A Brewing Culture

The great appeal about home brewing is that it's more than just a hobby, it's a century's old tradition and culture with its own history and language. People have been brewing beer at home for about seven thousand years, and those old guys have got your back. We stand on the shoulders of the brewers who have gone before us.

The success of a show like "Cheers" in part plays to the fact that people really have been finding comfort and friendship in the fun and relaxing atmosphere of a good neighborhood pub or bar since "stopping off for a cold one" meant taking a dip from the communal bucket using your personal drinking cup. It's not an over statement to say that important moments in human history were hashed out by our founding fathers over a beer.

While our love of beer has been a steady part of human culture, the art of making beer has also had a special appeal to those who have heard its call through the generations. Due to the advent of inexpensive and easily accessible equipment, home brewing has seen a recent revival and local home brewing clubs and associations can be found in all states. This popularity is in no small part due to the fact that today's home brewed beers very often are far better than anything you can get from a commercial brewery. The recent success of local brew pubs is really nothing more than the revival of a centuries old business model that works because it speaks to basic human nature.

One common feature of the most successful home brewers is their immersion into the social culture of home brewers who get together to share their triumphs and tribulations.
Many a lifelong friendship has been found in the brotherhood of brewers. Beginning brewers will often run into problems and having a friend to call or consult with online can make a big difference in their success.

Today, the number of home brewers is growing fast and this trend towards beers with more character has definitely got the major commercial brewers concerned. This preference for richer flavored beers is actually more in line with traditional British beer consumption where pubs are part of the fabric of life and locally produced keg beers are the norm.

Besides the simple fact that home brewing is fun, one of the biggest reasons people like to brew their own beer is not only do you have control over the flavor of your beer but also the consistency and certainly the alcohol levels. You can also experiment with the different styles of beers produced by different brewing techniques. Home brewers tend to focus on flavor, color, and "kick" and they are always looking make the next batch better then the last. And of course, nothing matches the satisfaction of relaxing after a brewing session with a big glass from the batch you made last month.

The Home Brewing Family

No matter what level of involvement in home brewing you're at, you will find there are thousands of people willing to share their enthusiasm with you for this fun hobby. Most brewing supply shops sponsor home brewing clubs and even if you're unlucky enough to live in an area with no local clubs, there are thousands of websites and hundreds of forums on the internet devoted to home brewing and to helping each other in any way they can. Homemade beer competitions are also a great way to challenge yourself and to participate in the community of home brewers. Who knows, maybe there's a blue ribbon in your future!

Above all, brewing beer at home is about having fun and getting excited about a new recipe or a new technique or a new piece of equipment is all part of the fun and sharing that excitement with your fellow enthusiasts makes it even better.

So let's get together and have fun making great beer and making new friends and above all let's share our knowledge as we share our beer with others. Beer has never been just a drink. Since the dawn of brewing, beer has been about good times with good people in an atmosphere of fun and friendship.

A Cut Above the Crowd

When it comes to wine, there is a widely recognized difference between the average consumer and the true wine connoisseur. However, that same distinction exists among beer drinkers and those who truly understand and appreciate the subtle and not so subtle differences found in fine brews are a distinctly different breed from those beer drinkers who never venture outside those varieties found in the local supermarket. The growing participation in home brewing reflects the recognition of beer as having just as much character and nuance as wine lovers find in their favorite vintages.

Home brewing brings out a creative excitement in beer lovers that often develops into a real passion  for the art of brewing and a genuine desire to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to produce the finest beer. One of the best parts of the home brewing hobby is the social side of things. Whether it's the guys you meet at the local brewing supply store, or the many clubs and brewing societies, your fellow home brewing enthusiasts will be your best source of inspiration and help in your quest to make a truly high quality home brewed beer. In the beginning, many home brewers are satisfied simply with drinking a beer they made themselves, but once that passion has been kindled, then it becomes a mission to create the highest quality and best tasting beer that is honestly better than any commercially brewed beer.

