Food & Drink Articles

Article / Updated 10-25-2023

Even the cook should get to enjoy a stress-free Thanksgiving. So, if you're hosting this year's holiday festivities, follow these tips to help take the stress out of getting ready to cook a Thanksgiving meal: Make a plan: Poor planning is probably the greatest stressor when you're trying to execute a large meal, particularly Thanksgiving dinner. If you want your holiday meal to run smoothly and keep you from aging ten years over the course of a week, you must plan the event carefully, well in advance. Organize: Make lists of everything you need to keep organized (ingredients, dishes, kitchen gadgets and accessories, guests, tablescapes, activities). Once you know exactly what you’ll need, you can round up the items, and organize them in a way that makes them accessible. Keep a general head count: Crowds tend to be ever-changing. At first, Uncle Joe and Aunt Juanita plan to come, then they decide they can’t, then they decide they can and ask if they can bring Joe's brother. Especially around holidays, the reality is that crowds often shift, so it’s up to you to keep an accurate head count as you move forward. However, don’t spend all your time trying to keep a solid count or you'll drive yourself — and your guests — crazy. Expect some changes on your guest list, just always err on the side of too much food than too little. Just try to keep a general head count running at all times so you know what you’re up against. Carefully determine your menu: It’s easy to get excited about a holiday meal and go overboard with your menu. Keep your head out of the clouds and think carefully about everything you must do to create each dish. Plan to have a few items that are more difficult and take more time and a few items that are quick and easy. Prepare some items in advance: A vital trick when cooking for a crowd is preparing as many items in advance as you can. The more items you can prepare in advance, the easier the big day will be. Here's a solid list of make-ahead Thanksgiving dishes you can prepare before the holidays. Don’t be afraid to borrow: Just because you're the host of a holiday dinner doesn't mean you should have all the pots, pans, dishes, and supplies on hand. When you cook for a crowd, borrowing items is perfectly fine. You don’t need to buy everything you may need, and you don’t need to suffer in silence, either. Create a workflow: A workflow will help you manage your tasks and ensure that everything gets done. Eat well, exercise, and sleep well: Everyone has gone into panic mode at some point. In those times, reality seems to go out the window, and you zone in on one particular task. As you’re getting ready for Thanksgiving, try to keep the same schedule. Eat the same kind of foods you normally do, get some exercise, and go to bed and get up at the same times as usual. If you keep your body in sync, you’ll keep a level head on your shoulders. Take a breather: Build some downtime into your Thanksgiving day. Your mind and body work better if they both can take a break, so don't feel guilty if you put your feet up, watch a parade, or read an article for 15 minutes. You’ll feel refreshed, and those overwhelmed feelings will remain at bay. Ask for help: The trick is knowing when you need help. As Thanksgiving day nears, be realistic. If you simply have too much to do, make some phone calls and get extra help. Your goal is to have a fun, successful Thanksgiving Day.

Article / Updated 10-25-2023

To decorate for Thanksgiving, you can choose from a variety of colors and styles aside from the typical, traditional theme for decorating. Choose from the many colors, items, and accent pieces in the following table to get ideas or inspiration for your Thanksgiving decorating. Because Thanksgiving is centered around celebrating a bountiful harvest, preserved flowers and displays of fruit fit into the decorating scheme. Although you may not like the idea of decorating with potatoes or rhubarb, you can refer to their colors when choosing accessories or accent pieces. Of course, if you want to decorate with sweet potatoes, don’t let anyone stop you! Inspiration for Thanksgiving decoration Colors Fabrics Botanicals Accent Items Deep tones of reds or wines Velvets Pumpkins and gourds Woven baskets Browns Chenille Autumn Leaves Wreaths made of natural materials such as vines, wheat, leaves, twigs, or berries Purples in eggplant or grape Heavy cottons Twigs Metals in antiqued gold, bronze, or rust finishes (pewter is pretty for this holiday as well) Greens: from deep sage to light pear Fleece Sheaves of wheat Earthenware Golds: from bright yellows to antiqued gold Tweeds Nuts Candles in pillars, tapers, or votives Creams: from ivory to white Flannels Chrysanthemums Pilgrims Oranges: from pumpkin to sweet potato Wools Roses Native American Indians Tapestries Fruit: pomegranates, cranberries, grapes, blackberries, kumquats, apples pears Cornucopias Vegetables: corn, rhubarb, sweet potatoes, beets, squashes

