I Brew, Therefore I Am

While the rest of the world 

was out looking for a sale,

We spent Black Friday

in the kitchen, creating ale.

Ready to go...The rolling pin was for crushing barley.

Said barley in a bag, stewing away.

Stewed barley breakfast?

My lovely assistant James.
Yes, he is a hop sniffer.

The hops.  I grew them right here, about 100 feet from the kitchen.

The malt extract, ready to go.

Jim is contemplating our next move.

In with the malt!

And more malt!

Gooey stuff, this malt.
Goes nicely with the cabinets, don't you think?

Jim is also a barley malt sniffer.

Do you think he has a problem?
Should I get help for him?

The hops in the brew.
Swim, little hoppers, swim!

Everybody out of the pool!

Jim was chanting,
"Never fear, I am here,
to stir the pot, and make some beer!"

The wort goes into the carboy.
According to Wikipedia, which Dr. Katie says all her students use as their primary source,
"The word carboy is from the Persian qarabah (قرابه), from Arabic qarraba, "big jug".^[3]"

Cooling the carboy.
The leftover hops have been thrown in to "dry hop" the beer.

Getting ready for the final steps.

Making sure the temperature is right.

In goes the yeast.
Every beer maker loves and respects his yeast.
They work so hard for us.

Bubble passing topper in place.
Anticipation begins.
Jim will soon be searching for his glasses.

Out of the sink and down in the basement.
Fermentation commencing.

The CO2 released by the yeast bubbles up through this device,
and the air is prevented from entering by the water.
The bubbling goes on for a number of days.

One week later.

To make good beer, one must be sure all containers are clean.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
You fill in the next thought.

Where did the beer go?

Syphoned into another carboy,
leaving the crud behind.

But there is none in Jim's glass.

And the used hops lie discarded in the sink.

A little sugar was added and the beer was bottled.  Then the most difficult part of brewing occurred.  The beer was stored in the dark for 3 weeks for the yeast to finish their work,  providing the carbonation that we know and love.  The difficulty, of course, is the waiting.  Queue Tom Petty..."The waiting is the hardest part..."