I don't know about you, but I'm married to one of those guys who loves any hobby he comes in contact with. Recently he discovered our current obsession, home brewed beer. There were a few things that initially bugged me about this hobby.
First, it's expensive to get started. Not only do you have to buy a kit (which actually averages out to be pretty inexpensive when you look at the cost per beer), but you also have to buy the equipment.
A fermenter, a wort chiller, a big stock pot for boiling the mixture, plus empty bottles. Second, there is no second... I just didn't like the start up cost!
We were able to get around this by partnering up with friends for the first few batches. We would buy some equipment, they would buy others and the guys would all brew the batches together.
It was so helpful, especially since they all had varying levels of experience. Plus, it was a lot of fun to get together and work on a fun project!
A few kits we have tried from http://northernbrewer.com are Tangerine Ravine, Nutbrown Ale, and an Oktoberfest. We are currently making Fruit Bazooka New England IPA. We can't wait to try it! They have all been awesome!
Isn't that your biggest fear? That you will spend time and money on something, only to end up with dozens of bottles you don't enjoy? I wouldn't worry about that... hasn't happened yet, and between us and our friends we have tried so many (that sounds a little bad...)!
If you want to see more photos of the process, check out my instagram account @ninnescah_made. Oftentimes when we brew or bottle, I will do a story or live video to show the steps.
Here are a few of our favorite home brew supplies:
This is our fermenter and we've loved it https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/catalyst-fermentation-system
We prefer to buy bottles with a flip top, like these https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/16-oz-brown-glass-ez-cap-bottles-w-swing-tops We actually prefer the Growler sized bottles, simply because it makes bottling process go faster.
Have you tried home brewed beer? If you have a favorite recipe, I'd love to hear it!
Xoxo,
Meg
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