4 KiB
+++ title = "Homebrew" date = 2022-03-01 authors = ["Aron Petau"] description = "A bubbly hobby of mine"
[taxonomies] tags = [ "altbier", "beer", "experiment", "fermentation", "hops", "homebrew", "keg", "lager", "pressure", "private", "sustainability", "yeast" ]
[extra] banner = "beer_tap.jpg" show_copyright = true show_shares = true +++
Brewing
Making my own beer
I love hosting, I love experimenting in the Kitchen. Starting with homebrews was a natural fit for me and during the first wave of Covid-19, I went the whole homebrewer’s route of bottle fermentation and small batches later elevating my game with larger batches of 50 liters and a pressure tank system.
Starting out, I found it fascinating, how just 4 rather simple ingredients, malt, hops, water and yeast, can form such an incredible range of taste experiences. It was and still is, a tremendous learning experience, where one slowly has to accept not being able to control the process fully and find room for creativity.
Why do I present such an unrelated non-academic hobby here? I simply do not regard it as unrelated, experimenting and optimizing a process and a workflow, creating optimal conditions for the yeast to do its job feels very similar to approaching a coding project. Yeast and what it does fascinates me. Every time I open the latch to release some pressure on the Tank I think of the awesome symbiotic relationships yeast has with humans and how many different strains live there together to create a unique, yet tailored flavor. Several ideas are floating around of changing the brewing process by capturing the created carbon dioxide and using it productively. I could see a car tire being filled with my beer gas, or an algae farm munching away on my CO2 byproducts. Within a closed-loop pressurized system, such ideas actually become realizable and I would love to explore them further.
I am not yet an expert on algae, but I can manage with yeast and I believe they can coexist and create a more sustainable cycle of production. Young Henrys, a brewery in Australia is already incorporating algae into its industrial process: The Algae project
Such ideas do not come into the industry by themselves: I believe that art and the exploratory discovery of novel techniques are the same things. Good and inventive design can improve society and make steps towards sustainability. I want to be part of that and would love to find new ways of using yeast in other design contexts: See whether I can make them work in a closed circular system, make them calculate things for me, or simply making my next beer taste awesome with just the right amount of fizz.
{% gallery() %} [ { "file": "beer_setup.jpg", "title": "The latest iteration of my homebrew setup, using pressure tanks and a pressurized fermentation chamber", "alt": "A photo showcasing the latest version of a homebrew setup with pressure tanks and a fermentation chamber." }, { "file": "beer_setup_2.jpg", "title": "An electric kettle I use for the Brew", "alt": "An image of the electric kettle used in the brewing process." }, { "file": "beer_tap.jpg", "title": "I made my own kegging system featuring a tap from an old table leg.", "alt": "A custom kegging system with a tap made from an upcycled table leg." }, { "file": "beer_fermentation.jpg", "title": "An active fermentation", "alt": "A photo showing the fermentation process in action during beer brewing." }, { "file": "hops.jpg", "title": "Hops growing in our garden, so I can experiment with fresh specialty hops", "alt": "Fresh hops growing in the garden, ready for experimentation in brewing." }, { "file": "beer_malt.jpg", "title": "The leftover mass of spent grain. Animals love it, it's great for composting, but most importantly, it's great for baking bread!", "alt": "The spent grain left over from brewing, which is perfect for composting, animal feed, or baking bread." } ] {% end %}