This past Saturday I was coming down from a two-week binge of good times, good people, and good beer. It was a day where I had nothing planned, and after running around for most of the holiday season, I found myself perplexed at having a “day off.” So after a solid breakfast and a shower, I read a new novel I’d gotten as a gift – a Kerouac/Burroughs collaboration called And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks.  So far it’s a quality read, easy to get into as that early Beat style is wont to do. But after getting through a sizeable portion of it, I realized I needed something else…  a project, a distraction – something to keep my hands and mind occupied.

And then it hit me square in the face:  homebrewing equipment kit! I’d been so wrapped up in the spirit of giving and partying that I had neglected to purchase the equipment I’d promised myself. A while back, I brewed with a friend at his place seeing as how he had the setup all ready to go. But due to the economic downturn and other things coming up in his life at the beginning of autumn, the brewing has been put on hold ever since so he can focus on other more important matters. Armed with Papazian’s The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, a recipe idea, and some cold, hard cash, I hit the local (closest) homebrew shop in Chester.

It appeared that many homebrewers in the area had wisely stocked up before the holidays, and no shipments had arrived when I showed up Saturday afternoon. Therefore, I had to make a few recipe adjustments. I had intended to brew a Mild, and wanted it to feature Maris Otter malt. Not happenin’. So I settled for a simple light American two-row malt syrup they had available. Furthermore, I needed to substitute Fuggles for Glacier hops, and decided to switch their placement in the boil lineup with East Kent Goldings. What can I say? I was eager to brew and had to work with what they gave me.

After hitting a couple stores to get the necessary peripherals for my setup, I got to work after the sun went down. With a little (American) football on the television, and a couple tasty selections set aside, I began my first solo homebrew. For the most part, the process went rather well, with a few adjustments made on the fly. Being somewhat familiar with partial-grain mashing, I felt fairly comfortable with the whole thing. Later a friend of mine stopped by at an opportune time, and had no choice but to assist me in pouring/aeration of the wort into the fermenter. Chilling took painstakingly long – which might hint at a beginner’s impatience – but I finally got it to a reasonable temperature and pitched the yeast.

I used White Labs WLP023 Burton Ale Yeast on a whim, because it seemed like it will add some apple and honey notes that should complement the hops and the malty sweetness. Plus, I backed off on the amount of Glacier hops used at the end of the boil because I didn’t want the aroma to be too overpowering. I just wanted to add some complexity seeing as how I was already kind of winging it. My hope is that the yeast will round everything out quite nicely.

Around this time yesterday, no fermentation had been happening, and I began to fear that I incorrectly pitched the yeast. Despite hearing the benefits of making a starter, even with liquid yeast, I was in “the zone,” if you will, and wanted to just get this baby rolling. Of course, the package states it takes about five to 15 hours for fermentation to take place, but I began to get concerned. After poking around on the Internet, I discovered that many times it can take longer depending upon the circumstances. Later on I gently heated the fermenter in warm bathwater to raise the temperature slightly, as well as agitating the carboy in hopes it would rouse the yeast.

By the time I woke up this morning, I heard CO2 bubbling away in the jug from the blow-off tube system I constructed. All in all, I’d say the brewing process itself went swimmingly. As for the taste… that remains to be seen.