Article / Updated 10-25-2023

You’ve worked hard deciding what foods to serve on Thanksgiving and have chosen the finest ingredients. On Thanksgiving Day, why not create some visual impact with the food you’re going to serve? Try these following tips for adding flair to your Thanksgiving table. Make your own dip bowls: When serving a vegetable tray with dip, try making a bowl out of a red, yellow, or green bell pepper. Simply wash the pepper, cut off the top portion (about 1/4 to 1/2 of it from the top), and remove the insides. Wash the pepper thoroughly with water and allow it to dry. Then fill her up! Likewise, when you serve a fruit tray with dip, try using an orange, grapefruit, small cantaloupe, or honeydew melon. Carve holes in your bread: Breadbaskets or bread bowls are great for serving dips, soups, sandwiches, and individual servings of bread, such as muffins and sliced bread. To make a breadbasket, take a large loaf of bread, cut a circle in the top, and remove its insides. You can also use smaller round loaves of bread, preparing them as you do the larger loaves and using them to serve soup. Garnish: Fresh mint sprigs, cilantro, and parsley are the most common garnishes. Place them in the center of the food item, and you won’t go wrong. The addition of the small piece of greenery can have a huge visual impact. Make special garnishes: To make a tomato rose, first wash and dry a tomato (other than a cherry or grape). Take a sharp paring knife and, starting at the top, gently “peel” the skin off in the same manner you’d peel an apple. Then gently take one end of the peel and start rolling it up to create a rose shape. The end result is a beautiful garnish that will make you look like a pro! To fashion a strawberry fan, take a washed and dried strawberry (with the green stem still attached) and, using a paring knife and starting at the bottom, cut thin slices into the strawberry. Slice up to the green stem. Gently fan the pieces of the strawberry out and place it on the food as a garnish. Break out the baskets: When serving bread, rolls, muffins, chips, or crackers try placing them in a basket that you’ve lined with a color-coordinated napkin. Cookies are also a good choice to serve out of a basket, as long as they’re of the crunchy variety, not chewy. The chewy kind is best served on a platter so they don’t break apart. Eating utensils and napkins can also be served in baskets. Mask your dishes with leafy greens: Leaf lettuce and kale cover a multitude of ugly platters, plates, and the like. Make sure you thoroughly wash and completely dry each piece of the greens, then line the platter with them and place the food on top. Borrow Grandma’s paper doilies: When you’re serving a food such as chips, cookies, or anything else that doesn’t belong on a bed of lettuce, line the platter with foil and then place paper doilies on top. Use baking pans as big platters: Have a large piece of meat to serve and no platter big enough? Use a cookie sheet or a jellyroll pan lined with lettuce. Vary the heights of food: You can greatly boost your table’s appeal by using various heights with your dishes. For example, use a cake pedestal to serve cookies or a tiered serving dish to serve snacks. With just a little planning, you can give the food a whole new look.

