Date 4: Brewing Beer

The note: Hoppy New Year!  I know you've wanted to try to brew your own beer for some time now, so we're off to shop for homebrew supplies.  SHMILY!

The envelope:  In addition to the note, a gift certificate to Grape & Grains and a printed out issue of Zymurgy (the journal of the American Homebrewers Association). [Note: when you sign up to receive the American Homebrewers Association e-newsletter, they provide a link to a free download of Zymurgy]

Spencer: This was definitely a fun one!  The original plan was to go to purchase the equipment and then look up how to do the brewing itself in books and online.  But when Amy started to look at the company, we discovered that they have 2 classes on brewing beer (as well as a class on making wine): an extracts class and a grains class.  So we decided to take the classes first.  At first, we were supposed to be in an extracts class with other people, but the other part of the group had to change their date, so it ended up being just the two of us.  The couple that owns Grape & Grains is very nice and knowledgeable.  We learned about wort, gravity, extracts, equipment, and more!  Essentially, he took us to the back room, where they had some burners and things set up, took out a brewing kit (the hardware), and chose a holiday brew kit (the ingredients).  It had everything in it and even instructions on how to brew.  It was rather easy, and during the downtimes we got to talk with the owners, even try out some amazing home-made wine!  Afterwards, we learned how to experiment with different things in the brew, such as adding certain unique ingredients.  The beer was put in a fermenter and set aside, where it still waits to become full-fledged beer.  When it is done, we will get to try out our little libation and have a chance to purchase some brewing equipment for ourselves!  There is another class later where we learn how to make the extracts that we used from actual grains.  Can't wait!

Amy: I thought this was a really great date, especially since it wound up being a personal class.  I always thought of brewing beer as this big, complicated thing that was really easy to mess up.  Maybe that's because of the "Chemistry of Brewing" lectures I've attended.  But I digress.  Brewing beer is not hard at all, it just takes some time.  I only wish we had remembered our camera!  


If you're in the upstate of South Carolina, make sure to check out Grape & Grains.  We want to make sure this unique business stays in business!