Yesterday evening, our friends, Dave and Laila, invited us, along with two other couples, to their home for dinner and a lesson in brewing. In past outings, Dave has demonstrated his culinary prowess by preparing and bringing dishes like smoked brisket to barbecues. His brewing skills seem to match, if not exceed, his grilling/smoking expertise.As I understand it, the brewing process goes something like this: malted barley is soaked in hot water to release the malt sugars, the malt sugar solution is boiled with Hops for seasoning, the brew is cooled and yeast is added for fermentation, the yeast ferments the sugars thereby releasing alcohol, and finally, the beer is bottled with a bit of extra sugar. I could be off a bit as my organic chemistry knowledge is wanting, but I believe the above process to be mostly correct.
In addition to sharing his brewing astuteness, Dave, with the help of Laila, prepared a delectable meal of barbecued chicken, baked beans, an antipasti salad and an array of home brewed beers for all to enjoy. It was wonderful to spend the evening in the company of friends; and, as a bonus, if J should take up brewing, then perhaps his new hobby would provide a distraction from hunting. I much prefer bottling beer in my kitchen to processing deer!
Dave, J and Keith: "Double, double toil and trouble"
Brewmaster Dave: the next Sam Adams?
The brew after the barley was removed
Our lovely hostess, Laila, and one of her sons, Santino
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