Brewing Areas for the Home Beer Brewer

The evolution of the home beer brewer begins with the starter kit. Then, it grows. How far it grows is up to the beer enthusiast. But, there is literally no limit.

I have seen amateurs stay amateurs and are happy with their brew every once in awhile. I have watched beer enthusiasts turn their part time garage brew into a brewing industry shipping cases out nationwide. So, it really is up to you how far you can go. But when you are ready to expand, there are some interesting options to explore.

The Garage

It’s obvious that the garage is the natural next step from the kitchen when you are ready to expand. It can be setup fairly inexpensively. You need a heating unit so that you can bring batches to a boil. You’ll also need a cooling unit where you can let the brew ferment for weeks. Other than that, you can use a brewing starter kit and add to it as you go.

An Extension

There will be a day when you will want to take your home brewing to another level. That’s when it’s time to add an extension to the house. It’s best if it’s just off the patio. That way, if you do it right, you’ll have quick access to your brew when you have company and you take it outside.

A perfect extension could have an entrance from the house and another door that leads to the patio. You would have a sink, stove, cooling unit, cabinet space and counter tops for the entire brewing process. But, I have seen some interesting twists to this idea.

One particularly interesting home brew extension had a bar at one end with a flat screen television and a urinal. That’s right! There was a urinal with a separator for a little privacy. I thought it was a great idea because you don’t have to go anywhere on a particularly heavy drinking evening.

The Shed

This has a ring to it that takes you back a few years, to the turn of the century when people were forced to make their beer at home because of the Prohibition. But, there have been some upgrades since then. You can even have a porch if you want and you can make it as classy as you can imagine.

The shed is a bit more complex than the extension. You can run water and electric from the house when you build an extension. But, you’d have to run lines to the shed for water and electric. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same.

Give yourself enough room for a home bar in your home brewing shed and you’ve got the complete setup that rocks. With a porch, you can run a beer tap through the wall and pour your glass while on the porch. There are so many ways you can go with it that you can have the most unique home brewing environment ever.

I once knew a beer enthusiast who started brewing in his kitchen, moved to the garage and then built an extension on his home. He now has a warehouse beside the huge brewery he built. It started when he offered his beer to his favorite bar. Then, patrons of other bars started requesting his brew. Before long he was supplying every pub in town and it just grew from there. Have fun or go all out, either way it’s in your blood.

The Perfect Christmas Blend Beer

During Christmas, there will be eggnog and sugar cookies, gingerbread and pumpkin pie. But, what about beer enthusiasts? Do we have a beer that we can introduce this time of year? We absolutely do! I know of several and you can brew them yourself.

Traditional Flavors

First of all, you can explore your brewing skills and come up with brews yourself. Just think of the different tastes that make this time of year special. Ground nutmeg is a good ingredient to add to your beer. So is ground cinnamon.

Grain

Caramel malt makes a particularly good grain. So, does chocolate malt and roasted barley. Can’t you taste these ingredients already in your beer? They make a wonderful blend and you can mix and match. If you chose different ingredients for different beers, you would be able to offer your family and friends a selection of Christmas beers that they can enjoy.

Extracts

For extracts, try Amber. It’s almost irreplaceable when it comes to creating the perfect beer for the season. But, there are others that you can try as well. Light, Extra Light and Pale are all different extracts that you can mix and match as you see fit.

Additional Flavors

But, the ingredients that are really going to bring your Christmas beer home are the ingredients you might not normally see in beer or you might not normally think would make great beer ingredients. Honey is a wonderful flavor that jumps up at me first. When I think of a Christmas beer, I normally think to add honey.

Cherry syrup is another powerful ingredient that can put a smile on anyone’s face. Honey and cherry can go together or you can just do cherry alone. Irish Moss, almond extract and ginger are other flavors that can make your beer special. But, don’t stop there. Think about an orange peel and some vanilla too. It’s all good. I don’t suggest using them all in the same brew. But, you can definitely make some interesting blends when you mix and match your recipes.

All the flavors of the season can be brought into your brew for a special beer your family and friends will love. You normally need a good twenty days to a month to age. So if you didn’t make it for Christmas, don’t worry. Your brew makes for great winter time beers and there’s plenty of that left.

Drink Responsibly

It’s a terrible fact that this time of year brings about so many more deaths. Studies show that there are more deaths caused by drinking and driving than any other time of year. But, that’s not the only problem with forgetting to drink responsibly. The festivities are supposed to be a fun time for everyone. But, how many of you have heard the stories of the intoxicated uncle who ruined Christmas? Maybe many of you have an uncle like that and know exactly what I’m saying. A few beers is a good time. But, a few beers too much can lead to problems. Problems that you might not be able to take back after the holidays. So, try to have a good time without ruining it for yourself or anyone else. Drink Milk If you haven’t heard it before, drinking milk is a great way to coat your stomach before having a few beers. It will absorb the beer and take you longer to get intoxicated. You can also eat before you go somewhere to drink. But, milk is the best remedy. Limit Drinks If there’s one advantage to limiting drinks, it might be how much money you spend. But if you have been invited over to family or friends and the drinks are on the house, then enjoy a few. But, don’t drink to get intoxicated. You can have a few drinks without having too many. If you can’t stop yourself from drinking, you might have a problem. Of course, beer can lower your inhibitions and the more you drink, the more you want to drink. One or two times does not establish a pattern. But if this is a normal occurrence, you might want to get some help. Don’t Drink and Drive This is advice you can use all year around. I’m sure you’ve heard of using a designated driver when you are going out to have a few drinks. It’s a rock solid plan. Other solutions include making plans to stay where you are doing your drinking. I’ve been invited to family and friends and they already had my room ready for me when I arrived. A party can have a group of drivers who are responsible for taking everyone home. They can even pick people up if you want to save from parking problems. It’s not a plan many people use. But, I’d like to see more of it. The next time you throw a party, see if there are a few volunteers who would be willing to come and pick everyone up at the end of the evening. Drinking helps us all enjoy a good time. It’s just about everywhere we go. It’s at our baseball games and pizza parlors, tailgates and barbecues. So the sooner we learn to enjoy without causing problems, the better time we will have.