Dark White Wine

Newsletter published by
"The Wine Maker's Toy Store™"
Dallas Home Brew


February 2011 
Volume 9, Issue 2
866-417-1114 (Long Distance)
972-323-7921 (Local)
972-323-7955 (Fax)

Inclement Weather

 

Due to the ice storm in Dallas, we will be closed on Tuesday, February 1st.  If we don't get the ice off of the roads, we may be closed additional days.  Since we rarely need snow and ice removal equipment, clearing the streets will take time.  There is only so much that our 3 trucks can do!

 

In addition, the weather is affecting all of the shippers, so even if we could get to the store, FedEx will not be picking up and a lot of thier delivery fleet will be shut down accross the country.

 

In the meantime, local customers, please call the store before coming by.  In addition, if you have any questions, please send me an email.  I can't take phone calls, but I do have complete internet access to my email and the store computers.

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Summer Breeze and Orchard Breezin'
 

We currently offer 2 brands in the "Wine Cooler" style of wine kits, Orchard Breezin' from RJ Spagnols and Summer Breeze from Mosti Mondiale.  They both make wonderful summertime wines, but the finished wines are somewhat different.  Since we get quite a number of questions about the differences, I thought I should take some time to give you our take on these wines.

The Orchard Breezin' makes a fairly sweet low alcohol wine.  If you make the wine according to the manufacturer's instructions, the alcohol content is 6.7%.  The sweetness varies from kit to kit, but as a rule, they are considered sweet to very sweet.  These wine kits are nice to have for those guests that don't like the drier wines.

On the other hand, the Summer Breeze wine kits tend to finish with an alcohol content of 9.8% and not as sweet as the Orchard Breezin'.  Since a lot of you like to add sugar to the Orchard Breezin' kits to raise the alcohol, the Summer Breeze may be a nice alternative to adding 3 pounds of sugar.

I have made wines from both lines and found they both make very nice, light, fruity wines.  If you have made the Orchard Breezin and want something not quite so sweet, try a Summer Breeze.  If the Summer Breeze is not sweet enough, try an Orchard Breezin'.  Due to the popularity of both, if this is the style you want, you should find that one of these brands will work for you.

With the summer approaching, now is the time to start making these kits.  As such, during the month of February, you can get $5.00 off every Orchard Breezin' or Summer Breeze wine kit you order.  See the monthly specials below.

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Adding Additional Flavors to your Beer!
 
The beer kits we sell all make a really good beer for the style they represent, but what if you wanted to change things up a little?   What if you wanted a coffee porter or an oak aged IPA or a raspberry wheat, what then?  The Flavors you can add to traditional beer styles are endless.  The things commercial breweries are doing today are amazing.
 

One of my favorite beers is a Coffee Porter, which is odd since I don't drink coffee.  People are adding coffee to beers today in many ways.  Some use a French press, some use espresso shots, some add grounds to the secondary.  My method which I "borrowed" from a commercial breweries description of their beer is to add whole beans right into the secondary.  I add a half pound of coffee beans to the secondary.  I check on the beer every day after day three to see how the coffee flavor is coming along.  Once I like the flavor, I keg or bottle the beer.  If you are not ready to bottle or keg just rack off the beans to a new secondary.

My wife has an interesting way to add flavors to her beers (yes, she brews her own beer).  She adds tea at flame out in the boil kettle.  She makes a chocolate Stout that has won multiple awards, including a stein at the Bluebonnet.  She uses a decaf chocolate hazelnut tea.  Once the boil is over she turns off the flame adds the tea bags and lets them steep for 15 minutes, then continues on with chilling as normal.  She also uses a mango tea to make a Mango Witt beer that has won a few awards also.

Cask conditioned beers are huge in the craft beer world right now.  It seems like almost everyone is offering a casked conditioned beer or a whiskey barrel aged beer right now.  This is really easy to do at home.  I make an oaked version of my double IPA by adding 3 ounces of oak cubes to the secondary and leave it on the oak for 3-4 weeks, then keg or bottle as normal.  If you want to give your beer the whiskey barrel treatment, soak the cubes in 3-4 ounces of your favorite bourbon or whiskey before you add them, along with the liquid, to the secondary.  This works great for Russian Imperial Stouts.

