The Chronicles of Brewing, Part Two

Entry #3, Friday, July 13, 2007

"Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor..." (Drowning Pool)

One might think that the ironic timing of tasting a homebrew for the first time on Friday the 13th would not bode well. The good news is I'm still alive and my body did not in fact hit the floor after giving "Mad Man Golden Lager" a try.

Bad news? Well, it's not that my first homebrew is bad per say... it just ain't all that good either. It looks good - cloudy like a Hefe (it still has to go through the clarification stage in the fridge), smells good, and retains a nice head... it's just not very tasty at this point. It has a taste, I think, but of what... not sure. Not any lager I've ever had that's for sure. With any luck - any luck that's not bad given the whole Friday the 13th thing - it might turn out to be drinkable. Only time (five more days to be precise) as they say, will tell.

Fran wanted to give it try and it was better then she was expecting. Coming from a non-beertriot (beer + patriot = beertriot) that says a little somethin' somethin'. At this point I'm pretty impressed with Ole Keggy's ability to bang out brew. I also have to take into account that I did receive this kit some 3 years ago and the contents, while hermetically sealed against the ravaging elements and (to some degree) time... they're still three years old. I've ordered a fresh new Honey Beer Kit for my next project. That might "git-r-done."

One thing I can say thus far - I'm having fun. Remember that old (it played in the late 70's) commercial for Heinz Ketchup that used Carly Simon song's "Anticipation?" Well, that about sums it up for home brewing. There's a feeling that's similar to the one you had as a kid waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. If this next batch o' brew works out, I'm thinking about graduating to a more serious set up. This one from Williams Brewing looks intriguing. I'd like reader input on this, so if anyone has any thoughts, or knows of an even better system (that is simple enough that I won't blow my house up, or cost me an arm and a leg), please let me know!

As I said, five more days until the brew is done done. Five more days of sitting in the fridge chilling and clarifying. Five more days of anticipation. Check back Wednesday night for the results of the final taste test!

Until then, keep this maxim from Dave Barry (the famous humor columnist) in mind: "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."