Article / Updated 10-25-2023

Holiday meal planning often includes a main course of roasted turkey, a Thanksgiving favorite baked to a golden bronze and served up with richly flavored and piping hot stuffing. Cooking and carving your turkey can be simple tasks, with these easy-to-follow instructions. In this recipe, the stuffing is baked separately, not in the turkey. You can also choose to stuff the turkey with stuffing and bake it. Just spoon stuffing loosely into the cavity right before cooking, and then tie the legs together. Increase the cooking time (as shown in the accompanying table) to allow time for the stuffing to heat thoroughly. Before serving, scoop the stuffing into a serving bowl. Roast turkey recipe Tools: Chef's knife, vegetable peeler, large roasting pan, roasting rack, meat thermometer (unless the turkey comes with one), kitchen string or twine, carving board Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 3 to 3-1/2 hours (for a 12-pound turkey) Yield: 12 servings Ingredients: 1 fresh or thawed frozen turkey (about 12 pounds) 1 medium yellow onion, quartered 2 carrots, peeled and quartered 2 large cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Salt and pepper Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, with the oven rack on the lowest rung. 2. Set a wire roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey cavity and reserve for the stock; discard the liver. (While the turkey is roasting, you can prepare a quick turkey stock with the giblets and neck if you're making homemade gravy). Remove any excess fat from the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. 3. Place in the turkey cavity the onion, carrots, and garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. If desired, bend the wing tips back and fold them underneath the turkey. 4. Set the turkey, breast side up, on the roasting rack. Rub the turkey all over with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of water to the roasting pan. If using a meat thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the thigh, close to the body, without touching any bone. 5. Roast for about 3 to 3-1/4 hours, or until the thigh temperature registers 180 degrees F. Add another 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan if it gets dry. To brown the turkey evenly, turn the pan laterally about midway through the roasting. If the turkey turns brown before the roasting time is over, cover it loosely with aluminum foil to shield the skin. Start checking for doneness during the last 30 minutes of roasting, and baste with the pan drippings two or three times during the last hour. 6. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a carving board, and cover loosely with aluminum foil, letting it rest for 20 minutes while you make the gravy. Remove the vegetables from the cavity and discard. Carve as shown. For an attractive presentation, garnish the turkey platter with fruits and other attractive produce. Try a heap of fresh cranberries, piles of leafy greens or fresh herbs (such as whole basil), a few kumquats or orange slices, or red and green grapes dusted in sugar. Nutritional information: Per serving, with gravy: Calories 505 (From Fat 173); Fat 19g (Saturated 6g); Cholesterol 204mg; Sodium 598mg; Carbohydrate 2g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 76g. Per serving, without gravy: Calories 404 (From Fat 122); Fat 14g (Saturated 4g); Cholesterol 171mg; Sodium 206mg; Carbohydrate 0g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 66g. How long should you cook your turkey? Turkey roasting times vary by weight of the bird: Weight of Turkey Turkey Cooking Time (Unstuffed) Turkey Cooking Time (Stuffed) 8 to 12 pounds 2-3/4 to 3 hours 3 to 3-1/2 hours 12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3-3/4 hours 3-1/4 to 4 hours 14 to 18 pounds 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours 4 to 4-1/2 hours 20 to 24 pounds 4-1/2 to 5 hours 4-3/4 to 5-1/4 hours Every year, hundreds of thousands of people wind up in hospital emergency rooms as a result of kitchen accidents involving knives. Many injuries have resulted from time-pressed, hungry people trying to pry apart frozen hamburgers, slicing through hard bagels, or using dull blades that slip. Don't make their mistake! Slice away from your hand, keep your fingers clear of the blades, and don't ever use the palm of your hand as a cutting board. Keep your blade in peak cutting condition by keeping it sharp. Carving your turkey Learning how to carve a turkey properly is important to ensure that you get the most meat and that the portions can be distributed to your guests in an aesthetically pleasing way. For additional tips on carving a turkey, see Carving a Turkey or How to Carve a Turkey video and the illustration below.

Article / Updated 10-25-2023

This cake is a fun centerpiece to any Halloween party. After you bake two recipes of the Chocolate Cocoa Cake and whip up three batches of stiff decorator frosting, follow the steps below to finish a ghostly Halloween creation. Chocolate Cocoa Cake Tools: Two 9-inch round cake pans Preparation time: 15 minutes Baking time: 35 minutes Yield: 12 servings 3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 3-1⁄4 cups sifted cake flour 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces 2-1⁄2 cups granulated white sugar 1-1⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 4 eggs 2 cups whole milk Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the cake pans, and line them with parchment paper. Then grease and flour the parchment. In a large bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Then whisk in the sifted cake flour. In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and continue beating. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Melt 3 ounces of chopped semisweet chocolate in 2⁄3 cup boiling water. Stir the mixture until smooth and slightly cool. Mix the chocolate into the cake batter after the eggs With the mixer set on low speed, add the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Each addition should be mixed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl twice during beating. Pour the batter into the prepared pans, and bake for 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, and then invert the cakes onto racks to cool completely. After the cakes have completely cooled, cut one loaf cake in half vertically. Set one half aside, and cut the other half into quarters, keeping one quarter, and discarding the others. (The remaining quarter piece is one eighth-loaf.) Level the cakes (two squares, one loaf, one half-loaf, and one eighth-loaf). Apply a crumb coat (thin layer) of chocolate decorator frosting to each cake, and refrigerate them for 1 hour. Frost the cakes again, and refrigerate them while you prepare the decorations. For the decorations you will need: 1 pound of black licorice Four 2-x-4-inch squares of chocolate (from a 7.5-ounce chocolate bar) Black food coloring gel Red food coloring gel Thirty-six red and purple square-shaped sour hard candies, broken into jagged pieces with a meat tenderizer 14.4-ounce box chocolate graham crackers, finely ground in a food processor Four skeleton pops Two ghost cupcake picks Two pumpkin cupcake picks One plastic glow-in-the-dark skull-and-crossbones ring One witch cupcake pick Prepare a cake board that’s approximately 18-x-24 inches in size. Use plywood or fiberboard that’s wrapped with cake foil or Halloween wrapping paper covered with clear heavy cellophane wrap. Stack the cakes toward the back of the board as follows: Set the two square cakes one on top of the other to form the bottom floor of the house. Center the loaf cake on top of the bottom floor; set the half-loaf on top of that floor; and set the one-eighth piece on top of the half-loaf to form a witch’s perch. Lay lengths of licorice around the top and base of each level, except for the witch’s perch. Using chocolate frosting as glue, affix chocolate bar squares to the center of the bottom layer to make the mansion’s door. Mix 2 cups of chocolate decorator frosting with black food coloring gel. Outfit a pastry bag with a coupler, a #7 tip, and black frosting. With black frosting, pipe a square window on either side of the mansion door. Pipe four square windows on the second story of the house, three square windows on the third story, and an oval-shaped window on the witch’s perch. Also pipe a doorknob and an awning on the door. Mix 1 cup of white decorator frosting with red food coloring gel. Outfit a pastry bag with a coupler, a #4 tip, and red frosting. Along the top edge of the first three floors (not the witch’s perch), pipe a string of pointed red drips to look like seeping blood. With an icing spatula, spread 2 cups of untinted chocolate frosting in front of the house. Outfit the black frosting bag with a #10 tip, and, over the chocolate frosting yard, outline a crooked walkway leading to the front door. Fill in the walkway with crushed hard candies. Spread the chocolate graham cracker crumbs on either side of the walkway. With the black frosting bag, pipe frosting onto the candy tops of the skeleton pops. Scatter the skeleton pops to resemble trees in the mansion’s yard, sticking them into the frosting in the front yard, and mound chocolate crumbs at the base of each pop. Refit the black frosting bag with a #67 tip, and pipe drooping black leaves on the skeletons’ hands. Stick the ghost picks and pumpkin picks on the second and third floors of the mansion, and push the skull-and-crossbones ring into the oval-shaped window on the witch’s perch. Insert the witch pick into the very top of the house.

