This Precious Life

Over the weekend, I had the chance to visit the home of Derrick of 175proof.com Well, I won’t tell you about the style of clothes in his wardrobe or the genre of books he read even though those are rather discussion topics. Let me tell you instead about the beer he brewed, and taught us how to brew!

When you sip beer, there are lots of tastes you can distinct such as “Voluptuous”, “Toffee” and “Phenylethanol” which means Aromas of a Rose-like nature. Since I am not a beer expert, I was only able to discern… “Tasty”. Yes, home-brewed beer is definitely more flavorful than a Heineken.

I’ve become fascinated to learn how to brew beer. I’m a pretty big on D-I-Y chick. To start, you will need a great-grandfather who had the vision to buy a 3 acre land in Copenhagen to build a sparkling copper brewery back in 1886.

Just kidding! Beer brewing is not that out of reach. All you need to brew your own beer can be fitted into a 50cm X 35cm X 43cm box kit.

Here’s how home-brewers make them good

1. Pour this ready-made concoction into a plastic white barrel

2. Pour in 1kg of malt sugar

3. Stick a $2.50 adhesive thermometer onto the barrel’s wall

4. Pour in water until it reaches the 23 Liter mark on the barrel. You will need to ensure the temperature of the water is between 21 – 27°C at all times, so you’ll need to use some hot water and some cold water to regulate them while keeping a very close eye on the thermometer.

5. Pour in yeast and stir with a wooden spoon

6. Cover the barrel with a lid and screw an Airlock onto the lid

7. The Airlock is the device you’ll be staring at, mesmerized, day and night for the next two weeks. You’ll be watching air bubbles rising into it which is a sign that the fermentation is happily progressing. It’s the most exciting bubbles you’ll ever see.

8. Meanwhile, you will need to baby the barrel to ensure it doesn’t catch a cold or a fever. Its temperature must never fluctuate outside of 21 – 27°C. You’ll need to get creative e.g. wrap the barrel in a wet towel, etc

9. When the bubbles are no longer rising, you can finally open the lid, not just to peek at the mysterious liquid but to pour out and drink. The easiest way to pour out the beer would be to ensure your barrel has a tap on its wall. Before you begin beer brewing, just drill a 1-inch hole onto the lower side of the barrel and screw in a plastic tap.

10. Now that the beer is ready, turn on the tap. You’ll have cool, fresh, home-brewed beer flowing out like a clear stream at sunset in the Sahara desert. You’ll be desperate for a sip.

11. Host a party to celebrate the success with family and friends, or just pop the beer into the fridge. It should last a good three months in there.

Now you know how to brew beer, hurrah! As for the sheer enjoyment of beer, I’ll leave you to be educated by 175proof.com and SingBrewer who are the true masters of beer. Have fun!