It may not be coffee, but a good home-brew stout can certainly help with a smile.
I don’t claim to be an expert in home-brewed beer but at the same time have tried my hand a few times with several batches batches. The latest I’m enjoying as I type this out is a Hazy IPA “Tropical Haze”. A rich amber color and subtle tropical aroma and tasting notes and ringing in at a medium 6.5% ABV makes this an excellent afternoon or dinner treat.
While IPA for many brings to mind mental images of sucking on a pine cone it isn’t the only variety out there. I’ve made home-brew batches of Pale Ale, Wheat Beer, and even what turned into an “Imperial Mead Stout” (more on that in another post). While home brewing may not be for everyone it certainly doesn’t have to be a scary ordeal looking for danger every step of the way. I explain home brewing as a hobby that it has two time consuming days in the process with some waiting in between: brew day and bottling day. For a 5 gallon batch the time consuming parts of the process goes something like this:
Brew Day: (about 4 hours)
- Heat about 4 gallons of water (usually around 165F)
- Soak some of the ingredients (grains) for about 30 minutes
- Heat the 4 gallons up to a low boil and keep going for about an hour
- Cool it down as quick as you can (ice bath)
- Transfer it into a brew bucket with airlock
Bottling Day: (about 4 hours)
- Wash and sanitize all the bottles you are going to use (around 40 bottles, depending on the size of bottles)
- Mix in priming sugar (Don’t be like me, I’ve made the mistake of not mixing, then you have to go back and do it again.)
- Fill bottles and seal with a cap.
While there are two days that do have about 4 hours each of time commitment a good thing about home brewing as a hobby is the time between these busy days is, in my experience, not that critical (as long at the fermentation has finished – usually 1-2 weeks). I’ve had brews where I ended up having to stretch it out 4-5 weeks since “life happens”. I’m sure there will be more on the topic of home brew in the future but I had to get some thoughts down while I sip down the last of this IPA.