Knowing my passion for good quality beer, my brother-in-law gave me a beer brewing kit for Christmas. I've always flirted with the idea of brewing my own beer, but quite frankly, found the idea of it pretty intimidating. Brian (my bro in law) has brewed many batches of beer, as well as my Dad. So, I have some good success stories to go off of. So, I gave it a shot, and we'll see how it goes...
When brewing beer, there's a couple of things that are vital to making a successful batch. #1 is patience. Once you get the batch together, boil the sugar booster, mix the wort, add in the yeast, and top the barrel (total brewer lingo. hehe), it still takes about 2 weeks to ferment, and then once you bottle it, it takes another 2-3 weeks before it's ready to drink. Patience is key. #2 Constant temprature, and a dark place to store your brew where it will not be exposed to direct sunlight. I chose the top shelf of our coat closet. There's not even a light in there, and it's close to our bedroom. That area stays pretty dark almost all of the time. So, it should do nicely. I started the brew today, so I will bottle it 2 Sundays from today, and then decide what I'd like to do next!
My Pop and I are talking about brewing my next batch together. We want to get real creative and brew something kind of off the wall. Like, a brown ale, lots of flavor, but not as sweet as Newcastle. But not bitter either. Pop was telling me that when he used to brew, he experimented with ginger root, a some seasonings. At some point, I want to do a batch and incorporate a coffee flavor. This first batch I have now, is just a pale ale. It's a good starter. I'm definitely looking forward to giving it a try! I'll blog about the results. But for now, we wait....
1 comment:
I have so much respect for the folks who are able to brew their own beer. One of my friends does, and she's brilliant at it. (I just think I lack the patience on my part)
Coffee infused beer sounds amazing, good luck!
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