[caption id="attachment_490" align="alignright" width="341" caption="The finished product."]
[/caption]For the past few years, I have wanted to brew my own beer. I have put it off until homeownership due to space concerns while renting. Space concerns weren't really alleviated when we purchased a house, but it had been my milestone for so long, I went ahead and put the equipment on my Christmas list. I had first mentioned it to
Daniel[foot]And can I just say, it was great brewing with Daniel. I don't know how I would've done it by myself.[/foot] when he purchased a home a couple of years ago. He was intrigued, but we never acted until I got the equipment. And here we are.
I'm not sure why I am so interested in creating the things I enjoy, but I do. It is not uncommon for me to suggest to my wife that we try to make something ourselves. It is also not uncommon that she be less than enthused about the idea. It's probably for the better. I think I enjoy what I learn by doing it myself. In this case, I've learned a lot about malts, hops, yeast, and fermentation, much more than I have by only enjoying the end product.
We brewed the "First Batch" recipe that was in the booklet that came with the equipment. It's about as basic as it could be: light malt extract, cascade hops, and ale yeast.[foot]It didn't even specify what kind of yeast.
Which are numerous.[/foot] What resulted after 2 weeks in the fermenter and another couple of weeks in the bottle was a very pale ale. The recipe claimed to be a pale ale; the guy at the
homebrew store, after looking at the recipe, said that it would be "pale-ish." It's a little darker than your average Bud/Miller/Coors and a little lighter than your average Sweetwater 420/Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The flavor was right in the latter's area. A good balance of hops and malt. The mouthfeel is a bit on the light side for an American pale ale, but it tastes good. It tastes really good. I am really quite proud of our first batch.
Successfully fermenting something was an odd feeling. It kind of felt like creating fire: that odd mix of awe and power-tripping that comes from playing a role in something that happens completely on its own. Having 5 gallons of fermenting liquid in the closet also felt a little illegal.
Here are some pictures:
[caption id="attachment_493" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="Daniel Stirring the Wort"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_489" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="The beer, in the closet, fermenting away."]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_488" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="Daniel prepping bottles like a boss."]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_487" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="Bottles, ready to condition."]
[/caption]
[/caption]For the past few years, I have wanted to brew my own beer. I have put it off until homeownership due to space concerns while renting. Space concerns weren't really alleviated when we purchased a house, but it had been my milestone for so long, I went ahead and put the equipment on my Christmas list. I had first mentioned it to Daniel[foot]And can I just say, it was great brewing with Daniel. I don't know how I would've done it by myself.[/foot] when he purchased a home a couple of years ago. He was intrigued, but we never acted until I got the equipment. And here we are.
I'm not sure why I am so interested in creating the things I enjoy, but I do. It is not uncommon for me to suggest to my wife that we try to make something ourselves. It is also not uncommon that she be less than enthused about the idea. It's probably for the better. I think I enjoy what I learn by doing it myself. In this case, I've learned a lot about malts, hops, yeast, and fermentation, much more than I have by only enjoying the end product.
We brewed the "First Batch" recipe that was in the booklet that came with the equipment. It's about as basic as it could be: light malt extract, cascade hops, and ale yeast.[foot]It didn't even specify what kind of yeast. Which are numerous.[/foot] What resulted after 2 weeks in the fermenter and another couple of weeks in the bottle was a very pale ale. The recipe claimed to be a pale ale; the guy at the homebrew store, after looking at the recipe, said that it would be "pale-ish." It's a little darker than your average Bud/Miller/Coors and a little lighter than your average Sweetwater 420/Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The flavor was right in the latter's area. A good balance of hops and malt. The mouthfeel is a bit on the light side for an American pale ale, but it tastes good. It tastes really good. I am really quite proud of our first batch.
Successfully fermenting something was an odd feeling. It kind of felt like creating fire: that odd mix of awe and power-tripping that comes from playing a role in something that happens completely on its own. Having 5 gallons of fermenting liquid in the closet also felt a little illegal.
Here are some pictures:
[caption id="attachment_493" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="Daniel Stirring the Wort"]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_489" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="The beer, in the closet, fermenting away."]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_488" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="Daniel prepping bottles like a boss."]
[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_487" align="aligncenter" width="518" caption="Bottles, ready to condition."]
[/caption]