Photos by Pero Digm Design Studio
The popularity of craft beer has skyrocketed in the past decade: Gone, it feels, are the days of pubs with only Miller and Bud taps. But the folks behind Brü (4343 S. 27th St.) are approaching America’s newish obsession with craft beer from a different angle: It’s fun to drink, so why not try your hand at making a batch?
Here, I’ll confess that I’m a huge beer nerd who just never got my stuff together enough to start homebrewing, and I jumped at the opportunity Brü provides. Essentially, guests are given access to their spacious, comfortable brewing facility and a recipe for one of five different styles of beer (pilsner, wheat, IPA, stout and a rotating seasonal), then allowed to cut loose, with the safety net of rotating employees never far away.
The brewing process itself is remarkably straightforward—if you can make a cup of tea, the odds are good you can make a tasty batch of your own brew. Here, credit goes to owner Ron Jacobsen for providing crystal-clear recipes, timed down to the minute for certain additions.
I went with the IPA—Ron’s own recipe—and upon my arrival to the facility, was informed that my brew kettle already had its 16 gallons of water heating up and ready to go. The next step was measuring and milling the grains I would need for my malt base. (Homebrewers will be happy to know Brü utilizes a partial mash approach for it’s recipe, which basically is a happy compromise between a more intensive all-grain approach and a more paint-by-numbers all-extract method.) After the grains were milled, they go into the brew kettle, and aside from the occasional stir and temperature check, there’s a nice bit of downtime to have a bite to eat or a beer—although Brü cannot serve alcohol or food, they are happy to accommodate folks who bring their own food and beverage, and even offer a stove and refrigerator.
After an hour of malt steeping, I added the hops—four different kinds—to the boiling liquid, at varying intervals based on Ron’s recipe. Ron took the time to inform us of the reasoning behind these timed additions, and his years of experience as a homebrewer come in handy: He’s patient and articulate, and like any good teacher, knows when to let someone learn for themselves and when to jump in and offer a hand or an explanation. In fact, one of the things I enjoyed most about our experience at Brü was the way in which our party was as autonomous as we wanted to be.
Following the transferal of our beer from the kettle to the carboy (essentially a big plastic jug), we dosed it with yeast and will return in three weeks to bottle, label and (most importantly!) drink our batch. Brü offers about 50 template labels but will also print custom-designed labels.
Overall, Brü is a very exciting and smart new business perfectly suited to Brew City. It’s a deeply satisfying process. Our batch, which cost $185, will yield about 72 22-ounce bottles—quite a bit of brew—making the outcome of the experience perfect for celebrations or gatherings like weddings, graduations, retirements or birthday parties. Just plan ahead: From your first visit to the beer being drinkable, it’s about a month’s wait. I’m on pins and needles.
Brü is currently taking reservations for weekend brewing experiences. Visit bru-mke.com for booking information.
