Topic: Homebrew (the make your own beer/spirit thread)

[Stogi]

Has anyone made their own beer or spirit? Twice in four days, I've had long conversations with 40+ year old brewmasters who tell me how much fun it is.

Actually the second person I met, this 46 year old man was from Holland, owns and operates a bar in Rotterdam. He has been brewing his own beer for the last 20 years. We talked for a minute about the process of brewing and he made it sound easy, although made it clear that you need the right equipment.

The chemical reaction that makes beer is simple though. The Barley makes the sugars, the Yeast eat that sugar creating alcohol and carbon dioxide. That's it. Hops and other spices are added for flavor but are unrelated to alcohol content (although, the more alcohol you have, the more oil that is extracted from the hops). Btw, The same process makes spirits such as vodka; all you need to do after you have make the alcohol is to distill it.

He then explained how to make different beers, such as pilsners, stouts, lagers, and ales. Unlike the rest, making ales requires a process called dry-hopping, where you either filter the beer through hops or simply throw them into the batch and filter it later. That's why ales are so bitter and flavorful. This had me thinking though....

I don't know if you guys know this, but Humulus lupulus  (hops) and Cannabis Sativa  (*EXPLICATIVE*) are very similar; in fact, both are in the same family Cannabaceae . And the same way that Humulus oils and resin dissolve in alcohol, the same is true for Cannabis.

Yep, that's right; *EXPLICATIVE* beer. No lie, I think I might be moving to Holland for a minute. Both enough about that.

There's a couple kits out there. The cheapest ones (about $150) do the job, but two separate friends used those and their beer always turned out very thick and chocolatey. Maybe they just kept fucking up. Either way, I suggest if you want to start making your own beer to throw down at least $500 for everything. Sure it sounds steep, but you'll save money in the long run.

To make your own vodka (by far the cheapest and quickest liqour), you might have to spend maybe $25 bucks. All you need is a distilling pan (or just make your own), a brita pitcher, grain, yeast and sugar.

So is anyone else interested in this?

[Caliban]

My dad makes wine every year, but since I don't drink alcohol I don't have much interest in it.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I've made my own Jungle Juice. Several different types of liquor (bacardi lite & dark, Yukon Jack & Vodka i think), 2 of every flavor of fruit soda  2 liter  I could find (Luckys branded), 1 container of Capri Sun kool-aid mix, Vanilla(?) Icecream, lots of fresh fruit, and a big ass cooler with a spout on the side.

It may sound like a disgusting sticky sugary mess, but it was probably the best Jungle Juice every. It was requested afterwards several times.

It came out kinda like a dark purple kool-aid that would creep up and knock you on your ass after a little more  than one cup. The only problem was that it was sooo good, that you would be about 2-3 cups in before you realize that since you couldn't taste the liquor at all.

edit:
Oh, there might be a big & legal market for cannibus Beer out her in Cali if you can sell it to the Cannibus Clubs.

[Stogi]

Really? That's pretty interesting. I may not have to go to Holland afterall.

If I were to actually make this, I'd make it a pale ale similar to Sierra Nevada and hope the sweet taste of the Cannabis melds well with the bitterness of the hops. Incidentally, the nausea that people feel when they drink alcohol could be subdued with the anti-nausea ability of Cannabis.

Hell, I think I might call in Ambrosia.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Let me know if you try, I might want to get in on the ground floor of this one.
They are actually trying to pass a bill to legalize marijuana in Cali right now, and Obama has already stated that he's not wasting anymore federal resources on the war on weed (mostly cannibus clubs).

you should call it BudHighzer
with 3 Jamaican frogs as mascots
Buud Hiiigh Zeeerrr

or BudHighCer(vesa)

[Stogi]

Those names could work, but I hate budweiser with a passion; plus people might just take it as a joke and not as an actual drink that one would want to drink regularly.

Ambrosia or Nectar of the Gods just seem more fitting to the style of promotion I'd want to run with. Plus I had a dream last night with me holding an ivory challis, sipping this frothy goodness to my heart's content as I floated away from earth on a cloud.

[BlackNMild2k1]

well it was meant as a joke.
those names would only be fit for the knock off version you would create of your own beer so that you could also stock it at novelty shops and low end stores.

[ThePerm]

i wonder if you can crossbreed cannibus with hops, I always thought it would be a funny idea for a movie if someone engineered regular grass to have thc, and then planted it EVERYWHERE


i made my own yogurt once.

also ambrosia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_(fruit_salad) is fucking awesome
I usually have mine with marshmallows, standard mixed fruit mix, and whip cream, i could like devour that **** obsessively. Too bad it doesn't turn me into a god!