Brew News Online

Issue #1, 1998

Welcome to our first issue of Brew News Online. This will be a supplement to our hard copy "Brew News" which is delivered by mail to members of our Brew Club. If you would like to become a Brew Club member just drop into one of our stores to sign up. Membership is free when  you make a purchase at our store.

The internet is growing fast and it promises to change the world we live in. Indeed it has already changed the way we do many things. We are using the internet more and more for finding and gathering information. With this in mind we decided to launch a web site that would be a resource for our customers, and wine and beer makers in general. This has been a very ambitious undertaking for us. We have provided you with over 100 pages of valuable resources. You will find a treasure trove of wine and beer making information in these pages plus a complete overview of our products and services. We can tell you that this is only a start. There will be many more pages and features added during the next months. Keep tuned. Cheers!

Corks and Your Wine

Cork is manufactured from the bark of the cork oak tree indigenous to Portugal and Spain. It takes many years for cork oak trees to yield quality cork. This is the reason why good cork is so expensive. When it was first discovered that cork could be used as a closure for wine bottles it was a boom for the industry. Vintners could now bottle their wine and store it over long periods of time without fear of spoilage.

Cork is the traditional closure for wine, but experts will tell you that it may not be the best closure available. Modern synthetic corks and stoppers make a better seal and virtually eliminate the off-flavours sometimes associated with natural cork. There is a major thrust by commercial wineries to find a suitable replacement for cork. Bad cork is costing them millions of dollars a year in spoilage. You can expect to see more wineries using synthetic corks in the near future as high grade cork becomes harder to find.

Unlike commercial wineries, the cost of using cork is not a big factor for us. If we get a couple of "corky" wines we are only out a couple of bucks or so. It is also possible that as commercial wineries move to alternative closures there will be more reasonably priced quality cork available to amateur wine makers. So home vintners can still partake in the pleasure of pulling a real cork from their bottle of wine without much trepidation. At Brewery Lane we carry two types of cork- agglomerate and solid. We are also testing synthetic corks which we hope to make available soon. The agglomerate cork is composed of granules of cork glued together. There are two grades available. Regular agglomerate corks are inexpensive and intended for short storage of less than 1 year. Winery agglomerate corks have been designed for commercial wineries and can be used for storage of up to 5 years. Solid corks come in two types; collimated and natural. Collimated corks are solid corks that have been filled and polished to cover defects. These are intended for short term storage of 2 years or less. Natural cork is solid cork without any cosmetic finishes. Natural cork can be found in several grades and can be used for storage of up to 10 years or more depending on the grade you choose.

So the decision is really yours. If you intend to keep your wine for only short periods of time, say 6 months or less, then it really doesn't matter which type of closure you use. The type of closure becomes more important if you intend to age your wines. Over the past 2 years I have been conducting an experiment. I bottled a batch of wine using different corks. The results have been quite revealing. I found that all the wine bottled using lower grade agglomerate and collimated corks to be inferior and sometimes undrinkable after 2 years. The same wine sealed with winery agglomerate corks was quite good. The wine sealed with high quality natural solid cork was the best and seemed to have a smoother character. My advice is to use the best cork available if you intend to age your wine for extended periods. You may also want to consider synthetic corks.

Your Questions

How can I keep wine diamonds from forming in my bottles?
"Diamonds of Wine" develop when tartaric acid combines with potassium metabisulphite to form insoluble crystals of bitartrates. This happens over a period of time and is accelerated by cool temperatures. These crystals usually form in high quality juices and concentrates and they help to soften the wine by lowering the tartaric acid content of the wine. You have to chill proof your wine before bottling to minimize the "diamonds". This is accomplished by storing your carboy of wine in an old fridge or cold garage for 2 to 3 weeks and then racking the wine off the crystals before bottling.

Are premium 6-week kits worth the extra money? Will I notice any difference?
I have to answer with a resounding yes to this question. Most premium kits contain 100% fresh and concentrated vinifera grape juice. Smaller kits have added sugar to make them more economical. One caution. There are some kits on the market that claim to be "premium" but actually have sugar and water added. To vividly illustrate how this affects the body and taste of your wine just try this experiment. The next time you have your glass of morning orange juice, pour half of it into another equal sized glass. Top up with water and add sugar to sweeten. You have just made an economical orange juice. Taste it. Need we say more?

Is liquid beer yeast better than dry yeast?
I am a big proponent of liquid yeast. I credit it for turning my good beers into great beers. Liquid yeast differs from dry yeast in that it is lab-cultured while dry yeasts are made in factories. This means that liquid yeast cultures will usually be a lot purer. All dry yeasts are invariably contaminated with other strains of yeast and bacteria. Liquid yeasts are available in many varieties which can impart different characteristics to your beer bringing it closer to the style you are trying to make. Liquid yeast is a must if you intend to make a true lager.

Is there a difference in the types of beer caps you carry?
We carry two different types of beer caps. Universal beer caps are designed to work on either twist-off or regular (Corona type) beer bottles. These caps are usually silver-coloured (but not necessarily) and are made from a softer metal than regular caps. The softer metal allows the cap to mold around the thread better and allows the cap to twist off easier. The regular caps are usually gold-coloured and are made from a firmer metal. These caps will also work on twist-off bottles but will not easily twist off. You should note that twist-off bottles sometimes don't seem to be sealing properly when first capped. This is normal and there is no need for alarm. The caps will tighten when the bottles become pressurized from the carbonation.

What's New?

Canadian Adventure Beer Kits
A new line of premium kits formulated for the Canadian Market. Give this kit a try, we are sure you will love it. Great body, excellent hoppy nose. We now carry Canadian ale, lager, light pilsener, bitter and stout.

Wide Mouth Shrink Seals
We now have oversized shrink seals in stock. These will fit over the tops of Piat D'or bottles and wide-mouth California wine bottles.

Vintage Harvest Fruit Puree
We now have a high quality 100% fruit puree that you can use to make fruit wines. They come packaged in 2.8 litre cans with a recipe to make 23 litres of wine. You can also use the puree to make fruit flavoured beers or to boost the flavour in your berry wines. Many popular types available including blueberry.

Vineyard's Choice Wine Kits
Manufactured by the makers of our popular Grand Cru and Cru Select wine kits. R.J. Grape products has become a major force in the Canadian home wine industry. They have large modern facilities in Ontario and produce some of the highest quality wine kits available in the world. Anybody who has used their kits can vouch for the quality and consistency of these excellent products. We will now be carrying the full line of Vineyard's Choice wine kits. The kits contain European concentrate and will be in the medium price range. They will be replacing the Prestige line.

The Amazing Auto Siphon
No more unsanitary sucking on your siphon hose. No more mouthfuls of young yeasty wine or beer. This is a must-have gadget. One stroke starts your siphon in as little as one inch of liquid. I love it.