SCHNEIDEREIT: That way lay dragons: the dangers of in-store wine brewing

Wine kits look fairly benign, I’ll give you that. Unless properly trained, like the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation’s crack U-VINT SWAT team, average folks just can’t see the potential dangers in these shiny bags of grape extract and packets of yeast.

Sold into the wrong hands — say to an elderly person who can’t physically manage a carboy, for example — these kits could lead to social disintegration and government insolvency, at the very least. In the glittering halls of NSLC headquarters, rumour has it, occasional furtive whispers even warn that in-store wine brewing could be a harbinger of Armageddon itself.

Some might say that it’s a wonder, given the stakes, that Nova Scotia allows the sale of wine-making kits at all. But that’s nothing but backwards thinking from a bygone era. Nova Scotia left behind its parochial ways long, long ago, or at least ever since the advent of Sunday shopping.

Wine kits are perfectly safe and pose absolutely no threat to society or the province’s treasury as long as they’re removed from the store, once purchased, and assembled elsewhere, such as at home, the cottage, in an apartment, even in a garage, storage shed or tent, as long as it’s privately owned.

Take it away, make it and drink it, as they say at the Corp. (The “make it” part was added to the saying later, I’m told, to account for home brewing.)

Sigh. If only Eve — or, in some versions of the story, Adam — had left the apple alone, eh?

I guess, being human, we just don’t understand how good we’ve got it under the thumbs of the lords of alcohol in Nova Scotia, the NSLC. How else to explain that despite our political masters granting Nova Scotians the privilege to home brew (again, THANK YOU for that), certain entrepreneurs have taken it upon themselves to cater to a perceived market demand for in-store brewing?

Yes, some people don’t have room at home to set up wine kits. Others, like the elderly or people with physical limitations, find it darn near impossible to manhandle carboys or do other steps required to make wine at home. As a politician once said to a critic: “So?” Those selfish reasons pale in comparison to the threats posed to society if those purchased wine kits do NOT leave a store’s premises.

Even though these kits are assembled in the very same way, ferment for the very same time and produce the very same product as they would at home, the NSLC, NDP and law tell us that producing that wine in a store makes it wrong. Our government’s attitude seems to be that if the public doesn’t agree, that’s just noise.

Former finance minister Graham Steele apparently once wrote one transgressor that U-vint operations could substantially reduce NSLC wine sales and so cost the government significant amounts of money. One’s heart immediately goes out to places like Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and P.E.I., then, where U-vints are legal and thriving, but those governments’ treasuries must be struggling mightily as a result.

As for NSLC, volumes of all major categories of alcohol sold, save wine, are in decline. Last year’s NSLC annual report, when not patting itself on the back for its bold strategic transformation from “place to shop” to “personal experience,” tells us that older folks — of which Nova Scotia has more and more — like wine.

Clearly we can’t be helping the elderly avoid buying their wine at NSLC, hence keeping their money out of our government’s clutches, now can we?

Attorney General Ross Landry reportedly once warned that in-store brewing could lead to binge drinking. Others in government have pointed to the social harm potentially caused by the availability of low-cost wine from kits. That they provided no evidence that linked U-vint stores to such societal ills, or explained why the same kits brewed at home don’t carry such dangers, is immaterial. As Finance Minister Maureen MacDonald put it, she doesn’t KNOW why things are different here than in other provinces; they just are.

So obey the law.

(pauls@herald.ca)

Home brewing in the new year

Home brewing in the new year

By Lisa Herbert

Monday, 31/12/2012

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If you made a batch of home brew in the past few days and plan to drink it tonight, you’ve left it too late.

Home brewing supply shop owner Rex Rogers says patience is the the key to a good drop.

And he says it’s not only farming enterprises that rely on clean water. Beer does too!

“A lot of people are in too much of a hurry. That’s one of the bigger things we find, or they’re not really very clean or hygienic. If you’re not clean, you may as well give the game away.”

‘It’s both an art and a science’ – Exponent

NUTTER FORT — Tod Lewark has been selling home-brewing and winemaking supplies in Harrison County for more than 21 years.

