With the holidays coming fast upon us, the newsletter is out a little early so we all can relax and enjoy time with family and friends during the start of the new year. We are now getting into the swing of the competitive part of the brewing season. Even though I am just starting to enter my beers into competition, I have already learned much about brewing and taking my beers beyond tasting like rejects from a Budweiser plant.

Next week when many of us have time off is an opportune time to brew some beers for entries in the First Annual Brew House Brew Off! Instead of fighting the crowds on Boxing Day, open up a Brew House box and brew away. If you start on Boxing Day, there will be plenty of time to get the beer into the bottle before the Feb 13th entry deadline.

Several members have already started brewing their beers. And while the original intent of the competition was for Edmonton only, our colleagues in the other brew clubs want to participate in the competition. So, we definitely need to open the boxes and start pouring or Roxy will never let us hear the end of it if Regina out does us in our own local competition.

One box, two beers

One of the nice features of the Brew House kits is the ability to make two beers, maybe three, from one kit. For the upcoming competition, I already have four entries from two kits. I would have had more but I ran out of carboys.

As discussed in November issue of The Worthouse News, once the undiluted wort is mixed with the acid neutralizer, varying amounts of water can be added to take the wort to a desired gravity. And there is nothing in the directions that say the water added to the wort has to be plain water. Take the water, do some partial steeping or partial mashing and throw in some DME to change the flavour profile and bring the gravity back up to a stronger ale.

As many of us have learned, just changing yeast can dramatically change the flavour and style of a beer. Just pitch a Wyeast 1214 Belgian Abby yeast instead of the supplied Coopers dry yeast in an undiluted Brew House Pale Ale kit for a different taste experience.

The Brew House kits are a great way to introduce someone to the fun of homebrewing. So, don’t just break open the box by yourself, invite a friend, relative, co-worker or neighbour to join you. Or better yet, there is still plenty of holiday shopping time left to give a Brew House kit with an offer to help brewing entries for the Brew Off.

Remember, as Roxy is oft to say “We are not just a bunch of all-grain beer snobs, we are simply a bunch of beer snobs, making the best brews possible by whatever means we choose.” For me that includes the Brew House kits.

Have a safe and relaxing holiday season.