Buzz CD Review: Best of the Semester Brew Your Own Beer in Huntington

Beer with Me for a Moment ................... 12.11.06 p.8 ..........................

A do-it-yourself beer brewery lets you make your own beer

By pau l sai edi Daily Titan Staff Writer thebuzz@Dailytitan.com

The tangy sour smell of simmering barley and hops melds with the yeasty aroma of baking bread amidst laughter and loud country music.

Men sit hunched at a bar eating Bavarian-style pretzels and relaxing with a frosty glass of beer.

BrewBakers in Huntington Beach delivers a do-it-yourself brewing experience in a relaxed atmosphere where you can hang out and drink a beer while partaking in freshly baked breads and pretzels.

In two hours novice hopefuls lovers of beer can learn to brew and become part of the 6,000-year-old tradition of brewing.

“Taking pride in the process, and the feeling of ownership are the big reasons why people come here,” said Dennis Midden, 53, owner and inventor of BrewBakers.

BrewBakers was created to bring together the art of bread making and the joy of brewing, Midden said.

Midden grew up learning and working in his father’s bread shop. After leaving his career as a broker he followed his dream and opened BrewBakers in 1996.

BrewBakers offers customers the e q u i p m e n t , ingredients, r e c i p e s k n o w how to put t o g e t h e r a n d bottle beer. The brewing

menu boasts more than 100 beer recipes to choose from, including lagers, browns, reds, bitters, stouts and specialty beers.

Standing over a steaming vat of brewing beer Mily Kudo, 26, a child behavior specialist, smiles and stirs her developing concoction.

“I went for the Honey

Newport. Truth is I didn’t know which beer to pick. The guy behind the bar made this as a recommendation,” Kudo said.

Once a learning brewer has finished making their unfermented base the brew is funneled into a clear plastic fermentation tank and mixed with yeast.

Then fermenting beer sits for two weeks in a temperature-controlled room.

“People get to do the fun part, we take the guess work out of brewing,” Midden said.

Beers alcoholic content comes from the process of fermentation, which converts

simple sugars in grains to alcohol, said BrewBaker employee Ian McCall.

B e e r

is made from water, yeast, hops and malted grains.

“After two weeks you come back to label and bottle your fermented beer,” McCall said.

Children can get into the act of brewing too. BrewBakers offers pretzel and root beer making parties.

Each child makes their own homemade pretzel and brewed root beer and takes home two bottles for $7. For $2 more, pizza is included,

Midden said.

BrewBakers also sells numerous baked breads, pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches and specialty sodas: C r e a m y Style Root Beer, Cream, S a r s a p a r i l l a , Orange, Ginger Ale, Ginger Beer, Birch Beer, Cola and Black Malt.

Home of Surf City Beverages, B r e w B a k e r s produces and d i s t r i b u t e s bottled soft drinks and beer in grocery stores and other retail locations in Southern California.

BrewBakers Hours and Location: 7242 Heil Avenue Huntington Beach, CA 92648 Open: Monday-Saturday: 11am-8pm Sunday: 12pm-6pm