Homebrew

For a new hobby moving into empty nester territory, I have decided to attempt to brew some beer. Got help from a nurse at work whose husband does this on a regular basis and got initial starter set from place in Charlotte, NC. So here is (maybe) more than you wanted to know about how this works in 2008.
First you cook the ingredients, just like any other recipe and type of cooking, except here it is malted barley and hops with some specialty stuff thrown in. The Old Peculiar will have Molasses, for instance.

So now to skip ahead like on a cooking show. I have put the malted barley in and stirred it under low heat until it dissolved. Now I have added specialty hops which I had to put in a muesli bag. They stay for a while till I bring it to boil and then are removed. I stirred with a big old wooden spoon which apparently is bad since wood can hide small bacteria. They are no problem for illness, but they make a big point of sterility all the way through since a little bacteria can really throw the yeast off and ruin the frementation part.

This is my primary fermenter. After cooking is completed and the stuff is cooled down to 65-75 degrees, it is strained into this and then the top is put on. That is the strainer in place.

And here it is fermenting in the primary fermenter. I have to wait about six days, then will transfer to a secondary fermenter (glass, also called a carboy) (also can do all this in only 1 fermenter). Once fermentation is ended, I will bottle it and then let it sit for a few weeks before tasting. By the way, this is the ESB I have made first.
And even though it is difficult to see, I had to include this classic picture from my late 70's/early 80's copyright edition of They Joy of Home Brewing. Maybe I should have a caption contest. The funniest thing, besides the pictures, is that every other paragraph says something like - "Relax" - "Don't Worry" - and the best - "And while you are waiting, have a Homebrew!"