hop additions. Add 2.2 pounds of dried malt extract to make a full 5-6 gallons of beer. Yeast packet included.
  2. Steam Freak: “Steam Stoker” American Stout
    Stouts, with their robust, roasted flavor, are very forgiving for the beginning homebrewer. Steeped specialty grains offer flavors of caramel, chocolate, and coffee, supported by bitterness and spicy, floral hop flavor from Nugget and Willamette hops. Steam Freak beer recipe kits include caps, priming sugar, yeast, and complete instructions to guide you through the brewing process.
  3. Munton’s Connoisseur Kit: Nut Brown Ale
    Many brewers start with a brown ale. It’s the perfect middle of the road beer to break into brewing. The Nut Brown Ale is a malt-forward, English-style beer with a subtle nutty flavor. Just like the IPA above, this one is super-easy to brew.
  4. Brewer’s Best: American Pale Wheat
    This beer recipe kit is as easy to make as it is easy-drinking. It produces a remarkable wheat beer with a beautiful light-copper cooler. It’s moderately hoppy from a combination of Cluster and Liberty hops, with an enjoyable, crisp finish.
  5. Steam Freak: Samuel Smith Taddy Porter Clone
    This beer recipe kit replicates the popular Samuel Smith brand of robust porter. Steep the specialty grains for improved body and flavor, then mix in the dark liquid malt extract. English hops (included in the kit) are boiled to provide bitterness, flavor, and aroma as characteristic for the style.

Looking for a beginner homebrewing equipment kit? Our Steam Freak Beermaking Starter Kit has everything you need. This starter kit is the ultimate way to start brewing.
—–
David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder and editor of the Local Beer Blog.

Try your hand

Beginning Homebrew Kit

Beginners Beer Kits CLICK HERE

ONE GALLON BEER KITS Click Here

How to Brew Great Beer in 3 Easy Steps? 

How To Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time 

OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Making beer as a hobby


A Home Beer Making Kit Will Improve Your Popularity!

A Perfect Hobby for that Guy Who Loves Beer

Looking Before You Leap into Home Brewing

What is in a beer making kit?

The Heart of Home Brewing

Getting Started: Essential Home Brewing Equipment List

Homebrewing Kit Buyer’s Guide

5 Beer Recipe Kits Perfect For Beginners

Getting that First Batch of Beer Brewing

Finding The Right Photography Book

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

Looking through the lens and taking a picture is just one of the things people need to know about photography. This is because there are other things an aspiring photographer needs to know to be among the best in the field.

Aside from taking classes that may be expensive, the best resource is still from books. There have been many written for first timers as well as professionals. These focus on shots in different settings from portraits, to nature and a lot more.

Regardless of the location, here are some of the things hobbyists will find in most photography books.

1. The most important thing to taking a picture is having a good background. Many use a wall but the most important thing to remember is never to use one that is either black or plain white since this will not look good when the picture is developed.

2. The photographer should avoid taking pictures with anything metallic or shiny in the background since this could affect the overall impact of the shot.

3. The person or subject to be taken should be a few feet from the background to minimize shadows caused by artificial or natural light. This also increases depth, which is good for the picture.

4. Lighting can be controlled if this is done in a studio. It is advisable to use a flash meter to achieve the right settings. Outdoors, some lamps can be used to adjust the brightness coming from the sun.

5. The camera should always be a at the right distance. Some people are not able to stay in one position for a period of time so using a tripod can prevent blurs and hazy images. The position of the sun is also important. It must not be in front of the camera since the picture will not appear.

6. Some shots are done with the image moving. The shutter speed and aperture should be adjusted so that the pictures are not a blur when these come out.

7. Another good way to take a picture is when it is candid. It is one of those spontaneous shots that simply captures the emotion of the moment.

Photography is different for everybody. Some people find it rewarding while others find it difficult and becomes frustrating. The contents in books are theoretical and should be put into practice.

After all, it is only in practice that such a skill can be developed so others can respect the time and hard work put into this practice.

