From the ancient Egyptians to Homer Simpson, just about all of us have an understanding of one simple fact: beer is delicious. And if that beer happens to be real cold and the weather outside happens to be real warm, well then, we’ve got a recipe for a good day.
For most of us, we’ll take that beer from just about anywhere we can get it. But some of our more discerning fellow suds lovers prefer a more personalized product.
Recent years have seen an increase in the number of beer lovers brewing their own at home. The American Homebrewers Association estimates that there are now 1.1 million home brew hobbyists in the U.S. and that 40 percent of them started during the last four years. The numbers of homebrewers in Canada are harder to find, but evidence in our region suggests a similar trend.
St. Adolphe resident Paul Tower is the co-proprietor of Grain to Grass Brewing Supply on St Mary’s Road in Winnipeg. He says the homebrewing hobby is a social thing for many.
“You see groups of guys. Two or three guys getting together on a Sunday,” says Tower. “Brewing a batch together. Having a BBQ.”
In fact, Tower says that Grain to Glass owes its existence to some degree to the social aspect of the hobby. Tower was a guitarist who was already homebrewing when he met Brad Blahnik, another local axeman who was putting together a band. After the two became friends, Blahnik, a resident of Grande Pointe, decided to try his hand at homebrewing and the rest is history.
“I was homebrewing and Brad got really into it,” explains Tower. “He made a Brewhouse Red Ale and an IPA and he was hooked. Every single Monday we would be brewing. We got better. We started to develop our own recipes.”
Eventually they decided to make a business of their passion and the idea for Grain to Glass was born. Tower says it all came together relatively quickly.
“We would order stuff from the States, but shipping was expensive,” he explains. “I was in sales already, so I had an idea how things work. I started contacting vendors and we put together a business plan.”
The store has been open for just over three years now.
One of their loyal customers is Niverville resident Bobby Buhay.
“It’s turned into just a crazy hobby. I’m trying to get more people into it,” says Buhay, who has tied local homebrewers together through Facebook to try each other’s products and share tips. “It’s easy to make beer. A little bit of effort. A little bit of love. You can make a good product.”
Buhay began homebrewing about five years ago and he is proof you don’t need a lot of space to do it. He started out in a small apartment in Osborne Village and has his brewing gear in his bedroom closet. Recently he and his girlfriend had a son, three-month-old Luke, and the brewing room at their Niverville home became the baby’s room.
“Now I have my fermenting pails in the dining room,” laughs Buhay. “My bottles are in the spare room. I didn’t get to brew much for a couple of months.”
Buhay still uses beer-making kits he buys mostly at Grain to Glass. Eventually, he hopes to graduate to all-grain brewing. Tower says once you’re doing that, you’re playing with the big boys.
“Basically you are doing the same work a brewer does,” Tower says. “You’re going to be brewing a beer as good or better as what you’re buying.”
Along those lines, Grain to Glass is now carrying the RoboBrew, a sort of all-in-one piece of grain-brewing equipment. Buhay will have to convince his girlfriend that it’s a good investment, but he and others are frothing with excitement about RoboBrew’s potential.
“Earlier today we had a guy come in who used to home-brew 25 years ago before life and stuff got in the way,” explains Tower. “He wanted to see the RoboBrew, and on the day he took one home. He’s getting back into it after 25 years.”
Such is the power of RoboBrew.
Most homebrewers prefer not to buy beer from the store. One reason is the cost savings of homebrewing. Buhay says that if he chooses, he can brew about 60 bottles for $25. Plus, you avoid the heavy tax markup of store-bought beer.
But both men point out that it’s more about the creativity than the cost.
“I used to drink Bud Light,” says Buhay. “Bud Light tastes like water to me now.”
Tower says that homebrewing is more of a community than a solitary hobby. “I get to see it every day,” he explains. “Even if I’m in the store helping somebody and there’re two or three other guys in the store, they’re [saying] ‘Hey man, what are you making?’ And they start helping each other out. Everybody is super nice. Super open.”
So let’s raise our mugs for the homebrewers this summer. The guys willing to do a little bit more than go to the store.
If you think you might be interested in homebrewing, you can visit Grain to Glass at 579 St. Mary’s Road in Winnipeg.
