BREWPUBSMinuscule breweries are at the forefront of the microbrew explosion. Drinking establishments that brew their own beer are popping up everywhere, often producing small batches of ale and lager to compliment the indigenous cuisine. Often traveling no further than a few feet from storage tank to glass, these micro-wonders are bringing beer drinkers closer to the source than ever before. In New York City, during the past year, no fewer than five new brewpubs have opened their doors, one of which, unfortunately, resides several feet from this magazine's offices. In brewpubs such as New York City's Thaiphoon, beer is brewed to match the cuisine (in this case, Thai, obviously), and quantity is dictated by the amount of beer actually being consumed on-site. A brewpub that sells more than 50% of their production volume to off-site accounts is re-classified as a microbrewery. At the end of 1995, there were 533,000 brewpubs in America. Conservative estimates have that number doubling in just under two years.
HomebrewsHomebrewing is the very heart and soul of microbrewing, and its honorable progenitor. Interestingly enough, the person who can be credited with really | opening up the homebrewing market is none other than Billy Carter. As the brother of President Jimmy Carter, Billy engaged in a close-vested lobbying effort to legalize homebrewing. When the misty haze of beer-induced legislation finally cleared, America had a new law: "Any individual can brew for his own personal consumption up to 100 gallons of beer or wine by simple fermentation without licensing or taxation." The somewhat unfortunate result of this historic amendment was, of course, Billy Beer. On the positive side, however, the homebrewing industry was born, and anyone with a five-gallon jug and a fistful of hops began brewing in earnest. Now homebrewing is an industry unto itself, with suppliers of brewing equipment, raw materials, (how else to you get hops?), and bottling equipment. The best way to find out about homwbrewing is to roll up your sleeves and start brewing (see sidebar, p. 96).
BREW ON PREMISEHomebrewing requires patience, lots of extra space, and an understanding roommate. If you lack one of the above and simply must brew your own beer, then "brew-on-premise" sites (B.O.P.s) are for you. B.O.P.s provide the equipment, raw materials and instructors to help you crank out any fermented beverage you can think of. At the Chicago B.O.P., state-of-the-art temperature controlled brewing tanks, fermentation |
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