DANVILLE - While I'm better known as The Brew Dude, I'm a homebrewer at heart - one of over a million strong in the United States. So when Damien Malfara of Old Forge Brewing offered to host an event for my homebrew club, the PA Alers, we jumped at the opportunity.
For Malfara, it was a trip down memory lane. "I started as a homebrewer," he said. "This event is great for brewing, great for beer. I'm honored to be a part of it. It's awesome what you guys are doing."
The event coincided with Saturday's National Learn to Homebrew Day - the day for veteran homebrewers to teach newbies how easy it is to make great beer. Over a dozen PA Alers, including two beginners, gathered first thing in the morning with our equipment at Old Forge's packaging brewery. Dwarfed by countless stacks of cans and fermenters, some holding as much as 100 barrels (over 3,000 gallons) of beer, we began.
All participants brewed the same recipe - a Winter Warmer meant for the coming holidays. The recipe for the dark ale included spices and oranges - plus an extra kick from an addition of brown sugar and molasses, enabling the brew to ward off the worst of Old Man Winter's chill.
Some of the veterans brewed separately with easy-to-use malt extract. The club's rookies - Ryan Bordner of Selinsgrove, who joined the Alers only last month - and Andrew Charnosky of Elysburg were paired with four others at separate stations for a more complicated homebrewing method using all grain instead of powdered extract.
"Damien answered lots of questions," said Bordner. "It was great to learn how the pros do it and see how all the equipment works together."
Charnosky echoed the sentiments: "This been a great day. Old Forge's hospitality was incredible. I loved the camaraderie, and the way all the individual batches came together to form one beer."
The spices were added to the boiling brew as the day neared completion. Sweet and fragrant aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg filled the air.
To expedite the final process, Malfara allowed us to chill our freshly boiled wort (unfermented beer) on his equipment. Our 55 gallons of chilled wort were then pumped into containers and transported to a secret location, to ferment in a vessel loaned by Catawissa's Covered Bridge Brewing. In a few weeks, the Winter Warmer will be ready, just in time for the holidays.
The PA Alers Homebrewer Club was founded in 2004 and encompasses the Susquehanna Valley. We have nearly 50 members, ranging in experience from beginner to professional. Homebrewers, or the homebrew-curious who wish to learn more about us, may email me at thebrewdude@newsitem.com for more information.