Beer Drinking

When most people think “home brewer,” they think of overweight bearded men, renaissance fairs, and civil war reenactments. No more! With a modest investment in a couple of equipment items, anyone, even you, can brew 5 gallons of beer in a couple of hours, cleanup not included (that takes 15 hours at least). In the course of this article I will review making a simple, malt extracted summer brew. I will also discuss the required equipment and the massive costs as well as popular vendors who would be glad to sell you the products at a markup of 57%. It is easy to contaminate a beer before fermentation. Contamination can have a surprisingly large number of effects on the final beer - the least worrisome of which is a bad aftertaste; the worst of which is bacteria competing with the yeast for sugars, resulting in weak beer which will take you drinking twice as much to get the desired effects. I generally like to use Clorox bleach for all of my pre-brew cleaning. Sweep and mop the floor, scrub the cabinets and baseboards, then bleach all surfaces in the area. As long as the tools of the beer brewing are resting on sanitized surfaces and there is no dust blowing around, the risk of contamination is pretty small. Clean and rinse all brewing implements prior to beginning. Clorox wipes are good for this sanitary act. The fermenting bucket should be cleaned prior to being filled with that delicious unfermented beer. During this stage of the brewing process all of the ingredients combine together in a glorious and aromatic boil - the final product of which is unfermented beer. I will break this down by easy-to-follow steps, complete with definitions and explanations: Fill the brew kettle with 2.5 gallons of regular tap water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place the cans of malt extract into a second pot of hot water. In a few minutes, the heat will make the extract much easier to pour. When the water is just off the boil, pour in the heated malt extract. Use the long-handled spoon to scrape out what’s left in the can and stir slowly into the water. Immediately after the extraction, stir in the dextrin powder, gypsum, and salt. As soon as the water-based mix begins to boil, make a note of the time and stir in the Columbus hop pellets. (This is now officially unfermented beer, or wort. Boil the wort for 60 minutes, continuing to stir slowly. If the wort is left unattended during the boil, it could boil over and be an absolute disaster. Not only are ingredients lost, but the unfermented wort is full of sugars - a mixture which becomes glue as it dries on your kitchen floor. At 60 minutes, turn off the stove and move the kettle from the stove to the kitchen sink. Lid the kettle and fill the sink with ice water. Keep the kettle in ice water until it drops to around 100° Fahrenheit. Pour 5 gallons of the wort into the fermenting bucket once it cools. When the temperature of the wort is under 90°, pitch the yeast into the wort and seal the lid on the bucket. Place the airlock through the hole on the top of the lid, fill with water, and cap it.

Back in the old days, drinking a beer was as simple as cracking open the bottle and thirstily drinking its contents. For most beer drinkers that is still the way to drink beer, but the times they are a-changing, and it’s for the better. Beer drinkers all over are becoming more and more concsiencious and thinking about what they drink and especially how they drink it. Today’s beer connoisseur wants not only the right beer, they also want the right beer glass. This new movement for beer glasses has created a more sophisticated and perhaps even more elegant image for beer drinking and beer drinkers, and at the same time it has also prompted some confusion over which vessel we should all be sipping our suds out of. What is the right glass for any individual kind of beer style? Does it matter that much if I drink a pilsner from a pint glass or a bock from a pilsner glass? Can I keep my beer mugs in the fridge still, or do I need to start putting them in the freezer? How do you wash a beer glass so it won’t film up next time or have those water-marks? When you choose the glasses you’ll use for beer, use them only for beer. Other beverages leave residues on glasses that will make the presentation of the glass and the taste of your next beer not nearly as appealing. Treat your beer vessels with care. Don’t use soap on them or put them in your dishwasher. If you do, it is possible for soap residue to eliminate the head on your next beer and/or affect its taste. But if you clean your beer glasses by hand with a soft cloth and hot water, they will be fresh and ready for the next time. If you have to use soap, rub the glass with table salt and rinse well. This removes any soap residue left on the glass. Use a wash basin to let your glasses drip dry and then rub them with a cloth before storing them. Many will say specific beers are best suited to a particular type of beer glass. And in many cases this is true. The chalice-shaped glass used by the Trappist breweries is appropriate for a beer with a religious background, and nothing could go better with a Scotch ale than a glass shaped like a thistle, as in their native lands. But unless you plan on starting a huge collection of beer glasses, though, you may have to limit your glasses to a few choices.

You love the feeling that you get when you walk into your local, favorite bar. You love the décor with great vintage plaques on the wall, good, worn stools to sit on and a well stressed bar. You feel at home and you love all of the small things that make this place so enjoyable. How can you make this type of experience happen at home? Decorating your home bar allows you to bring in the experience of your local bar into the home. There are many ways to do so. No matter where you are starting from, begin your home bar decorating with the furniture. Having authentic pub or bar style furniture will be the first step. Use your knowledge of your favorite bar to select the right bar and stools for it. Look for authentic qualities rather than dressed up versions. You can purchase old, wooden bar stools or you can look for a bar top that is granite; one is much more traditional than the other is. For an authentic look, choose woods that have a dark color to them. Stools will be ideal if they offer large comfortable seats with long legs. High backed chairs are common, too. Accessorizing your home bar is just as important, though. Once you have the furniture in place, look for various elements to create the right experience. Perhaps you have a favorite beer brand such as Guinness. A Guinness tap would help to add an authentic feel for it (even if the actual tap does not work.) A few shelves located behind the bar offer a great storage place for your alcohol and beer selection, and provide for their own element of décor. After all, visiting a bar means great brew selection! A mirrored tiled backsplash may work well. The beer glassware that you have is just as important. If you tend to offer several types of beers to your guests, keep the right style of glassware for each of those beers. You may want to consider adding a few well chosen logo glasses for even more character. Additional accessories may include a dart board, plaques of your favorite rock n roll groups and plenty of items that can spark a conversation. Add a hidden radio and CD player so that you can slip on your favorite music. On the other hand, if you do want a more modern style bar, go for it! You will find many options including those that would be appropriate for your kitchen area or family room. Choose clean lines, updated materials with an underlying tone of woods that will match the other woodworking in your home. Always look for pieces that will complete the look for you.