Just Brew It!

On Sunday, the Backyard Brewing Association held brew day, and what a day it was. In the two years we have been convening, brew day has definitely turned into a well oiled process. Everyone knows their role and as Eric pointed out, the best part for him as an extract brewer is he can show up an hour late, after the all-grain guys, and still finish on time.

Although we are still working on our official brew day logo and matching attire, Todd from Boston Beer Company was too kind in supplying us with Sam Adams t-shirts and glasses. The "Just Brew It" motto certainly fit the day.

With all of us feeling good in our new shirts, Eric, as usual, showed up to put his own spin on things. Don't call it a skirt, because Eric came sporting his new kilt!

Yes, someone amongst us spent the previous evening at the Celtic Festival. I wonder who?

We all got quite a kick out of his new look and felt it added something to his presence at his brew kettle.

Dave brewed an English style Pale Ale, and Drew and I brewed Porters. Based on our styles, we're all thinking of Fall. As always, Keith and Brian pitched in too.

My Porter has been dubbed Mighty Maple Porter. I pulled the idea from a couple different porter recipes I came across. My anticipated readings keep it within the Porter style guideline's, so I am hoping to get this sweet yet wonderful roasted Porter. It is one of my favorite styles.

While our brewing process is fairly smooth, we have updated our feeding schedule. Let's just say our food intake system has been based on trial and error, but mostly error. When you spend all day in the sun brewing beer and tasting "a few" while you are at it, it's a pretty good idea to graze continuously. As much as our end of brew day feasts were great, we've decided the gradual approach works best.

Our first meal was a pair of uber huge fatties stuffed with cheddar and basil.

In between salsa and chips, we worked up to BBQ Cabbage.

And finally, thanks to The Drew, grilled marinated Tri-Tip, which was absolutely delicious.

All in all, my brewing process went real well. As always though, time will be the ultimate judge. Eric even mentioned brewing again this week to replenish his homebrew stash which, with all of our socializing lately, has been depleted.

We had beer, food, and kilts. After ten hours together, we walked away with 20 gallons of fermenting beer, full bellies, and a sociological understanding of man's fashion's functional movement to trousers. Not bad for a day with food, beer, and kilts.

Thanks again to Todd for the swag, too. Sam Adams, like so many other craft brewers, began at home, or like us, in the backyard.