The Dollars and Sense

The creative fun of home brewing is reason enough to justify this great hobby, but once you get your basic equipment set up, the per glass cost of making your own beer at home is actually amazingly low. There is a real temptation for beginning brewers to splurge on all the latest and greatest top of the line equipment, but I personally think it is more fun to start off by brewing on a tight budget and using as much homemade equipment as possible. If you're less do-it-yourself inclined, there are many different beer making kits available that combine the essentials you'll need and can easily get you going for a couple of hundred dollars or less. Don't forget that once you pay those startup equipment costs, you will be able to make literally hundreds of gallons of beer for the cost of ingredients alone. Even if you buy the commercially prepared ingredient kits, you can easily make beer at home for under fifty cents a pint. If you're someone who likes to drink a few beers with your buddies, it won't take long for your home brewing setup to become a wise investment.

A Star is Born

The rise in popularity of home brewing matches the rise in popularity of brew pubs and restaurants that feature unique brews and in many cases, selected high quality home brewed beers. Many amateur Brewmeisters these days have taken their hobby to the next level by creating unique beers with a taste that they can consistently replicate which is necessary for creating a personal brand that can be sold to local pubs and restaurants. If your brand becomes popular with the local microbrew fans, you might just end up turning a profit on your fun and the cost of your equipment becomes an investment instead of an expense.

Ultimately, the reason you choose to try home brewing will be a personal one, but I hope you see that whatever reason makes the most sense to you, home brewing is a fun and rewarding hobby that can be enjoyed and shared and that brings people together in friendship and fun.

One of the great things about families is that kids automatically want to be involved in whatever mom and dad are doing or are excited about. Your children naturally want to be part of your hobbies and activities. If you like fishing, they want to go with you. If you go bowling they want to go along and play the videos games at the bowling alley. The kids may not be doing exactly the same thing as you, but if you can find a way to involve them in your activities, it's a great way to encourage family fun and togetherness.

If your hobby is home brewing, it may seem like a tall order to find a way to include the kids. The process of brewing is somewhat complicated and involves the potential danger of boiling water and the need to keep certain critical items sterile. Those sorts of things require the kind of rigid care that isn't fun for kids, but there is a way to make non-alcoholic ginger ale that is a less complicated process and one that kids will enjoy just as much as the adults.

The main consideration with ginger ale or ginger beer is the carbonation. The traditional way to create the carbonation is with yeast fermentation but it must be noted that as with any yeast fermentation, there will be a VERY small amount of alcohol produced (less than 0.5%), if this could be a problem for you, there is also a non-fermented recipe included here after the traditional one. Either way, homemade ginger ale is a refreshing drink that kids love as much as the adults enjoy their home brewed beer.

It's best to have everything ready to go before you announce the project as that will help to keep the fun and excitement high. The process itself is fast, easy and harmless and the kids will have a ball and you won't have to worry about anyone getting hurt.

Here's the "equipment" you'll need to have ready before you start:

• One clean two liter plastic soda bottle with cap (do not use glass bottles!)
• Funnel
• Fine tooth grater
• Measuring cup and measuring spoons
• Strainer with cheesecloth

The ingredients are easily found in most markets:

• 1 cup sugar (if you want to make artificially sweetened follow the second recipe)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger (you'll need about 3 ounces of fresh ginger - use 2 tablespoons for more kick)
• Juice of one lemon (optional, but my favorite)
• 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (baker's yeast is fine)
• Non-chlorinated water (do not use tap water)

Once everything is ready to go, here's what you do:

1. Add the sugar to the clean, empty soda bottle.

2. Add the 1/4 teaspoon of yeast to the sugar in the bottle and swish around to mix.

3. Grate 1 1/2 tablespoons of the fresh ginger and add to the measuring cup.

4. Add the juice of one lemon to the ginger and mix to form a slush.

5. Add some non-chlorinated water to the slush and pour the mixture into the soda bottle.

6. Fill the bottle with non-chlorinated water and screw on the cap, leaving about an inch of room at the top and shake to dissolve the sugar and yeast. The grated ginger will not dissolve.

7. Squeeze the bottle to get a feel for how "squishy" it is when it is has been freshly filled.

8. Leave the bottle at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours and test for doneness by giving the bottle a squeeze. As soon as the bottle feels hard against a forceful squeeze, place the bottle in the refrigerator an leave undisturbed until thoroughly chilled (overnight)

9. Filter the finished ginger ale through cheesecloth and a strainer as kids generally don't like floating pieces of ginger in their drink. Keep referigerated.

