Nor Cal Kilts and Heather Beer Brewing

[Alan H]

At the last Beer and Kilts night at the Devils Canyon Brewery both Dan the Brewer and Chris the Brewer talked to me AT LENGTH about wanting to make a kettle or two of heather beer. These guys are into it, as you know. It's been part of the business plan all along to make some ancient style beers. You should have seen Dan's eyes light up as he talked about the ancient recipes, now gone to the grave.

He also talked briefly about how the alternative ingredients....using heather instead of hops, introduced minute amounts of slightly psychotropic chemicals into heather beer. Hops mellow people out. Heather beer on the other hand....well, according to Dan, there was a REASON you weren't allowed to brew it after Culloden! Crazy Scotsmen + heather beer = revolution.

SO. *ahem*

I propose a kilt night at the DCB in September, specific date to be decided, to both wear kilts AND brew up a kettle of Heather Beer.

Anybody interested? It's risky, it could turn out tasting like &^%%R#^#$(M<>)(*&&. Or it could be *great* . I think that a kettle makes about 6-8 cases.

[Panache]

It sounds good to a certain Flame-Haired Celtic Amazon Goddess and her ...err...flamboyant (?) mate

Cheers

Jamie

[Andrew Breecher]

I wish I could join you guys. My heather beer turned out amazing. The heather is pretty subtle - next time I should try using more - but the peat-smoked barley gives it an excellent flavour.

Andrew.

[Monkey@Arms]

I've always wanted to make beer, a group effort sounds like fun. What would the cost be, Alan?

Best regards,

Jake

[Ayin McFye]

I've always wanted to make beer, a group effort sounds like fun. What would the cost be, Alan?

Best regards,

Jake

Getting started on your first batch will probably cost you in the range of 80-110 dollars (arizona prices, i don't know if it's different where you are). And that will include buckets, and all the tools you need to brew (minus the ingredients)

Once you have all the tools you need you can probabaly get away with a 5 gallon batch of beer (ale, lager, stouts) for anywhere between 30-40 dollars. Now you can even go cheaper if you have the proper recipes, and have a good hookup for ingredients that you can buy from. You'll need your grains, hops, malt, yeast, sugars, and anything else that you plan to use. My suggestion if to use a KIT for your very first batch so that you can learn the ropes. Your local brewery shop should carry them, and they have all the ingredients you need, plus step by step instructions. After you've done your first KIT batch you can start branching out a bit and experiementing. You'll need anywhere between 45-50 12 ounce bottles to bottle 5 gallons. Part of your batch will evaporate so you won't actually end up with 5 gallons, more like 4 1/2.

Feel free to IM me anytime if you have any questions. My brother and I brew all the time, we've won 2 gold medals, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal in various competitions for both our ales, and our mead.

For our mead we import our honey from Alaska and OMG if anyone is ever out here in AZ i'll have to hook you up with some. Normally we accept donations in the amount of $20 for a wine size bottle of it, but I'd be more than happy to share plenty in good company.

Slainte!

[starbkjrus]

snip..

well, according to Dan, there was a REASON you weren't allowed to brew it after Culloden! Crazy Scotsmen + heather beer = revolution.

...snip

This sounds like fun....BUT remember you are not allowed to go anywhere near Sacramento!

[TimC]

You had me at "beer"

-Tim

[Alan H]

I'll ask Chris what He guesstimates the cost to be.

[Malcolm MacWilliam]

Gents.....I posted a message yesterday in off topic about my son moving to the SF, Oakland area in a few weeks.....he probably has a place to flop for a few weeks while he hits the bricks looking for a job. He has quite the background in computers, software, managerial skills, etc. and didn't know if any of you in that area would have any connections, etc. You could contact me offline (he wears a kilt at times, also, and enjoys his Guinness.. well, he is my son!! Malcolm

[walkerk]

I'll be out of town around the weekend of Sept 13th & 14th. I'll try to make it there!