Author: Joseph Lavoie

Are there any health or safety risks involved in drinking homemade beer?

Are you asking yourself this question? If so, you’re not alone. It’s a question I get all the time when I tell people I’m a home brewer. I can’t blame you for asking. We’ve all heard about the dangers of distilling alcoholic products at home…you know…the moonshine that can make you go blind. It’s enough…
American Pale Ale

In a world where American IPAs get all the attention, it can be easy to overlook its more humble cousin, the American Pale Ale. But to overlook this beautiful style would be to make a grave mistake. When Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Fame created his iconic pale ale, he not only ignited the modern…
How to Use a Hydrometer to Measure Alcohol by Volume

When starting out brewing, I often recommend not worrying about calculating the ABV of your beer, especially if it’s your very first batch. In some circles, this is considered a mistake. I have nothing against the practice – in fact I always take original and final gravity readings when I brew. But when you’re just…
Small Batch Brewing: Six Reasons to Try 1-Gallon Brewing

You can brew in 1-gallon batches? Oh yes, small batch brewing is awesome. Read just about any intro to home brewing book, however, and you’ll find yourself walking the same path I did when I took up this awesome pursuit: buying all the requisite equipment and ingredients for 5-gallon brewing. It was the easiest way…
English IPA

On this side of the Atlantic, we love our North American-style IPAs, but there’s still something to be said for the original English IPA. If you haven’t read up on the history of this beer, please do so. It’s fascinating stuff. During the British occupation of India, an enterprising Brit decided to develop a beer…
Hefeweizen

If you’re not a hop head or you want an easy-sipping beer on a hot summer day, this beer will take good care of you.
Blonde Ale

For this one, we’re going with light sweetness, and low spices. It’s designed to be an easy-going, easy-sipping blonde for those of you who love Belgian beers.
California Common

If you ever wanted to make your own version of Anchor’s spectacular steam beer, give this California Common Beer Recipe a try. This is one of the great American beer styles and Anchor was one of the pioneer microbreweries that kick-started a movement that has most of us now enjoying the best selection of beer…
Extra Special Bitter (ESB)

If you like English ales and English hops with lots of malty goodness, than you’ll like this extra special bitter recipe. It’s perfect for a slow-sipping afternoon. ESBs tend to be darker gold or a copper colour. And if you’ve ever had the perfect pint of ESB (no doubt with your eyes closed picturing yourself in…
Belgian Dubbel

If you love rich and malty Belgian beers that make a good thing of phenolic flavours, mild hop bitterness and a hint of caramel flavours, look no further.