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White IPA Using Our New Add-Pack 
The Home Vintner is always on the hunt for emerging trends in craft beer. Beer Fest sampling and a tasting night at a craft beer pub in Vancouver inspired us to add White IPA to our recipe lineup.This beer is a hybrid style that is sometimes called a Belgian IPA. It typically uses a Belgian style yeast, plus malts and hops usually found in a North American IPA. The result is a fusion of Belgian Wit and American IPA - all the spice, malt, fruit and hoppy appeal to blend both styles of beer.If you...
POSTED November 16th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
Hops were introduced to beer in the 15th century as a preservative and flavouring agent. Extra hops can add more dimension to your beer: - a bittering characteristic or - a distinctive flavour or - aroma• Hallertau – used in lager, pilsner and wheat beers• Cascade – American ales, IPA or Porter• Saaz – Pilsner, Lager or Lambic• Fuggle – English beers and American ales&...
POSTED October 27th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS Tip on Removing New Art Labels 
Tip for when peeling some of the newer art style paper labels from the wine bottles - if you just try and peel them they shred. They do come off okay with a bit of work, but they do shred.• don't soak them or get them we• put warm/hot water in the bottle for just a few minutes to soften the glue, then carefully peel - it should come off in one piece.
POSTED October 26th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
Most red wines, when young, have obvious fruity aromas and some degree of astringency or "bite". With age, they will develop softer, gentler, more complex aromas and flavours. They become richer as the fruit mellows and the astringency of the tannins relax, giving the finished wine its body and character.Many white wines also benefit with age. High acid levels will soften over time, uncovering wonderful textures and flavours. Ageing your wine in an environment which helps preserve its fine...
POSTED October 23rd, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS 
The trend in craft beer is to enjoy higher IBU’s (International Bittering Units) than in the past. Make your Barons beer kit as usual, remove about 4 L of the wort and place into a stainless steel pot. Add your hops and simmer for one hour. Once cooled add the 4 L of malt to your primary. Stir in your bentonite and sprinkle your yeast on the surface.The rule of thumb is: • Aroma Hops – simmer for less than 5 minutes or dry hop in your primary &...
POSTED October 14th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
This versatile beer is an ideal base for our classic Belgian Wit add on pack, and for our latest addition, a Lemon Citra Cerveza. Kudos to Airdrie customer, David C for inventing this refreshing version of a Barons beer. Thank you David!Lime, Raspberry or Blueberry Cerveza are other options, as well as a Grapefruit Wheat beer or Ginger Beer. An excellent choice for autumn is Roasted Pumpkin Cerveza, aka "Thanksgiving in a Glass". All add packs and recipes are availabl...
POSTED October 12th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
Drastic changes in temperature will rapidly ruin bottled wine. Ideal conditions for storage are a steady 7 to 13 degrees C. Although maturation is slower, more complexity will develop. Stored at 20 degrees, wine will mature much faster. No matter what, always keep your wine away from direct light, as ultraviolet rays are particularly harmful.Some degree of humidity is beneficial for long term storage. Beware of air conditioners, as they actually suck moisture out of the air. Id...
POSTED October 12th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS Only Available at The Home Vintner - Beer Add-On Packs 
The Home Vintner is the only store in Western Canada with Barons beer add-on packs. We have over 30 add-on packages available along with a growing number of recipes; constantly we are researching to add to both. With the incredible choice in craft beer we need your help. This fall we are offering our beer makers a free Baron beer kit for a successful add-on and/or beer recipe. Experiment and bring in a bottle for tasting.
POSTED October 6th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
Super light reds sometime get a poor reputation with serious wine drinkers, partly from a misconception that a good red wine needs to have a rich body and deep concentration. But that is not always true – depending on what you are looking for. Super light reds can give lots of red berry fruit intermixed with other herbaceous and/or spicy notes with a feather weight body and refreshing finish.The first cardinal rule is to not serve super light reds at room temperature! Light reds can seem t...
POSTED October 2nd, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS 
Some people think they are allergic to sulphites. The fact is, sulphite allergies are very rare. It's more likely that they're having a histamine reaction. What most people describe as a sulphite headache is a reaction to compounds found in wine known as bioamines. An example of a bioamine is malolactic fermentation. Some commercial wineries add malolactic bioamines before the end of alcohol fermentation in order to get the wine on the market sooner. The Home Vin...
POSTED October 2nd, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS Cerveza Battle Results in a New Add-On Pack 
A few months ago Kellie from the Airdrie location and Airdrie customer David C. both decided to make a Lemon Citra Cerveza. Two different approaches were taken to come up with the best result. And the winner is - DAVID! While both methods created similar beers, David's beer has better balance and thirst quenching drinkability.Expect this beer to be golden yellow with nice carbonation and a bright, clear finish. With subtle lemon/Citra aromatics on the nose, this beer remains in bala...
POSTED August 25th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS 
Why does homemade beer sometimes tastes more like cider? Catabolite repression is the technical term when beer kits are cut with large amounts of sucrose or glucose. The yeast will behave differently creating by-products, which leaves a cidery taste. Fusel alcohols will remain, giving a cloying unnatural sweetness combined with a harsh bitterness and a deceptive impression of body and mouth feel.The Home Vintner prides itself on supplying the best beer kits and add on packs for our discerning cu...
POSTED August 10th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
There is some excellent wine making going on in Airdrie. Friends Kellie Babin and Kelly Mackay both earned gold at the 2015 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition, April 10-12 in Vermont. “It was quite exciting, I didn’t expect to win a medal at all, let alone a gold and bronze,” said Mackay, explaining she shipped bottles to the competition and was thrilled to be successful. Babin was equally excited to put Airdrie’s name on the map. “We’ve been hap...
POSTED August 7th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS 
Pilsner style beers originate in the Plzeň or Pilsen region of Czech Republic. Mozart spent his summers in Prague, presumably drinking Pilsner beer, and composing great symphonies.This is an excellent summer beer on its own, but we can take this beer in many different directions with our add-on packages. The addition of extra Saaz hops to the primary gives it a more distinct aroma. We also have a special add-pack with malt and 2-stage hops to really increase the complexity. Don't forg...
POSTED July 14th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT Priming Your Beer Usin Dry Malt / Honey / Maple Syrup 
Priming with dry malt takes longer to carbonate, but will produce a more creamy, dense head. Honey will give beer its distinct flavour. Molasses lends itself to our Porter and Stout recipes. Try priming with brown sugar. What could be more Canadian than priming your beer with Maple Syrup?Contact our stores for the right amount to use and the style of beer to match these with.
POSTED June 26th, 2015 | 0 COMMENTS |
