Top 5 Five Winter and Holiday Beer Recommendations
02 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
in basic wine making, beer bottles, custom beer birthday, custom beer labels, Holiday Beer, home brewing labels, wedding favor ideas, winter Tags: alcohol, beers, Boston Lager, brew, brewery, Celebration Ale, christmas, Christmas beer, craft beer, custom beer labels, custom birthday wine labels, dry hopped, holiday, Holiday Beer, seasonal brews, six pack, wine brewing, Winter, Winter Welcome Ale
By Bryce Eddings, About.com Guide
Winter and the holiday season see a lot of really good, small production seasonal brews in the form of Christmas beers and winter warmers. Christmas beers are often malty and complex although there are no rules for how they should be brewed. Some are made with fruit or spice and some rely on artful malt or hops combination for wonderful complexity. The winter warmers are similar though they are rarely made with any adjuncts. Both typically contain more than usual alcohol and are usually available from November to February.
And so, in no particular order, here are my Christmas and winter beer selections.
1. Samichlaus
The king of Christmas beers, Samichlaus is the highlight of the holiday season for many beer enthusiasts. It is a rich, aged doppelbock brewed at the Austrian brewery Schloss Eggenberg.
2. Samuel Adams Winter Classics
This mix pack contains a variety of beers. This makes it a nice way to try some unusual beer for beer lovers who are just discovering craft beer. Though it can change from year to year the mix pack often contains Boston Lager, Old Fezziwig Ale, Winter Lager, Holiday Porter, Black Lager, and Cranberry Lambic.
Cut any shape and design holiday cards
3. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
How do you say Merry Christmas to a hop-head? With a six pack of Celebration Ale from Sierra Nevada. Besides have a pretty significant bitterness at 62 IBUs, this beer is also dry hopped which raises the hops in the aroma and flavor.
4. Samuel Smiths Winter Welcome Ale
Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome is a traditional winter warmer and in many ways has served as the modern benchmark for the style. It is big in flavor and alcohol. Though maltiness dominates it does have a good bit of balancing hops as well as hints of apples and caramel.
5. Odell Brewing Co. Isolation Ale
Odell Brewing brews Isolation Ale as their winter seasonal. This beer is packed with hops character without a lot of the bitterness. It’s a bit unusual as a wintertime beer in that it does not carry the huge, dark malt flavors of many of the others.
To read this full article, check out: Top 10 Ten Winter and Holiday Beer Recommendations
Also, if you are looking for great custom beer labels make sure you check out: Custom beer labels
Uses for Your Empties
02 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in birthday ideas, custom beer birthday, custom beer labels, custom design labels, custom photo coasters, home brewing labels, personalized graduation gift, personalized labels, wedding favor ideas Tags: beer ingredients, beer kit, beer labels, beer making, beer making kits, beer making supplies, Bookplates gift tags, Coasters, custom beer labels, custom design labels, custom wine labels, DIY Home Brew Labels, Favor Tags, Holiday Labels, home brew, Home Brew Label Printing, Party Favors, Personalised home brew labels, personalized coasters, Personalized Wedding Labels, photo coasters
If you enjoy or brew your own beer chances are you may have some stray empties lying around the house, and while they can fetch a pretty penny down at the recycling plant empty beer bottles can also hold other useful purposes. The same thing goes for old wine bottles.
For instance, if you clean the bottle’s inside, fill it with a bit of water, and place a single flower inside you can give your sweetheart a fairly simple, yet charmingly unique wedding or birthday gift.
Another romantic gift idea is the wine bottle candle. You simply wash the bottle well and place a long, narrow candle in the neck of the bottle until it is snug. Wine bottle candles can help add a romantic atmosphere to any ordinary dinner table.
Empties can also be easily turned into Christmas decorations. Just look at the example below!
If you’re looking for a more artistic use for your empties, you could always try assembling broken bottle glass into a mosaic, or you could also set them up for a still-life painting.
Most importantly, if you are a home brewer or wine maker you can reuse your commercially purchased wine bottles and save a considerable amount of money. Don’t forget to re-label your recycled wine and beer bottles with your own, customized beer and wine labels. A variety of expertly designed bottle labels can be found at Labels on the Fly.
