Few things on earth give me more joy than brewing and drinking the beer that I make. Flying solo or drinking it with my wife is a more than sufficient means of enjoyment as far as I’m concerned. Yet, there is nothing like sharing brew with family, friends, and acquaintances.
I love the thrill of seeing eyes light up when I tell someone that I made the beer at home or hearing people express that their concept of what beer can be has been expanded. In all honesty, that is one of the particular joys I truly look forward to having when Nate and I are running the brewery. We are beyond excited to sit and talk with people about our beers and their nuances.
We have several opportunities to share our beer with others in the near future, but I am excited about one in particular. I am brewing for a friend’s wedding. Not too shabby at all…and I get to experiment with some styles a bit. Here is what I’m brewing:
Caramel Apple beer: I am using malts that are known for caramel notes, and I made some sugar from apples that I juiced. Kinda excited about this one.
Pecan Pie: This beer is loosely a brown ale (a fairly nebulous style anyway). But I also candied some pecans and used homemade golden syrup in it.
Pumpkin Ale: In the past I’ve not been a fan of the style, but I’m going to see what I can do with it…I’ve got some plans.
Oatmeal Stout: Classic and straightforward but bound to be good.
What can I say, I love brewing and sharing beer. As I write this post, I realize that it is a fairly personally driven narrative about what I’m up to. However, I hope it inspires you to go and do likewise. It’s a great week to brew or share some beer with people.
I just brewed a porter with plans on adding Maple to it in secondary. Hopefully it will be great by Thanksgiving.
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Michael Reinhardt Reply:
September 6th, 2011 at 9:55 am
Cool! Nate did a Maple Porter a couple years ago. Think he added it last few minutes of boil. Let us know how yours turns out. I actually cut the pumpkin up for one the beers I mentioned above.
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[...] am swelling with pride. As I noted yesterday, I love sharing beer with people. The experience of teaching someone to brew is especially [...]
[...] am swelling with pride. As I noted yesterday, I love sharing beer with people. The experience of teaching someone to brew is especially [...]
I just bottled my imperial chocolate pumpkin porter and a experiment with the BDSA style and Flanders ale yeast both are 9%+ and are really nice sippers on these cool Michigan fall nights. Imperial Rye ale on the same Flanders cake is going into the secondary this weekend. What is there not to love about homebrewing?
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beer_scientist Reply:
September 13th, 2011 at 10:38 am
I like that you are brewing up a storm and getting funky early. You are ahead of the curve in terms of process.
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Batch 26 this weekend! Rye Saison anyone? I just got a 1/2 lb of Strisselspalt and Saaz! Speaking of sharing – its a driving force behind why brew so much; most of the beer I make is gifted to friends/family/neighbors and because of it I have already made a lot of friends and learned a lot about the brewing process and better understand all beer – both homebrewed and commercial examples. Here’s to my first year as a homebrewer. Cheers guys! Keep up the good work!
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michael reinhardt Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 7:50 am
James,
Like I said, you are ahead of the curve. I’m glad your first year as a homebrewer was a great one. Here’s to many more.
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Can’t wait for the wedding guests to appreciate those brews and all of your hard work! My mouth is literally watering thinking about October 16.
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michael reinhardt Reply:
September 19th, 2011 at 7:51 am
Matt,
Mine is too. I hope they are ready for some great beer.
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