Brown House Ale for Best in Show?

Wednesday, 04. 21. 2010  –  Culture & Life

Matt Cavers

A while ago I wrote a piece for this website about the growing popularity of homebrewing in Vancouver. What I didn’t reveal then (though you may have guessed) is that I make homebrew myself. I’ve been at it three years now. My first batch, like everyone’s first batch, was miserable stuff. I’d skim-read John Palmer’s How to Brew, but I managed to miss some of the most important details, like that you shouldn’t boil grains (it extracts astringent substances from the husks and imparts a ferocious bitterness), or that if you ferment your beer in a room that never cools below 25 degrees, it’ll taste like banana puree. Since then I’ve straightened out some of those details, and I make beer that rivals, in my opinion, many of the brands I can pick up at the store. And since I brew right from scratch (grains, hops, yeast) it costs me about a dollar a litre.

Yesterday I stepped into a new phase of my homebrewing career. I am now a competitive brewer.

You’ll recall that I plugged the Vancouver Homebrew Awards in that article. Yesterday I submitted my entry into that competition - a hybrid beer, somewhere between a bitter and a brown ale. Brown House Ale is a mild, easy-drinking brew, with dark fruit and chocolate in the aroma and toasty malt on the tongue, finishing with just a hint of flowery hops. Of all the recipes I’ve come up with in the last couple of years, this one is by far my favourite. I’ve made two batches of it so far, and it won’t be long before I make another. It’s reliable.

According to the friendly staff at R & B Brewing, where the submissions are being accepted, there have been around 180 entries to the competition so far. 180! I wish I’d had that detail when I wrote the homebrewing piece. That’s a pretty good sign that Vancouver’s homebrewing scene is alive and well. I’d known that lots of people were brewing but - well - for those of us who appreciate high-quality craft beer, it’s an encouraging sign. Having fellow brewers close by makes it easier to share tips, recipes, ingredients, and, obviously, the finished products.

On the other hand, it’s a sign that Brown House is pretty unlikely to win Best in Show simply by being the only entry. Well, that’s fine. It’ll compete. Look out, Vancouver.