We talked last week about some ideas for starting up homebrewing: heading over to one of our great local homebrew shops and tapping that knowledge sap from the minds of their proprietors (what an odd analogy).
But maybe you're someone who still needs a more hands-on guided approach to get you through the process from heating the water to pitching the yeast. If that's the case, Whole Foods in Coral Springs has what you might be looking for, as this Friday, they'll be doing just that.
See also: How to Get Started Brewing At Home, And Maybe Get Famous At New Times Beerfest
Starting at 6:30 p.m., Whole Foods' resident beer expert, Aaron, will take beginners through the entire brewing process using the Brooklyn Brew Shop Beer Making Kit. These $40 kits can be found in many mainstream stores nowadays (I've even spotted them in Sears), and include everything you need, besides water, to brew a one gallon batch of beer.
As always with an event like this, space is limited to about 30 interested people, and those interested should pre-register at customer service. There is no fee.
Why the push to make beer yourself? Because coming up in about five weeks is the 2014 New Times Beerfest (April 5, 2014, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at America's Backyard), which will feature a homebrewing competition that anyone with enough homebrewed beer can enter.
If you've ever experienced a homebrewing competition, you know that it means you can expect to find beers ranging from the most basic of pale ales to the complex and culinary inspired beers like conditioned stouts and wild ales.
Even if you have no desire to enter the competition, making beer yourself is a huge benefit to the enjoyment of the craft beer hobby. Soon, you'll be able to taste when a beer uses Vienna malt because you've smelled and tasted the isolated ingredient before. You'll be able to single out even more specific hop flavors from beers because now you know what a good whiff of noble hops smells like versus North American hops.
Whole Foods Market - Coral Springs is located at 810 University Drive, Coral Springs FL
33071. For more information call 954-753-8000.
Doug Fairall is a craft beer blogger who focuses on Florida beers and has been a homebrewer since 2010. For beer things in your Twitter feed, follow him @DougFairall and find the latest beer pics on Clean Plate's Instagram.
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