The Almanac

Lessons I wished I'd Learned, or How to Stop Worrying and Buy More Stuff August 24, 2022 11:33

So, I took the bait and read said blog entry. They probably should've called it "At Least 21 Things I Should Have Purchased from This Specific Website." At least that's what they'd call it if they were being honest.

Yogurt: The Search for More Dairy May 9, 2018 10:49

For our second edition of “The Almost Regular Wine Thing,” we crafted a plan to make dips...

Mother of... Vinegar! June 9, 2017 11:22

This mother is open and we are good to go!

Maine Homebrewers Competition - FAQs January 16, 2017 12:17

We start accepting entries for this year's competition in less than two weeks! Here are a few of the more commonly asked questions about the competition...

Homebrewers' Gift Buying Guide October 27, 2016 12:45

Hey, Farmhands! It has been a while since we posted a blog here. We have just been busy with other stuff. How have you been? Good? Good.

Well, this got weird.

By now, I am sure we have all realized the holidays are fast approaching. Every year, we get many shoppers who need more than a little help finding the right gift. And now we have a way to help! Attached to this blog is a downloadable form for you to fill out and give to your friends, relatives, and loved ones so they can easily find the right beer kit, wine kit, or piece of equipment for you. There is also a handy spot to check "Please just get me a gift certificate."

Print one, or two, or fifty and hand them out to everyone who MIGHT get you a gift this year. Or keep some handy as your birthday approaches. Or Flag Day. Or anytime! (Can Flag Day beer kits become a tradition? Please?)


Butterbeer Preview! July 28, 2016 16:57

This Saturday (July 30) from 10pm-midnight seems like it will be a big deal in downtown Bangor...

Analyze THIS July 12, 2016 10:00

So what exactly am I saying? Your beer sucks? No, because it doesn’t. Can we all improve our beer? Yes. The hard part is that the more you learn, the more you will criticize everyone else’s beer, but probably still give your beer a pass...

Cheese Me June 29, 2016 12:12

Everyone here at CSF has made some type of cheese (some of us more than others) ranging from ricotta to farmer’s cheese to mascarpone. Our next big adventure is the subject of this blog: a recipe for beer infused cheese...

Dogs are People, Too. (But, like, better.) June 14, 2016 11:14

Most people love dogs, and most dogs are quite lovable. We at the Farmhouse even have a part-time brew dog...

Local... shmocal? June 2, 2016 10:14

What is local?

Beware The Perils of Bottling! May 17, 2016 16:23

So, you made some beer. Excellent! Maybe you just want to enjoy it at home; maybe you want to share it with friends or serve it at a party; maybe you even want to enter it into a competition. All are good choices. The question is how to best accomplish these goals...

Spruce up your Beer May 3, 2016 14:10

Long before we cultivated hops and bred them to create every conceivable flavor and aroma under the sun, brewers used a wide variety of other ingredients to balance the sweetness of malt...

Keg o’… Part Deux! April 27, 2016 10:11

Last week, in the blurb on the pros and cons of kegging your homebrew, I touched on and then quickly ran away from the idea of kegging wine. It’s time to complete that thought...

Keg o' My Heart April 19, 2016 14:09

Kegs are to many homebrewers a sort of Aristotelian ideal; a place you need to reach even if you don’t know exactly why. Well, let me tell you why, and then I will tell you why not...

Dandelion Wine: You've Had Worse Ideas April 12, 2016 14:25

Ah, spring seems like it is finally, for lack of a better term, springing. Before you know it, we will be overflowing with fermentable plants: fruits, vegetables, berries, and even flowers that we can turn into tasty beverages by way of beer, wine, cider, mead, or any other combination. Among the first of these harvestable additives is the humble dandelion...


Oh, Go Clone Yourself! April 6, 2016 12:02

We have made no secret that we have a great, and ever-growing, lineup of brewery-authorized clone beer kits. We did them the easy way: we asked for the recipes, and the brewers sent them to us. All we had to do was scale them down to five gallon batches. It is not so easy when you want to copy your favorite beer, or maybe a beer that is just not always available where you live...

Watch that Temper(ature)! March 29, 2016 08:00

When it comes to fermentation, whether it is beer, wine, cider, sauerkraut, or whatever, there is a long list of things you should do, and a very short list of things you have to do – a holy trinity of sorts...

On a Philosophy of Homebrewing March 16, 2016 13:32

A blog. This is a thing we have not kept up with for some time. We are going to make a better effort to keep up with weekly posts: sometimes they will be a featured tool in the homebrewer’s arsenal, sometimes a discussion of a method used to make beer, and sometimes they will just be goofy side stories. These posts will even feature guests from outside Central Street Farmhouse – if we are lucky. We hope they are generally helpful...