Be sure to refrigerate the fermenting bottle as soon as it feels hard. Leaving it longer runs the risk of exploding the bottle and believe me, you don't want that to happen. In summer, we often leave the fermenting bottles in a portable cooler out on the covered porch so any possible explosions are contained in an easy to clean up way.

If you want to make an artificially sweetened version or a non-fermented version:

1. Combine the sugar, grated ginger and two cups of very hot water and let steep covered until cooled to room temperature.

2. Strain the cooled mixture through the cheesecloth and add to the clean two liter soda bottle.

3. Add the lemon juice. If you're making an artificially sweetened version add your artificial sweetener at this time.

4. Fill the bottle with club soda and refrigerate.

I hope you can see how fun and easy it is to make your own ginger ale and what a great family activity it can be. The fermented version is our family favorite but both versions are definitely a taste treat with an old-fashioned flavor that is still fun and refreshing!

I'm looking for advice on a Northern English Brown Ale recipe that's easy and sticks with Malt extracts as opposed to mash. I need a very smooth, very unaggressive recipe here that could please quite a bit of non beer drinkers. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I've got 7 weeks for the brew.

Thanks.
Forum: Homebrew Recipes | Author: lambertjp
Posted: February 4, 2009, 9:32 am

11.5 lbs. American 2-row malt
½ lb. 20L Crystal malt
½ lb honey malt

1 lb. clover honey
0.5 oz. Willamette (6.6 AA) 60 min.
0.5 oz. Willamette (6.6 AA) 30 min.
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II)
Forum: Homebrewing | Author: inspectord
Posted: February 4, 2009, 3:37 pm

16 lbs. - 2 Row Pale Malt
3 lb. - Munich Malt
1 lb. - Caramel/Crystal Malt (120L)
1/4 lb. - Chocolate Malt

Hop Schedule
2.25 oz. - Columbus - 60 min.
1.5 oz. - Centennial - 25 min.
1 oz. - Centennial - 10 min.

Yeast
White Labs American Ale Yeast (WLP001) - 1800 ml starter

Mash/Sparge/Boil
Mash at 152° for 60 min.
Sparge as usual
Cool and ferment at 65° to 68°

this is a rouge barleywine recipe slightly moldified. It has been 3 months since the brew and i am going to cold crash for one month and leave in bottels for one month. I tasted it just before cold crashing which started today and it is very good but still very hoppy. I know thats what aging is all about letting some of the iso-alpha-acids lose their kick so to speak but it was like a imperial IPA it was so hoppy. We will see after a month of cold crashing at about 40.
Forum: Homebrewing | Author: belgiumtripel
Posted: February 5, 2009, 3:09 pm

The site should be cleaned up now - let me know if you see any issues.
Forum: The Pub | Author: webby
Posted: February 9, 2009, 10:10 am

Here's the recipe and then I'll go into the problem I had.
I used beer tools and estimated a 60% efficiency.

4.25 gallons

6 pds two row
.5 pd 20 L crystal
.65 pd victory

1 oz glacier hop pellets 6% AA 50 min
1 oz Liberty hop pellets 3.4 % AA 2 min

2 packets muntons premium gold yeast

OG: was suppose to be 1.034
Actual OG: 1.022

I heated up 2 gallons of water to 165 degrees. Added grains, stirred, and put lid on pot. Let sit for 75 min. temp never got below 155 degrees.

I heated up 1.5 gallons of water to 185 degrees, sparged grains with that. I used a 3 gallon boild and toped off to 4.25 with cold water.

everything went fine until I measured the OG. So seeing it was low I went back to beer tools and figured my efficiency was only 40% and to get OG where I wanted it I boiled 3/4 pd of cane sugar and added it to carboy. retook OG and it was 1.032, close enough. So my question is why was my efficiency so low? I had the grains crushed at the brew supply where I bought them. I stirred the grains to make sure all got good and wet, no lumps, before timing the mash for 75 minutes. Using stovetop I could only boil 3 gallons until I get another pot. Suggestions?

And yes it is based on brewchez recipe he posted last week for a simple english bitter. I just used hops I had.

DC
Forum: Homebrewing | Author: deafcone
Posted: February 9, 2009, 5:50 pm