As far as cooking resolutions go, I think “try something new” is one every ES-er can agree to commit to. In my case I’m resolved to finally use the Smithwick’s home brewing kit that’s been sitting in my dining room for a few weeks now. (Aside: you can win one of these bad boys yourself by linking to Smithwick’s contest page on facebook.)
I’ve never brewed beer at home before, but I’m eager to try. Here’s the problem: showing restraint will never, ever be my New Year’s resolution, in the kitchen or anywhere else. Cooking for me is all about experimentation, and if I’m going to cross over and put in the many hours of wort chilling and yeast fermenting that it takes to brew beer at home, I want it to be significantly different from the sixer I can easily pick up at the corner bodega, right?
As usual, the veggie gf disagrees and has urged me to make my first homebrew a simple one, ensuring that I can make something that tastes good before I go for something that blows minds. She wants me to resist the temptation to brew up a pine nut and avocado lager or a cream cheese and bacon stout.
Fine, I get that. But I don’t want to make something that tastes like C-grade Miller Lite either. So what’s a crossover foodie to do? I know there are a lot of homebrewing enthusiasts out there, so feed a brother back:
1) What’s the craziest beer you’ve ever brewed / heard of someone home brewing?
2) What’s a good entry-level recipe for a home brewer who has absolutely no idea what he is doing but wants to make something unique?
(Photo: ilovebutter)
