This is quite literally the beginning of the end, dear readers; it’s the first issue of the Brew Man Group’s final term at Waterloo (…we hope). With few chances left to prove our superiority in the world of beer, we decided it was time to show that not only do we research and taste beers like f**kin’ champs, we make it too. Yes, the Brew Man Group does, in fact, brew. In this issue we’ll be discussing the various categories of homebrewing, our own procedures, the lessons learned, and then we shall critique our own brews.
This last part might be somewhat painful, like telling your own son he’s an ugly, unloved, catastrophic failure of a human being that would have better served the world as nothing more than a stain on his father’s underwear. Yes, we have made beer that bad. But not for a while. Read on to see how you might avoid such a creation.
Dan: The degree to which one takes homebrewing into their own hand can be compared to making pancakes. First there are brewing kits from companies like Cooper’s and Brew Canada. This is basically like a box of ‘just add water’ pancake mix. All the thought and most of the work has been done for you. Not too hard, but it’s somewhat disheartening to think that even if you do this perfectly, the best you’re going to get is a Rickard’s Red clone. Next there’s ‘extract’ brewing, which is like buying a box of dry pancake ingredients from the store, but you still need to handle milk, eggs, and oil. The quality of beer you can brew is stepped up significantly and you’re free to make adjustments depending on your tastes. Lastly, there’s ‘all-grain’ brewing, which is like making your own pancake batter from scratch… except you need to ground the wheat into flour first.
Our first attempt at brewing took place in the fall of 2008 and used a Brew Canada red ale kit. With only minor accidents along the way (one boil-over and a few spills), we expected to produce a beer that was at least drinkable. Instead, we got vinegar. This flavour comes from acetic acid, a by-product of fermentation when airborne yeasts or bacteria infect the beer. Disillusioned, we gave up on brewing for over a year, opting instead to drink fancy beers and write about them publicly like the pompous D-bags we are.
Neil: Oi! Oi! My job here is to make you all aware of the brewing process and equipment as concisely as possible. Let’s start with the process itself, which most people are unaware of despite the “brewery tour” offered by Brick. We all know you just went for the beer-fest!
The first step is to purchase, measure, and grind malted grain to release the starch granules. The residual husks and innards are then stewed in hot water (a process called mashing) between 63-70C to convert the starches to fermentable sugars. For those saavy in biochemistry, these are the saccharification enzymes alpha and beta amylase at work. From there, we transfer to a kettle and boil the now sweet solution (called wort) for at least an hour, which serves to both drop-out insoluble enzymes and proteins, and sterilize the solution. Additionally, we add hops during this time for bitterness, taste and preservation.
After cooling down the wort to about 20C, a healthy temperature for yeast, we transfer to a fermentation vessel (plastic or glass) and pitch the aforementioned yeast. Long story short, the yeast go to work converting the sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide, and in two weeks you’ll have a drinkable, albeit flat beer. To carbonate, you bottle with a little extra table sugar and leave it to age for another (very painful) two weeks. Usually, the final result is delicious if Dan isn’t the brewer.
On a side note, I decided to construct an “all-grain” setup, which involves significant capital and space to store the equipment. If you’re on a budget, you can also make an all-grain setup using very simple and cheap components. For time’s sake I cannot divulge further, but check out homebrewtalk.com or email me if you’re interested. Alternatively, extract or kits are a good way to get started and try brewing out. Without further adieu, let’s tear apart our own brews.
Dan: Belgian IPA – For those unaware of the style, a Belgian IPA is a relatively recent development, combining the spicy and fruity character of Belgian yeast with hopping typical of American IPAs. Ours sits at about 8.5% ABV and uses both European and American hops. An aggressive pour reveals an alluring golden orange body with a dense white head. Aroma of lemon citrus, peppery spice, and light tropical fruit (…no braggin’, but this is exactly what we aimed for.) The taste begins with citrus and floral hops with some sweet fruit, though this leads into a brief medicinal flavour. While the mouthfeel is a bit thin, the aftertaste has a nice combination of spice and bitterness. Despite its flaws, this is quite a tasty beer. [3.5/5]
Neil: Saison – The French/Belgian Saison are complex ales that can be legitimately spiced without compromising the style. Our (ambitious) home-brewed version was chosen to incorporate ginger, cardamom and black pepper with a fruity Belgian yeast (an odd combination, we know). The result after aging a significant time was a clear, warm-auburn beauty of an ale (at least in appearance). The nose strongly reflects ginger and cardamom, which subsequently follows through in the flavour. Sadly though, we suspect that a little acetic bacteria got a hold of this beer, but it’s disputable as the typical signs of infection are not showing. Nonetheless, it’s still drinkable, especially during parties and when it doesn’t matter too much (Warning: Get drunk with us, and you WILL drink our aceti-saison!). [2.5/5]
Dan: Belgian Quad – Quad(rupel)s are rich, malty beers inspired by the strongest dark brews from Trappist monasteries in Belgium. Ours, finishing off at 9% ABV, pours a surprisingly clear, ruby-tinged dark brown with a light frothy head. The nose is a complex mix of raisins, caramel, and fruity wine. That might be because we had to use wine yeast to get our alcohol levels up… It’s immediately evident after the first sip that the beer is far too sweet (not enough sugars were converted to alcohol), but the intense caramel sweetness combined with cherry and touch of wine flavour make for a unique and drinkable ale.[3/5]
Neil: Stout – Glorious days were upon us when we caught the first sip of our imperial stout. A viscous jet-black liquid with a tan brown head is evident on the first pour. The aroma and taste is reminiscent of milk chocolate, espresso and a slight showing of cherry, with a full-bodied mouthfeel. Over time, this brew continued to carbonate slowly, resulting in a slight stinging sensation, but this was easily solved by popping the bottle and quickly resealing. Actually this brew won a gold medal in stout and porter, and a silver in best of show for a home brewing competition. So at least you know we’re not spitting out BS (Neil gives himself a pat on the back, and none for Dan!) So, get out there and homebrew! There’s a good chance it will turn out better than most in the Beer Store![4/5]
Props to hops // Dan and Neil
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