Recently, I’ve gotten it into my head to try out some homebrewing and after requesting a whole shelf of do it yourself beer brewing treatises from the library, both basic and advanced, Emma Christensen’s “True Brews” came to be my favorite. I even decided to invest in a copy! True Brews is a great place to start, with Christensen’s clear explanations detailing basic instructions and recipes for a beginner to quickly start doing their own homebrewed beverages, including the equipment and ingredients needed, as well as tips for more unique and difficult projects.I liked that “True Brews” did not focus on one specific brew, but included a variety of fermented beverages to try out, alcoholic and non-alcoholic; sodas, kombuchas, kefirs, ciders, beers, meads, wines, and even sakes. I also appreciate her focus on one gallon recipes, easily accomplished in even the most cramped apartment kitchens; this also allows for a lot of tinkering with recipes as well.

I scored some high quality unpasteurized Door County apple juice last October, so for the past few months I’ve been processing it into cider; cracked it open for a holiday party and it turned out to be not too disappointing; very crisp and boozy, not bad for a first attempt! I’m also planning a chai-spice mead for my next main brewing project. I also love how Christensen’s recipes are both specific enough to be followed by someone who doesn’t really know what they’re doing (like myself), but also open enough to be almost immediately hacked for specific tastes; the “master” soda and “master” beer recipes, in particular, are ripe for just about anyone to start up some improvisation and experiments. I started out with my own experiment on the soda front, a pumpkin spice soda brewed up with roasted pumpkin, lemon juice, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg; one taster called it “fall in a bottle.” I’m going to try a cranberry ginger ale this week, (basically, I am a fan of all things ginger), and I”m going to try an improvised beer, a extra special bitter ale, based on the master beer recipe as well. Really, I’m inspired to try something new every time I crack the cover! ( )