Umami Mart

Today I want to go back to 2009, when our resident beer specialist CJ wrote a six-part guide to home brewing, right here on Umami Mart. It is a very comprehensive read for anyone trying to start their own batch of beer at home. Seem intimidating? Sure it is! Making beer is a huge time […]

READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THE TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE Popping the cap off of the first beer in a new batch is always exciting. When I first started I used to think nothing but “I hope it doesn’t suck.” Now I am a little more confident in my batches and am curious to […]

Summer is upon us! To me, there is nothing better than gulping down a refreshing beer outside in the sun with friends and maybe a little BBQ. When it is hot out, I find it nice to drink something light and refreshing. One of my favorite styles of summer beer are Belgian White Ales. Great […]

READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THE TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE Bottling is easily the most tedious, pain in the ass, and time consuming part of the home brewing process. It takes so long to peel the labels off of every bottle, clean them, and sanitize them. I think this is why once most […]

READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THE TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE I am so excited to try this beer! I have a long way to go before it will be drinkable (at least 40 days). So meanwhile I started another batch, this time a blond summer ale that should actually be finished before this IPA […]

READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THE TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE In the last post we went through the entire boil, pitched the yeast and moved our wart to the primary fermentation vessel. Within a day or so you should begin to notice the beginning of the fermentation process. As the yeast converts sugars into […]

READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THE TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE Now that you have gathered all of the equipment and ingredients needed, as described in the first post, you are ready to make your beer. You should plan on starting on a day that you have at least 3-4 hours of free time. You […]

READ ALL 6 PARTS OF THE TAP THIS HOME BREWING GUIDE HERE Hello all, sorry its been a while since my last Tap This post. There will be plenty coming for the next few weeks as I am going to walk you through the process of home brewing. Since this is a pretty involved process, I […]

Sketch of a Medieval Brewery. Ales were the beverage of choice in Medieval times for most people, including children. Dirty river water was unpleasant to drink and milk went rancid easily. They even drank it for breakfast! Ales are brewed using top fermenting yeast, which ferments the beer quickly producing a sweet, fruity taste. In […]

They say the American lager is similar to having sex in a canoe… It’s damn near water. Last week in Beer 101 we talked about the two major categories of beer, ales and lagers. Many beer enthusiasts would argue that this is an evil beer that lacks flavor, is mass produced, and was unfortunately the […]