Neil Druker: Home-based Brew Master?

In keeping with his stellar reputation for memorable dinner parties, Neil Druker always stays alert to the latest culinary trends. These days, pairing foods and beverages is all the rage, with wine dominating the beverage field. If you like wine but don’t understand all of the snobbery and formality it brings, then get this: the next big thing in the beverage pairing world happens to be a universal favorite, with a long history. A much longer history than that of wine, actually. Craft beers and microbreweries are more popular than ever. Knowing this, Neil Druker is determined to serve a unique and impressive homemade brew at his next dinner event.

The origin of beer is accredited to the Sumerian people, who soaked barely bread in water as far back as 4000 BC. Since then, beer has been extremely popular, since it was healthier, cleaner, and more substantial than the available drinking water. English Monks progressed the basic beer recipe by developing the use the hops for preservation and flavoring, in addition to focusing knowledge of yeast pasteurization in beer making. By the 18^th Century, Finland created “sahti” a beer known for its unusual fruity flavor, derived from large doses of juniper.

Today, there are thousands of regional craft breweries, microbreweries, and brewpubs in America. But the smallest brewery you know could come out of your own home! Take a cue from Neil Druker, a man who has already acquired his own home brewing equipment. A quality home brew equipment kit will cost anywhere from $89 to $159—a bargain, when you consider the outcome.

Neil Druker’s favorite new activity is experimenting with beer recipes. Here’s a run down of his 8 Beer Brewing Basics:

1. Sterilize your tools with super hot water (spoon, pot, bucket)
2. Pour 3 gallons of water into the bucket. Store in a place where the bucket will remain undisturbed, at around 68 degrees F.
3. Boil 2 gallons of water in the pot, add malt extract and stir frequently for 20 minutes on medium heat.
4. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
5. As soon as sugar is blended, add pot of water to the bucket of water. Try to complete this step as quickly as possible to trap air bubbles. In other words, make a splash! Air bubbles assist the fermentation process.
6. Next, add up to 1 gallon of cold water to cool down the mixture.
7. Sprinkle a significant layer of yeast over the top of the mixture and stir well.
8. Cover the bucket loosely with a lid or aluminum foil. Let alone for 10  to 12 days to ferment. If the mixture tastes sweet, allow for a few more days.