Brewing for Beginners Part I - Getting Started

Always with me on brew days.

In honor of national “Learn to Homebrew Day,” which takes place on the first Saturday of November each year, I thought I would start a series on home brewing and how easy it is to make great beer at home.  I’ve been brewing at home for years, and with a little bit of preparation, you can make whatever kind of beer you like in your kitchen or in your garage. 

When I got started brewing several years ago, I started with a Basic Home Brewing kit from The Homebrewery in Ozark, Missouri (Map).  Their kits are as good or better than any found online, and the service staff is very knowledgeable and friendly.  Plus, they’re local.  The kit includes almost everything you need to brew your first batch, from boil to bottle, including some very good instructions.  There are only three things missing from the kit that you will need:

1. Bottles – get your friends to save all brown bottles that aren’t twist off for you.  You’ll need just over 2 cases. Make sure that they are very thoroughly rinsed out.  You don’t want to have to try and get out what grows in the bottom of beer bottles. There’s a reason home brewers call it “beercrete.”
2. A heat source – a stove will work, as long as it can boil enough water, but I use an outdoor burner and brew in a garage. Keep in mind if you are boiling on an electric range that it can take a very long time to boil large volumes of water on a stove top, and you may want to get an outdoor burner instead. 
3. A stock pot – to start, you can use anything that will successfully boil 2 to 2.5 gallons, but the larger volume you can boil the better.  Avoid uncoated aluminum if possible.  It can add a slight metallic taste, but enamel pots are just fine, and stainless pots are the best.

The Elusive Drinkable Pumpkin Ales

Before I get started on beer, I just want to say that I love pumpkin pie.  Really.  It’s one of my favorite things about fall.  It might be that I connect pumpkin pie with the holidays and with some joyful memories of my childhood or something.  Or it might just be that I like pumpkin pie.  The mixture of the pumpkin, all the right spices, and a really good, flaky, homemade crust really just makes me feel happy for a while.

Having said that, I must now say this:

I usually don’t like pumpkin ales.  Most of them are too sweet or taste like someone put pumpkin pie and beer in a blender.

Now, understand that being mixed with pumpkin pie is not a bad thing for all things.  The pumpkin pie concrete from Andy’s Frozen Custard tastes for instance – I friggin’ love that thing.  Beer, however, is not frozen custard.

Although I don’t usually like pumpkin ales, I always try them when I see them.  For a long time, I wasn’t too sure why, but if I saw a pumpkin ale on tap at a bar, or if a friend brought a sixer of one to a party, I inevitably want to taste it.  I think I’ve always been waiting for one that I would really like.  Over time, I’ve found a few that were remarkable, and many more which were not. So, I can’t say I don’t like pumpkin ales.  I think I really do like them.  Or, I like the idea of them, anyway. 

Photo from stlhops.com

Pumpkin beers are not solely a product of modern American beer ingenuity.  They’ve been around for a very long time.  Early American settlers used pumpkin as a base for their beer when more traditional ingredients were not readily found.  All of the pumpkin ales you find now are throwbacks to Colonial America. 

Unfortunately, some brewers today make sweet amber ale, throw in some allspice, cloves, and cinnamon, and call it a “Pumpkin Ale.” 

So, in order to avoid the sweetened pumpkin pie in a bottle or the overly spiced amber ale, stick to these pumpkin ales, which are pretty tasty.  Keep in mind these ales are rated only against other pumpkin ales, not all other beers.

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale – Boston Beer Company – 5.7% ABV – Yes, they use real pumpkin, it’s got a patriotic name, and it’s pretty good.  It pours a nice clear amber color and it’s not overdone.  The spices are subdued and the caramel flavor of the malt is present without being overwhelming.  The pumpkin is definitely in the aroma and the flavor, but it’s well balanced by the other flavors.  4 out of 5 pumpkins.

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale – St. Louis Brewery – 8% ABV – A heavy hitter, this beer weighs in at 8% ABV, so be careful, because it’s really easy to drink.  This one’s a bit heavier on the spices, particularly the cinnamon, but it’s balanced by a heavier malt backbone and a bit more pumpkin flavor.  4.5 out of 5 pumpkins.