How Beer Taps Are Made

Most beer taps are made from plastic or glass. But, pub style beer taps are made the old fashion way.  They are made from wood.

I love the rural initiatives that are placing grant money into small businesses to make it possible for trucking companies to clean up fallen trees from the local area. Four or five trees on a truck make for a very good day because they are hauled to the mill where they get cut into shape.

It depends on the size of the tap handles being made, but normally a two inch by two inch cut will do just fine.  So let’s just have some fun and do a little math.  Let’s say that the average tree that falls will have a three foot diameter…Learn More

Craft Brews Defined

Craft beer is a part of history every bit as much as it is the new thing sweeping the nation. The irony is that craft beer isn’t new at all. It was just recently defined and now it’s a buzz word because many of the home brewers find themselves in a nationally recognized brewing category.

But, the fact of the matter is that craft beer has gone through its own historical changes just like everything else. A few centuries ago, each town had its own brewery or they carted brew in from a town next door. Then of course, as in all things, someone gets the bright idea to mass produce beer and sell it to everyone for less than what the craft breweries could.

Cost effectiveness comes with mass production. When you have tons of supplies onboard and can produce beer day and night in mass quantities, then ship it out to all the major cities and all the pubs across the nation are stocking it, you can run the prices down and craft beers become obsolete. So, how have they managed to stay in business throughout the centuries?

You are always going to have your beer enthusiasts who want a taste of something new, something different, something distinct. Mass production of beer has to satisfy the majority appeal. It has to be made mainstream so that everyone likes it. But, there isn’t anything distinct about it because then you run the chance of a majority of beer drinkers not liking it.

So, craft beer has survived. It is not new. But, it feels new because now it’s in a nationally recognized market as a cause of its growth. More and more pubs are stocking craft beers. Microbreweries and brewpubs are popping up all over the place. Contract breweries are filling more orders. Regional breweries are getting more attention. Thus, craft beer is actually starting to get more attention than traditional brewing companies that have stood the test of time.

What defines craft beer is actually several things. The first thing is the amount of beer that is brewed yearly, and this is where all home brewers get their first distinction. A craft brewer produces 6,000,000 barrels of beer or less a year. Anything more than that and you are considered a large brewery.

The next item gives the home brewer its second distinction, a craft brewer is independent. That means that the brewer itself has most of the ownership, thereby having all of the control. Home brewers have all the control, thereby fulfilling the second criteria. The final criteria is that the brewer must have an all malt beverage as its flagship, which means that is has an all malt beverage that represents the most volume of all of its brands. Of course, unless the home brewer is making more cider or wine than he is beer, then he is a craft beer brewer.

Obviously, each criterion has specifics that needed laid out in full detail because of the complexity between different breweries and what constitutes an actual craft beer. But, I’m taking broad strokes here as they apply to the home brewer. The home brewer can now feel confident as he walks among other brewers because now he has a distinction and a market.

Don’t hesitate to find your taste and chase it! Brew your beer until you finally find the one you like or several you prefer. Put them in shows and take them to your local bar. Let them stock it and give your locals a taste of what you can do. That’s the way it’s done. That’s the way it has always been done. Nothing has changed!

Getting Carbonation Levels Right for Bottled Beer

Properly carbonating your beer is a simple process that can be done a handful of ways. I was recently asked if the carbon dioxide systems that add pressure to the keg can put the carbon dioxide in the beer as well. Great question! I’ll tell you why. If you don’t ask the question, you’ll never know the answer.

The man who was asking the question was referring to bottling his beer. So, I’ll answer that question. But, I’ll also talk about kegging your own beer as well.

When making your own home brew, you can either use force carbonation or natural carbonation. Force carbonation is best when putting your beer in a keg because of its closed system. Natural carbonation can be used for either a keg or a bottle simply because of the carbonation method.

You have to learn your beer recipes, but sugar and yeast actually provide the carbonation you need. Don’t put too much sugar in your brew. But, make sure you put enough. One cup of sugar per batch of German and American style beers is about the right amount. But, use more sugar for higher gravity beers.

Of course, as with every other brewing strategy we’ve come up with as beer enthusiasts, this is one you’ll have to sample and recalculate for your own taste. Try different amounts of sugar and keep a log if you really want to peg it. But, you’ll have to go through the same process for different beer recipes you try.

Force carbonation works best when kegging your beer. You need a carbon dioxide cylinder and a regulator. At this point, I can give you some ideas about different types of beers. But, knowing the three parts of carbonating beer will help you figure out carbonation levels on your own.

First of all, it depends on the temperature of your beer, which you can obtain easily with a thermometer. Second, you’ll need to know the desired carbonation level for the type of beer you’ve brewed. Beertaps.com has a chart of common beer brews. Once you know those two things, you can calculate the PSI to set the regulator.

When you have your keg at the temperature you want, connect your carbon dioxide tank to the gas-in connection on your keg. Make sure the lid is on and sealed. Make sure to purge the oxygen from the keg using the carbon dioxide. Set your PSI according to your temperature and desired carbonation levels. Let it sit in the refrigerator or keg for a few days until the carbon dioxide has completely absorbed into your beer.

You can speed up this process by increasing the surface area of the beer inside the keg. It’s a simple process of putting the keg on its side and rolling it a little. Carbon dioxide will be able to absorb into the beer faster.