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| Despite the packages, bottles are filled with home brew. |
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| The best part about making a batch of beer. |
As we mentioned several weeks ago, Cheryl and I made a batch of beer from a mix that Patrick had sent.
Making beer from a mix takes about a month to mix, ferment, add sugar and bottle. All the equipment must be sanitized so the yeast doesn't latch on to anything.
The mix instructions said it should make about eight six-packs. If you check the photo carefully, you will count seven six-packs and two bottles that are larger than the average beer bottle.
We bottled the beer about a week before leaving for Sevierville, Tenn. The beer, after bottling, is supposed to sit about 2 weeks. We gave it a few more days than that and then got out the bottle opener. No twist-off caps for home brew!!
Perhaps because it is a "mesquite honey" mix, the beer is a little sweeter than what I usually drink. But it is pretty good. Just a little sweet. One thing I do like about home brew is its "thickness" and potency.
Home brew isn't "watery." It tastes like you are really drinking a heavier beer. You can't drink too many of these at one sitting, however. The alcohol content, if I remember from measuring during the process, is about 4 1/2 percent, slightly stronger than commercial beers. The beer that I am drinking is from the first six-pack I put in the fridge when we returned from Sevierville on Sept. 15 or 16.
The longer the beer sits (to a point), the better it tastes. This is the third batch of beer I have made over the years. This batch isn't my best batch but it is 100 times better than my second attempt.
I'll keep experimenting with home brews. The price is pretty good because I have all the equipment.
Wish you all could enjoy it with me!!
