HTNL Guest: On Homebrew

By: Kevin Fay

Many beer enthusiasts, at one point or another, wonder whether or not they should try their hand at the art of brewing.  Incentives generally range from developing an appreciation for the beer-making process and the chemistry involved to having a fun activity to do with friends.  These are all good reasons!  While pondering the question, they inevitably ask themselves three questions:

1. Will it be too difficult?
2. Will it be enjoyable?
3. Will the beer even taste any good?

The answers to these questions, in my experience, are: no, yes, and yes (if done correctly), respectively.  While the actual mashing process does take some time (anticipate 5-6 hours, if you’re experienced, then another 2 hours for bottling), brewing could hardly be much simpler.  With proper technique—which basically involves stringent sanitation precautions—you will almost certainly produce a beer that is not only drinkable, but delicious.  The answer to question number two is often reliant on question number three, since it is generally enjoyable to admire the fruits of one’s labors, but small failures may be tempered by good camaraderie.
The biggest problem an aspiring home-brewmeister faces when preparing to obtain the equipment necessary to ply his work is sifting through the myriad of items offered in retailers’ “starter kits.”  These package deals often contain fancy contraptions such as wort (pronounced: wert) chillers, glass carboys, and bottle brushes.  While some of these items are nice to have, and might be acquired eventually, there is a shorter list of tools you will actually need to begin your brewing.
The Bare Essentials:

1. Large (approximately 4 gal.) cooking pot with lid
2. Cooking thermometer
3. Clean water (I usually use bottled water but if you know your tap water is good that’s fine)
4. Several mesh boiling bags, nylon or muslin (to keep malt particles out of your beer)
5. One-Step Sanitizer
6. Ale Pail (6-gallon food-safe bucket for fermenting)
7. Air Lock (to cap your ale pale and let CO2 out but not allow air in)
8. Brown bottles
9. Caps
10. Bottle capper
11. Racking Cane
12. Siphon tubing
13. Bottle filler (a stopper-like device that attaches to the end of your siphon)
14. Optional: Hydrometer (for determining ABV)

If you’re unfamiliar with some of these tools, here are some pictures for reference:
F.) G.)

J.)

K, L, M.) N.)
All in all, setups like this should cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $125, but costs can be greatly reduced if you use old bottles; beware, labels are often difficult to remove.

Where To Shop

With the advent of a variety of sanitizing chemicals, homebrewing is quickly becoming a popular activity nationwide.  If you live near an urban area, it’s likely that there’s a store devoted entirely to homebrewing located within 50 miles of your residence.  This is where you should buy supplies and ingredients! Since these shops receive brewing supplies in bulk, prices are much cheaper.  This will decrease both your start up and overhead costs.  The staff, obviously, will also be much more knowledgeable and able to answer any questions you may have.  Furthermore, ingredients are, generally, higher quality and fresher.

Where To Find Recipes and How To Brew

Eventually you will be able to experiment with recipes yourself.  Until that time comes, I recommend going either here, here or here.  Recipes will generally include a detailed list of ingredients as well as recommended simmering/boiling times and temperatures.  Also, make sure to allow the wort to cool to room temperature before adding the yeast clones.  As far as the brewing is concerned, that is an expansive topic in and of itself.  Hopefully, Samwise will invite me back sometime soon for a follow-up post on the actual brewing process, some of its nuances, and the steps necessary to execute my favorite hefeweizen.  If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of how to brew, you might want to reference this page for a brief overview.

Pro Tips

1. Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize!  Unless you want contaminated beer, this is the golden rule of homebrewing.  Clean your equipment, clean your bottles and keep them clean.  Using a 1-step chemical cleanser is essential since detergent-based cleaners chemically bind to glass in small quantities and will affect your beer.  When bottling, do not touch the lip after the sanitation process and attempt to make minimal contact with the (sanitized!) bottle caps.
2. When you first begin, start out with heavier or darker beers.  Delicate beers with subtle flavors are fickle beasts that will not hide imperfections that inevitably arise for a novice brewer.
3. KISS!  You may be surprised, but beers with few ingredients can still have a wonderful depth of flavor.  Also, the fewer ingredients you use, the easier it will be to execute your recipe well.  When you achieve a certain level of proficiency then, by all means, move on to adding zests and spices and sugars and dry-hopping… but not too soon!

I would highly recommend giving brewing a try to anyone who is interested.  Sure the initial costs are expensive, but the final product is rewarding.  I bought much of my equipment with a group of friends who I now brew with.  This makes the process much more enjoyable and much less strenuous on your pocket.  In the long run, it’s a good way to get great beer relatively cheaply (about $1 per bottle).  Hopefully this post helps any who are reading and interested in brewing have an easier start than I.  Don’t be discouraged if the process is difficult to understand at first, you will learn quickly!  And remember:

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Benjamin Franklin

Kevin Fay is my cousin and good friend. A graduate of the University of Michigan and an avid bridge player, he will be enrolling in medical school in 2011. For the past two years he has dabbled in home-brewing, and it’s a hobby in which he’s achieved some success. I’ve invited him to write a guest blog about how to get started in this craftsman’s pastime, as well as offer a few personal insights and tips.