Friday 28 September 2012

Lessons Learned from Home Brewing

My brother-in-law and best friend - Jason - and I are avid home brewers.  We've been concocting our beers for the past two years or so and enjoy pushing the envelope.  We're not satisfied with an ordinary brew, otherwise we'd settle for the generic junk the "Big 3" sell in the beer store.  Nah!  That stuff doesn't measure up to our brews which have included a decadent cherry stout, a tasty apple bottomed cream ale and a Czech style pilsner infused with a refreshing citrus zing.  Mmmmm...fantastic.

Our wives (who are sisters) encourage our endeavors as they see it as a way for the two of us to "bond" or as we call it, hangout.  It is a great excuse to get together and watch a game with a couple of cold ones while we wait for our wort to steep.

Once we had a batch that I thought we had lost...it just didn't seem to want to ferment.  The primary fermentation period for this batch was supposed to be 7-10 days.  During this period you're supposed to see bubbles rising or some activity in the brew as the sugars devour the yeast.  Ten days passed and nothing...I remember it being a particularly stressful time for Jason at work and I was dreading telling him the bad news.  I knew it would be met with disappointment followed by a few tears...okay, I'm kidding about the tears.  Jason's ex-military and as tough as any rough-neck.  Nevertheless, such a result would have been quite disheartening for both of us.  I decided to wait.  11 days...12...13...14...nothing

Day 21 and I was prepared to pitch the yeast again to see if we couldn't salvage the batch.  I lugged the pail upstairs from the basement and popped open the lid.  I was prepared for a moldy mess.  To my surprise I was instead greeted by a frothy, bubbly head...it worked!!

Kids are sometimes like that batch of brew.  Sometimes I wonder if anything I say, any of my "vast wisdom" that I try to instill in my daughters is taking any root.  Then one day...boom!!  Bubbles and froth!!  Yeah, they're listening...they're getting it.  Be patient my fatherly friends!



6 comments:

  1. I am always happy to be the recipient of your toil...
    Can you guys get on some cider this year?

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  2. Here's to more beer! Thanks for such a positive and superlative appreciation of life, we all really need more of you, Ryan. Waiting for much more of your reflections on fatherhood and life. Go for it!

    Dear friends

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  3. A strangely apt metaphor of fatherhood from a beer lesson learned. One thing that I have observed is that adding sugar when brewing beer can make it better, however, adding more sugar doesn't work as well to make kids better.

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  4. Since when are you brewing beer? You should definitely start inviting me over more... to help drink said beer! :)

    -Champ

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  5. We've been brewing a couple of years now. The next batch should be ready in a few weeks, and you are more than welcome to come partake in the fruits of our labor.

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