Home Brewing Beer - Women Can Get in on the Suds Too! By Tracey S Watson

Ladies, do you ever notice how the guys seem to have all the fun when it comes to beer? They feel like they "own" the beer market? They swill it down and hog the keg. Also, when it comes to making beer, the men love to think that they are the king of the craft - like home brewing is a guys-only club (it reminds me of a tree house with a hand written sign - "no girls allowed"). Well, I'm here to say that I am no longer going to stand for this, and neither should you.

Come on girls; men might think that beer is a "manly drink" - but this doesn't mean we have to believe it as well. I for one love to enjoy an ice cold beer with my girlfriends while talking about the latest workplace gossip, comparing amazing shopping finds, figuring out our lives, or just plain relaxing while away from the opposite sex. There's nothing like the feel of a cool brew slowly trickling down my throat, especially after a long day.

But where I have something really special, and where I'd like to encourage many of the other beer-loving women out there to shine as well, is by making my own beer at home. Girls, think about it: we have been expected to cook and clean house for ourselves and our "significant others" since the beginning of time. Why not learn how to make your very own home brew as well? Take it from me - making beer at home is not only easy to do, but the results are better than anything the guys can buy.

I recently took my very own home brew and served it to my guy friends while they watched the game on my HDTV. They kept complimenting it, begging me to tell them where I got such great beer. And these are guys that have tasted a lot of beer before. But, I want most of my batches going to my gal-pals, and to the guys who really appreciate it.

So come join with me. It's fun, it's not very expensive, and it can be our little secret. Well, that is unless you want to make the boys beg to you for a change.

How about a much simpler recipe, with a lot less ingredients, and even less steps to making it? Go get your own free guide chock full of easy beginner's homebrew guide as well as a much simpler version of the famous Goat Scrotum Ale at http://QuickHomeBrew.com

Wine Racks - Methods to Storing Your Wine By Rachel A Kuptz

While wine racks are an atheistically pleasing way to store wine, they also hold value in keeping your wine in optimal storage conditions, allowing the wine to continue aging. Make sure these six storage conditions are present to ensure that your wine stays in quality drinking condition.

Temperature: Wine should generally be kept at room temperature, or 55 degrees. Here's where it gets tricky -- sparkling wine should be kept in a wine refrigerator, while white wines are best kept in temperatures of 45 degrees. Temperature controlled wine refrigerators allow you to set the temperature based on the wines you most frequently store, but a simple wine rack placed in a cooler spot of your home will do just fine. Just make sure that the spot you decide to store your wine isn't next to a heater or vent, as fluctuations in temperature can impact the taste of the wines.

Height: When using a wine rack, keep this rule of thumb in mind -- sparkling wines on the bottom shelf, white wines in the middle, and reds on the top. This rule comes into play with the thought that heat rises, so keep the wines that are best served cooler towards the bottom.

Surroundings: Did you know that keeping a wine next to fruit or vegetables can cause the wine to mold? Foods that can rot may send the moldy flavors into a cork of the wine, causing the wine to have unfavorable smells and tastes.

Keep Away from Sunlight: When exposed to light, wine can age faster and lose it's flavor. Keep your wine rack or refrigerator away from any sources of natural light, and preferably in a darker section of your home.

Sideways: Keeping wine on it's side will keep the wine in contact with the cork, preventing air from escaping into the wine bottle. Different types of wine racks will allow you to tilt the wine to an optimal level, allowing the wine cork to stay wet and prevent oxygen from coming in.

Air Circulation: Wine can mold. If you keep wine hidden in a closet or dark room, make sure that there is a steady amount of circulation. Just like you wouldn't keep clothes in a moldy closet, make sure your that the place you store your wine is clean and free of mold.

Rachel Kuptz is a wine enthusiast and a collector of wine racks. For more information or to shop for a wine rack online, visit http://WineRackBar.com

Home Brewing Beer - The 8 Great Health Benefits By Tracey S Watson

Here is what is true: Beer, especially home brewed beer (due to it having no artificial colors or flavors, and no preservatives), can help when it comes to your health. Like apples, you could say, "A beer a day keeps the doctor away!"

Following are the eight ways that home brewed beer is healthy for you:

1. Studies have shown beer to increase HDL ("good" cholesterol) and decrease the occurrence of blood clots.

2. In May of '99, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that moderate beer drinking would lower the drinker's chances of getting coronary heart disease by 30% - even upwards of 40%.

3. "The New England Journal of Medicine" reported in their November '99 issue that moderate beer drinkers would decrease the chances of their suffering a stroke by a full 20%.

4. The TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute found that home brewed beer contains the vitamin B6, which prevents the build-up of the amino acid homocysteine (these have been linked to causing heart and vascular disease).

5. Home brewed beer contains no fat and no bad cholesterol. Drink it guilt free!

6. Drinking beer (brewed at home) helps promote blood vessel dilation, sleep, and eases urination in elderly people.

7. Beer is a proven stress reliever and sleep inducer. Nothing like relaxing with a glass of delicious beer you brewed yourself. In fact, the very act of making beer is relaxing.

8. Beer increases vitamin B6 absorption into the blood plasma by 30% - no other beverage can do this!

Now you have another reason to finally begin brewing your own beer at home. It's not only tastier and cheaper than any commercial beer, it's also healthy for you. Salute!

How about a much simpler recipe, with a lot less ingredients, and even less steps to making it? Go get your own free guide chock full of easy beginner's homebrew guide as well as a much simpler version of the famous Goat Scrotum Ale at http://QuickHomeBrew.com