Want to go?
WHAT:Brew-on-premises at Eudora Brewing Company
WHERE: 4716 Wilmington Pike, Kettering
WHEN:Appointments available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at noon, 3pm or 6pm. All brewers must register in advance.
COST: $100 – 200
MORE INFO: www.eudorabrewing.com/brewyourown
If you’re a craft beer fan or intrigued by brewery tours, you might be thinking about making your own signature brews. Think you’re ready to tackle the world of DIY beer? Read on to see what these experts have to say.
Why homebrewing?
According to the American Homebrewers Association, more than 1.2 million people in the United States brew beer in their homes. With beer readily and deliciously available in stores and breweries, why do people invest the time to make their own?
“People are looking for something new to do, and it’s a great hobby to get into,” explained Chad Klehamer, general manager of Brewtensils in Dayton. Brewtensils supplies equipment and ingredients to those looking to make their own beer, wine or cheese. According to Klehamer, it’s especially popular with the younger crowd. “College kids are into it because homebrewing can be a cheaper alternative to buying commercial beer.”
“It’s a very rewarding hobby,” said Shane Juhl, owner of Toxic Brew Company in Dayton’s Oregon District. Like nearly all craft brewers, Juhl started out brewing at home. “I fell in love with the art, science and process.”
What you need
So you’ve decided you want to go ahead with this hobby — what do you need to get started? Just as with most hobbies, you’ll have to do a bit of spending before you reap the rewards of your work.
The cost of homebrewing varies widely, depending on what type of equipment and supplies you decide to purchase. According to Juhl, homebrewers can expect to spend anywhere from $100 to $1,000 on initial outlay.
“Initial equipment investment is high going all grain as opposed to extract. But all grain is the way to go to be able to control the outcome of the beer,” Juhl said. Extract, meaning malt extract, is popular with homebrewers due to ease of use and shorter timeframes, while professional brewers and more serious hobbyists tend to use all grain.
A less expensive option are brewing kits, which are great for those wanting to make their very first batch or who may not stick with homebrewing for the long haul. “A basic ingredient kit is about $75 and comes with everything you need, equipment-wise,” Klehamer said. “A recipe kit is about $30 to brew a batch of beer.”
Learning the game
If you’re intimidated by the process or equipment involved, consider getting your feet wet first in a brewing class or even a local brewery. To learn the process, Brewtensils offers a series of six classes, which include two intro courses as well as more advanced material like Recipe Creation, Intro to Sours and Intro to All Grain.
The classes are offered four to five times yearly, and Klehamer says they’ve been popular, with 20-25 students generally coming to each class.
If you want to bypass the equipment investment, Eudora Brewing Company in Kettering will let you use their facility to brew your own beer. The staff will walk you through the brewing process during a pre-booked session and take care of the more difficult elements.
“We take care of the tough stuff — recipe formulation, cleaning and sanitization, and most importantly, fermentation and aging. We make sure that the beer ferments at the correct temperature and for the correct amount of time,” said Eudora’s owner and head brewer, Neil Chabut.
Even if you’re a seasoned homebrewer, using a brew-on-premises program can have some definite advantages. “We can do both ales and lagers since we have separate, temperature-controlled fermenting rooms,” Chabut explained. “A lot of homebrewers don’t have the capability to brew lagers since they don’t have the proper temperature control.”
If you’re ready to explore the world of homebrewing, don’t forget to bring a friend or your significant other along for the ride — having a partner will make certain processes, like bottling, much easier. Not only that, it’s always fun to have someone to share a hobby — or a drink — with. “Craft beer is about sharing and enjoying together,” Chabut said. “That doesn’t only apply to consuming beer, it applies to brewing as well.”
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