Homebrew: An Explaination

A lot of what I say on the air is just for fun.  Well, ok, I'm lying. SOME of what I say on the air is just for fun, and it rides the line between what I'm about and what I think will get a reaction.  I'm not racist, but I do operate off of stereotypes, and I think those lines are fairly blurry.  If you really think about it and stop worrying about feeling guilty, you'll come to the same conclusion.

Specifically I'm talking about homebrew, today.  We can discuss my shitty views on race another day (though if one group isn't supposed to win, they shouldn't call it a race ...), today I want to address Homebrew.  I bad mouth homebrew a lot on the show.  Is it for fun?  Profit?  Just to be a dick?  Well, yeah.  And so much more.

If you are really honest with yourself and think back to the last homebrew club meeting or NHC.  Really try to remember how the beer tasted then.  Remove the fact that you or your friends made it, or that you have any ties to the hobby at all.  Would you buy that beer? 90% of the time the answer is "No", but a "No" said through a rising column of bile deep in your throat.

Ok, stop being offended and let me explain.  Just because something is bad does not mean it is without merit.  I like homebrewing, and I do it often.  I think the hobby is a good one and it promotes learning about biology and science and all that stuff.  Even if the product can be ... less than stellar.

I just tasted two homebrews, sent to me by two homebrewers who listen to the show.  One happened to be a clone of my oatmeal stout.  Both were good beers, with some flaws.  But even with those flaws they were above and beyond most things I have at homebrew gatherings.  Why is that?  I really want to know.  Why do people insist on bringing their contaminated beer to events?  They have a club, does their club just not say anything?  Do they not know?

Drinking these beers made me realize that there is a lot of beer out there, and regardless if it's good or bad, people are trying hard to make things they don't normally see from a commercial brewery.  Whether or not that is a good thing remains to be seen.  But next time you hear me go on about how homebrew sucks, I hope you can cut me some slack, and also realize that I'm probably right.


Update: 
some people are having a hard time understanding my point.  Greg.  And I get that - most times I am just shooting from the hip, without an outline or bullet points or even a clue as to what I'm saying.  Which is why I picked the name I did for this blog.  Most of these posts are just written thoughts. Anyway, I'm not saying homebrewing is bad and you shouldn't do it.  I'm saying that there are shitty homebrews going around the world, and we are afraid to say that.  The beers I had today were pretty ok, but they were trying to get better, and that is the point - improve.  Or not.

Fraiche Hops

I have had hop bines in my backyard for a few years now, but have only used the hops in brewing once.  No reason, just lazy.  This year I decided to at least pick the things off the bines, in hopes that would force me to use them.  As it happens, I was planning on brewing anyway, so for the first time in four years, I have homegrown hops to brew with.

The question is, "What is a good hop and what is a bad hop?".  I have noticed that on my bines, I have cones that are large and many more that are small.  Some are bright green, others are almost parchment-like in color.  Are these bad?  I have no idea, but I think I'd rather dump them, just to be on the safe side.

On the left are the hops I think are best - they are solid green all around, not super wet (damp), and smell like hops.  The ones on the right are papery in color, the leaves are opening, and are small and not really firm.

I went through my pile and pulled the white ones out entirely.  Was this needed?  I have no idea, but it sure made me feel better.  And I think that some of the things we do as homebrewers are simply to make us feel better.  More like commercial brewers.  I mean, now I can relate when I talk to a pro brewer about "hand selecting my hops".  Besides just pulling the packet from the shelf.  

The beer I'm brewing today is the "Hop Grenade" Pale Ale that I made with Rodger Davis over at Triple Rock.  It's a hoppy, West Coast session ale (1.044 SG, 52 IBU's), and I really enjoy it.  I want to add my wet hops to the flavor portion, but the bag they are in is just smelling like pine resin right now, and I'm not sure I need that in my beer.  I just don't know what to do about it. 

In the end I decided to add two ounces with 20 min left in the boil, then another two ounces with 5 min left.  This is in addition to my regular hop schedule.  The way I see it, my homegrown hops have such a small amount of Alpha Acids that it won't really affect my IBU's, it's more for flavor than anything. 

Here are some pics of the fresh hops:

  

I forgot that I don't have a screen in my boil kettle, so I had to fish out the majority of the whole hops before starting my cooling cycle ... DOH!

In the end, the beer came out a few points under, and looking like green soup.  Should be interesting.

PIECE!