Brandon Twp.- A good time is brewing at the library.
The Michigan Brew Supply Company will present ‘Make Beer, Taste Beer,? from 3-6 p.m., March 5, at the Brandon Township Public Library, 304 South St. The program is free.
‘It’s home brewing 101,? said Nicole Vanschagen, co-owner of Michigan Brew Supply Company, in business since 2012. ‘We will cover the basic equipment, ingredients, and processes for making beer.?
The company has found a niche among people interested in making their own brew, particularly craft beers. Other beverages that Michigan Brew Supply Company can help you learn how to make yourself include wine, mead, hard cider and even kombucha, a fermented tea.
During the March 5 program, attendees will learn how to make beer.
Matt Kris of Michigan Brew Supply Company will cover the equipment necessary, including a kettle, carboy, hydrometer, and testing and measuring kits; the basic ingredients? malt, water, hops and yeast; and demonstrate the processes? brew day, boiling, fermentation and bottling.
People who attend may range from newbies to people taking their brewing to the next level, or even advanced crafters.
‘Like with cooking, you may start with boxed potatoes or boxed mac and cheese and now you want to take it to the next level,? said Vanschagen. ‘Every style of beer has ingredients that are unique to it. There are things you would never put in certain styles of beer because they don’t go together. We help them build recipes for the style of beer they like so they can brew from scratch.?
She notes there are hundreds of beer styles, ranging from darkest to lightest and including stout, porter, brown, red ale, amber, wheat, pale ale, and India pale ale.
‘There are different variations on those ales, then bodies of beer that are lager, Oktoberfest, Pilsen, Bock, maibock, German lagers, Czech, black lagers? there’s a whole set there. Then it further breaks down to Belgian, German… any country has their own set of styles that fall under those categories.?
Michigan Brew Supply Company can help brewers with all of them, as well as experiment with ingredients such as pumpkin, apple, and much more.
She noted they recently had a customer who loves oatmeal cookies and wanted to make that into a beer. They showed him how to craft an apple cinnamon oatmeal stout that Vanschagen said was ‘very good.?
Not a lot of space is required to start your own home brewery, all that is needed is an apartment-sized kitchen, she added.
A batch typically yields five gallons of beer, or roughly 50 bottles and cost to get started is about $120 including ingredients and equipment, but come see for free at ‘Make Beer, Taste Beer,? what home brewing is all about.
‘It’s hard to screw it up, but it can be done,? said Vanschagen. ‘They should come and check it out, it’s free, doesn’t take a lot of time and if you enjoy craft beer, you will enjoy this demonstration.?
To register, call the library at 248-627-1460 or go to www.brandonlibrary.org. MBSC is located in Midland, Mich. Visit online at mibrewsupply.com or on Facebook/mibrewsupply.