There's nothing like a home brew They'll enjoy the Bud Bowl but

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Feb 3, 2006 | by Brian Foley, STAFF WRITER

NOTHING COMPLEMENTS the Super Bowl like a cold beer.

But some area home brewers say there's no better beer than one made in the kitchen.

"Football and beer are natural pairings," said Derek Latour of Hayward, who has home-brewed for 13 years. "When you brew your own, there is a sense of self-accomplishment, a bit of pride. Rarely will I buy a six-pack."

With the football season closing and summer on the way, home brewers say now is as good time as any to explore the hobby.

Nick May, who works at Brewmaster, a wholesale shop on Verna Court in San Leandro, recalled brewing beer during last year's Super Bowl when the Patriots defeated the Eagles.

"We had a group brew," he said. "We had four or five different batches going. We made anywhere from 5 to 10 gallons. All different kinds."

Since former President Jimmy Carter made home brewing legal in 1978, the hobby has become an art. Locals say the Bay Area has one of the strongest brewing scenes in the country. "It's a community of its own," said Jeremy Wanamaker, who also works at Brewmaster. "I'll be here brewing on a Saturday, and customers will hang here and talk about the beer they're making. Making your beer is like having your own chemistry set, and people like talking about it."

Tom Dalldorf is the editor of Celebrator Beer News, a national magazine based in Hayward, which takes him on assignments around the world. He recently returned from the Boon Rawd Brewery in Thailand, where they brew with 100 percent barley malt.

"Anyone who appreciates beer ought to make beer at least once or twice to understand the process," Dalldorf said. "You can squeeze a cabernet grape and get cabernet wine. With beer it's the same four ingredients: barley malt, hops, yeast and water."

But brewers must weigh how much of each ingredient they want to throw into the mix; the combinations are endless.

"It calls for some real creativity," he said.

Wanamaker has undertaken the monthlong endeavor of creating a Russian imperial stout, an all-grain beer that requires roasted and black barley, 2 pounds of carapil (a kind of malt) and chocolate malt.

"It's dark, dark, dark, and really chocolatey," he said. "It's got some coffee characteristics to it. I'll add some Belgium sugar candy to it and then another two weeks of fermentation. I'll bottle some of it and keg the rest. I'm thinking of entering it into a competition."

May prefers to brew based on a certain country's theme. If he wants to make an American-style beer, he'll include a malt used by Sierra Nevada or Anchor Steam. If he's in a German mood, he'll use a pilsner malt.

"Even if you pick a weird country, like Belgium, you can get 16 or 17 different kinds of yeast from there," he said.

Local brewers say beginners could do some research or join a club, but the best way to learn is to just do it.

"If you have friends, you should join them while they're brewing," Latour said. "A class is ideal, but that takes time and money. Most anyone I know who brews will show other people how to do it."

Wanamaker said research can only go so far.

"You can read about it all you want, but it's all about practice. Experience is the best," he said.

"The worst you can do is make a beer that tastes nasty," May said.

To get started, beginners must invest in brewing equipment such as a carboy, a giant bucket designed to keep the product sanitary.

"The biggest thing is sanitation," Wanamaker said. "If you have a funky outside bacterial infection, it'll taste like cabbage."

Brewers say the hobby -- like gardening -- is time consuming, which could wear a beginner's patience. The first few attempts might turn out to be duds, but practice eventually translates into results one can appreciate.

"A lot of those Bud guzzlers might start home brewing because of the price," May said. "You can make $50 worth of beer for $10. And it's fresher, with no added chemicals."

Dalldorf said based on 2004 sales, younger consumers are guzzling less of the Budweiser, Miller and Coors products, and embracing microbrews and craft brands.

"The new breed of beer enthusiasts will have one or two Sierra Nevadas during the game rather than a whole six pack of the fizzy, yellow beer," he said. "It shows in the statistics."

Wanamaker has sworn off Budweiser since getting serious about home brewing three months ago.

"I hate that stuff," he said. "It's so gross. I went through that phase."

And if the Super Bowl proves dull, one can always recycle the Budweiser bottles and take up the brewing hobby.

"If your team already dropped out, you can still get together with friends and brew beer and talk about beer," May said.