Good Morning!

There is a saying that in order to make great wine, you have to drink a lot of beer. I think this is a very true. I used to be a huge beer lover, but now I love my beer when I am working and hot and sweaty. That is not the only time I drink it, but nothing quenches my thirst after a day in the vineyards in the warm sun. I also love those days when the grapes are in the tanks and we are doing punch downs, pump overs and just a lot of climbing around, hooking up hoses, cleaning and just plain old hard work…when you end the day with an icy cold beer.

I have a few favorites and they are mostly the light ales or amber beers, they go down easy and I don’t like the bloating feeling so I have not acqquired the taste for the stouts yet. Killian’s Red is one of my favorites and my old stand by is Miller Lite. I catch a lot of flack for the Miller Lite. People say, that is not beer, it’s flavored water…well just like my first rule in wine, Drink what you like, but make sure you try new things too!

I found out a few things about one of my fav afternoon refreshers…Beer has been around about 7000 years and it uses 4 basic ingredients to create: Malted Barley, water, hops and yeast. Much like all other fermented beverages, it is assumed that someone did not seal up the barley and some moisture made it’s way in and it germanted and someone took a taste and though it was nasty, they liked the “buzz”. From what I have read most folks believe beer was started in Mesopotamia. Europe seems to have found all the fun stuff…beer and wine at least!

While I was reading I learned the difference between a brewpub and a brewery was a brewery makes beer intended to be sold to retailers and a brewpub makes beer to be served onsite and normally it is made to pair with the food of the attached restaurant.

Barley is the ingredient that needs the most help in this process. Barley in it’s raw form has no real ferment-able material and has to go through a process called malting to become a sugar source for the yeast to do it’s magic. The barley is put in a warm, dark moist environment and the kernels will begin to germinate and the enzymatic changes in the seed will create a starch reservoir as an energy source. This starch is needed for the mashing stage, where the starch is converted into sugar, then the sugar will meet up with the yeast and the whole alcohol and carbon dioxide fermentation take place.

Once this fermentation is finished, they take the kernels and put them in a kiln, this is where they gain their color, pale, amber, or dark malts. Then water is added and beer is 95% water, and a boiling process begins. All beer makers swear by the water they use, normally a local water and they are convinced the water is the secret to the perfect final product. Once the boiling is over along comes the yeast and the fermentation stage starts.

There are 2 types of yeast: to make ale you use a top-fermenting yeast and for a lager use a bottom fermenting yeast. The yeast has a large impact on the final flavor or the beer. Hops are all about the aroma’s and flavor profile they can help create in the final produce as well.

So, this weekend when I am cleaning out the garage, moving cases of wine or planting herbs…I will enjoy a beer during and after my project is over and I will better understand the history and process of beer making!

Happy Friday!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi