Benefits of Homebrewing: All You Need to Know About Homebrew Liqueurs

Out of the many hobbies you can choose for yourself, brewing your own alcoholic beverages is definitely the most unique. And as much as this hobby is rare, many people worldwide just love to brew their own beer, wine, whiskey, spirits and even liqueurs. Talking about brewing liqueurs at home, let’s learn some things about it.

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Why You Should Start Brewing Liqueurs at Home?

With so many different brands and options on the market, you’re probably still wondering why you should start making your own homebrew liqueurs. Well, first of all, you’ll get the opportunity to be in charge and experiment with many different tastes. The market nowadays also offers a plethora of different spirits liqueurs essences to make your own liqueur at home, and once you find your perfect formula, you’ll never want to buy commercial liqueurs again.

But if you think that this hobby will cost you an entire fortune, you’re very wrong. Brewing liqueurs at home doesn’t require any special equipment as some other beverages do, but you’ll only need your favourite spirit essence and base alcohol which won’t cost you more than $20, depending on the brand you choose.

Homemade liqueurs can also make for a great “excuse” to invite your friends over more frequently to taste your new beverages and spend some quality time together. On top of that, your homemade liqueur makes one of the most impressive and delicious gift ideas for your friends and your closest ones’ birthdays and many different celebrations you attend.

Choosing the Perfect Flavour

If you already got tempted to give this extraordinary hobby a shot, then don’t hesitate to explore homebrew liqueurs spirits to make the perfect beverage at home. As we said before, there’re so many choices on the market that it won’t that hard to find a flavour you’ll love.

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Starting from one of the most popular flavours, butterscotch liqueurs is the perfect flavour for you if you prefer sweeter liqueur tastes. In fact, butterscotch is a traditional hard candy made of brown sugar and butter, which makes it taste very similar to caramel. And not only a bottle of homemade butterscotch liqueur makes for a perfect gift for sweet-toothed people, but they’re also great to give yourself a sweet dose of warmth during the coldest winter days.

On the other side of the “palette”, the extraordinary mint-chocolate liqueurs can be the perfect taste for those who prefer bittersweet flavours. This formula will offer you to feel the deep, mellow cocoa notes combined with a dose of uplifting, cool sensation of mint flavours. This beverage also makes for the perfect “winter” shot, regardless if you consume it pure or mix it with other beverages.

If you just adore the smell of freshly made coffee, then coffee flavours are the perfect choice for your homebrew liqueurs. And if you’re worried that you won’t be able to find the coffee flavour you prefer, don’t worry, the market nowadays offers a plethora of coffee flavours- from the strong black coffee spirit essences to the top shelf cappuccino creams. Once you make your coffee-flavoured liqueur, we’re sure that you’ll never drink coffee again unless it’s enriched with a shot of your favourite coffee liqueur.

Finally, for those who like fresh and fruity flavours, there’s also a plethora of fruity essences on the market. So don’t hesitate to throw yourself to searching and get an essence featuring your favourite fruit- from the sweet, yet fresh peachy aromas or the bolder blueberry flavours to the crisp apple or the creamy banana ones.

The Brewing Process

Once you find the perfect flavour for yourself, it’s time to make your own liqueur at home. And as we mentioned before, you won’t need any special equipment- a couple of measuring cups, your usual kitchen scale, the recommended base alcohol for the flavour you chose and a convenient alcohol hydrometer is everything you’ll need.

The first step of the process is to infuse the essence into the base spirit. For this purpose, know that different flavours will require different amounts of spirits to get the perfect flavour. So, make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions and infuse the amount of spirit as recommended. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t infuse a little bit of more liqueur essence if you want to give your liqueur “some more love” or put less of it if you feel that it will be too strong for you. Experimenting is the key to getting the perfect formula, so don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.

Once you infuse the ingredients, it’s time to sweeten the liqueur. And even though it’s recommended to use Belgian beet sugar you can find in every home brewing supplies store, this is the moment where you can experiment mostly. And while many people are using the standard sugar for sweetening their liqueurs, don’t be afraid to give your liqueur a little sweet spice by using honey, brown sugar, agave or maple syrup and even Stevia if you want to make it healthier for consuming. The sweetener and the sweetness level are completely up to you.

Now you finally have your perfect homemade liqueur. And even though it’s recommended to leave the liqueur to sit in the bottle for 2-3 months so the flavours meld together well and become smoother, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pour yourself a shot to try your masterpiece.

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How to Consume Your Homebrew Liqueur?

The most amusing part of the whole brewing process is drinking the liqueur you made. This means that you can pour yourself a shot of your new formula and drink it as it is. This way you’ll be able to completely feel its taste and get to know how to improve it the next time you throw yourself into brewing.

But this doesn’t mean that you can’t mix your homemade liqueur with other beverages. Liqueurs are one of the most commonly used ingredients for many of the popular cocktails, so don’t hesitate to make yourself a refreshing cocktail with fruity aromas or pour a shot of your coffee liqueur in your afternoon creamy coffee or a minty chocolate dose over your favourite ice cream flavour. The range of opportunities is endless, as long as you’re willing to be creative and discover new tastes.