Okay, so it might well turn out to be crap, but I've started brewing my own beer. I haven't tried any yet. I've got my first batch (from a kit - thanks, woot!) in bottles. It's a nut brown kind of ale. I just followed the instructions as it was my first time. I started it just before leaving for Starwood because I knew I'd need a good stretch of time to just leave it be and not keep checking on it. So today I came up with labels in a slow period at work today, though. It's going to be my "Brown Cow Ale". ^_^ (Because I wanted a picture of a cow on the label.) I should be able to refrigerate it next week and then start drinking it. So I'll let you know how it turns out.
I started my second batch tonight. I wanted to use some of
crzykbdplyr's wheat, so I malted it (apparently you let it germinate, then you dry it out and roast it in the oven - the roasted malt tasted really good and I had to keep myself from eating it straight) and then crushed it with my mortar and pestle, and then did this decoction-mashing thing to convert the remaining starches. Or something like that. I'm not sure how it worked. But I looked it up on the internet and everything. ^_^ I mixed it with an APA extract and used half honey (half the corn sugar the kit came with - I was going to use all honey, but the honey smell seemed really strong and I didn't want it to overpower the wheat - assuming that I did it right and you can taste it at all, of course). Hopefully, it should be ready for drinking by Laid Back - assuming it's drinkable. ^_^ I made labels for it, too. It's going to be my Harvest Ale.