WHEN: Saturday, with two tasting sessions -- 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Night Light, 405 1/2 W. Rosemary St., Chapel Hill
ADMISSION: Tickets are free, with a $10 suggested donation. Proceeds will go to the MS Society. To reserve a ticket, visit www.worldhomebrewfest.eventbrite.com
By Cliff Bellamy
cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744
It was a tough job, but someone had to taste Mark Cares' home brewed Rosemary Ginger Ale on a recent afternoon. One single sip (the reporter had to remain professional) revealed the subtle taste of both flavors in Cares' brew, which he made in his Chatham County home kitchen.
The flavors Cares chose are among an infinite variety of tastes available to do-it-yourselfers who want to make their own beer. "There are a lot of cool variations," said Caleb Rudow. With home brewing, "your freedom and creativity are expanded." Rudow said he once took a basic beer-making kit for a brown ale and added a little chi tea to the mix to create an individual brew.
Those interested in learning more about home beer making, and those who simply want to sample some local home brew, can do so Saturday, when the Second World Home Brew Festival in the Triangle will be held at Night Light in Chapel Hill.
Rudow and Cares are organizing the second event. The first home brew event took place in November. Rudow and Cares sent a message by e-mail to some people they thought might be interested. About 13 home brewers showed up at that event, and about 150 people interested in tasting home beer came as well, Rudow said.
Forty brewers have signed up to submit their beers for judging at Saturday's event. About 200 tickets already had been reserved for the two scheduled tasting sessions. Triangle Brewing Co. of Durham will provide judges for the event, Cares said, who added the judging will be solely on taste alone, not on specific categories of beer.
The organizers cite numerous advantages of home brew. First comes taste. The bottle conditioning process -- meaning the final aging in the bottle before a beer is consumed -- takes longer in home brewing, unlike in commercial brewing, which Rudow said imparts a better taste. There is a slight environmental factor. Bottles used in the process are generally reused (as opposed to being tossed in the recycle bin).
There also is an economic advantage. Once a home brewer has purchased the equipment, there is some cost benefit. "You can brew three really good cases for 15 to 20 dollars, whereas it might cost 25 to 30 [dollars] a case," Cares said.
The other intangible advantage is the satisfaction that comes from experimentation. Cares said the process, which he compared to making soup, is not too difficult for the layperson. The quality of ingredients also is more consistent these days, making it "much easier to make a really good brew," Rudow said.
Rudow, who besides making his own beer also sells home beer equipment and supplies at Fifth Season Gardening Co. in Carrboro, pointed out that there are two levels of home brewing. For extract brewing, beginners might want to purchase prepackaged kits, which contain grain extracts for ales, ambers and other basic types of beer.
The next level is the all-grain process, which requires more hands-on attention to some steps, but gives the brewer a lot of latitude to adjust the beer's color, alcohol content, taste and other factors, Cares said. Once a brewer graduates to all-grain, they pretty much are hooked on home brewing, Cares added.
The World Home Brew Festival has several purposes, the first of which is fun. Several bands -- The Whiskey Smugglers, Popsie's Field, Lizzy Ross and the Little Bear that Barks, and the Black Swamp Bootleggers -- will perform at the festival.
"It's about supporting a lot of different communities," Rudow said. In addition to exposing visitors to home beers, the event also helps a charitable cause, and indirectly supports local music.
The festival also is about educating the local public about responsible drinking, and the art of home beer-making. Drinkers who are interested in home beer are usually focused on taste, not overimbibing, Rudow said, and tend to behave responsibly. The goal is "about having an informed consumer, and people in the know about the products."
