My First Adventures in Homebrewing

So in between all this work, I've been managing to have a great time! For starters, by brewing my own beer! I have completed two batches now, which is to say that my second one will be ready to drink in less than a week! The first was an IPA (India Pale Ale) which came out, amazingly, drinkable! It was a bit cloudy and sometimes yeasty, but everyone seemed to like it! Next is the smoked wheat (both grain kits made by Brooklyn Brew Shop), and I am very excited! My favorite part of making beer, by the way, is adding the hops, which smell so incredible it is a religious experience!

It all starts with a bag of grain 

Adding sacred hops to the boil

Cooling it took FOREVER

Adding yeast to make me some alcohol

My little set-up to keep stuff out

1 week in, a lot has happened

2 weeks in, I bottled them!

The finished product!

Ready for round two? GO!

Making my mash...

pouring the wort...

Sacred hops, different than the 1st batch

Cooling went much smoother!

Invigorating the yeast is... um... invigorating. 

Day 1, you can see the yeast hasn't settled

Day 3, smaller filter, and happy yeast stripes

2 weeks in! Let's bottle this bad boy!

Before bottling, everything must be sanitized!

Here's what's sitting under my sink now! I thought my haul was smaller this time, but now I realize it's the same! Just over 100 ounces...

What does the future hold for my new found hobby? To be honest, probably more of the same, and very little experimentation. The reason being my kitchen is just too small to make larger batches. But now that I have all the hardware, every additional batch I make will be a return on that investment, since the grain, hops, and yeast are quite inexpensive!

If you get a chance, try my beer! I love craft beer, not just to drink, but to talk about and share, and learn more about the technical aspects, so comment here or in person. 

Until next time, may the hops be with you.