Over forty people gathered for the Boreal Brewers’ celebration of Big Brew Day in Northern Minnesota. (See older post below) People began gathering the night before to get equipment set up, do some camping and engage in a bit of pre-tasting and food testing. The Brew was held Saturday May 5th. Though brewers continued to arrive and set up throughout the day, the gathering was formally launched with the traditional toast at noon. Nine different batches were brewed, for a total of an even 100 gallons. The equipment ranged from simple extract setups to engineering marvels for all grain brewing. The weather cooperated which is always a plus this far North.
Old brewers, new brewers, friends, family and a few dogs gathered for a fun day of brewing, chatting, discussing and learning new techniques, recipes and ideas. A beautiful freshly carved mash paddle from a maple showed up and was used. We nearly made it through the food, but did not even come close to finishing the beer, as brewers ALWAYS bring too much. To use the old phrase, “A good time was had by all.”
Research shows that moderate beer consumption can help prevent heart disease and strokes, provide important vitamins and minerals, is low in fat and helps increase good cholesterol (HDL).
I had a great time at the Big Brew. Good friends, good beer, good food and great hosts. What more can a guy ask for?
I brewed a five gallon batch of the Bucksnort Brown Ale from the AHA Big Brew website. Here is a link to my brewblog for this batch: 4B Ale.