RELATED ARTICLES

Photography as a Hobby

Learning Photography – Basics For All

Some Important Principles Of Photography

Digital Photography Lessons

PHOTOGRAPHY 101

Finding The Right Photography Book

Beginning In Photography: Exposure Basics

Beginning In Photography: Composition

Beginning In Photography: Choosing A Camera

Learning Photography can be Fun. Now you can Master your DSLR camera. More information. CLICK HERE

BOOKS ON PHOTOGRAPHY CLICK HERE

The Beginner’s Photography Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Manual for Getting the Most from Your Digital Camera 

Homebrewing Kit Buyer’s Guide

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

Buy Propane Burners

Getting started in homebrewing should not be intimidating. E. C. Kraus makes the initial leap much easier by including nearly everything you need for your first batch in one homebrewing kit.
Our Steam Freak Beermaking Starter

 includes:

  • Complete Joy of Homebrewing – This book is the original homebrewer’s guidebook. It will guide you through your first few batches and well beyond into your homebrewing career.
  • 6 Gallon Screw-Top Fermenter – This is what the beer ferments in for a week or so before moving to the secondary fermentation carboy. The fermenter comes with an airlock, stopper, and faucet. It can also be used as a bottling bucket.
  • 5 Gallon Plastic Carboy – After about ten days in primary fermentation, the beer is moved to the carboy for further conditioning and flavor development. The carboy also comes with an airlock, stopper, and faucet.
  • Triple Scale Hydrometer – This tool is used to measure the gravity of your homebrew, and those measurements are used to determine alcohol content. Learn more about working with your hydrometer in this blog post.
  • 21″ Curved Racking Cane – The racking cane, along with a section of vinyl hose, helps you transfer, or rack, the beer from one fermenter to another.
  • 6′ Length of 3/8″ Vinyl Hose – Attach the hose to the racking cane to complete your racking setup.
  • Double Lever Capper – Used to cap bottles.
  • Beer Bottle Brush – Used for cleaning bottles.
  • Racking Cane Clip – This clip secures the racking cane to the bucket to facilitate racking procedures.
  • 8″ Floating Thermometer – A thermometer can be used in the home brewery in a number of ways, in particular, measuring mash temperature.
  • Basic A No Rinse Cleanser – A brewery-grade cleaning agents used to clean all of your homebrewing gear.
  • 24″ Stirring Spoon – Used to stir and aerate the wort before pitching yeast
  • Steam Freak Kit – Unlike other homebrewing starter kits, our kit includes a Steam Freak recipe kit of your choice, including bottle caps. So the tough question is this: What beer style will you make with your first batch?
Shop Carboys

In addition to the Beermaking Starter Kit, you will also need a brew kettle. The 20-qt. Brew Kettle is ideal for brewing indoors, but many homebrewers will eventually upgrade to a larger kettle (see below).
 
Suggested Equipment Upgrades

Once you’ve brewed your first batch or two, you might be willing to make a few upgrades to your home brewery. Some of the most popular steps forward on the equipment side include:

  • Auto-siphon – This nifty device makes siphoning from one fermenter to another a breeze.
  • Temperature controller – After you brew a few batches of beer, you’ll soon discover that fermentation temperature control is a very important part of brewing good beer. If you have a spare freezer or refrigerator, a temperature controller will allow you to control your fermentation temperature to the degree.
  • Additional Fermenters – Once you’re hooked on homebrewing, additional fermentation capacity will definitely come in handy.
  • Mash tun cooler – If you’re interested in making the jump to all-grain brewing, you’re going to need a mash tun. A mash tun cooler is a simple, affordable way to mash the grains before the boil. (On a tight budget? The Brew In a Bag method is a wallet-friendly alternative.)
  • Bigger kettle – You might need a propane burner as well.
  • Stir plate – Yeast health is a crucial part of brewing good beer. This includes making sure that you have a healthy colony of yeast large enough to ferment your beer. A stir plate stirs the yeast in your yeast starter, giving it plenty of oxygen in order to grow to the right size.

What piece of equipment is on your home brewery wish list?

Below you will find a listing for Beginning Homebrew Kit containing the equipment needed, also there are several recipe kits available. What is your favorite beer? If you see it or one similar make note. Read the product description and the questions and answers also watch the video. See how easy a beer kit an be. Try one, enjoy the results of your efforts. Start your new hobby and share it with family and friends. You never know your beer could be in great demand. Once you have the equipment kit the recipes are endless. Make several types for poker night or the game party.


——
David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder and editor of the Local Beer Blog.

