Can A White Girl Brew Beer?

Let me start by saying I'm a 40-something woman that lives in Nashville, Tennessee. For Christmas this year (oops - last year), I was compiling a list of gifts that I wanted to get for my siblings. Having six siblings and dozens of nieces and nephews, we generally do not purchase individual gifts for everyone. However, 2009 was a traumatic year for our family. Having suffered a horrible tragedy in the family near the end of summer, I was looking to uplift my spirits through the joy of giving. In the process, I also hoped to lift the spirits of others, too. So, as I was making my list, I wanted to give something to each that was at least somewhat more than an obligatory pair of gloves and somewhat less than a new car. Budget, of course, was a concern. So I set off on my journey through the Internet to find something both economical, worthy and maybe even enjoyable.

I'll cut to the chase. For two of my brothers (and husband), I decided on Home Beer Brewing kits. Needless to say, they were well received. "The Contest" began the next day. It's conception was modest, but immediately started growing. One brother showed up at our house within a few days with a small newspaper publication "Southern Brew News", and I knew this competition was going to spiral into a beer-making frenzy. Anything less, wouldn't be in keeping with our family traditions. ("No Rules, Just Traditions" - but that's a blog for another day.) The ground rules were forming and the date was set for the unveiling / judging to see who would claim the prize.

Being that I am not one to be outdone, I decided (as a joke) to jump into the competition. Let me interject here that I am not a beer drinking person. Never have been. My tastes lie in the more heartiness of a good Southern Bourbon. That being said, I just wanted to throw a kink, if you will, into the mix. So I purchased a pre-mixed and ready to 'brew' bottle of Mexican Cervesa at a local brew supply shop. All I had to do was drop a little yeast pill into the bottle, cap it tightly and wait. (I'm still waiting.)

The competition is this coming Saturday. The beers have been named. (Of course, we'd name them!) And the invitations have been sent. (Okay - I'm sticking them in the mail today.) Who will reign victorious? We will be having two prizes. There will be the official Judges Pick - based on several specific criteria. And then there will be the People's Choice Award - based on nothing other than personal favorite.

I've gotten the beer making fever. How hard can it be? What is a 'hops'? A 'wort'? I don't know. Do I really need to know what these things are? I guess I'll find out, because I'm starting my first REAL batch of beer today.

Can a white girl brew beer? Today begins my journey. I'll be posting my results here, so tune in to find out.