Like Making Soup

Today I visited with Roger of Modern Homebrew Emporium, a brew supply store in Cambridge MA, to learn more about what ingredients are needed to make a brew of my own at home.

I have only made home brew beer from kits like “Coopers,” and was curious to see how I might concoct a brew of my own with the raw materials. Roger assured me that brewing beer is simple and fun, and is much like making soup. According to Roger, you take the four basic ingredients: barley, yeast, hops and water, and if you can follow a recipe, you can brew a beer.

Roger has been brewing beer for years and loves to brew for the season. Today we sampled a smooth chocolate porter, brewed up by one of the Emporium’s employees. Good stuff!

The beer was dark in color, like coffee, and had a light head. Unlike some major stouts, this brew was smooth and not at all bitter. Of course Randy, the brewer of the beer we sampled, said he is trying to perfect the recipe, and is experimenting with adding the ingredients at different stages of the process. Even though we liked it, he said he’s not there yet with what his vision of the perfect chocolate porter should taste like.

In addition to selling all kinds of beer-making ingredients and supplies, the shop also has cheese-making and wine kits. For any brew novice, there is a wide selection of books and kits to get started, in addition to the raw ingredients for a brew master to concoct the next great American beer.

An audio slide show of the ingredients that make a great brew will be available when I launch my site in a few weeks.

Until then, sit back, relax, have a homebrew, and Cheers!