Welcome to Viking Smash Brewing! I started this blog about 10 years ago when I was living down in Philadelphia and got my first homebrewing kit for Christmas. Back then, I was very interested in making my own beers after working in a beer store for years and seeing all the different varieties. A coworker of mine and I discussed what it would take to start brewing our own beers. We were totally clueless.
Still, I was tickled with the idea of making my own beer, setting up a kegerator, and getting a basement area where we could all chill and drink. I decided to go up to the homebrew shop around me to get some equipment but got too intimidated to actually buy anything because it looked too complicated. So I decided to get a book on the topic instead.
The Joy of Homebrewing?
I picked up The Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian. This is a great book for anyone interested in the topic of homebrewing because not only does it give his story of how he got started, but it’s incredibly easy to read. He had some recipes in the book that really blew me away like cherry stout. I ripped through the book at record pace ready to start my new endeavor but like many things, balked at actually starting. From reading the book I thought I’d have to get everything perfect and wound up not starting for a while.
First Kit
I would stew on the idea of making beer for about a year before my brother decided he was tired of hearing about it and got me a homebrewing kit for Christmas. Turns out, his friend was a homebrewer so he was given good advise on what exactly to get for me. Once I got the kit I waited another 8 months or so before I decided to actually use it.
About this time, it was getting ready for all the beer companies to release their fall beers. This was my favorite time of year at the beer store because temperatures were starting to come down, and all the oktoberfests and pumpkin beers would come in. I was a huge fan of pumpkin beers so naturally that was what I wanted to make.
First Beer
I travelled on up to that same homebrewing shop and found that they had their own pumpkin beer kit ready to go. This was a malt extract kit which was perfect for a first timer like myself. I got the kit and wound up giving it a go that weekend. I had no idea what I was doing and it took way longer than it should have. A few weeks later and it was done fermenting. I unfortunately had no idea that I shouldn’t be mixing in pumpkin guts into the bottles. The whole batch was pretty much trash. I was disappointed, but overall it was a good learning experience. I didn’t let it stop me.
First Mead
I made a few more batches of beer over the course of a year and things started to get better. I figured out how to transfer better and how to carbonate in the bottles better. That’s when my friend asked me if I wanted to start making mead. I’m not sure what inspired him exactly, but I said sure. A few weeks later and we were making a very powerful 5 gallon grapefruit mead. For the first time making a mead, it actually turned out pretty good. I figured out that I really like making mead and prefer it over beer.
The Future
After we started making mead, I made a bunch of batches on my own as well. I really took to making mead and find it pretty enjoyable. I’m looking to fill my cellar with various meads to age and to finally make that chill area to drink in! Join me as I go into the details of homebrewing with various techniques and recipes to use.
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