Posted on 03/27/2009 3:22:53 PM PDT by JoeProBono
If 10 guys gather in a garage on a Sunday afternoon, it’s a good bet that beer will be involved.
What made the gathering March 9 at Mark Sheftick’s home in west Springfield unusual is they weren’t there just to drink beer. The guys were there to make it.
Like the car enthusiast who just can’t help but tinker under the hood, these home-brewers have figured out what goes into a good beer, and now they’re concocting their own. They’re equal parts chemist, chef and regular ol’ beer lover.
Homemade alcoholic beverages make many people think of moonshining. But those expecting to see a still would be disappointed at the equipment that was spread out on Sheftick’s driveway. There was some coiled copper tubing, used as a cooling apparatus, but most of the other tools of the trade could be found in many homes: turkey-frying burners, paint buckets, Rubbermaid coolers, thermometers and stainless steel pots.
Home-brewing became easier in most states in 1979, when President Jimmy Carter signed a bill lifting some federal restrictions that had been left over from Prohibition (it’s up to individual states to decide whether to allow home-brewing). Sheftick, a forensic diagrammer for the Illinois State Police, doesn’t have to worry about revenuers smashing up his works and hauling him off to the pokey.
I’ve read some of the blogs and most people who have tried the Coopers have done quite well. I hope this one turns out as good as the Bitters I did.
Who knows? Maybe the Muntons Premium Lager will improve with age, I read a few stories where people said they did a batch of something, tried it and almost puked, put it in storage and came back ten months later and tried it and it was like Ambrosia!
Bookmark
You must keep your equipment sanitized or the brew will become contaminated with wild yeast and this will ruin the flavor. Lots of things will ruin the flavor, but there are kits on the web for sale, there are many sites with instructions on how to make it and how to keep the flavor just the way you like it. The more of it you make the better it will taste. I have tasted home brew that beats most beers you can buy, and that includes the premiums.
You must keep your equipment sanitized or the brew will become contaminated with wild yeast and this will ruin the flavor. Lots of things will ruin the flavor, but there are kits on the web for sale, there are many sites with instructions on how to make it and how to keep the flavor just the way you like it. The more of it you make the better it will taste. I have tasted home brew that beats most beers you can buy, and that includes the premiums.
Let me preface this by saying I’ve been brewing for a very long time.
If your friend is serious about brewing you need to tell him the truth about his beer. The most likely problem, if he is actually following a recipe, is poor sanitation.
Also, your friend may be keeping other beer loving people from brewing their own. The probably think he brews it in his bathtub (and considering his sanitation problems, he may be).
There are a lot of excellent sanitizers out the, like Star San for example. But if cost is an issue, he can use household bleach and water.
Then send him Knews_hound’s brewing 101 links.
Saison; A man of my own heart. I have 5 gal. of a Golden Ale (not quite a Duval) kegged. It’s pretty tasty. We used a kolsch yeast though, so it’s not a true Belgian. That gave it a nice spicy character.
Kegs recently emptied: Oatmeal Stout; Amber Ale.
In keg: Belgian Gold; Irish Red.
Currently fermenting: Pre-prohibition American Lager.
Planned: Maybe Wheat.
Saison is probably my favorite style of beer to brew because I’ve been experimenting on each batch. The last Saison I brewed was a standard Saison that meets an IPA, I used Amarillo hops as the flavoring hop. That produced a bold, spicy ‘bite’ on the back end yet still keeping that smooth flavor of a traditional Saison.
This current batch waiting to be kegged/bottled was brewed with a quart of wild Mountain Black raspberries in the boil. Since I had a 10gal batch the raspberries only imparted a very, very slight flavor but did impart an unmistakable floral bouquet. If the bottles set up by April 8th, I’m going to enter this beer in the nationals.
The raspberries sound like a nice touch. You’ll probably get a nice garnet color in the brew from those too.
I’ve had success adding (unboiled) fruit to the secondary. I’ve not had problems with infection, probably due to the alcohol content produced in the primary. Same with dry-hopping.
Some people get nervous about adding the fruit so they blanch for a short period in boiling water. I’ve found that this takes away from the fruit character.
Go to the brew store. They will be more than happy to answer all your questions.
There are alot of expert brewers here, (I don’t count myself in that group), who would never use a kit but I would strongly recommend it for first timers. The reason is that there is alot of “mechanics” to brewing, and a kit will let you learn the basics before you move on to make things to your taste.
Stuff like “what kind of carboy”, “how do I keep things sterile”, “do I have the right kinds of hoses and funnels”, “too hot?? Too cold???”, that sort of thing.
I actually started with cider, and thats also a good choice, you’d practically have to go out of your way to mess up cider! But if you do cider, make sure it is pasteurized but specifically says “No preservatives” on it.
I’ve done both actually, I made a Lambic for Christmas two years ago and I added the fruit into the secondary. I wanted to add the raspberries in with the boil to give a slight flavor hit, it’s been my experience the flavor will come out more if you add it to the secondary. Then again it depends on the fruit and how much you add.
I tested the flat beer, (before I kegged/bottled,) and the test is dead on what I was hoping to accomplish. Now, I just hope the bottled carb up by April 8th so I can make the deadline for Nationals.
And uncomplicated soup at that.
Give it a shot, like I said in an earlier post, you only have 50 bucks and 5 hours to lose.
I will give you 99% odds that you make a tasty brew.
Now if you lived in Sacramento, that would be another story.
Cheers,
knewshound
Dude,
You must be from Pittsburgh to pull out an Olde Frothingslosh can. The Pale Stale Ale with the foam on the bottom! One of the only things Iron City ever did right. Good holiday beer. Miss Frothingslosh, a real hotty. I always wondered what her story was...
Thank yew...
Nice brewski setup.
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