From research grants to lab requirements to journalism residencies, Northwestern undergrads have many chances to exercise those DIY muscles. One applied science that the school has yet to cover, however, is homebrewing — the crafting of alcoholic beverages.
Anyone who spends a nice night out with the right kind of hipster will likely learn that there is a complex world of liquor and beer out there — far across the jungle juice rivers and beyond the Blue Moon. By learning to brew, one can grow to appreciate the craft and diversity of alcohols.
While a brew or two makes for a good pet project, it’s an extracurricular for some. Such is the case for the Wesleyan Homebrewers’ Alliance, a chartered student group at the Connecticut liberal arts college. The Alliance started underground but has been recognized by the school for six years, working to bring about an era of “Wesleyan beer self-sufficiency.” They have 58 members and receive school funding for equipment, ingredients and labels. Wesleyan isn’t the only school with such a club but “no one does it on the same scale,” notes Sky Stallbaumer, Alliance co-President.
School-supported alcohol production is hard to fathom, but it is wholly legal if done to code. Fermentation must be supervised by a 21-year-old, but minors are allowed to be present (but can’t legally drink). The output can be distributed (not sold) only to family, guests and the brewmasters themselves. At Wesleyan, members pay dues to account for the product they get to take home.
If there’s ever to be a Northwestern Homebrewers’ Alliance, there have got to be homebrewers first. If you’re interested, try something simple. Only you can bring Northwestern to a state of beer self-sufficiency. Let’s make Frances Willard proud.
The simplest way to start is with a gallon of Whole Foods organic apple juice ($7.15), although any cider without added preservatives will do. This one is sold in a glass jug, which saves you the trouble of buying and sterilizing more hardware. For volume’s sake, however, you can buy a 3-5 gallon carboy from a homebrewing store. You will also need a rubber stopper, a funnel and an airlock to keep contaminates out. We picked up some champagne yeast, yeast nutrients and assorted chemicals as well. All of the miscellany cost us under $15 at Brew & Grow on North Kedzie Avenue.
1. Sterilize everything you are working with to avoid letting organisms infect your brew. This can be done with a bleach, vinegar and water solution, but we recommend buying iodine or Star San. Bleach can be scary.
2. Funnel the yeast and nutrients into the cider. Optional: We put honey and brown sugar in first for flavor and to raise alcohol levels.
3. Place the stopper into the bottle and then fit the airlock in tight.
4. Fill the airlock with a little bit of sanitizer solution.
5. Leave the cider somewhere dark and 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit, and wait for the bubbling to begin! After a few weeks when the bubbling subsides, primary fermentation will be complete. At this point you should have a dry, tart farmhouse style cider, so many choose to backsweeten with organic sweeteners to taste. If you want an extra touch of class, save some old bottles and soak them in hot dish-soap water until the labels can be peeled off. Fill ‘em up (but we don’t recommend capping, that’s trickier) and share with of-age friends and guests!
Check out makinghardcider.com and consult reddit.com/r/homebrewing, who we thank for helping us out on our journey, for more information.