Broaden your beer horizons by brewing it yourself

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - February 3, 2008 -- As I've labored nearly two years to hunt down, consume and review beers (about 70) in hopes of broadening the palates of beer drinkers everywhere, something occurred to me.

All I've done is drink beer.

I realize that's the enviable goal behind a beer column, but it was time to consider a change of pace.  So imagine my delight when someone brought to my attention a class titled "Homebrewing Beer 101."  Now that's a major I can get behind.

Not to Fear.  I already have designs on columns featuring an intriguing sour ale and a Belgian-inspired American brewery.  Heck, someone's even pestering me about trying a Dominican lager.

My journey continues.

Bob Piano's very first batch of home-brewed beer, a honey wheat, taught him a valuable lesson in the art of brewing.

He fermented the wort - the unfermented sweet liquid that comes from mashing grains and boiling hops - at too warm a temperature, and his very first batch blew up on the kitchen counter.

"It plugged an air lock," Piano said.  "When I came home from work, I had wort all over the counter and the cabinets and ceiling."

Bob Piano doesn't want his tale of woe to deter anyone from taking up home brewing, and he hopes a four-week course led by members of the Lehigh Valley Homebrewers demystifies the process.

"It doesn't require a master's degree." he said.

Classes start in March at Northampton Community College's South Side Bethlehem campus, the second such course offered by NCC.

Fourteen students attended September's class, which featured predominately middle-aged guys, a few twenty-somethings and a lone woman, Piano said.  The class - held in a demonstration kitchen - can accommodate 24 students, and NCC said last week that spaces remain.

When Piano, vice president of the Lehigh Valley Homebrewers, says brewing doesn't require an extensive post-graduate education, he's not kidding.

The first class features a "backyard brew" that includes opening a can of syrup extract, mixing it with warm water to assure proper dilution and temperature and - bingo - 30 minutes later, beer.

"The point of the exercise is that while we're discussing beer, we've brewed our first batch," Piano said.  "I don't  recommend you brew like this, but it's just to demonstrate it's not rocket science.  Brewing is pretty easy."

Along with a brief tutorial on beer history, the first class features a discussion on different styles and their qualities and the basics on beer ingredients and the differences ingredients make.

Other classes cover the basics of a starter kit, the common brewing process, bottling and, well, drinking some beer.

"The last night is beer appreciation," Piano said.  "We bring in different styles and show people how to enjoy them."

Did I mention you must be 21 years of age to register?

The two most common rookie mistakes include not properly sanitizing equipment used in the brewing process and not maintaining proper brewing temperature, according to Piano.

"Once you get the basics down, you can pretty much brew anything," he said.  "Some Belgians need some tweaking."

For instance, Piano is working on a recipe from an Oregon brewer, a double bourbon vanilla imperial porter.  Madagascar vanilla bourbon beans are added in the second fermentation, and the beer is infused with a touch of bourbon at bottling.

Piano surmises home brewing is becoming more popular because it's a relatively affordable hobby that allows beer enthusiasts to tweak their favorite beer any way they want.

"It's a lot like cooking," he said "You get a bunch of people together and cook chili and everyone has their own recipe with a different take."

Mike Lessa, president of Lehigh Valley Homebrewers, said the organization is talking about an advanced brewing class in the fall, focusing on all-grain brewing.  They're also considering a one-night beer appreciation seminar.

"OK, you've purchased that expensive case of beer, so how do you serve it?"  Lessa said.

The seminar would cover how to store and serve your beer, proper glassware for your beer and possible food pairings, he said.

Gary Glass, director of the American Homebrewers Association in Boulder, Colo., said it's difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people are brewing in their kitchens.  But he estimates at least 500,000 brewers, based on information from wholesalers and home brew supply shops.

Glass reports an Ohio-based wholesaler that distributes beginner brewing kits has seen a 20 percent jump in sales over the past year.

He argues the growing popularity of home brewing coincides with the growing popularity of craft beers, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. alcohol market.

Craft beer production for the first six months of 2007 jumped 11 percent to 3.77 million barrels over the same period in 2006, and the industry has grown 31 percent over the past three years, according to Glass.

"People are looking for more flavor in their beer," he said.

Glass agrees with Piano's assertion that home brewers enjoy the ability to cater beers to their personal tastes.

"People also want to do things locally," he said.  "As far as I can tell, you can't get any more local than brewing in your home."

A starter kit can cost as little as $60, and $25 to $40 worth of ingredients will brew 5 gallons, or two cases of beer, Glass said.  A home brewer for at least 15 years, he hasn't brewed the same beer twice.

"I haven't even come close to trying all the variety of hops and yeast out there," Glass said.  "I've seen a dramatic change in the 15 years of what ingredients are available and the quality."