The official start for summer is just around the corner, which means backyard barbecues and parties are being scheduled and planned. A good summertime barbeque is a perfect time to introduce your latest homebrewing creation. There will be plenty of family and friends to impress with your brewing skills. So, we thought we’d share a few of our predictions for what we believe will be the top 5 trends in homebrewing this summer.
Trend #1: Homebrewing Spicy Craft Beer
Bring the heat to your next homebrewing beer recipe! If you look at the growing popularity of adding scovilles to your favorite foods and sauces, it’s just a matter of time before home brewers start adding chili peppers to their beer. YouTube shows like Hot Ones, where celebrities are interviewed while eating incredibly spicy chicken wings, and the growing list of hot sauce festivals across the USA this year, tell us that American’s are in love with the heat!
You can take a look at the Scoville units in different peppers and decide just how hot you want your beer to be. The Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) measures the heat of chili peppers by looking at the concentration of capsaicin in the pepper. Capsaicin is what gives the pepper its heat.
Once you’ve decided the right pepper for your brew, there are a couple of things to consider. Are you looking for just a spicy, hot beer or more of a pepper flavored beer? If you’re just looking for the heat, add the pepper early in the boil, about the time you add the bitter hops. For more pepper flavor, wait and add it in the final 7 to 10 minutes of the boil. Neutral and sweet profiles are the best options for brewing a spicy beer. It highlights the heat of the chili peppers.
Trend #2: Homebrewing Hard Kombucha
People have been homebrewing kombucha tea for 1,000’s of years. Today, kombucha is more popular than ever as homebrewers make it a part of their weekly brewing routine. But this summer, adding a little more punch to your kombucha can make this tangy tea a party favorite and you the hit of the backyard barbeque. So don’t be surprised if your homebrewing buddies start experimenting with hard kombucha this summer.
One of the most frequent Kombucha questions we receive is how to increase the alcohol content when brewing kombucha. So, we wrote an article sharing three steps you can take to brew hard kombucha at home: How To Increase The Alcohol Levels In Your Homebrewed Kombucha.
Here at Keg Outlet, we not only want to be your go-to resource for homebrewing equipment, but we also hope to be your go-to resource for homebrewing questions. If you have a question, check out our FAQ Page for quick answers, or click the Ask A Question button and let us see if we can help.
Trend #3: Homebrewing Nitro Coffee
If you’re not familiar with Nitro Coffee, you soon will be. It’s become such a popular alternative to hot coffee, that major coffee retailers like Starbucks have begun adding it to their regular menu.
Homebrewers who already brew cold coffee are realizing they don’t need a barista to transition to nitro. With the right brewing equipment, you can enjoy nitro coffee this summer, right from home. Nitro coffee is one of the fastest growing segments for cold coffee, and this summer will be no exception among homebrewers.
If you don’t know what Nitro Coffee is, check out our article What is Nitro Coffee? Cold Brew Popularity Fuels Explosive Growth. Then check out How To Make Nitro Coffee. Just a warning, prepare for a life changing experience. You’re not likely to go back to traditional coffee ever again!
If you’ve tried cold brew coffee, you’ve likely noticed that it has a much smoother, richer taste and flavor than traditionally hot brewed coffee does. Infusing the cold brew with nitrogen gives it micro-bubbles that give it a creamy texture and mouthfeel without adding any milks or sweeteners. – Brendan Hanson
Trend #4: Homebrewing Nitro Tea
Get ready for Nitro Tea! Nitro tea, sometimes referred to as sparkling tea will be coming to a market near you this summer, if it already hasn’t. Just like nitro coffee progressed from cold brew coffee, nitro tea is a natural progression for cold brew tea lovers. If you are not familiar with cold brew tea, check out our article Cold Brewing Tea: From Single Serve To Large Batch Brewing.
Nitro tea is when you take nitrogen gas and infuse it into your cold brewed tea. It gives the tea a smooth texture and creamy mouthfeel that’s out of this world. If you’re already cold brewing tea at home, your just a few steps away from brewing nitro tea. Don’t be the last homebrewer on the block to offer nitro tea at the neighborhood pool party.
Trend #5: Flavored Soda On Tap
The final trend we believe you’ll see more of among homebrewers this summer is flavored soda (sparkling soda) on tap. Carbonating your own soda at home is not only easy to do but it’s both environmentally friendly and much healthier than store-bought sodas.
If you’ve never made sparkling soda, its a simple process and can be easily made in small batches. Depending on how much soda you think you’ll be serving this summer, you can easily set up a system on tap using a 2.5 to a 5-gallon keg or even more conveniently adding CO2 directly into a 2-liter bottle with a Soda Carbonating Kit.
If you’re using a keg, just connect the CO2 gas line to the keg and set the pressure to about 30psi. Then place the keg of CO2 infused water into the fridge to help maintain the pressure and carbonation. When you’re ready to serve, connect the keg to the liquid line and serve over ice.
You can add flavors to your soda with essential oils or soda extracts. To learn more about flavoring sodas check out the following articles:
- How to Make Homemade Flavored Sparkling Water With Essential Oils
- Homemade Soda Flavors and Soda Extracts
If you’re throwing a block party this summer and offering flavored soda on tap, you’ll definitely enter the GOAT category of neighborhood partiers!
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Thanks to these resources:
Lorrie Fisher
How many 2 liter bottles of water can you carbonate with a 20 oz bottle of CO2?