On a cold, rainy day, with the wind out of the north, we held our annual Big Brew under cover. Big Brew Day is a worldwide event, created and supported by the American Homebrewers Association. Our normal location required navigating a very long dirt driveway, and the late spring meant that driveway was impassable. Our local homebrew supplier, Wine Creations, partnered with us for this year’s brew by setting up a tent in part of their parking area, supplying us with food, water and donating the ingredients we used to brew.
As usual, we had quite a few people come through to see what was going on, and spend some time learning how to brew. We picked up a few new members, and Wine Creations picked up a few new customers. Due to the weather, and the limitation on sharing beer, we had a smaller overall turnout than normal. We had two brewers, who produced 15 gallons of beer, where last year we brewed 100. We did serve ice cold root beer and cream soda, albeit on an ice cold day! The outdoor propane heater helped.
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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).