Now, friends like John Sofranko of Morgantown call him a “walking encyclopedia” of brew and winemaking knowledge.

Lewark started out brewing beer in 1978 because a variety of beers were hard to find in the area, he said.

“I’ve always had a taste for good beer rather than mainstream beer,” Lewark said. “One day, I was on a farm and was offered well-made prohibition-style home brew.

“I started doing it myself, and now I’m up to 664 batches,” he said.

Lewark owns The Cellar in Nutter Fort, where he sells home-brewing and winemaking supplies on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

From Labor Day until the end of March, the business is also open from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

The business is at 1623 1/2 Buckhannon Pike.

“It’s next to RG Honda in the basement in the rear of the carpet building,” Lewark said.

Brewing five gallons of beer takes about five hours over the course of a month, Lewark said.

At The Cellar, he sells the supplies needed to home brew, including malt extract, hops, yeast and a fermenter.

As the beer ferments for three to four weeks, brewers use a hydrometer to determine how far along in the process the fermentation is, Lewark said.

“It’s not guesswork,” he said. “Home fermenting will teach you patience.”

Winemaking is about a four- to six-month process, exclusive of aging, he said.

At The Cellar, he sells kits for fruit wine and grape wine, as well as bottles.

Wine also has to be put in the fermenter.

Buyers can make five to six gallons of wine at a time, equal to 25 to 30 bottles, he said.

Depending on preferences, equipment for both beer and wine runs from $80 to $100, according to Lewark.

He said he will order whatever ingredients are preferred, so wine ingredients could run from $30 to $150 and beer ingredients could run from $25 to $45.

Most customers are happy with their results, according to Lewark.

If not, he tries to help them figure out what happened.

“It’s both an art and a science,” he said. “Sometimes things don’t go according to plan.”

He refers to Eric Watson, who now brews professionally and designs distilleries, as one of his star pupils.

“Basically, it was sort of hand holding,” Watson said. “He wrote directions out to help me make the best beverage I could, and it worked out.”

Watson took to the process and now has a degree in brewing from the Siebel Institute of Technology and World Brewing Academy in Chicago, as well as his own business, AlBevCon LLC.

He is also a judge for the World Beer Cup.

Sofranko, who went to college with Lewark in the 1970s, said they started brewing together right after it became legal in 1978.

While many West Virginians buy their home brew supplies online, The Cellar is unique because the supplies are sold in West Virginia, Sofranko said.

“The thing about Tod is he hasn’t changed,” Sofranko said. “He’s just there because he enjoys what he does. What has changed is his experience. Anyone who walks in can ask him questions on a brewing or winemaking topic and he pretty much knows the answer.”

Staff writer Erin Beck can be reached at (304) 626-1439 or by email at ebeck@exponent-telegram.com

Brewshop 101: Home Brewing Essentials December 22nd

Learn how to brew your own beer!  We’ll teach you all the basics to get you up and running while brewing a batch of beer.  You’ll learn about extract brewing, malts, grains, yeasts and how to avoid or troubleshoot the most common problems.  All reference materials will be provided as well as a home brew sample for tasting!  We’ll have starter kits available for purchase. Beginners welcome!

To redeem a Living social Voucher Please use the voucher number in the eventbright promo code area.

Class is held At Bitter Esters, 700 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238

Brewshop 101: Home Brewing Essentials December 22nd – Brooklyn, NY Events …

Learn how to brew your own beer!  We’ll teach you all the basics to get you up and running while brewing a batch of beer.  You’ll learn about extract brewing, malts, grains, yeasts and how to avoid or troubleshoot the most common problems.  All reference materials will be provided as well as a home brew sample for tasting!  We’ll have starter kits available for purchase. Beginners welcome!

To redeem a Living social Voucher Please use the voucher number in the eventbright promo code area.

Class is held At Bitter Esters, 700 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238

Brewing up a hobby

TRAVERSE CITY — John Perreault recently cracked open the first bottles of beer that he brewed himself.

