What September 2025 Delivered on Coffee Lounge

September was a busy month at Coffee Lounge. We tackled the gritty side of brewing with a deep dive into beer infections, cleared up the legal maze around home‑made moonshine in California, broke down the three S’s of wine tasting, and handed you a hands‑on taste test of the best tea brands in the UK. If you missed any of these guides, you’re in the right place to catch up.

Beer Infection Risks and How to Dodge Them

Our "Can Beer Get Infected After Fermentation?" post explained that contamination isn’t just a pre‑fermentation problem. Wild yeast, bacteria, and oxygen exposure can sneak in once fermentation ends, turning a promising batch sour or funky. We listed the usual culprits—Lactobacillus, Acetobacter, and Brettanomyces—and showed how to spot their tell‑tale off‑flavors. The practical side focused on prevention: keep bottling equipment sanitized, limit head‑space in bottles, store at consistent cool temperatures, and use CO₂ blankets when possible. If you catch a problem early, a quick acid wash or a fresh yeast pitch can often save the brew.

California Moonshine: Legal or Not?

The "Is Homemade Moonshine Legal in California?" guide broke down the 2025 regulations. California still treats unlicensed distillation as a felony, but there are narrow exceptions for personal use of fuel‑grade alcohol and for the production of low‑proof spirits under a TTB permit. We outlined the required paperwork, the penalty scale—from fines to possible jail time—and suggested legal alternatives like buying high‑proof craft spirits or joining a local distilling club that operates under a commercial license. Knowing the exact limits (under 100 proof, under 100 gallons per year) helps you stay clear of costly penalties.

Wine Tasting Made Simple: Swirl, Smell, Sip

Two posts covered the same core idea: the three S’s—Swirl, Smell, Sip—are the shortcut to confident wine tasting. Swirl releases aromatics, then take a short, focused sniff to capture fruit, oak, or earth notes. Finally, sip and let the wine coat your palate; notice acidity, body, and finish. We gave concrete tips, like using a glass with a wide bowl for reds and a narrower rim for whites, and warned against common mistakes such as over‑aerating the wine or rushing the sip. A quick cheat sheet at the end of each article makes the steps easy to remember.

Best‑Tasting Tea Brands of 2025

Our blind taste test of UK tea brands ranked the top picks for black, green, herbal, chai, and decaf teas. We evaluated each brand on flavor clarity, aroma, and brewing consistency using a standardized 3‑minute steep at 95°C for black and 80°C for green teas. Yorkshire Tea topped the black tea list for its robust maltiness, while Twinings shone in the herbal category with a clean, soothing blend. The guide also shared brewing tips—like using filtered water and proper leaf‑to‑water ratios—to help you get the most out of each cup.

All these posts share one goal: give you practical, no‑fluff info you can apply right away. Whether you’re cleaning up a batch of home‑brewed beer, checking the legality of a distilling hobby, learning to taste wine like a pro, or picking the next tea to brew, September’s archive has you covered. Dive into the individual articles for step‑by‑step instructions, real‑world examples, and the latest industry insights.