New to Brewing and Still Learning | Ladies of Craft Beer

Posted By: Michelle

The goddess at work...

RELAX, IT?S A HOME BREW.

I have been brewing for just over two years. I was all excited when I got the idea to start making my own beer. I make a lot of my own food-stuff and am proud to be able to feed myself with very few processed items. I also live in the country and must be ready to be self-contained at any given moment, be it weather related limitations or laziness or lack of transportation or whatever.

Over time, I though about it and decided to take my love of beer to the next level. I mean, the other things I make at home are better than the store, so why not beer? But, then I got really scared! I started looking at books and web sites and home brew magazines. I started reading all about the gravity and the measuring and the science and the complexities of yeast and the equipment. I got pretty frightened and intimidated; so much so that I nearly gave up. Nearly?.

RELAX, IT?S A HOME BREW.

Then I got a pretty decent home brew kit for Christmas from my husband. The kit had everything I needed to get started, even the ingredients and first recipe. To the credit of my local home brew store, this was no ?Mr. Beer? set up; this was glass carboys and shiny tubes and fermentation locks and explicit directions. All I needed to take the plunge and make that first beer.

Onward I marched. I made my first batch a few weeks later. To this day, I am not sure what sort of beer it was. Just a regular beer, I suppose. Anyway, that first batch went pretty well overall and was most palatable. But, I did have to call the home brew store a couple of times for a quick consultation. The red bottom of the wine thief fell off into the carboy during fermentation. Crisis!!! AHHHH! If only for a 24 hour help line!! I was so worried after all I had read about contamination that I was sure this was the end of the batch and the only thing I would feed is my septic tank.

RELAX, IT?S A HOME BREW.

Then, the temperatures started to fall in the basement where I had planned to ferment. Again, I was on the phone with my home brew store. Did I kill the yeast? Will my beer survive? Oh, help, beer Goddesses! What was I to do now that the beer was not following the recipe on print? I continued on and muddled through that first batch.

RELAX, IT?S A HOME BREW.

I never really knew what that phrase meant until, oh, about 18 months into brewing. I have brewed nearly two dozen batches so far and, knock on wood and pray to all that is beer related, I have not thrown a batch yet. I understand that, though we start out with the best of intentions and meaning to stay true to the directions, there are times when it does not matter. I have learned to relax a bit.

I have also met and talked to lots of other home brewers. They, too, have had their mishaps and mess ups and not-true-to-form experiences. Their beer, most of the time, has been just fine. Just like the diverse nature of humans, the home brew community brews in diverse ways. This includes a lack of good record keeping, or no notes at all, varied fermentation temperatures, hops that were just on hand and not those recommended, sugar additions and grain modifications. And guess what? The beer LIVED! Much of the time, the brew was drinkable and acceptable. Perhaps not award worthy, or spectacular, or marketable on a grand scale, but just fine for the home brew crowd and even better for the ?average? Joe who knows no better.

RELAX, IT?S A HOME BREW.

Boiling a brew!

It took me over a year of strict adherence to the directions to be brave enough to experiment. I was not interested in throwing away the time, money or effort in a bad batch of beer. I wanted to make sure whatever creation I came up with was not only drinkable, but noteworthy and perhaps a topic of discussion at home brew club night. I began to experiment, even if only slightly. So far, so good!

To date, I have brewed with herbal tea, real fresh fruit, various spices, dried fruit, and lavender. I have added these items to the boil, first, and second fermentation. Additionally, my fermentation temperatures have been all over the map, with up to 10 degree variations. I have boiled perhaps a bit too long, or perhaps a bit too hot, and have taken anywhere from minutes to hours to cool the precious wort. I have kicked my spouse completely out of the process, unless I need some requested help or muscle. That way, I figure that if a batch goes bad I will leave no room for blame on anyone but me.

Mind you, I never, ever, never, ever, never skimp on sanitation and cleaning and have a routine I stick to religiously. But, I have learned to relax a little when it comes to the recipe, directions or outline of the beer itself. I have not yet acquired the equipment or wherewithal to transition to all grain and I continue to be a partial mash brewer. I still use hop pellets and yeast packets, which leaves me plenty of room yet to grow and learn and expand.

RELAX, IT?S A HOME BREW.

There are times I get a bit of flack from my home brew brethren because I still use the packets and pellets, but they, too, are forgiving and realize they can be my mentors and guides into the next phase of my brewing life. I brew in my kitchen and ferment in the basement, most of the time. There are occasions when the basement gets a bit too cold and I turn the office into the fermentation room with it?s own heater. It sure helps that there are no kids at my house and the cat does not mind too much when one room becomes closed off.

Overall, I am having a blast and am told that I make good beer. I also have really enjoyed the new community I am a part of. I find a lot of support and much to learn. I find my fellow brewers more than willing to lend an ear or guidance and, hopefully soon, I will observe and learn more about all grain brewing first hand.

I also find that women approach brewing differently than men, which in and of itself, only adds to the diversity of the hobby. My brew set up has not grown, but my bravery and knowledge and support community has. Fortunately, too, my beer continues to disappear and nothing but positive comments follow.

I still think of myself as a new brewer and have nothing by high regard for those who have blazed the trail of knowledge and experimentation and creativity before me. I strive to be a welcome addition to the field as I continue to learn and experiment in my own right.

Hooray for those who dare brew and kudos to the others who take the time to help the rest of us along.

RELAX, IT?S A HOME BREW.

Words I understand and can now live by.

Cheers!

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