2014 National Learn to Homebrew Day

On Sat, Nov 1, 2014, Titgemeier's Feed and Garden hosted the local version of "National Learn to Homebrew Day" from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Over 100 people attended throughout the sunny, breezy, chilly day. Experienced brewers and people curious about homebrewing visited. Big thanks to the Glass City Mashers for organizing the event and to Titgemeir's for hosting it. Great fun.

We watched different brewing techniques explained, such as all-grain, brew-in-a-bag, and extract methods.

We tasted many different styles of homebrews.

Hot dogs, sausages, veggie dogs, and chips were offered too.

A wood fire in a small, portable pit provided warmth when needed.

Morning temps started in the low to mid 30s, but the brisk wind made it feel cooler. But it was better than the rainy weather the day before.

At least three local TV stations stopped by.

And of course, everyone engaged in wonderful conversation.

Deb and I attended from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We would have arrived earlier, but we witnessed an auto accident at Douglas and Sylvania. Amazingly, nobody got hurt, but I helped cleanup debris and waited to provide info for the police.

Photos

At 9:30 a.m., at least 50 people were present for the first two brewing demos. We stood outside under the shelter, but it felt like winter. We needed heavier coats.

A hopinfusor. Beer from keg runs through fresh hops for additional flavor. I drank a few samples of the tasty American Pale Ale. One or more other homebrewers shared their various styles of bottled beer.

Hot dogs, chips, and beer were served during the event. It made for a nice breakfast.

Warming station.

At least five brewing sessions occurred throughout the day. This was extract brewing. Some ingredients were steeped for a short period in a cloth bag. Then liquid malt extract was added. It's a shorter process time-wise compared to the all-grain method.