Article / Updated 10-24-2023

The following list has been compiled by the Beer Judge Certification Program and is used by the American Homebrewers Association for competitive purposes. This hierarchical list presents an overview of all the world's beer styles (along with Cider and Mead). All beers are categorized as Ale, Lager or Mixed Style; under each of these headings are listed all of the major beer styles (in capital letters) and their sub-styles. ALE ENGLISH PALE ALE Standard Ordinary Bitter Special / Best Bitter Extra Special / Strong Bitter SCOTTISH AND IRISH ALE Scottish Light 60 Scottish Heavy 70 Scottish Export 80 Irish Red Ale Scotch Strong Ale AMERICAN ALE American Pale Ale American Amber Ale American Brown Ale ENGLISH BROWN ALE Mild Southern English Brown Ale Northern English Brown Ale PORTER Brown Porter English Porter Baltic Porter STOUT Dry Stout Sweet Stout Oatmeal Stout Foreign Extra Stout American Stout Russian Imperial Stout INDIA PALE ALE English IPA American IPA Imperial IPA BELGIAN AND FRENCH ALE Witbier Belgian Pale Ale Saison Biere de Garde SOUR ALE Berliner Weisse Flanders Red Ale Straight (unblended) Lambic Gueuze Fruit Lambic BELGIAN STRONG ALE Belgian Blonde Ale Belgian Dubbel Belgian Tripel Belgian Golden Strong Ale Belgian Dark Strong Ale STRONG ALE Old Ale English Barley Wine American Barley Wine LAGER LIGHT LAGER Lite American Lager Standard American Lager Premium American Lager Munich Helles Dortmunder Export PILSENER German Pilsener (Pils) Bohemian Pilsener Classic American Pilsener EUROPEAN AMBER LAGER Vienna Lager Oktoberfest / Märzen DARK LAGER Dark American Lager Munich Dunkel Schwarzbier (black beer) BOCK Maibock / Helles Bock Traditional Bock Doppelbock Eisbock MIXED STYLE LIGHT HYBRID BEER Cream Ale Blonde Ale Kölsch American Wheat or Rye AMBER HYBRID BEER Northern German Altbier California Common Beer Dusseldorf Altbier GERMAN WHEAT AND RYE BEER Weizen / Weiss bier Dunkelweizen Weizenbock Roggenbier (Rye beer) FRUIT BEER SPICE / HERB / SPECIALTY BEER Spice / Herb / Vegetable beer Christmas / Winter / Specialty Spiced Beer SMOKE FLAVORED and WOOD AGED BEER Classic Rauchbier Other Smoked Beer Wood Aged Beer SPECIALTY BEER MEAD AND CIDER TRADITIONAL MEAD Dry Mead Semi-sweet Mead Sweet Mead MELOMEL (FRUIT MEAD) Cyser (apple Melomel) Pyment (grape Melomel) Other Fruit Melomel OTHER MEAD Metheglin (spiced Mead) Braggot (barley Mead) Open Category Mead STANDARD CIDER and PERRY Common Cider English Cider French Cider Common Perry Traditional Perry SPECIALTY CIDER and PERRY New England Cider Fruit Cider Apple Wine Other Specialty Cider and Perry

