Stress Brewing (Part 1)

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!