Wheat beer is a great refreshing summer beer and it is also a great base for fruit beers.  You can add the fruit in the primary AFTER the primary fermentation is done.  You can use fresh raspberries, cherries, blueberries, mango, etc.  The choices are almost endless.  You can also use one of the cans of Vintners Harvest purees, formally Oregon Fruit purees.  Just open the can and add to the fermented beer.  It will start a second fermentation so you will have to wait at least another week.  The results are well worth it.

The possibilities are almost endless for the flavors you can add to your beers.  Experimentation is part of the fun of home brewing, coming up with unique flavors and personalizing your beer.  If you have any questions about adding flavors to your beer shoot me an email at the store or give me a call, I will be happy to help.

Brian Beyer

Resident Brewer

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3 New Brewer's Best Beer Kits!
 
Brewer's best has added 3 more beer kits to their oustanding line up:
  • English Bitter
  • Milk Stout
  • Whisky Barrel Stout

All three are now in stock and on special during the month of February for $5.00 off.  Check out the Beer of the Month link below to learn more.

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PBW now in Stock

 
PBW (Powered Brewer's Wash) is now in stock.  PBW is an alkaline non-toxic cleaner and it is safer and greener than comparable caustics. It will not harm stainless steel or soft metal and plastics and it is made by the same company that makes Star-San.



See our monthly specials for savings on this great product.
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Price Increases Coming Our Way
 
We have been notified by 2 of our prime distributors that price increases will be coming down the pike.  The first increase will affect the grains, but increases in all of the equipment and supplies is expected. 
 
The drought in Russia is the principal reason for the increase in grain prices while all major commodity prices continue to climb.  As a result, I expect very few of our products to not have a prices increase.
 
Although I have not had any official notice regarding wine kit prices, I would very surprised if we don't see increases in them, as well.  As I learn more, I will keep you posted.
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Monthly Sales
 
  
Summer Breeze - $5.00 off
Orchard Breezin' - $5.00 off
 
 
PBW - 10% Off!
 
 
3 New Beer Kits from Brewer's Best - $5.00 Off!

Fine Vine Wines, LLC

In This Issue
Wine Coolers
Adding Flavors to your Beers
New Beer Kits
PBW Now in Stock
Price Increases
Monthly Sales
Current Specials
Links
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Current Specials

To see this month's specials, new products and close out specials, click on the links below: 

 
Brew Day

February 19, 2011 - 10:00am - 4 pm
 

The Wine Makers Toy Store will be having another "How to Brew Day".  We will have 2-3 brewers brewing extract beers starting around 10 am.  We will be staggering their start time so you can see various stages of the brewing process when you stop by.
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Other Links

 

Featured Articles

 

In-Store Events


As a reminder, we continue to add products and content to the web site, therefore, if you have any special requests, please let us know. We like to hear what you have to say about our site, our products and/or our customer service, good or bad. Please send your comments and/or suggestions to the contact us link below.
 
Don't forget we like you to CALL!
 
If you have any questions about our products, our service and/or wine making or home brewing, please call us. We are here to serve you and enjoying assisting you in any way we can. We have an international toll-free line so you WILL call us.   Someone is usually at the store between 9 am and 6 pm, Monday through Saturday. We always try to answer the phone when you call; however, sometimes, we are unable to answer the phone as we are on the other lines or we have customers in the store. If you get the voice mail, please leave your name, number, brief message and a best time to call. We will return your call just as soon as we can.   If you don't want to call, just send us an email. We usually answer our emails daily. Please remember, we are a resource and we are here to serve you. 
 
We don't want to be the biggest store, just the BEST!

Cheers!

George, Joseph and Brian

Fine Vine Wines, LLC, The Wine Maker's Toy Store and Dallas Home Brew
 
Contact Information:  Please use the following link to contact us with any questions and/or suggestions you have.