Article / Updated 10-23-2023

Of the four main ingredients used in homebrewing beer (barley, hops, yeast, and water), barley makes the biggest contribution. Barley gives beer its color, underlying flavor, sweetness, body, head of foam, and mouthfeel. Barley also contributes the natural sugars that feed the yeast, which in turn converts the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation. Malting barley Before you can brew with barley, it must undergo a process known as malting. The malting process simulates the grain's natural germination cycle. Under closely monitored conditions, malting companies wet the barley kernels and allow them to sprout. As the seedlings begin sprouting, the starchy insides of the kernels (or endosperm) begin to change. This modification causes the hard, starchy endosperm to begin to break down into natural malt sugars (maltose) that brewers later liquefy, during the mashing process. One of the important features of this process is the production of the enzymes brewers later use in the mashing process. And the maltose sugars, along with proteins and dextrins, contribute the color, flavor, sweetness, body, mouthfeel, and foam in the beer. (Mouthfeel can be defined as the textural qualities of beer on your palate and in your throat — viscosity, or thickness; carbonation; alcohol warmth; and so on.) Only after the barley has undergone the malting process does it become malt, or barleymalt. Malted barley is an incredibly complete and convenient package, seemingly designed exclusively for brewing beer. Each grain kernel contains carbohydrates (which eventually convert to sugar), enzymes (which do the actual converting), proteins (which provide yeast nutrition, mouthfeel, and head stability), and a husk (which, when multiplied by thousands, acts as the perfect natural filter bed through which you can drain the unfermented beer). Very few commercial brewers — usually only the huge beer factories — do their own malting. Professional malting companies (also called maltsters) malt most of the grain for the brewing industry (including smaller commercial brewers and homebrew supply shops). Mashing malted grain In order to make beer from the malted grain, the starch within the kernels of malt must be made soluble. This liquefying process takes place during the mashing procedures in a vessel called a mash tun. The mashing process is where the natural enzymes found in grain break down the grain's starches; hot water then dissolves the starches so they leach out of the cracked grain. After you've rinsed all the malt sugars from the grain, you transfer the syrupy-sweet malt tea, called wort, over to the brew kettle, where you boil it. Wort (rhymes with dirt) is the German word for unfermented beer. Some brewers also call wort green beer (and not just on St. Patrick's Day). Homebrewers who make their beer with malt extract can avoid the mashing process altogether.