Try your hand

Beginning Homebrew Kit

Beginners Beer Kits CLICK HERE

ONE GALLON BEER KITS Click Here

How to Brew Great Beer in 3 Easy Steps? 

How To Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time 

OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Making beer as a hobby

A Home Beer Making Kit Will Improve Your Popularity!

A Perfect Hobby for that Guy Who Loves Beer

Looking Before You Leap into Home Brewing

What is in a beer making kit?

The Heart of Home Brewing

Getting Started: Essential Home Brewing Equipment List

Homebrewing Kit Buyer’s Guide

5 Beer Recipe Kits Perfect For Beginners

Getting Started: Essential Home Brewing Equipment List

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

I’m frequently asked by craft beer fans what they need in order to start brewing their own beer. Is there a home brewing equipment list that one could follow? Luckily, E. C. Kraus has taken the guess work out of this question by offering a Starter Home Brew Kit, which includes a bunch of equipment and one ingredient kit for the homebrewer’s first batch of beer. The only thing not included is a large kettle, which you may have on hand already. (If you don’t, we can hook you up with a brew kettle, too!)

Now, let’s take a closer look at the list of home brewing equipment included in the Steam Freak beer brewing kit:

  • Home Brewing Book:
    Before even getting to the actual equipment, every brewer needs some literature to guide them through their first batch. The Complete Joy of Home Brewing is the perfect accompaniment for the beginning brewer. After getting a batch or two of homemade beer under their belt, homebrewers can upgrade to more advanced books. I recommend Marty Nachel’s Homebrewing for Dummies and Ray Daniels’ Designing Great Beers. More >>
  • 6 Gallon Primary Fermenter (Comes with airlock, stopper, and faucet):
    A 6 Gallon Fermenter is ideal for primary fermentation. Even though you will be brewing a five-gallon batch, the extra space allows for krausen, or foam, to build during the height of fermentation. The airlock and stopper allow carbon dioxide – a byproduct of fermentation – to escape from the fermenter, while the faucet makes it easy to transfer to the carboy for secondary fermentation. More >>
  • 5 Gallon Plastic Carboy (Comes with airlock, stopper, and faucet):
    The carboy is where the beer sits for a 10-14 day conditioning phase, known as secondary fermentation. A curved racking cane will make it easier to transfer from the carboy back into the fermenter for bottling. More >>
  • Home Brew Hydrometer:
    This nifty tool should on any home brewing equipment list. It allows brewers at every level to determine the alcohol content of their beer. Carefully place the sanitized home brew hydrometer in the unfermented wort to take the first measurement – referred to as the original gravity (OG). After fermentation, take another – called the final gravity (FG). The difference between the two is used to calculate the alcohol by volume (ABV)! More >>
  • Thermometer:
    Your fermentation temperature matters. Too cool, and the yeast won’t ferment; too warm and you are promoting bacterial growth and possible death of the yeast. More >>
  • 6′ Length of 3/8″ Vinyl Hose:
    Any home brewing equipment list is going to have this. The heat resistant hose facilitates transferring from one fermenter to the other. More >>
  • Bottle Capper  
    When it’s time to bottle your brew, you’ll need something to cap the beer bottles. The double lever capper is easy to operate and ensures a firm seal on every bottle. More >>
  • Cleaner/Sanitizer:
    Brewing can get a little messy, but with several cases of beer at the end, it’s well worth the effort. A cleaner is ideal for cleaning your home brewing equipment before and after brewing a batch of beer. More >>
  • Beer Bottle Brush:
    Homebrewers typically save beer bottles for when their home brew is ready. The beer bottle brush helps to clean the insides of the bottles, helping to make sure nothing contaminates the beer you’ve worked so hard to make. More >>
  • Beer Ingredient Kit:
    Choose from over 30 beer ingredient kits for your making your first batch of beer. The Steam Freak Ingredient Kits include all home brewing ingredients for a five gallon batch, recipe instructions, and caps. More >>

Check out this great video about the Beginning Homebrew Kit

So what are you waiting for? Order a kit already and start brewing! It has a home brewing equipment list that is perfect for the first-timer. And, it’s something you can easily build upon as you progress in this wonderful hobby.

