Most people need
a stress reliever. Some relieve stress through exercise, some through baking,
and yet others through drinking. I discourage everyone from simultaneously
employing all three of these techniques. (Although I would pay money to see this)Not
surprisingly I relieve stress by both drinking and brewing beer. (Hence the
name of the blog). Since the inception of my world class blog I have focused on
drinking beer. I believe it is now finally time for a post about my brewing
exploits.
In late September
it finally arrived. I opened the boxes with baited breath, my heart racing as I
tore away the packing paper franticly searching for that irreplaceable meaning
of life……my brew pot. Moving halfway around the world is uber stressful, and I
desperately needed some stress relief.
My Kitchen Stove |
The kitchen stove
is the key to my homebrewing as I am a partial mash brewer. Partial mash
brewers, unlike most craft beer breweries, use approximately 20 percent malted
and milled grain. The remainder of the malt comes in the form of liquid or dry
malt extract. As many of you probably know traditional German appliances differ
from standard U.S. appliances. The stove in my new home is no exception. An
older German glass-top electric stove roughly half the size of a standard American
stove. I definitely need to test this new tool.
I anxiously fill
my brew pot with a gallon of water and place it on the largest of the four
burners as I go about unpacking less essential items, clothes, shoes etc.
Suddenly, I hear it, subtle at first, then increasing in intensity. Is it a
train, or possibly a helicopter? I race down the stairs and in to the kitchen,
a pair of underwear in hand, to find something right out of the Exorcist. My
brew pot was shaking violently, threatening to leap off of the stove. I quickly
remove it from the stove, using the underwear as a pot holder. (Safety first) I
am overcome with a feeling of sadness and dismay. As a tear trickles down my
cheek I know the worst has happened. My brew pot is too wide for the burners,
the uneven heating causing the pot to vibrate uncontrollably. Is this the end
of my brewing career?
Every cloud has a
silver lining. In my case it’s a stainless steel silver. It’s obvious the
kitchen stove is no longer of use to me and it’s time to upgrade my aging
equipment (Brewing Equipment). Over the
next several weeks I search online for an economical solution. Halloween passes and Thanksgiving is rapidly
approaching. My stress level is off the charts. My best friend in the UK is
visiting brew shops left and right and sends me a package of fresh UK hops. I
start twitching as the urge reaches unbearable levels. I feel like I may
explode. I NEED to BREW! Then it happens. While wandering through a local store
my wife finds a cheap alternative. A turkey fryer, including a seven gallon pot
and a GAS burner! Let the brewing begin!!!!!!!
My New Turkey Fryer |
Tune in next time
for the continuing saga that is my first homebrewing experience in Germany.
Prost!
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