With all sorts of extra time on your hands during Gainesville's offseason and a serious prerogative to stay indoors, why not try your hand at some new hobbies? How about making your own alcohol? Part chemistry, part cooking, part art and part drinking, home brewing is a great way to pass those extra hours of summer daylight.
My passion for brewing started with winemaking last summer. Since then, carrots, strawberries, apples, blueberries and honey are only some of the ingredients to fall prey to my hobby. Regrettably, wine must age before drinking it, and although I have several dozen bottles of homemade booze in my kitchen cabinet, I'm still playing the waiting game. Bowing to my impatience, I turned to beer, which can be ready to drink in as little as a month.
First, let me dispel any misconceptions you may have: Brewing is as easy as following instructions. Add certain ingredients to a big pot at the appropriate time and then transfer to different containers according to a schedule. A few weeks later, you call your friends and drink the beer. If you can do that, you can brew.
The first step in making delicious homemade alcohol is buying a brew kit. Although it's possible to brew using no specialized equipment, you should learn to rely on skill, tools and measurement rather than luck. Hoggetowne Ale Works is Gainesville's only brewing supply store, and it has everything you need to get started. Brewing kits start at just $69, a very student-friendly price. And if you take care of it, the equipment will last forever. Case in point: I use my dad's kit he purchased more than 30 years ago.
Once you have your kit, the ingredients to make a batch of beer - five gallons - will cost between $25 and $50. It sounds like a lot, but beyond your start-up costs that's well under $1 per 12-ounce beer, and unless you make some very poor decisions your beer will taste a lot better than the cheap stuff you might find in a keg.
For your first recipe you'll use malt extract and fermentable sugars already removed from the grain. Think of it as buying a can of corn instead of chopping the kernels off a cob - it saves a lot of time and gets you consistent results.
Once you're comfortable with the general process and familiar with the nuances of your equipment, you can integrate actual grains and other ingredients into your recipes. This makes brewing more difficult but allows for unlimited creativity and customization.
Along with brewing kits, Hoggetowne Ale Works offers hops, grains, recipes, specialty ingredients, winemaking supplies and, most importantly, expert advice. Everyone who works at Hoggetown is a brewer and works hard to make your life easier, offering consultation and troubleshooting through every stage of your brewing projects.
"Customer service is our biggest thing," says Chris Cook, one of Hoggetowne's brewing advisers. "We really want you to make good beer."
Still not convinced? Stop by Hoggetown Ale Works, 3454 W University Ave., or call 352-367-4455 for more information.
