Back in mid-August I brewed my first batch of beer!

To get in the swing of things, I purchased a two-stage starter kit from Northern Brewer online, and one of their Irish Red Ale extract kits. Michelle, my wife, gave me an “I owe you” for my birthday in May, but I put it off a little while because I didn’t want to drop the $200 for the equipment, ingredient kit, and brew kettle. Nevertheless, she convinced me to spend the money and I was so happy that I did! To be honest I felt like a 5 year-old on Christmas day when it arrived on our door step.

Along with the starter kit, I purchased on of Norther Brewer’s Irish Red Ale recipe kits. I decided on this kit because it appeared to be one of their most popular beers, and didn’t have a long fermenting process. Continue reading →