A Short History of Beer for the Home Brewer

So you’re considering becoming a Home Brewer.

To begin with, you should realize that beer and alcohol in general has been a major staple of the human civilization for more than 8,000 years worldwide. Some of the earliest samples of writing contain references to beer.

The word beer comes from the Middle English ber(e), and from the Latin bibere meaning “to drink”, and it is brewed primarily from hops, yeast, barley, and barley malt. Beer varieties are virtually endless, especially with the current popularity of home brewing.

There are many benefits to becoming a home brewer. Home brewing is often cheaper than obtaining commercial beer, and home brewers have more control over the flavor and alcohol-content which is dependent upon the grains, malts, and brewing methods. And in most cases your own brand of beer can make the perfect gift to bring at birthdays, holiday parties or weddings.


If you are in fact interested in becoming a Home Brewer you will also need to consider the equipment you’re going to invest in, the type of beer you’re interested in making (ale, stout, porter, lager and bock beer are all good candidates for a beginner), and the kind of labels you’ll want to brand your finished product with.

Most beer bottles contain a body label. Some labels are more elaborate than others, but they all contain sources of information, and it plays an important role in deciphering a brand`s history. The brewery`s name and city were actually embossed onto the bottle when brewing first began. And during prohibition words like “non-intoxicating,” “tonic” and “malt beverage” appeared on most of the labels. Breweries used names like “products company” or “beverage company.” Words like “brewery,” “ale” or “beer” were almost entirely done away with.

Times have changed since then, but if you’re looking to give your home brewed beer that old-timey, historical appearance, Labels on the Fly offers a variety of unique, historically-themed beer labels that will no doubt meet your every need.

Beginner Beer Recipes

Are you just getting into the wide and wonderful world of home beer brewing?

If so, here are two quick and easy recipes that are perfect for the home brewing beginner. Keep in mind that after you’ve finished your batch you’ll want to think about where the beer is going (maybe you’ve got plans to share it at a wedding, birthday party or holiday get together), and how you want to brand it. Labels on the Fly offers a wide selection of expertly designed, professionally styled custom beer labels.

Ginger Beer

Take forty quarts of water, thirteen pounds sugar, twelve good lemons, or a proportional quantity of lime juice, eight ounces of bruised ginger, and the whites of six eggs, well beaten; mix all together, skimming it before it begins to boil, and boil it for twenty minutes; add an ounce of isingglass, and a spoonful of balm, after it is put into the cask, stir it well; it will be ready for bottling in ten days.

Wine from Cider

Add to a barrel of cider from the press, honey sufficient to bear up an egg; work all of the filth out of the bung hole, by keeping the barrel full; in about five weeks, draw off the pure liquor into a tub, and put the whites of eight eggs, well beaten up with a pint of clean sand into a tub; then add one gallon of cider spirits, and mix the whole together; and having cleansed the barrel, return the liquor into it, bung it tight, and when fine, rack it off into kegs for use.

Stay tuned for more recipes and fun facts about beer!

How to Host an Oktoberfest Party

If you are a beer enthusiast, or better yet, you like to brew your own beer, with August just about a third of the way done you may be wondering whether or not you should host an Oktoberfest party for friends, family, and other beer enthusiasts.


Oktoberfest, a 16-day festival held each year during late September and early October, is one of the most famous events in Germany and the world’s largest fair, with some six million people attending every year and other cities across the world holding similar shindigs to celebrate. It’s a big event that’s worth having a party for, and as far as actually setting that party up goes, here are some helpful steps that outline the process.

1)      First off, you’ll want to pick a location. This particular autumn holiday is worth celebrating outside, but if you’re worried about weather conditions renting a tent may be a good investment. Of course, holding it inside doesn’t mean the end of the world either.

2)      Secondly, you’ll want to consider what types of food you’ll be having at your party. Sausage, cheese trays, pretzels, and bratwurst are all fairly simple food items to have at your party, but feel free to expand your menu however you want, though you may want to experiment ahead of time. Sticking to German cuisine isn’t a must, though whatever you make you’ll want to make a lot of. Hunger reigns supreme during Oktoberfest. After all, it’s a day dedicated to eating and drinking.

3)      Now on to what types of beer you’ll want to have. German beers like a pilsner are a good idea, but if you’re a self brewer you could always serve some of your own brew as well (don’t plan to use up your entire supply for just one party – you’ll do well to mix and match with store bought brands).
4)      Entertainment can consist of anything from an actual German Oompah band performing live at your party or a CD featuring German music intermixed with well liked, modern favorites.

5)      While you don’t have to go nuts with the décor unless you absolutely want to, one way to add a touch of simple German décor to your party is to label each beer bottle with a festive Oktoberfest beer label. This can be especially unique if you brew your own beer. Labels on the fly offers a variety of colorful, customizable beer labels that are perfect for celebrating holidays like Oktoberfest. Personalized coasters and wine tags are also available.

