Guest Blog: Richard Rossi

Lessons Learned By A First Time Home Brewer

When my sister-in-law bought me a home beer making kit for Christmas I was elated. I love to cook and what's not to love about beer, so this was the perfect gift. Little did I realize how much more I would learn than simple beer brewing.

The kit came with all the required tools including fermentors, buckets, a hydrometer, tubing, bottle brush, and a few simple recipes. Ingredients were not included but I'd seen a small beer supply store in town so I figured I was all set.

It takes a lot to get me into a store to buy anything. But then I'd never been in a beer supply store. Remember that feeling you had when you were a kid, the one you got when you visited the local candy store? Tootsie Rolls and licorice sticks were now hops and barley packets and I was in first time beer maker's heaven. Sure, the ingredients were pricey, but I figured I could give some of the beer to clients as gifts, thereby finding a tax write off.  Does my tax software include a place for beer supplies on my schedule C? More on that topic later...

After following the recipe with the utmost care and bottled the contents in some expensive Grolsch style flip bottles (after all, this was my first baby), it came time to taste my new home brew. The anticipation was killing me.

Not as much as the undrinkable swill I'd created, however. But I'd followed the recipe to the "T". The temperatures were right. I was so careful. What went wrong? I'd lost the baby and I was distraught.  I would never brew again. A few months later I had the good fortune to run into a seasoned beer maker who had been creating great, custom home brews for some time. I relayed the above story to him casually mentioning afterward that the supplier I'd used had gone out of business only a month or two after I'd had my first home brewing mishap. He let out a sigh and I knew then that I'd missed something obvious.

My mistakes were numerous. Firstly, I used city treated water that had been chlorinated and I didn't know to filter the water. But that was insignificant compared to other errors.

It was this fellow's feeling that the hops, yeast, etc. may have been on the store shelf well past it's "good till" age when I'd purchased it.

If you're a beginning beer maker, please note my mistakes. The most important decision you may make is selecting a beer ingredient supplier. Choose a reputable, established company or store with a quick turn-around time. Get recommendations from friends. Fresh ingredients are essential.

Choose a knowledgable supplier. If you don't know anyone who can give you a recommendation, make sure that the vendor you choose takes time with you and answers your questions fully and to your complete satisfaction. If he loves beer brewing he'll be happy to discuss it, thoroughly and at great length. If he doesn't, get out of there asap.

My biggest lesson? Check with your accountant before writing off your beer brewing activities. I gave away several bottles before I'd tried it (big mistake!) and probably lost a client as a result. While that hurt, it wasn't nearly as painful as the tax audit that would soon follow.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------

About this guest blogger: Richard Rossi is a blogger, writer,and illustrator from North Carolina circa New Jersey. He writes about his many mistakes in sports and life and can be found here. Don't drink and blog. It just isn't worth it.