I’ve wanted to make mead for years.
Maybe it’s my fascination with the ancient epic tale of Beowulf, in which they drink the honey-based alcohol like it’s water. Maybe it’s because I’m the sort of person who likes to dive into interests just a bit off the mainstream. Or maybe it’s because I simply want to drink it, and mead can be an expensive beverage, so I might as well craft my own.
Last year, for Christmas, my wife got me a bunch of home brewing equipment, and other family members threw in some related reading material, too.
I’m pretty much set to start a batch of my own, and I even helped a friend set up some beehives on his rural property earlier in 2013, planning to reap some serious honey as a reward. Turns out it was a dry year, though, and the bees didn’t produce much because they didn’t have much to feed on. Nothing bloomed in the miles of sage-covered hills behind his house. In fact, one of the hives cleaned out every last drop of sugary sweetness and took off, leaving the box empty. They left, queen and all, to find someplace better, so late summer and early autumn didn’t yield the sort of raw ingredients I’d been hoping for.
I suppose I can buy my own honey, but I haven’t gotten around to that yet. When I do, though, oh boy.
Despite my non-cooperative bees, I can tell you that the gift of brewing equipment—despite it not yet being fully deployed—has given me no end of enjoyment. I’ve read up on the process. Scoped out potential ingredients. Noted problems to watch for. Planned my first batch … and my next batch … and my next batch.
Know someone in your life who operates the same way? Someone who wants to dabble in the historic art of home brewing, be it mead, cider, beer, or wine? (But someone who might get more of a jump on the hobby than I did?)
Valley Brewers in Solvang could represent salvation for the shopper who’s still looking to find the perfect gift. Sandy Harrison, co-owner of the shop that’s been open for about a year and a half, said this time of year is a “crazy” one for them.
“People don’t know what to get guys, so they just come in here,” she said.
Valley Brewers offers everything from specialty equipment to starter kits stocked with just about all the equipment a first-time beer-maker would need to craft some tasty gallons. These kits run about $139.
There are also ingredient kits that range from $46 to $69, so for about $200, you can get the beer-lover in your life started on a batch of IPA, American IPA, black IPA, or stout.
Brewers ready to take it to the next level can find themselves getting deeper and deeper into the endeavor, so be prepared for a home-brew gift to be sort of a gateway for the recipient. Soon, he or she might be browsing for a mill to grind up raw ingredients at home.
As this story was being compiled, Harrison was getting ready for the December homebrewing club meeting and Christmas party, set for Dec. 13. While that’s a private event for members who’ve been with the group for a year, the rest of the year’s club meetings are open to the public. Call to double check, but the group usually gets together the second Friday of the month at around 6:30 p.m. The location changes around, ranging from local breweries to the shop itself.
Anyone who gets a kit for Christmas—or who just wants to know more about how the whole “I’m brewing beer in my closet or garage” deal works—is welcome to stop by, and there’s going to be a home brewing demo in the store in January.
Harrison also carries stacks of books for home reference, but perhaps the best part of a purchase from Valley Brewers is that she makes herself available to dispense advice and knowledge about the craft, from start to finish.
“We really try to educate people before they go ahead and just jump into things and do it for a one-shot deal and never come back,” she explained. “I always say, ‘Please read, read, educate yourself.’”
She’s also been known to sample batches that taste a little off in the hopes of helping identify what’s going wrong.
“I have people who will call me through their whole entire beer process,” she noted. “We offer that service. Just give us a call—as long as it’s not on a Tuesday, because I’m not here.”
Executive Editor Ryan Miller wants a carboy for Christmas. Send comments to rmiller@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 12-19, 2013.