“It’s only been in the bottle for a week now, so it’s pretty young,” Perreault, 28, said of his pale ale. “But it’s shaping up well. It tasted pretty good, and I’m expecting it to get even better.”

The Traverse City software designer is newly making the jump into home brewing, a hobby that’s been on the rise nationally and locally for years now. While the Traverse City area has seen a boom in microbreweries, there’s been an equal surge in the home variety.

Joseph Vokes, a Traverse City engineer at Consumers Energy, started with a simple Mr. Beer kit he received as a birthday gift this year. He’s now on his fifth batch of pale ale, trying new varieties in each.

“I tried putting some raspberry in the India Pale Ale and like the results of that,” said Vokes, 42. “I found you can actually save money creating the expensive beer I love by doing a little bigger batches.”

With a nearly infinite combination of grains, hops, yeasts and other ingredients to try, as well as varying techniques for combining them to make the suds you’re after, it’s a curious mind’s dream.

“With any new hobby, the world’s the limit,” Vokes said. “There’s just so many options.”

At first glance, the microbrewery and home brewing booms wouldn’t seem to go hand in hand. After all, there’s plenty of new and unique craft beer from all over the world dotting store shelves these days.

But it’s that curiosity — “can I make something like this?” — that has led the microbrew and home brew trends to intermingle and simultaneously see steady upward mobility.

Vokes said he tries out different store-bought beers not only to see what he likes, but also what he doesn’t. Then he researches the ingredients of those he doesn’t like — especially what types of hops were used — to guide what he puts in his own brews.

Making a batch can take anywhere from two to four hours for the primary cooking aspects, and then there’s the wait for it to ferment and be bottled or kegged.

A beer town

Earlier this month, Traverse City was named one of the Top 10 Best Winter Vacation Destinations by Livability.com in part due to the city’s preponderance of craft beer. The area’s nine microbreweries, brew pubs and craft beer taprooms helped Traverse City make it onto Draft magazine’s list of newest “Emerging Beer Towns.”

That number is scheduled to expand as two more microbreweries are in the works — Brewery Terra Firma on Hartman Road and Beggars Brewery in Blair Township.

Many such operations start in the same way — with someone brewing a five-gallon batch on their stovetop and then expanding from there.

“A lot of guys — myself included — aren’t in it for the money,” said Dustin Jones, the brewer at Brewery Ferment, Traverse City’s newest brewpub on Union Street. “It’s just what I want to do. It’s an addictive hobby.”

The American Homebrewers Association, based in Boulder, Colo., had just 11,724 members in 2006. That number has since almost tripled; the group hit the 30,000 mark in February.

Locally, a group called Traverse City Homebrewers Order of Practicing Zymurgists, or TC-HOPZ for short, started up in late 2009 to give area brewers a forum to share tips, recipes, experiences and, of course, beer. Founded by Blake Key, Bob Reinke and Terry Pratt, it had a half dozen members at the beginning. Participation has grown steadily, with about 30 on the roster now.

“The home brewers out there, we know they’re making better beer than the major breweries,” Jones said.

Why the growth?

There are numerous reasons for the surge in home brewing.

For one, home brewing was made illegal by Prohibition, which was repealed in 1933. However, brewing at home wasn’t legalized again until 1979 when the Jimmy Carter administration passed a bill sponsored by California Sen. Alan Cranston creating an exemption from taxation for beer brewed at home for personal or family use. It also lifted the requirement for licenses that could entail a $1,000 bond, making it cost-prohibitive to produce beer at home.

Once that major obstacle was overcome, modernization and technology kicked in. So did the Internet, with information on how to brew readily accessible. Message boards to share information, recipes and review equipment dot the web.

“There’s so much information out there that there’s no excuse not to know how to make beer if you want to,” said TC-HOPZ president Matt Therrien.

The Internet has also brought about easier ways to procure equipment and ingredients via brewing supply companies online. That has also carried over to brick-and-mortar stores, which pop up more frequently. There are more than a dozen home brew stores in Michigan alone, including one of the newest, Bad Teacher Brewing Supply on South Airport Drive in Traverse City.

