the joy of homebrewing | Basicallyred

Hey hey hey, readers!

For quite awhile, I have known that I wanted to homebrew. However, due to space and climate restrictions, I didn’t believe it possible. My impatience in this matter has proven a virtue, leading me to the decision that I wouldn’t care about the rules and would follow the beat of my own drum, starting to homebrew even with the restraints set upon me.

Last week I went onto Amazon and bought Charlie Papazian’s book, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. It arrived yesterday and, on the subway this morning, I learned from Michael Jackson (the beer aficionado, not the singer/songwriter) that Charlie had once dressed up like a blueberry pie. Ironically enough, when I came home from work tonight, Charlie had posted on his facebook page (yes, that’s right, I’m his FRIEND mothatruckas!) a picture of that very same pie costume from the 1970s. This is why I love the beer community- we’re all fun loving geeks with a zest for life and a passion for the experience.

I cannot put Charlie’s book down, and it has me so excited about homebrewing that I have decided to document my experience, hoping that I, too, can inspire that desire for the good ol’ kettle and the pride of sharing your homebrew creations in you, my loyal readers. You, too, can experience the shenanigans along with me- hopefully learning about the process and my mistakes and successes along the way.

And so, tonight begins my long journey on the train track to homebrewership. Fists will fly, cities (of malt) will burn, and beer will be brewed…

Are you prepared?

Tonight, the inaugural night of my travels, included a trip to Midwest Supplies online, where I sought this:

Brewing Starter Kit, courtesy of MidwestSupplies.com

The Brewer’s Starting Kit is their most popular kit and includes all the equipment a girl could need for her first 5 gallon brew! With some help from some homebrewing greats (and friends- you know who you are) I settled on this kit from Midwest because they have a great reputation for good equipment and great customer service. I bought the kit and will sit like a puppy by the door until it comes home to mama.

Now, I will settle into bed, open up The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, and delve into the first chapter of my homebrewing life.

Relax, have a homebrew…