Hey there ladies and gents,
Dale here, you all may know me as Lindsey’s husband. I’m here to talk about one of my favorite foods, beer. Recently I’ve joined the many individuals in the Portland area who brew their own beer. I became interested in the intricacies of brewing last year and received my very own equipment for Christmas. By day I am a math teacher, and brewing appeals to the mathematician side of me in many ways. I love that the basic formula of water, malt, hops, and yeast can be tweaked in myriad ways resulting in so many delicious brews.
I brewed my first beer in January, a brown porter, and it turned out fantastic! Before this beer I was certainly overwhelmed by the brewing process, worried that I would mess up at some point along the way and end up with a product that no one would drink. As it turns out there are many things that could go wrong, but with a little attention to detail and a plan to follow brewing is a really fun and creative process.
Most recently I decided to recreate my favorite type of beer, a Belgian Wit. Hoegaarden is my favorite Belgian Wit, partially due to it’s funny name. As a homage to this beer I created my brew, “Who you callin’ Hoe(gaarden)?” Yes, I am pretty proud of the title. This beer allowed me to take a new step in my evolution as a home brewer. I used the traditional ingredients as usual, but for the first time added Orange Blossom Honey, orange and coriander. It was a real treat for me to get to see where these flavor notes come from in a beer I have enjoyed for so long.
Now I have to face the hardest part of brewing for me, the weeks of waiting until the beer is ready to drink. I hope I may have planted a seed in some of your minds that leads to pursuing the enjoying art of beer making. Until next time, bottoms up!
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