RATCLIFFE

It’s no secret that I love beer.  I love it in all forms, styles, and varieties.  From the cheap beers ($13 for a 30pk) to some of the more pricey ones ($13 for 2 glasses).  If I find a beer that I haven’t had… I’ll likely buy it, just to try it.  As of right now, I’ve tried 225 different beers.  And there’s only been 3 that I wouldn’t drink again.

I’ve always had a fascination with beer and the brewing process.  Beer is what our forefathers brought to the “new world”.  But it’s been around a lot longer than that.  Since around 9000BC.

Beer is the world’s oldest^[1] and most widely consumed^[2] alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. (via Wikipedia)

Because of my love of beer, I’ve always wanted to brew my own; but was always intimidated by it.  It’s a very scientific process, and can be pretty overwhelming.  Especially, since I have hardly any knowledge of chemistry.

But, my friend Shane invited me over one night to see how it works.  So I went and … lo and behold, it really wasn’t that complicated.  So, I decided that I could probably handle it, and decided to go for it.

The other day, we went and bought all of the necessary supplies… and decided to try our first batch.

The first thing, and most important is cleanliness.  You have to be ultra-careful about being clean and protecting the beer from any kind of outside bacteria, as much as possible.  This involves sterilizing and cleaning all materials, containers, and tools used in making the beer.

Once your cooking, it’s pretty easy… just liking adding ingredients to a soup.  You just follow the recipe.  I will say, however, that during the cooking phase… the smell will not be a pretty one.  It kinda smells like the inside of your thighs after a day-long bike ride in 120º heat, wearing snow pants.  Bad.

After it done cooking, cooling, and adding the yeast.  Then, it’s just a waiting game.  You’ve gotta let the yeast do their job for about a week.  Then, you bottle.  Then, you let it condition (or age) for 3-4 weeks.

Really, it’s not too complicated.  Just takes some attention to cleanliness and some time.