Diversons and the Terrace Shopper in Traverse City also offer brew supplies, although not in the capacity that Bad Teacher’s 3,100 square feet can.

“I had a desire to brew and not the means to do it,” said Bad Teacher owner Bryan Snyder, who had trouble getting fresh grains and hops without ordering online and waiting for a week or two. “The response has been overwhelming by the brewing community. We hear two to three times a day they’re so glad somebody is doing this.”

Bad Teacher — so named because Snyder’s wife and co-owner Kristy is a teacher at Grand Traverse Academy and dislikes the phrase, “Those who can’t do, teach” — operates with the slogan, “Those who can, brew.”

The store offers 44 different types of grains used in brewing as well as equipment, hops, yeast and pre-packaged kits, occasionally offering free classes on how to start brewing.

Even the White House has joined in the brewing frenzy. President Obama has had three varieties of home brew made by White House staff — a honey brown ale, honey porter and honey blonde — all made with ingredients collected from a beehive on the South Lawn.

But home brewers get to be the president of their own company, choosing how and when to concoct their next drink.

“It’s working out with the time frame as well,” said Perreault. “I’m heading downstate for Christmas with the family, so I’ll have a nice batch of beer to bring. I’m looking forward to sharing it.”

CSU students practice home brewing

With multiple brewing companies in Fort Collins, it is no secret to students at CSU that beer is a big deal in the city. New Belgium, Odell, Equinox, Coopersmiths and Pateros Creek are just a few of the breweries in the area.

That has sparked interests in many students at CSU to start brewing their own beer at home.

Students have learned to brew the old-fashioned way, but have also learned about brewing from a course called Brewing Science and Technology (FTEC 460) at CSU.

The course teaches scientific and technical aspects of brewing, fermenting, finishing and evaluating microbrewed style of lagers and ales.

Luke Schwerdtfeger, Chris Holt and Michael Miller are a few of the many home brewing students at CSU.

Schwerdtfeger started brewing about two years ago in his home in Fort Collins. He learned to brew not from taking FTEC 460, but instead, from Tony Rau.

“A good friend of mine, Tony Rau, is an assistant brewer at Odell,” said the senior biological sciences major. “He was the TA (Teaching Assistant) for the brewing sciences class at the time and he said, ‘Hey man, we’re home brewing this weekend, do you want to come?”’and I said ‘sure’ and the rest is history.”

Schwerdtfeger learned from Rau by sitting down with him and learning it step by step.

“He literally sat me down … and just said here’s what we’re doing … this the chemistry behind it,” Schwerdtfeger said. “This is what we’re doing and that’s how it works. It’s pretty easy to pick up.”

Holt later came in six months ago to brew with Schwardtfeger and then Miller.

“The first time I home brewed was with Luke about a week ago,” said the senior biomedical sciences major. “I took the class expecting it to be kind of a home brew class but it was all about the industrial side, which was great because  it taught me all about the chemistry and all the stuff behind it. So whenever I brewed with Luke … I knew exactly what he was talking about and so it was more direct and really easy to pick up.”

Each brew day takes about three-and-a-half to five hours depending on how quick you are doing it or how rushed you are, Schwerdtfeger said.

“From the point of starting it [a brew] to drinking a finished beer is roughly about  four weeks,” Schwerdtfeger said.

They have no plans to start a brewing company in the future, but instead are concentrating on their studies.

New Belgium and Odell brewing companies both have their roots as home brewed beer.

About Kevin Ruby

Kevin Ruby is a Journalism student at Colorado State University. He is a very opinionated person when it comes to politics, music, and pop culture, but he strives to create objective news.

Ruby transferred to Colorado State University from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs after his first year of school there . Ruby then became a journalism student at CSU in the fall of 2011.

Belleville brew store’s new owner: ‘It’s been non-stop since I took over’

Collinsville-native Christian Powell has taken over the home brewing and wine-making retail business in downtown Belleville formerly known as Dave’s Home Brew. Powell has held a number of jobs and is looking forward to being his own boss. He recently sat down with business writer Will Buss to talk about it:

Why did you buy this business?

