brewing beer.

in january, i started brewing beer.  it began as anything does: over a long & wonderful conversation, with a good friend and a glass of wine (ironically).  the start of a long winter was the perfect catalyst for this new hobby.   

after our first (very successful) batch of hefeweizen, we decided to make anther batch & since we're both huge raspberry fans, we opted to make a raspberry wheat beer.  

making beer is a process.  generally it involves a few steps (heating the hops and malt, letting that ferment, adding the sugar to the fermented mixture, bottling the beer & finally, letting everything sit in a cool place until carbonation occurs) that takes about a month to complete.  with the raspberry wheat, we had to add one more process to the mix.  After the fermentation, we cooked over three pounds of raspberries and added them to the carboy with the beer.  this had to sit for another week or two and ferment a bit more.

by the time we were ready to bottle the beer, it was a huge yeasty, hoppy mess.  the raspberries actually turned white during the process and the hops and yeast settled to the top & bottom of the carboy.  after making beer, it's amazing we still drink it.  bottling is the longest process (other than waiting) but with good company and a system, it goes pretty fast.

while we have yet to try it, if it tastes as good as it smells, we're gonna be some seriously happy campers.  it'll be about another week until the unveiling & i love how it coincides with a.'s homecoming.  beer-making is a very cool hobby.  there's a lot of science involved, but it's also an art.  we're like liquid chefs, trying to make the perfect recipe- only we can't taste it until it's complete.  so far, the time & energy has been well worth it.  i'll be sure to let you know how the raspberry ale pans out.