Bottling Your Home Brew
23 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in beer bottles, custom beer labels, custom labels, custom stickers, home brew, home brew beer ideas, home made beer Tags: beer bottle labels, beer bottles, bottle neck labels, brew beer, custom beer bottle labels, custom beer labels, custom bottle labels, home brew, home brew beer, long neck beer bottle, personalized bottle labels, personalized labels, stubby beer bottle
So you’re interested in brewing your own home made beer? And why shouldn’t you be? It’s estimated that that 250,000 to 500,000 people in America make their own beer, which makes home brewing more or less of a great American hobby. It’s extremely cost effective, with kit prices being as low as $100 in some cases and ingredients being as low as $60 in other cases. It’s also a fun process that allows you to experiment with different recipes and provide yourself and friends with a superior beer that’s much less expensive than any commercial brand.
If you’re on your way to becoming your own independent brew-master you’ll have a lot to think about. Besides what recipes to attempt, here are a few tips about the kinds of bottles you might want to look at for bottling purposes, and also what kinds of branding you may want to try.
BEER BOTTLE TYPES:
First off, it should be noted that beer bottles come in various sizes, shapes and colors. Dark glass prevents light from spoiling the beer. However, lighter colored bottles are often used for marketing reasons
The Stubby: Shorter and flatter than standard bottles, having virtually no neck, stubbies pack into a smaller space for transporting. The bottles are sometimes made with thick glass and are therefore sturdier, and can also be cleaned and reused before being recycled. Stubbies are normally tinted brown or green, and very few American beers are bottled in the stubby.
The Growler: The growler can hold half a gallon of draft beer, but also comes in a liter and quart size. The typical take-out beer, customers can bring in their personal growlers for refill from their favorite tap. One of the advantages of buying beer this way is that it is generally cheaper. Growlers are usually tinted a dark color.
The Long Neck: Lastly, there’s the long neck beer bottle. The long neck is the most prevalent type of bottle used in America. Tall and slim with a long neck, these bottles are known as the ISB, or Industry Standard Bottle, according to the Beer Club. Long neck’s can be recycled and reused many times, and can come in clear glass and tinted. However, they are more highly represented by clear glass than other types of bottles. The bottle is easy to hold, and most consumers tend to hold the neck rather than the body in order to prevent their hands from warming the beer inside.
LABEL TIPS:
Now that you’re more familiar with the types of bottles that are available you should begin to consider the types of branding suitable for your beer. Investing in custom beer labels is a wise decision as they are often less expensive than machine-placed labels and can come with more creative leeway, which will enable you to put your own authentic style into them. This is very important because you want your beer to emphasize your style as a brewer, therefore the label on the bottle should be as good as the beer inside the bottle.
With that having been said, what you ought to consider first is the type of material your beer label will be made out of. Several materials to consider are foil, clear plastic, or high-grade paper. You should also consider the shape of your label and whether or not to include a neck label as well. Most importantly, the design of your label should have the most thought behind it. Just think of people’s reactions if you show up to a birthday party, holiday event, or even a wedding with your own brand of beer decorated with well designed labels.
A wide variety of expertly designed, custom beer labels can be found at Labels on the Fly.
Stay tuned for home wine and beer recipes and tips from Custombottle!
Custom Beer Labels
20 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in birthday ideas, custom beer birthday, custom beer labels, custom design labels, custom photo coasters, home brewing labels, personalized graduation gift, personalized labels, wedding favor ideas Tags: beer labels, brew labels, brewlabels, custom beer branding, custom beer labels, custom birthday labels, custom design labels, custom wedding labels, home brewing labels, homebrewing, microbrew, personalized graduation gift, personalized labels, ratings, wedding favor ideas
Home Brewing has been a hobby of Americans since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Who could blame them when there are so many benefits to making your own beer? 
Brewing your own beer can be much cheaper and more rewarding than purchasing inferior commercial brands, and it allows you to put a totally personal touch into your beverage by creating and adjusting your own recipes, and branding the finished batch.
Whether you are in the market to sell your tasty beverage, or want to give it as thoughtful gifts, branding your beer is one of the most important steps of home brewing.
The label you put on your beer can say as much about you as the beer itself. You’ll want to find just the right design for your label. You might even want to think about coasters that match all of their label designs if you’re looking to complete your bar ensemble.
Labels on the Fly is a great place to start. Their expert designers have come up with a huge selection of templates for you to choose from. Just add your text, and choose from a variety of sizes, colors and shapes for the label that you want printed, and they will expertly print your superior quality beer labels. You can even have a color photograph printed on your labels! And with low minimum orders, it’s perfect for the beer enthusiast who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on labels, but still wants a professional look for their home brew.
Impress everyone when you bring a six-pack of your finest beer sporting snazzy, personalized labels the next time you are invited to a wedding, birthday party or holiday event.
Whether you are an established micro-brewery or a new home brewer, having quality labels on the outside should reflect the superior beer inside!