Now you have a good idea of what to do for Oktoberfest. Good luck throwing your party, and check back in with Homebrew Recipes for more fun updates and useful hints and tips.

Custom Beer Labels

Home Brewing has been a hobby of Americans since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Who could blame them when there are so many benefits to making your own beer?


Brewing your own beer can be much cheaper and more rewarding than purchasing inferior commercial brands, and it allows you to put a totally personal touch into your beverage by creating and adjusting your own recipes, and branding the finished batch.
Whether you are in the market to sell your tasty beverage, or want to give it as thoughtful gifts, branding your beer is one of the most important steps of home brewing.

The label you put on your beer can say as much about you as the beer itself. You’ll want to find just the right design for your label. You might even want to think about coasters that match all of their label designs if you’re looking to complete your bar ensemble.

Labels on the Fly is a great place to start. Their expert designers have come up with a huge selection of templates for you to choose from. Just add your text, and choose from a variety of sizes, colors and shapes for the label that you want printed, and they will expertly print your superior quality beer labels. You can even have a color photograph printed on your labels! And with low minimum orders, it’s perfect for the beer enthusiast who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on labels, but still wants a professional look for their home brew.

Impress everyone when you bring a six-pack of your finest beer sporting snazzy, personalized labels the next time you are invited to a wedding, birthday party or holiday event.

Whether you are an established micro-brewery or a new home brewer, having quality labels on the outside should reflect the superior beer inside!

Uses for Your Empties

If you enjoy or brew your own beer chances are you may have some stray empties lying around the house, and while they can fetch a pretty penny down at the recycling plant empty beer bottles can also hold other useful purposes. The same thing goes for old wine bottles. 

Another romantic gift idea is the wine bottle candle. You simply wash the bottle well and place a long, narrow candle in the neck of the bottle until it is snug. Wine bottle candles can help add a romantic atmosphere to any ordinary dinner table.

Empties can also be easily turned into Christmas decorations.  Just place a stand of lights in the bottle and the glow will be magical.  If you’re looking for a more artistic use for your empties, you could always try assembling broken bottle glass into a mosaic, or you could also set them up for a still-life painting.

Most importantly, if you are a home brewer or wine maker you can reuse your commercially purchased wine bottles and save a considerable amount of money. Don’t forget to re-label your recycled wine and beer bottles with your own, customized beer and wine labels. A variety of expertly designed bottle labels can be found at Labels on the Fly.

Custom Design Wedding Labels

 Custom Design Labels - Custom designed gifts are a thoughtful way to let the people in your life know how much you appreciate them. Personalized coasters make great housewarming gifts, and bookplates are a fantastic present for the avid reader in your life.

 Special gifts that are personalized with stylish wedding labels are a beautiful way to commemorate it. 

Customer service is the highest priority at Custom Design Labels , so you know that your order will be on time, expertly designed, and printed professionally on high quality papers. Our elegant labels and printed stickers are the best around. When you order from  Custom Design Labels , you will be impressed by the professional quality of our printing, and you will impress others with your stylish custom designed accessories. Just visit our testimonials page to see what others have to say about their experience with  Custom Design Labels .

Personalized favors are classic touch for bridal and baby showers, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs or any other memorable special occasion, with your name and date, and even a photo.

Personalized Favor Tags

Odds are, when you hear the term favor tag you’re apt to think one of two things. “Favor tags? Those are for weddings, right?” or “Favor tags? What are those?” Contrary to popular belief, favor tags are more than just small pieces of paper one might attach to a gift for wedding guests. Favor tags are actually quite versatile and are perfect for adding that authentic, personalized touch to whatever item you’re selling or giving as a gift.

Labels on the Fly offers a wide selection of expertly designed, customized favor and hang tags. But just where might these fantastic tags come in handy?

For starters, many home wineries invest in personalized hang-tags because they’re easily afforded and can make a wine bottle stand out substantially. Just look at how these tags compliment the bottles below.

Some second hand or mom-and-pop clothing stores also tend to utilize favor tags for articles of clothing. Clothing tags can be used for men’s or women’s clothing, elegant dinnerware and business suits, as well as children’s attire, and even swim suits. Clothing tags are also perfect for other in-store articles like makeup, electronics, and foodstuffs.

In fact, if you or somebody you know is a baker or provider of sugary treats, you will be thrilled to know that pie and cake boxes, bags of sweets and cookies, even granola bars and bottles of trail mix are made more appealing by the addition of a well designed favor tag.

So whether you’re bottling wine, sewing scarves, or baking bread, you may want to invest in a set of personalized favor tags.