Below you will find a listing for Beginning Homebrew Kit containing the equipment needed, also there are several recipe kits available. What is your favorite beer? If you see it or one similar make note. Read the product description and the questions and answers also watch the video. See how easy a beer kit an be. Try one, enjoy the results of your efforts. Start your new hobby and share it with family and friends. You never know your beer could be in great demand. Once you have the equipment kit the recipes are endless. Make several types for poker night or the game party.


—–
David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He is a graduate of the Siebel Institute of Technology’s “Start Your Own Brewery” program and the Oskar Blues Brew School in Brevard, NC.

Brewing Equipment Kits

Try your hand

Beginning Homebrew Kit

Beginners Beer Kits CLICK HERE

ONE GALLON BEER KITS Click Here

How to Brew Great Beer in 3 Easy Steps? 

How To Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time 

Other Articles of Interest

A Home Beer Making Kit Will Improve Your Popularity!

A Perfect Hobby for that Guy Who Loves Beer

Looking Before You Leap into Home Brewing

What is in a beer making kit?

The Heart of Home Brewing

5 Beer Recipe Kits Perfect For Beginners

Getting Started: Essential Home Brewing Equipment List

ADVENTURES in HOMEBREWING BLOG

BEER BREWING KITS

Must Reading

How to BREW

The Heart of Home Brewing

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

Can you remember the moment you first got the idea in your head to take up brewing your own beer at home? For many it is a tour of a brew pub or some other behind the scenes exposure to all that happens when good beer is made. Before that one pivotal moment, you may have never even thought about beer being made at all. The origin of beer was the liquor store or the market and that was that.
But when you realized that not only does beer go through a fascinating transformation from grains, hops and malts to this delicious brew you enjoy but that you can make your own beer if you want to, that is when the idea of becoming a home brewer started to become a reality in your mind.
For others that moment of realization that home brewing could be a whole new world may have happened when you first were exposed to “real” beer, as the home brewing enthusiasts call it.
That is when you sampled a brew that was not made by one of the big retail beer makers like Budweiser, Coors or Miller and you discovered what beer tasted like when it came directly from the brewing process to your glass.
That may also be the day you found out what an amazing diversity of beer types, textures and flavors there were. And for many when you realize that you can find a diversity of beers that is almost as extensive as in the wine world that it is often very difficult to go back to boring old pasteurized beer again.
So if you are about to “make the leap” to become a home brewer yourself, you are about to step into a rich and full world that is full of history, culture, tradition and new friends and associates. You won’t just take up the hobby of brewing beer, you will “become” a home brewer which is a unique kind of individual indeed.
It isn’t hard to “define” home brewing because the term is self explanatory except to go on to say that it is entirely possible for you to make high quality beer right in your own home with a small investment in equipment, the base ingredients that are readily available as well and the love and patience it will take to learn the process.
But the process is not difficult which explains why home brewing is a passion and a hobby that is growing in popularity more and more every year. You might be surprised who you know who has a love of brewing beer because it is not just the hard core beer drinker you might know. Because brewing beer at home is as much about the art and the craft of making a quality beverage, home brewers come from every walk of life there is from bartenders to ministers and from college professors to librarians.
The heart of home brewing is the fun, the excitement and the fulfillment creating your own batch of delicious beer can bring. But what transforms home brewing hobbyists to life long makers of beer is the challenge of always finding new blends, new methods and new ways to make their beer even more flavorful than the last batch.
Be forewarned that a zeal for becoming better and better at home brewing can be habit forming. But if you get hooked, you will meet thousands of others in your town and around the country and the world who have the same addiction as you. It’s a wonderful addiction that you will never regret catching because brewing beer at home can provide decades of fun and enjoyment making your own blends of beer. But it provides something else just as good which is really great tasting beer. So enjoy.

Below you will find a listing for Beginning Homebrew Kit containing the equipment needed, also there are several recipe kits available. What is your favorite beer? If you see it or one similar make note. Read the product description and the questions and answers also watch the video. See how easy a beer kit an be. Try one, enjoy the results of your efforts. Start your new hobby and share it with family and friends. You never know your beer could be in great demand. Once you have the equipment kit the recipes are endless. Make several types for poker night or the game party.

Try your hand

Beginning Homebrew Kit

Beginners Beer Kits CLICK HERE

ONE GALLON BEER KITS Click Here

How to Brew Great Beer in 3 Easy Steps? 