Article / Updated 10-23-2023

The first beer brewed by American colonists was at Sir Walter Raleigh’s Roanoke colony in 1587. The beer must not have been very good, though, because Colonists continued to request shipments of beer from England. (Unfortunately, most of the ships’ consignments of beer were drunk on the transatlantic crossing by thirsty sailors.) And in 1609, colonists placed America’s first help-wanted ad in a London paper, asking for brewers to come to America. Rather than continue on to their destination in Virginia, the pilgrims on the Mayflower made their landing at Plymouth Rock for lack of beer. A December 19, 1620, entry in the diary of a Mayflower passenger tells the story: “We could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beere.” Beer was far more healthful than the impure water sources available to American colonists. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a noted physician and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, wrote, “Beer is a wholesome liquor compared with spirits. It abounds with nourishment. . . . While I wish to see a law imposing the heaviest taxes on whiskey distilleries, I should be glad to see breweries wholly exempt from taxation.” (Amen!) Breweries in the New World were among the first businesses established. American breweries preexisted American government; some of the breweries’ staunchest supporters were also the leaders of the new nation. In colonial America, the alehouse was second only to the church in importance. Aside from being where the brewer plied his trade, the tavern also served as the unofficial town hall and the social and political focal point of every town. It was here that the townsfolk gathered to deliberate and debate, to socialize and share news and information with the community. To the colonists, the alehouses were cradles of liberty; while to the British, the alehouses were hotbeds of sedition. As early as 1768, the Sons of Liberty were holding meetings at the Liberty Tree Tavern in Providence; the Green Dragon Inn in Boston was called the headquarters for the revolution. George Washington made his headquarters at Fraunces Tavern in New York, where it still stands and serves beer, now in the heart of the financial district. Most of the early breweries were small, house-based operations. Traditional ingredients, hard to come by in the New World, were often replaced with maize, molasses, bran, persimmons, potatoes, spruce twigs, birch bark, ginger, and allspice. The first real brewery in the New World was founded in New Amsterdam (New York) in 1633. Boston’s first brewery debuted in 1637 and was a favorite among colonial leaders, who believed that beer was a moderate alternative to distilled spirits. The city of Philadelphia got its first brewery in 1685 (but made up for lost time, as Philadelphia has had more breweries in its history than any other U.S. city). This date is confirmed by an entry in the diary of William Penn, who was a brewer himself. Historians have studied Penn’s ledgers and concluded that he ran malt and brewhouses at his Pennsbury mansion in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County. As the United States became an instant magnet for people looking to start a new life, breweries opened as quickly as each ethnic enclave settled. Throughout the 1800s, most of the arrivals came from the beer belt countries of northern Europe (Ireland, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands — the majority of brewers were of Irish and German origin), and with them came the knowledge of brewing and an appreciation for the craft. In 1840, about 140 breweries were operating in the United States, at least 1 in each of the 13 original colonies. Annual output totaled about 200,000 barrels. The American brewing industry boasted as many as 1,400 breweries by 1914 and employed more than 75,000 people.

Article / Updated 10-23-2023

Fermentation problems occur frequently to homebrewers, and a common one is that the would-be beer just never started fermenting. Before you pour your homebrew down the sink, make sure the process actually hasn't started — judging fermentation by the bubbles (or lack thereof) coming out of the airlock can sometimes be deceiving. Check for signs of fermentation: Look at the beer (if it's in a glass fermenter) or peek through the airlock hole in the lid (if it's in a plastic fermenter). Do you see any foam or a ring of brownish scum around the fermenter? If so, the beer is fermenting or has fermented. Use your hydrometer to check the gravity. The beer is typically done fermenting if the final gravity is 1/3 to 1/4 of the original gravity. For example: A 1.045 beer ferments down to 1.015 to 1.012 or below. If after 24 to 48 hours fermentation has truly not begun — or you're just not sure — try adding more yeast. (Situations like this one give you good reason to keep a packet of dry yeast in the fridge for emergencies.) If fermentation still hasn't begun after you add more yeast, you may have made one of the following mistakes: You didn't rinse the sanitizer from the fermenter. Sanitizer residue can kill yeast, too. Be mindful of sanitary practices — how or when the beer ferments doesn't mean a thing if you contaminate the whole batch in the process. You put the fermenter in a place that's too cold. Leave it at 64 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit for Ales. You used old or dead yeast. The yeast contained in ingredient kits is often so old that it's useless — always buy fresh yeast that has been kept refrigerated. You rehydrated the yeast improperly by using water that was too hot (more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit).Also, don't leave the yeast in the rehydration water too long; 30 minutes is plenty. You used good yeast but shocked it with sudden changes in temperature or by adding it to wort that was too cold (under 70 degrees Fahrenheit) or too hot (over 110 degrees Fahrenheit). (Wort is unfermented beer; rhymes with dirt.) You didn't use enough yeast. Pitch 10 to 15 grams of dry yeast, or use 1 package of ready-to-pitch liquid yeast per 5 gallons of beer. Slow-starting or stuck fermentations usually mean under-pitching of yeast, underaerated wort, or both. To correct these problems in the future, pitch a larger volume of yeast and make sure you properly aerate the wort before pitching. High-gravity worts (those with a specific gravity of 1.056 or higher) need even more yeast and aeration for proper fermentation.

Article / Updated 10-23-2023

In case you need the metric equivalents of basic measurements, keep this simple conversions guide close by when you’re brewing your own beer at home: Liquid Conversions Mass Conversions 1 teaspoon (tsp.) = 5 milliliters 1 ounce (oz.) = 28 grams 1 tablespoon (Tbsp.) = 15 milliliters 1 pound (lb.) = 0.45 kilogram 1 ounce (oz.) = 29.6 milliliters 1 cup (c.) = 237 milliliters