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Bill uses a hydrometer to measure the
specific gravity of his home brew.
Below, the contents of a recently used
fermenter. When hops is added after
fermentation, plastic tubes transport the
brew to a second fermenter.
that his whole family switched over to earlier brews, which he described as a brewing beer for about 20 years on and
this style. bitter beer. When I tasted it, however, I off. He prefers his beers to be “hoppy.”
was pleasantly surprised at how smooth
I asked about the costs involved in his it was. He and his wife, Rikki, both like When John retired, he spent several years
hobby and if it was worth it. Bill said bitters, though it took Rikki a short while working at Abita Brewing Company as a
commercial craft beers run $8 to $10 per to adjust to the taste. part-time tour guide. He loved the work,
six-pack, but that homemade beer costs as well as the people. The brewers at
roughly $1 a bottle. Of course, the home- John Watzke and his wife, Beth, moved Abita helped John to perfect his own beer-
brewed price does not take into account to Sun City Texas around December making skills and even taught him how to
the amount of time one must spend 2016. They came here from Abita make his wife’s favorite beer, a dark beer
actually making the beer, but as a hobby Springs, Louisiana, where John was an called Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout.
Bill likes the work so much that he feels astronomer. He and Beth had their own After spending some time playing with
as though the labor doesn’t count. He said observatory on their farm. John has been Abita’s original recipe, his wife now likes
that they’re really enjoying their own beer his home brew better than the original!
because it’s so fresh, whereas the beer you
buy at the store is not. And while some The day we met, John was making an
beers do improve with age, many do not. Irish-style red ale, which he described as
IPAs, for example, are much better fresh. a gentle, well balanced beer. I watched as
Though Bill used to bottle his beer, he he put a bag of mildly-aromatic hops into a
now prefers to put it into kegs as bottling pot. Next came the barley. John was using
takes considerably more work while kegs a variety of grains that had been “mashed”
allow a person to pour only the amount into a thick, slightly sweet syrup. After
they want without letting any go to waste. removing it from the heat in order to add
the syrup, John returned the pot to the
Bill’s beers taste like something you’d fire where he had to stir it continuously
typically drink. Some of the craft brew to keep it from foaming over.
companies will even put out recipes for
you to use. Bill had me taste one of his When a neighbor stopped by and asked
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