New to Homebrew

About a year ago I was introduced to the world of homebrewed beer. Until then, I thought all those self-proclaimed "beer-lovers" out there tightly clutching their Bud Light bottles had a genuine appreciation for the drink. I also believed the more seasoned beer enthusiasts preferred Yuengling or Guiness. Alas, this is not so my friend. It turns out that true connoisseurs of brew can't buy their favorite beer from the store - because they make it themselves.

It all started when Nate saw a Mr. Beer kit on sale and decided on a whim to purchase it. Mr. Beer is the start-up set of choice for rookie homebrewers. The box sat unopened for a while until as a birthday gift, I gave Nate all the ingredients for his first two batches of homebrew. I chose ingredients to mimic his favorite store-bought brand, Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat. Our recipe included wheat malt, clover honey, coriander seeds, and orange peel.

The whole process is quite involved. The first step, and possibly the most important, is sanitizing every tool and every surface involved with brewing. Once the actual brewing has started there are specific temperatures and times to add each ingredient, which vary depending on your desired brew. The whole process can take anywhere from 1-5 hours. Not being a huge beer drinker myself, this is a bit excessive for me, but I definitely appreciate the art (and science) of the process.

I'm not sure if homebrewing is the next big thing (or if I'm just now becoming aware of it), but it sure seems to be gaining popularity. I have a large group of friends that gather together to brew at least once a month. They each make a different type and enjoy sampling each others creations. I don't think any of them would ever again be caught holding a Natural Light can..

The enjoyment of actually drinking their brews is unfortunately lost on me, but I didn't want to miss out on the fun. So recently Nate and I decided to brew our first hard cider. We went the easy route by starting with pre-made apple juice (rather than pressing our own apples). It was a much simpler process than brewing beer. The ingredients included preservative-free apple juice, orange blossom honey, and English cider yeast. The fermenting process works the same as with beer: the yeast consumes the sugar and turns it into alcohol and CO2, which carbonates the drink. Ours has been fermenting for about a month and should be ready to bottle any time. I sampled it after 2 weeks and it was already drinkable, so it should be delicious by now.

Homemade things always seem to taste better. So if you haven't tried a homebrew yet, you should. And if you ask nicely, most brewers are more than willing to share. :)