At last!
It took a long time to get here, to the first sip of my own beer. It was quite a process, more than I had anticipated but worth it!
The hardest part the last few weeks has been waiting, seeing the rows of beautifully carbonated beverages and knowing that I had to just let them sit there for 2 more weeks. The first batch- the Witbier was not made as sustainably as I would have liked, but I was unprepared, trying to do something for the very first time and more worried about getting a drinkable concoction rather than the details of saving or reusing everything. It was also difficult because I was simply unfamiliar with the process and what elements of the process could be adapted to make the process more environmentally friendly. The process has made me much more environmentally conscious and I feel much more aware on a daily basis of what kind of resources I use just to wash dishes or cook dinner.
It's also incredible that there was such a huge difference between my first batch of beer and my second. The second time I was familiar with the process and was able to plan ahead accordingly, utilize resources to their fullest potential and to achieve almost all of my personal project goals. I have not purchased any beer in 2 months, have stuck to re-using the bottles I already had accumulated, I have re-purposed spent grains to make cookies and granola for the class, re-used grey water to wash my bathtub and clean water to wash dishes and water plants. I borrowed about half of my equipment from a friend who brews and we now alternate the equipment, saving us both money and limiting the amount of plastic and other resources consumed.
The experience of brewing and sharing my new found knowledge with friends and folks has been terrific and has encouraged me to continue brewing and experimenting and keeping it as sustainable as possible. As I share bottles with friends, the trade off for free beer is to return the bottle to me...plus any addition bottles they may have lying around destined for the trash.
I have loved this project and can't wait for my next batch to be ready...Octoberfest I'm ready for you!
p.s. The Witbier is awesome and I will share with anyone who wants to try, just let me know :)
It took a long time to get here, to the first sip of my own beer. It was quite a process, more than I had anticipated but worth it!
A Witbier..soon to be followed by Octoberfest just in time for Halloweeen!
The hardest part the last few weeks has been waiting, seeing the rows of beautifully carbonated beverages and knowing that I had to just let them sit there for 2 more weeks. The first batch- the Witbier was not made as sustainably as I would have liked, but I was unprepared, trying to do something for the very first time and more worried about getting a drinkable concoction rather than the details of saving or reusing everything. It was also difficult because I was simply unfamiliar with the process and what elements of the process could be adapted to make the process more environmentally friendly. The process has made me much more environmentally conscious and I feel much more aware on a daily basis of what kind of resources I use just to wash dishes or cook dinner.
It's also incredible that there was such a huge difference between my first batch of beer and my second. The second time I was familiar with the process and was able to plan ahead accordingly, utilize resources to their fullest potential and to achieve almost all of my personal project goals. I have not purchased any beer in 2 months, have stuck to re-using the bottles I already had accumulated, I have re-purposed spent grains to make cookies and granola for the class, re-used grey water to wash my bathtub and clean water to wash dishes and water plants. I borrowed about half of my equipment from a friend who brews and we now alternate the equipment, saving us both money and limiting the amount of plastic and other resources consumed.
The experience of brewing and sharing my new found knowledge with friends and folks has been terrific and has encouraged me to continue brewing and experimenting and keeping it as sustainable as possible. As I share bottles with friends, the trade off for free beer is to return the bottle to me...plus any addition bottles they may have lying around destined for the trash.
I have loved this project and can't wait for my next batch to be ready...Octoberfest I'm ready for you!
p.s. The Witbier is awesome and I will share with anyone who wants to try, just let me know :)
This is awesome Jackie, congrats!! It looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI mean, if we can have a class after 5pm... I saw you bring some to our Dec 9th presentation class and we can celebrate afterwards! If it won't last that long, I'm down for a weekend get together...
ReplyDeleteAlso, thanks for the cookies! Who knew sustainability tasted so good?
Haha, it definitely won't last til December..i'm down to the last 10 bottles of my first batch already, I was so excited throughout the process I had to share with everyone! We can def pick a weekend soon and i'll crack open the second batch!
ReplyDelete