Tag Archives: homebrew

November 26, 2014

The Brewer

	The Brewer
181	A brewer spends about a month
	perfecting his beer thoughts.
	A recipe to please the mass –
	it’s all he’s ever sought!
185	Dark beers are just enjoyed by few;
	the light ones have no taste;
	no, amber is the trendy choice,
	so amber’s what he’ll make.
	The maltiest of tasty beers
190	has two-row as its base.
	He’ll color it with Munich grains
	and car’mel, just a trace!
	To bitter he’ll use hallertau,
	then secret hops he’s grown
195	will add aroma to his drink
	and make the beer his own.
	And yeast! He can’t forget the yeast,
	his magic little friends.
	A hundred billion hungry lives
200	will dine in great suspense.
	On brewing day he buys supplies.
	He outlines his grand plan.
	He weighs out grains, turns on the heat,
	and washes tools by hand.
205	He steeps the specialty malt bill
	in his five-gallon pot –
	one hundred fifty-two degrees
	for twenty minutes clocked.
	The two-row extract measured out
210	will make the wort grow thick.
	Now stir in the fermentables
	until they’re nice and mixed.
	To bitter his progressing beer
	the first hops now are due.
215	The others are for flavoring
	his wonderful craft brew.
	When sixty minutes finally pass
	the boil will be done.
	Then rapid cooling must take place
220	lest an infection comes.
	The last step that the brewer takes
	will be to pitch the yeast.
	The starving little creatures dive
	into their mighty feast.
225	Two weeks go by in perfect heat;
	degrees are well maintained.
	The airlock lets some bubbles through
	as C-O-2 escapes.
	Then bott’ling day arrives in haste,
230	and carbonation starts.
	The amber ale will be sublime –
	a sum of all its parts.
	On tasting day he cannot wait!
	He opens one with skill.
235	He takes a tentative test sip
	and spits out horrid swill.
	The taste is off, the flavor sour.
	The yeast had made it gross!
	A man controls so many things,
240	but life acts on its own.