How To Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time 

Other Articles of Interest

A Home Beer Making Kit Will Improve Your Popularity!

A Perfect Hobby for that Guy Who Loves Beer

Looking Before You Leap into Home Brewing

What is in a beer making kit?

The Heart of Home Brewing

Getting that First Batch of Beer Brewing

ADVENTURES in HOMEBREWING BLOG

BEER BREWING KITS

Must Reading

How to BREW

HOW TO MAKE WINE AT HOME

/ stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment


Adventures in Homebrewing has many options for the home winemaker. Even if you are new to winemaking, we can answer all of your questions.

How long does it take to make a wine?
Depending on the wine you choose, it will take between 4 and 8 weeks to complete the winemaking process.
Can I make wine that is as good as store bought brands?
Yes! Adventures in Homebrewing offers many wine recipe kits to choose from. We feature Winexpert, and Winexpert sources juices and concentrates from all over the world and follows the same process as a winery, but on a much smaller scale. For the best wine, allow your wine to age in the bottle – the longer you wait the better it will become.
Is making wine at home expensive?
Not at all. Adventures in Homebrewing offers options to make wine for every budget. Because you are making the wine yourself, you save the high tax rates associated with beverage alcohol. In fact, our wines can be made for as little as $5 per bottle, making it very affordable compared to store-bought wine.
How do I make my own wine?
To get started, you will need your 

. If you need everything, that is no problem. Adventures in Homebrewing has some complete Equipment Kits for the homebrewer ready to get started in winemaking. Don’t worry about extra costs…we are shipping Wine Beginner Kits Free.

With the right equipment, you just need to know the process. Making a wine kit from one of our Winexpert kits is simple and easy because the kit has all the ingredients, in pre-measured amounts, that one needs to make 6 gallons of wine (30 bottles).
Here is an example of some of the ingredients included in a Winexpert Kit.

  • Juice Bag: The grape juice has all the fermentable sugars that the yeast feed on to make alcohol. The vast majority of the wine’s flavor and complexity is also derived from the grape juice.
  • Wine Yeast: 1-2 Yeast packets depending on the kit. Yeast is what eats and converts the sugars to alcohol.
  • Oak: In select kits, you will find packets of oak. Oak will impart beneficial flavors and colors into the wine. Oak also helps to balance some of the rich flavors found in wines like chardonnays.
  • Bentonite: This is a fine clay in powder form that helps clarify the wine during fermentation
  • Metabisulfite: Stops yeast action and is used in stabilizing the wine before clarifying. Metabisulfite can also be used as a sanitizer for winemaking equipment in higher concentrations. Your kit will not include enough for use as a sanitizer but can be purchased from AHS if desired.
  • Potassium Sorbate: Stops all remaining fermentation action and fully stabilizes the wine. Sorbate is used in conjunction with metabisulfite for wine stabilization.
  • Finishing Fining Agent: Depending on the kit this will be either an isinglass pack or chitosan pack. Like bentonite, these agents help clarify the wine into the sparkling beauty you sip from your glass.
Check out Amazon for Wine Making Supplies

