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... And it's actually fun to make.In case you haven't seen the Facebook pics, or heard me talk about it, we've been making beer ("We" being me and my older brothers Michael and Robert). We just finished the process of our first batch of beer, which are calling "BeerBust" (as in, you know, "Beer bust, Moon tower" from Dazed and Confused... or we were going to make beer or bust, whatever). Wanna hear some thoughts and stories from our experience?
Finding the time with three working (and handsome) young men is tough. Especially when one is also raising two boys and one a) lives in Colorado Springs, and b) has different ways off. Somehow, some way, we figured it out. Basically, we made compromises. Bob and I drove down to Springs, once during the week (when Mike had the day off), again when we both had time off, but Mike had to go to work. I actually think, from this perspective, we might have found a good balance for everyone. Makes me happy.
You know what the most important part of brewing is? It's not the equipment, or the ingredients. It's not even following the directions exactly. It's the sanitation. Think about it. If your equipment isn't clean, the ingredients will not matter, and who cares about instructions. "Dirty" equipment will ruin your beer. I know some of you have heard this before, but it's true. It's also the part that takes the longest and involves the most work. The good news is there are plenty of ways to speed up the process, especially after you know what you're doing. The first time was rough, but now that we have an idea what to do and how to do it, should be a breeze (though it will take some time).
The process of actually making beer is very interesting to me. It’s intriguing to read about and see how all the ingredients go together (and when) to make this delicious beverage. Who was smart enough to figure out that boiling water, malt (extract of the barley grain itself), hops, and other ingredients, then adding to water and yeast, then letting it sit for a while, then add sugar, bottle, and sit for a while longer would have this outcome... and this was figured out multiple times completely independently! Mind blowing... but God bless those people ;) Regardless, when you’re in the early process of making beer, you have to wonder how this wort (the concoction of water, "malted barley", hops, and other flavoring ingredients) is actually going to taste and smell like a beer... but it does. Thank goodness!
I really have come to enjoy the instructions and guidance from "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing", by Charlie Papazian. The book does an excellent job focusing on having fun and enjoying this hobby. "Relax! Don't Worry. Have a Home Brew." is found in basically every major instruction for beginners, and with good cause. If you follow the instructions provided in the book/with the set, you will make beer. Sure, it could be "skunky" (bad sanitation), or it could taste horrible (ingredients), but if you follow the instructions, you will have beer. That’s half the battle right? And you know, those mistakes could be beneficial. We missed a step at the very beginning due to being newbies, but "BeerBust” still turned out better than expected. "BeerBust" is a wheat beer; just missing some of the grains used in the wort...live and learn huh? By the way, think we’re going with a stout next...
It’s funny to me that, we planned to brew five gallons of beer. After some issues, we didn’t end up with a full five gallons, but yet we more than filled the 24 20 ounce bottles we had for the “broject” (a typo I decided to leave because, as Homer Simpson would say, it’s awesome to turn words into dudes). I guess that the loss of some of the beer in various stages is inevitable and to accept it... I’ll just be sad when I’m drinking beer and I run out.
So those are my initial thoughts about homebrewing after creating "BeerBust". I’m uber excited to do more of this with my brothers and excited to share what we make. We are even lucky enough to have some friends who want to help. The "label" on the left was created by my firend Carly and we love it! Another friend has offered to help with printing labels in the future, so watch out, Scott Nasman. More details and thoughts as time goes on... But in the meantime, "Relax, have a homebrew"... Bottoms up!
