I have a birthday worth celebrating coming up this year, the big Five-O.  It is later in the year, so one has to prepare for these things, especially if one is to enjoy it in line with ones values.

So what better way to celebrate than with a few good home-brew beers, and a pizza party.  Now, the beer ain’t going to brew itself, is it?  Yours truly had to make some.  Out with the beer kit, and ferment away!

What I like about brewing beer is that it is relatively simple if you stick to some simple rules, after a week or so you get a great result ready to bottle.  I put a Cerveza brew down about two weeks ago, have let it ferment for a week, then I let it settle for the next week.  This is my simple technique of clearing the beer without having to use finnings.

Anyway, tonight was the night to bottle it.  With Ben at the camera, and helping pass me the bottles for filling and capping, here is how events panned out.

Warning: Ben doesn’t know how to tell me to say cheese when taking photos, so some of them are, lets say, unexpected.

See how clear the beer is out of the fermenter.  It took me a few years to figure out that if you leave the beer for that extra few days or so, the beer clears a lot better, and there is enough yeast in the bottle for secondary fermentation.  It doesn’t go bad in the fermenter if you leave it sealed during that time.

Nice shot of my head, but you get the general idea that I am placing the bottle with crown seal, then pushing down on the lever to seal the bottle.

See what I mean about caught out without the opportunity to say cheese!  But wait, the next one is even better (not).

Anyway, enough silliness.  23 litres of beer fills sixty-six 330 ml bottles.  That is a lot of beer, but not enough for the party as I am expecting a few guests who like a home-brew or two.

So tomorrow sometime, during my downshift day, I will be making some more beer and a batch of cider.  Both of these will be kit versions.  More than likely I will make a Canadian Blonde beer, and a low joule cider.  The cider can be rather dry, but refreshing.

Then, and only then, I will have enough beer for the party!

I really enjoy making my own beer.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment that you don’t get if you buy it commercially made.  You also drink it sparingly because it is precious.

If you want to see how I brew beer, have a look at this post titled Home Brewing Workshop.  There are three videos taken during the workshop that explains most things that you need to know to make your own beer.

Who makes their own beverages?  Is it cost effective and what does it taste good?