Wine kits do not take a long time to get into the bottle. It is possible to have a wine in bottle at 4-6 weeks from start. However, the catch that you’re looking for comes in the form of aging the wine. There are benefits to aging and following the recommended guidelines ensure your wine will always be delectable and desired by your friends. But, a remarkable amount of the improvement can be obtained within the first 1-2 months of bottling and as such it is possible for you to have a delicious wine within 3 months of starting. Packaged wine making juices tend to make wines faster than making wine using fresh fruit juices because there is generally no pulp or skins involved (with some very specific exceptions). 
Winexpert has some very specific aging recommendations from which you can get the best possible flavor. 
Island Mist: Island mist kits are fermented from a grape base and sweetened with a fruit juice. These wines are ready within just a few weeks of bottling.
Specialty Dessert Wine Kits: These kits can vary depending on the type of wine being made. A standard dessert wine could be ready with as little as 2-3 months age time, whereas a chocolate raspberry port may take 4-6 months. 
Winexpert Classic: It is recommended that these wines age from 2-5 months after bottling. The aging process allows tannins and other flavors to mellow meld into one another so as to be pleasing to the pallet.
One Gallon Winexpert Classic kits: Have all the same requirements for fermentation and aging as a 6 gallon Winexpert Classic kit. 
Winexpert Reserve: Winexpert strongly recommend that these wines be aged up to a year in order to enjoy the best possible flavors. While they will be ready to drink in as little as 3-4 months, they will be best at 12 months or more. This has to do with the quality of the juices in the juice bag. Reserve kits are a step above the rest in that they rely on purer grape juices that are sourced and/or blended from very specific locales within a given region. The quantity of juice is also more than what will be found in a Classic Kit, meaning less water will be used, which results in a longer age time. 
Winexpert Private Reserve: These kits are the highest quality wine kits produced on the market, bar none. They will take 16-18 months age time to achieve the best results. Private Reserve kits include the most pure juice of any level kit and the highest quality ingredients. The grapes used in these kits are often sourced from specific vineyards.
It can be hard to age a wine for this long, especially when you’ve put the time and effort and money into making a Reserve or Private Reserve Kit. I’m not saying you can’t start to drink the fruits of your labor at 3-4 months, it will be a very good wine, but at 12-18 months it will be a phenomenal wine. Adventures in Homebrewing recommends saving 1/4 to 1/2 your batch bottles and then start a new batch. This way you can enjoy your wine at its best, but you can start to enjoy it as it’s maturing.
In addition to a wine making recipe kit and being prepared to age it, you will need a wine making equipment kit and wine bottles in order to make your nectar of the gods. We offer several levels of kits to get you started. Or if you’re a brewer of beer already, all you need to do is get an additional 7.9 gallon fermenter, corker, corks and a 6 gallon carboy.

Shop Now for Wine Making Supplies

Let’s Go Through The Whole Process

How To Make Wine At Home 1: Welcome to Winemaking
Tim Vandergrift walks you through some of the basics of making wine at home. Winemaking is a natural process, that you can do at home, and produce a good product. The process is completely safe, and with our equipment and wine kits, you can create store quality wine at home. All of our equipment and wine kits come with great instructions and are easy to follow. Watch this video, and you will learn about the basic equipment needed.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vcfs0DRtkAU

How To Make Wine At Home 2: Before You Begin
Now it is time to dive right in, right? Wrong. If you want a quality, good tasting wine, there is some prep work involved. But don’t worry, it is easy to do. This next video will walk you through the cleaning process and as well as an in-depth look at the instructions.
 https://www.youtube.com/embed/8SJbjNlp75M

How To Make Wine At Home 3: Primary Fermentation
With all your equipment clean and sanitized, it is time to make the wine. This next video will walk you through filling the fermenter and taking a Gravity Reading and all the way to pitching your yeast.

How To Make Wine At Home 4: Secondary Fermentation
Ferment again? You bet! After 5-7 days your Primary Fermentation should be complete. In this video, you will learn to how to take your Gravity to ensure fermentation has taken place. Typically, we will transfer into a Glass Carboy. Transferring your wine is made much easier with Auto-Siphon. They are available in a 1/2″ and 3/8″ diameter sizes.

How To Make Wine At Home 5: Stabilising and Clearing
At this point, the wine is just about finished with its fermentation. Now it is time to stabilize and clear the wine. Follow the instructions and to take a sample. A Wine Thief is a perfect tool for this. You will also learn how to calculate the Alcohol Content. There will be some additives that will need to be added at this point, refer to your instructions for your particular wine kit. Time to de-gas? Yes, a Wine Whip will make all the difference.

How To Make Wine At Home 6: Bottling
Finally, time to drink…I mean to bottle. The wine should now be clear. Use that Wine Thief again to get a close look, you want to bottle clear wine. You will need about 30 standard wine bottles. Adventures in Homebrewing has multiple sizes, colors, and styles of wine bottles to choose from. Check out our full selection here =>Wine Bottles.
 https://www.youtube.com/embed/80o0k-Eb4SI

That’s it, you are a winemaker. Now it is time to pick out a wine!


Other ARTICLES of INTEREST

What Is In A Bottle Of Wine?

Things to know about making wine

How To Brew Wine At Home

HOW TO MAKE WINE AT HOME From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

The Benefits Of Wine Kits vs Fresh Grapes From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

5 Myths About Homemade Wine

BOOKS

WINE MAKING BOOKS

ADVENTURES in HOMEBREWING BLOG

WINE MAKING KITS