“It’s always been a great anchor of the neighborhood. It’s not too hard to get behind beer- and wine-making kits, it’s such an enjoyable hobby and the product line has always been great. It kind of became a no-brainer when it became available to try to attain it.”

Are you making any changes?

“The name is changing. The overall theme of the place is going to remain the same. We’re going to be full-service home brewing and wine making. We are going to be expanding that line as time and resources allow and we’ll be basically keeping the theme of the place the same, but just expanding everything that works well.”

Where had you worked in the past?

“I’ve been self-employed in the past. With my previous experience, I understood how the retail industry works and I’ve been behind the scenes of small businesses many times. I was fairly familiar with it and ready to put my stamp on it. I’ve been in retail for years, off and on. I was ready to get back into being self-employed.”

What else have you done?

“I was in bands for years. I still play music, but not so much professionally anymore. I was in touring bands for many years and we did our stints across the U.S. and regionally, mainly. We still get together and perform, but now we’re a little older and have families and professions, so it’s not as easy for us to go on the road, but we do a weekend warrior gig now and then.”

Who have you worked with in the industry?

“We did an album with a guy who lives up in Chicago and has a studio up there. He had done acts like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Page and Plant. He did a record for us that was probably our most popular. I was self-employed in the home-improvement business for several years and I had done work as a territory sales rep for Rand McNally before all of the layoffs happened. The GPS industry kind of killed them. Most recently, previous to this, I worked at a place called The Flag Loft St. Louis, which dealt with huge flags and massive commercial flag poles on top of cell phone towers.”

How long have you been in the beer- and wine-supplier business?

“This started in late August.”

How is business?

“Fantastic. It’s really good. This is pretty much the best time of the year, heading into the busy holiday season. It’s been non-stop since I took over.”

What have you enjoyed most about it?

“All of my hard work is done for the benefit of myself and my family and my employees and not for some faceless corporation.”

Name: Christian Powell

Job: Owner, Happy Hop Homebrew and Gourmet at 122 E. Main St. in Belleville (277-2550)

Outlook: “The name is changing. The overall theme of the place is going to remain the same.”

Contact reporter Will Buss at wbuss@bnd.com or 239-2526.

Taste Beer Under the Big Top At Beer Hoptacular

Chicago Beer Hoptacular celebrates the art of beer brewing and appreciation this weekend at Riverfront Theater. The third annual event brings 60 breweries featuring over 140 different beers together under the big top for a beer circus of sorts.

This year, Beer Hoptacular expanded to three tasting sessions on November 9 and 10. There’s still time to head in tonight—the last session is from 6-9:30 p.m. The $45 flat fee gives attendees access to all the suds they can stand, a souvenir tasting glass, and cheese and chocolate pairing “classes.” Home brewing experts will be on hand to judge over 20 home brew contest submissions.

The move from Beer Hoptacular’s previous venue at the Aragon Ballroom to the Riverfront Theater’s round tent setting has helped eliminate the crowd congestion of narrow tent tastings. The 20,000 square foot venue houses hometown favorites including Revolution, Half Acre, Finch’s, and Goose Island as well as craft selections from across the country. Guests can cast their vote for Beer Hoptacular Beer of the Year, and the rumor last night had Kentucky Ale’s Bourbon Barrel Ale in the lead.

The beer and chocolate tasting provides practical suggestions for pairing three Goose Island beers with chocolates that can be found at Whole Foods. Before beginning last night’s session, the Goose Island rep was slammed with inquiry regarding the brand’s relationship with now-owner Anheuser-Busch InBev. “I feel fine with it,” she replied. “They haven’t really messed with us so it doesn’t bother me.”

The DJ is the ring leader at this beer circus, announcing upcoming tasting classes and tap times for specialty pours. Long lines are worth the wait for specialties like Bell’s Brewery’s Oracle Double IPA and the Madagascar Vanilla Bean by Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery. Fans of cult favorite Great Lakes Christmas Ale should note that Beer Hoptacular marks the holiday ale’s first tap of the season. The strategy for tasting a substantial amount of ales with increasingly stumbling steps? Let’s just call it beer acrobatics.

