Here's a question for you...For Okanagan Brewery's 1516 beer, what is the significance of 1516?
I learned the answer to this question and a whole lot more during this week's 52 First; beer making 101 class.
To answer the above, it was the year Purity Law in Bavarian was introduced. Reinheitsgebot allowed that only the 4 ingredients were permitted to be used to make beer. This continues to be the foundation of beer making today.
Apparently all those fancy honey lagers and winter ales contravene this law by adding flavorful ingredients. But who care! So yummy!
(A delightful taste test!)
Less yummy in my taste palate's opinion, is an IPA. The most popular brew amongst my male friends... I prefer sweeter, light beers... But please, to each their own...!
Quiz question number 2: what does IPA stand for and how did it get it's name?
A fairly bitter ale, it's taste is derived from it's higher percentage of hops. Hops are a natural preservative. And originally, the hoppy bitter taste was a result of functional necessity ... A necessity that has translated into today's on-tap latest and greatest.
As we were informed, India Pale Ale gets it's name from the colonial days when English soldiers stationed in India were paid in beer...but beer is no good if it makes it to it's destination spoiled. And English soldiers are no good if they don't have their beer.
With the history of beer highlights covered, our master brewer had in the background, a batch of beer going. Although I had hoped that it would be mostly a hands on experience, rather, we watched (and sipped) and learned about how easy it really can be to home-brew. A few simple ingredients, a few simple rules and some pretty simple equipment and you're off to the races!
Simple rule quiz question 3: if yeast is added to the brew to produce the fermentation and if fermentation produces gases, what happens if bottled too quickly?
You guessed it! Not so happy little beer bottle bombs.... Good to know! Don't bottle right away!
That said, we did get the opportunity to bottle some of the beer we had been brewing the class. And of course, to take it home with us!
All in all a very educational evening, supplemented by beer tasting throughout. And a sense of confidence that I can now hold my own with the boys next time we hit Craft Beer or St. Augustine's or some micro brewery along the way. Vancouver is, after all, super hot into beer these days!
Visit Broadway Brewing and Winemaking for list of their intro classes or for use of their facilities to to start making your own!
http://vancouverwinemaking.com
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