SARAGOSSA SUDS

Are you a beer drinker? Ever thought about making some at home? You'll be surprised at how easy it is to brew your own beer.

In fourteenth century England, ale was commonly brewed from malted barley grains, rolled oats, water and yeast by and for peasants in lieu of the more expensive wines of the elite. By the seventeenth century, hops were boiled into the sweet wort as a preservative and for the thirst-quenching bitter flavor and distinctive floral aromas they yielded. Sealed keg conditioning with "priming" sugar yielded a refreshing light carbonation.

Commercial mass-marketed lager is generally centered on the flavor spectrum, to appeal to the broadest possible market. It is pasteurized to lengthen shelf-life, filtered to improve clarity, then mechanically injected with carbon dioxide gas to put the fizz back in. Sounds like "two steps forward, one step back" to me... These processes sometimes lead to excessive bitterness and mask original natural brewing flavors. If you limit your beer experience to products "centered" for the quaffing masses, you are missing out. I don't always like a new beer style I try, but at least now I can knowledgeably describe why.

You can easily make your own rich, full-bodied beer at home. All you need is an ability to follow directions and a little patience - like, for assembling Christmas toys. It also helps immensely to have a companion who at least doesn't mind the rich aroma of boiling malt and hops, possibly shares your appreciation of the taste of freshly brewed full-bodied ales, and is even willing to help. Um, tell her beer provides the four major food groups: water, grains, hops, and yeast... What could be more "naturale"?

Haiku to homebrewing:

Brew kettle bubbles
Hoppy aires cheer weekend's morn'
Chickens gobble trub

--Rik