Home brew: Houndstooth Coffee pros offer tips to make the perfect cup in your …

“Coffee is a complicated thing,” Sean Henry told me. He and I were both perched on chairs inside the ground floor of the Frost Tower. That’s where Henry, who owns Houndstooth Coffee, a lauded coffee house on North Lamar Boulevard, expects to open the store’s second location in January.

In the morning light, I had confessed to him that I was a diehard tea drinker, and that I didn’t really know what great coffee tasted like. Henry said not to worry — many coffee drinkers have never tasted great coffee, either. 

“A lot of our customers have ‘A-ha!’ moments with coffee,” he said. “They’ll taste the notes in a cup and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know coffee had a flavor beyond bitter!’”

Like wine, Henry explained, coffee can vary in acidity, mouth-feel, balance and aftertaste. But unlike wine, you can make coffee at home in under four minutes. ”Sign me up!” I said. And signed up I was.

I attended a class on coffee home-brewing at Houndstooth on a Sunday. The class, led by Houndstooth barista Daniel Austin Read, had 12 students. Like a chemistry class, Read had prepared beakers and filters and scales for the group. And, in a sense, it was. 

To successfully brew coffee at home, Read offered these tips:

1. Start with good water and good beans  

Use filtered water, not tap. (At Houndstooth, they use a reverse osmosis system and an additional filter that adds some minerals back into the water.) Additionally, seek the best of beans. 

2. Get your grind on

Grind your coffee beans no more than 15 minutes before you use them. If you can, purchase a burr grinder rather than a blade grinder.  

3. Pick your process

There are a variety of ways to make coffee at home. We worked with two in our brewing class: the French Press method and the pour-over method. 

French Presses are pretty common, but the pour-over method was new to me: It involves pouring water over coffee grinds placed in a small filter, which drains into a glass carafe. (For pour-overs, Houndstooth favors the Chemex+Kone carafe/filter combo. )

These methods yield coffee with different tastes. The pour-over method preserves coffee’s lighter notes (e.g., citrus). The French Press makes fuller bodied,  oilier, more chocolate-y coffee. 

4. The golden ratio

Lots of home-brewers are curious about the proper water-to-coffee ratio. For a 12 oz (365g) cup, you want to use 22g of coffee. Barista Read recommended that home brewers use scales, not scoops, to measure their coffee. 

“If you use a scoop, the amount of coffee you’re getting out of that scoop will vary, because bean size varies.”

5. The 3 T’s: Time, Temperature and Turbulence

It is here that we enter the Coffee Nerd Zone. The Houndstooth team has specific recommendations about how long you should steep your coffee, the temperature of your water, and how often you should stir your brew. 

The temperature part is simple: You always want to use water heated to around 200 degrees, or just below boiling.

For a pour-over cup of coffee, place fine-ish grounds into your strainer and pour water steadily into the center of the grounds for about 15 seconds. Pause for 30 seconds, so the coffee can bloom (let out gas). Then, steadily pour the remaining water into the strainer. Total steep time should be about 2.5 minutes.

For a French press cup of coffee, throw coarse grounds into the press, add hot water, let the mixture sit for 30 seconds and then stir gently. Seal up the press, wait about 3 more minutes, and your coffee should be good to go.

6. Keep the faith

Sean Henry told me, “Houndstooth coffee is delicious, in large part, not because we have expensive equipment but because we start with great beans and we’ve got all our ratios down.” You can perfect your chemistry at home, he said, and get a terrific cup.

I asked Henry why he wants so many people to know how to make coffee at home. Doesn’t that eat into his profit?

“Part of Houndstooth’s mission is education,” he explained. “We want people to understand what great coffee is. The more people know, the better it is for our business.”

He shrugged and smiled, “And if people decide to make their coffee at home, hopefully they’ll buy their beans from us.”

—

To learn more about Houndstooth’s class schedule and free, twice-weekly cuppings (tastings), visit Houndstooth’s website. The next brewing class will be held on the evening of November 18.