Brew Your Own Beer
Brewing your own beer not only gives you something you can create together, but it virtually guarantees another two dates—one in a week to bottle the brew, another in two to four more weeks to taste the fi nished project. (This date lasts longer than most relationships, so make sure everything stays at your place. You gotta' be practical about these things.)
COST
To start, you will need to purchase a brew kit. This will set you back big time, from $110 to $175, but it's no more than a ticket for parking in a red zone or renting a tuxedo. After the initial hit, each batch of your own brew will be cheaper than anything you can buy at the supermarket, except for some lowlife brand that you'll need to strain before you drink. It will also taste better.
RESOURCES & WHERE TO ORDER WHAT YOU'LL NEED
Here are just a few of many places to order beer-making kits:
For local brew stores, look in the Yellow Pages under "Beer Brewing Equipment & Supplies" unless maybe you live in Utah. Also try the classified ads or Recycler for new or used equipment kits.
Get a free trial issue of Brew Your Own—The How-To Homebrew Magazine at byo.com or phone (800)900-7594. This website has vatfulls of helpful information.
SUPPLIES
There are two kinds of kits that you will need to start. One is the EQUIPMENT KIT. This is what you make the brew in. The second is the INGREDIENT KIT. This what you make the brew from. You only need to buy the equipment kit once, but you will need a new ingredient kit each time you brew. You will also need to borrow or buy a five-gallon pot that is either stainless steel or ceramic-on-iron. This is what you'll boil your brew in at the start.
BEFORE THE DATE—MUST HAVE
You can purchase everything you need at a local homebrew shop or you can order a kit by phone or on the internet. Here is what you will need:
- Equipment Kit (fermenter, bottling equipment, tubing, brushes, cleaning supplies, etc.)
- Big Old Pot (five gallons or more, not aluminum)
- Ingredient Kit (hops, barley, yeast, sugar)
- Bottles (from the brew store, or collect your own, but not the kind with twist-off caps)
- Water (if it's got a lot of chlorine, use a countertop water filter, store-bought water, or get it from one of those big dispenser machines in front of a supermarket)
TIME LINE
Date 1, Allow 4 hours to boil the brew and get it into the fermenter.
Date 2 (eight to ten days later), Allow two hours to pour the brew into bottles, add the fermenting sugar and cap.
Date 3 (two to four weeks later), Pop the tops, try the brew.
SUDSY ALTERNATIVES
If you don't want to mess with buying the equipment and turning your kitchen into a microbrewery, see if there is a brewpub in your area. Look for the words brew on premises or BOP. Some will let you use their equipment to do your own brew. You might not save much money, but the experience can be a lot of fun. Also, plenty of microbreweries and home brew stores offer classes on how to make your own beer.
Why not buy a sampling of beers from different breweries and have a taste test? Visit www.realbeer.com to order unusual beers and read fascinating stories about beer. You can even join a number of beer-of-the-month clubs on this excellent beer site. Here's one of their reviews
"Robust, creamy and bold, Polygamy Porter is guaranteed to liven up any family affair. Don't forget to bring a sixpack home for the wives!"
If you'd rather try your luck making wine, try www.wineart.com. Kits are about $100 complete, but don't expect the kind of impressive results that you often get when brewing your own beer.
CAUTION , AVOID NEEDLESS HUMILIATION!
- Ask for the beginner's ingredient kit. Don't worry, it won't say BEGINNER on it. Do not start with an advanced kit.
- Consider reading the directions ahead of time.
- Order the supplies to arrive several days before the date.
BBQ WITH BEER
Don't want to brew it, but like the idea of grilling with beer? Run, don't walk, to the following website and order yourself a copy of the incredible book, "Grilling with Beer" by Lucy Saunders. This fun and beautiful cookbook is full of mouth-watering recipes, such as Porter Plum Barbecue Sauce, Peppery Pilsner Barbecue Sauce, Grilled Chicken Salad with Porter Tahini Glaze, and Sweet and Sour IPA Slaw.
