brewing

brother tom and i made some beer today.  above is the mis en place: bittering, flavor and aroma hops, in pellet form, as well as whirlfloc clarifying tablets.    today's recipe- an imperial IPA- was written by tom and has at least four times as much hops as my witbier from earlier in the summer.

if you haven't had the chance to smell hops, i highly recommend it.

home brewing is a pretty great experience.  it has hints of science and chemistry, an air of whimsy and alchemy and prohibition daring-do and, on top of all that, it's an interesting and near-infinitely variable process.  also, this is the end result:

i suppose the true value of home brewing is a little different than some of the other crafts i pursue.  sewing and woodwork and the like tend be very personal, almost meditative practices- only the end result is shared.  if you work with another it is usually as either teacher or pupil.  with brewing, we work as a team and often invite friends and family to participate.  we listen to music and talk and keep each other on task.  beer is not only a social drink but also a social activity.  a community builder from start to finish.  

after the jump there is a picture of tom working and a few more words...

we spend a lot of time cleaning and sanitizing things, like these carboys that will hold the beer during fermentation. it can be a lot of work and, in the end, it would be a hell of a lot easier to just be a beer aficionado.  just buy some fine ales and let someone else do the work.  but where's the fun in that?  

oh, and in the bottle picture- the gold caps are a mix of irish stouts, english stouts (super tasty, tom's doing), and barley wines (a little less tasty, but still good.  my recipe).  the oranges are punkin porter (our strongest beer to date at around 10% ABV.  a little too much malt bitterness and a surprising lack of squashiness, but not bad.  might be perfect for a beer float.  tom's recipe).