Something's Brewing

For a number of years my son Rob has wanted to brew his own beer. This is his year. And mine, too, since he invited me to join him in this venture.

Appropriately, we're doing it on Father's Day, June 19, at a place called The Brewer's Apprentice in Freehold, NJ. This is quite a process.

You have to select the type of beer you want to brew and it better be something you like because you make a lot of it. Of course you could give some of the bottles away (which I probably will do) but I suspect you'll have to warn the recipients of the nature of the gift. Psst...I made it myself. How that will go over is anyone's guess.

So we go to the brewery on the chosen date and they give us all the ingredients and instructions on how to mix it all together. Then it has to ferment for a couple of weeks. When it's ready, you get to bottle it. I think you get a choice of either a 12 or 22-ounce size. I'll go for the smaller size. I don't drink anything in a 22-ounce bottle.

So right now we are naming our beers. Sending emails back and forth suggesting just the right label for our respective products. I'm calling mine “Muddling Marv's Mellow Meld #13.” Rob is thinking of calling his “Gnatty Light Lager.”

Dueling distillers man your vats. Let the Battle of the Brews begin.