From the ancient Sumerian period (about 3500 B.C.E.) when the wild man from the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu is given beer to drink. (“…he ate until he was full, drank seven pitchers of beer, his heart grew light, his face glowed and he sang out with joy.”)
To present day commercial and micro breweries, mankind has enjoyed a tasty beverage know as beer.
Back in Ye Olde times as part of the running of the house it was considered the norm to have a house hold brew. So after a hard summers day out in the Wheat field the farmers would come back home and enjoy a tasty wheat beer.
The aim of the Hops To It site is to promote the goodness of home brew as a cheap, easy going, fun hobby that rewards.
If enough people discover the joy of home made tasty beers, maybe we could revert to a golden age when House Hold Brews were a plenty.
Well the other day I decided to tuck into some Bitburger Draft. I was looking at a six pack then my eyes came accross the Bitburger Draft mini Keg (5 liters), sitting there all chilled and lonely.
So I just had to rescue it.
Once I got this bad boy home all that I had to do was twist the tap and pull it out. Once the foreplay was done with I proceeded to pull my self a glass of German Draft Goodness.
After it was about half full the flow dwindled to nothing. Apon further investigation I found that there is a small rubber plug on the top that had to be pushed down to allow gravity to do it’s job.
Instantly I realised that the hole in the top of my key is going to severely shorten the life of the it.
Not so much of an issue when you have a mate over and the BBQ cranking. But if it’s a week day and you want to enjoy a single beer it’s probably not the best choice.
As for the beer…. Well it’s certainly a tasty crisp Larger. Not as bitter as one would expect, but still and enjoyable drop.
PS. If your one who likes to prove your manhood by crushing cans with your head I would not recommend attempting such a feat with this mini keg. Your more likely to end up with some brain damage….. but then again if you do this sort of thing already then go for it as it probably won’t make that much difference.
This is one of my favorite German Wheat Beers. It is heavy on the palate, with fruity bitterness and hints of clove and citrus. This unfiltered, cloudy, yeasty brew with a slight banana aroma is truly a master piece of brewing.
Can be enjoyed while playing Splinter Cell Conviction at a mates place. After 6 pints of this goodness your game play gets better as well….. Well at least thats the way that I remember it.
Great Summer Beer.
Hello All, Long time no post.
Originally I wanted to set this site up to cover the easiest method of home brewing.
I have decided to change all that and make a this blog site about me learning to make the transition from the basic level of home brewing that I currently know, to the intermediate level of using malt extracts.
So why the change to the site?
Well in the last year I’ve been through a lot of life changes in business, family and life in general.
I’m not ashamed to admit that during this time I’ve been through the worst depression in my life and have finally started coming out of the other side. I mention this since I think it’s important to seek help and the difference that it’s made in my life is incalculable. I ‘ve posted a link on the right hand side of this site if you need help, know someone who needs help or want to know more.
So what can we expect to see in future posts?
Well it’s summer here in Queensland, Australia. So it’s a little hot for me to start my Brewing adventure.
So the first few posts you’ll see will most likely be beer reviews and preparation to make my next steps in the joys of home brewing.
I’ve been drinking some of this pale ale recently. It’s a North Americian style pale ale from the Matilda Bay Brewing Company , that doesn’t disappoint. I was going to write up a description / tasting notes, but I read the notes on the Matilda Bay Brewing site and they do a better job at describing it than I can.
“Fat Yak first impresses with its golden colour, distinctive, hop driven, fruity and herbaceous aromas, giving characteristic passionfruit and melon notes, followed by a whack of hop flavour at the finish. The taste is refreshingly clean on the palate.”
This Pale Ale is the prefect beer for kicking back at a quiet beach side cafe, in the late afternoon, while sharing a bowl of wedges with some mates.
Enjoy.
I tried this tasty brew the other day and thought it was such a tasty lager that is deserved a mention.
I found this to be a medium bodied flavorsome Lager that’s both refreshing and thirst quenching. It would go down well when admiring your freshly cut lawn on a hot summers afternoon.
Here’s some tasting notes from the John Boston Site.
“Prime Australian malted barley is paired with premium local hops (replacing the Cape Gooseberry’s used in John Boston’s original brew). The result is a well balanced and highly drinkable beer that’s medium bodied and malty, with a refreshing crisp bitterness.
Noble hops are added late in the brewing process to further balance the beer, giving it a floral, slightly herbal and spicey hop finish. This innovation serves to further enhance the beers drinkability.
Finally it’s full strength and pale golden in colour. The purity of flavor stands out and serves to reason why it’s the beer that makes the difference when enjoying a premium lager.”
Also I’d like to make a special mention. “Thanks Damien for bringing in one of these tasty brews to sample”
