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March 9th, 2011Home BrewThe punk ethic of doing it yourself is something that’s long struck a chord with me. I may have only been born just as the lights were going out on The Clash’s reign as the best band for a generation, but the inspiration they – and the other players in the punk movement – gave people at the time seems just as relevant to me today as it ever did. The spirit of giving it a go, on a shoe-string budget, with very little knowledge, skill or training, fuelled purely by passion, is right up my street.
That’s why I decided to learn to play the guitar (twice) and form a band. The lack of any skill or patience on my part, however, put paid to this very quickly and left me with a couple of rather expensive ornaments in the shape of an amp and a guitar, tucked away in my loft. Around the same time as my musical failings I was also made redundant and started to work a few shifts at a pub, which reignited a forgotten interest I had in beer.
Within a few months I’d given up on trying to find another job in the publishing industry and was content with pulling pints and learning about beer. This is where my interest in the “do it yourself” approach to things kicked back in (except actual DIY, which I hate) and I decided that I wanted to make my own beer.
Transferring boiled wort to the fermentation bin, ready for it to be chilled and then the yeast added.
My knowledge on how to make beer was very basic, so I set about reading a book, which is something I don’t do all that often. The book in question was Brew Your Own British Real Ale by a guy called Graham Wheeler. It describes everything from what kit you’ll need, the processes involved in making beer and what effects the different ingredients have on the taste of a beer. It’s a great starting point if you’re not 100% sure of what’s involved. For a more in-depth look into the world of home-brewing, I’d also recommend you seek out a copy of Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher (yes, that is his real name.) This book is a brewing bible and covers every aspect of brewing in incredible detail, as well as looking at the science involved in making your own beer.
Briefly, the entry level to making your own beer is by using a kit, Read the rest of this entry »
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