Mar 13, 2009 8:49 am US/Eastern
Brew Your Own At 'Philly Beer School'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
-
-
Draft beer being drawn into glass, June 12, 1998.
AP
From the brewery to the beer tap, nothing beats an ice-cold brewsky. But, now you can learn to brew your own at the newly created Philly Beer School.
With the help of professional local brewers, students learn about the popular beverage ... from style and taste to color and place of origin.
"What we do is bring out some examples of different styles that demonstrate the flavors of the different ingredients in the beer," said Instructor Dean Browne of Philadelphia Brewing Company.
Through demonstration and group tastings, students learn how to incorporate the style and substance of their favorite local beers into their own home brews.
"If you can wash dishes and you can make tea, you can brew beer like this," said Browne.
If you're up for the challenge, below you will find point by point instructions for home brewing as well as ten tips for home brewers.
The Brewing Process – for a "partial mash" home brew
-
Heat 3 gallons of filtered or spring water to 148 degrees F
-
Steep cracked specialty grains in a fine mesh bag (Crystal Malt, Roasted Barley, Wheat, Rye, etc.) for twenty to thirty minutes
-
Remove specialty grain from the pot
-
Add Malt Extract and bring to a boil
-
Watch for boil overs
-
Add bittering hops and boil for sixty minutes
-
Add flavoring hops as required
-
Add kettle finings in the last 10 muinutes of the boil
-
Turn off the heat and stir the wort (liquid) into a whirl pool
-
Cover the pot and place in a sink full of ice water
-
Sanitize all equipment that will come into contact with your wort from this point on (fermenter, airlock, sample flask thermometer)
-
Once the wort in the pot has cooled to below seventy-five degrees F, pour into the fermenter
-
Add your yeast
-
Close up the fermenter and affix the airlock
-
Allow to ferment to completion (about 5-7 days)
Ten Tips for Home Brewers
-
If you can steep tea, you can brew a partial mash home brew. You'll appreciate the improved quality of the finished beer so don't bother with recipes that only use malt extract.
-
Cleanliness is the most important skill a brewer can possess. Properly sanitize everything the touches your beer after boiling.
-
Always boil your wort for at least 60 minutes – 90 is better.
-
Try not to boil you specialty grains. Removing them from your brew kettle before you start your boil will avoid harsh and undesirable flavors in your beer.
-
Allow you beer to fully ferment before bottling. Adding yeast and sugar back into you beer at bottling time gives you a better level of control over your renewed fermentation and that means fewer exploding bottles and more consistent carbonation in your finished beer.
-
Don't be afraid to experiment with hops and yeast strains. You'll be surprised just how different the flavors are from various hop types and yeast strains.
-
Styles definitions are only good for communication and brewing competitions. Figure out what you like and forget what the style people say. You'll enjoy your beer more.
-
Join a home brew club. Happiness love's company.
-
Drink local beer and visit your local brewery. Don't be afraid to ask a pro-brewer questions – they wouldn't be in the business if they didn't like talking about beer.
-
Be obsessed with point number 2.
PHILLY BEER WEEK 2009 EVENTS:
Complete List of Events
All Events By Date
Sunday, March 15: Philly Real Ale Invitational
Sunday, March 15: Zythos America
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Eagles Cheerleaders Eco-Sexy Calendar
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
Comments