The Brewers Journal - Part 1

It was after drinking Samuel Adams Boston Lager about five years ago that I came to realize there was more to beer than Budweiser or Miller. The rich, full flavor of that craft brewed beer changed it all. Since coming to beer consciousness drinking good beer has become nothing less than a full-fledged passion. Though it´s not for everyone, to be sure, it seems like a natural step for a beer lover to become a homebrewer. It´s the rugged individualist with a bit of the pioneer in them, I´d like to think, that actually would want to make their own brew.

We´ve been thinking about homebrewing for a while now, Frank and I. About six months ago we began talking about it in earnest, and we´ve kept talking about it ever since, and talking about, and talking about it. Not exactly an auspicious beginning, but Saturday we´ll finally do it, take that big step into beer geekdom and buy homebrewing equipment and ingredients.

In preparation I´ve been flipping through William Mares´ Making Beer, and the homebrewing chapters in Beer For Dummies, two books that should help us through the landscape of beginner´s brewing, and the more I read the more my compulsive side screams for satisfaction. After doing a bit of research, namely hitting different beer and homebrew sites, the range seemed to run from as low as about $35 for the bare bones starter´s kit to over $150 for a deluxe set-up with all the bells and whistles.

It wasn´t until the following Tuesday evening that we finally got down to it and surfed the web´s homebrew supply shops; there are hundreds to choose from out there, some offering unique and exotic homebrew systems. It was difficult to settle on one but after an hour or so we decided to go with Northern Brewer, www.nbrewer.com, the leading homebrew retailer in the Twin Cities. The Deluxe Starter Kit, priced at $112.95 offered everything we were looking for. We called up the order number, wary of ordering directly online, and were able to chat with someone who was knowledgeable enough to answer all our questions about the equipment and what it would take for us to start out. Along with the equipment we also ordered our first batch of beer ingredients for a light amber American Pale Ale, $22.95. With shipping and handling the total come out to about $146, well within our $200 budget. Having hoarded sturdy 12, 16 and 22 ounce brown glass bottles for the last few month we had enough to cover our first batch. Now a few items remained to be purchased, which we´d buy in the coming days.