Malted Zen

As craft beer enthusiasts we know that, like wine, some beers become better with age; mostly beer with higher ABV counts. Some of us have simple means of cellaring that entail extra space in a China cabinet while others have elaborate climate controlled spaces for their rare beers. No matter which of these spaces you have, aging your beer is a great way to study how beer changes characteristics over time. What happens when it comes time to drink these bottles of aged goodness, but you just can't bring yourself to let them go? You, like myself, have crossed that thin line between cellaring and hoarding.  The first time I decided I wanted to cellar a beer was in 2014 when that year's Bourbon County Brand Stout was released by Goose Island. This was also the first year it was available in Georgia thanks/no-thanks to AB-InBev. I bought a four pack and drank all but one and decided I wanted to save it for later. About two weeks later I was back at my usual bottle shop and...

Homebrewing isn’t a hobby to which I’ve fully committed, but it is something I’d like to do on a more serious level. I’ve brewed a few batches now and each time I was a nervous wreck, which is probably why I didn’t brew much. Every other book and article I’ve read on the subject made me feel like everything needed to be done exactly right or else; until I got “ The Complete Joy of Homebrewing ” by Charlie Papazian. No, this isn’t a book review but, the first thing he says is, “Relax. Don’t worry. Have a homebrew,” and that statement changed everything. This latest batch I brewed went so much more smoothly and with less stress because of those three sentences. It reminded me that the reason I homebrew is because it’s fun and it helps me relax. So, that’s what I did; I relaxed and brewed the beer without stressing if my equipment was sanitized enough, or if my mash temperature wasn’t exactly where it was supposed to be. As it turns out, all was well. My wife bought me a Brewdemon Coni...