A Recipe for Great Beer: Homebrewing with Professor Pete Sanderson

Take an inside look into the art and process of beer making with home brewing expert, Professor Pete Sanderson, Program Director of Computer Science at the Otterbein College Mathematical Sciences Department.  

How did you get into beer brewing?

When we moved to Missouri in 1992 from Pittsburgh, I discovered the craft beers I’d grown accustomed to were not available.  I heard there was a home brewing supply shop nearby so decided to give it a try.  I’ve been brewing ever since and am fortunate to now live near a home brewing supply shop in Columbus, Ohio.

Could you tell us about the “all-grain” process?

Nearly all beers are brewed from malted barley.  Malting is the process of first soaking the grains to begin germination then roasting them.  The grain is now loaded with starch.  The malting process is very long so all brewers purchase the barley already malted.   This is where the “all-grain” process begins.  In preparation for brewing, the malted barley must be “mashed.”  The grains are crushed then soaked in 150° F water for 60-90 minutes, a process that converts the starch into fermentable sugars.  The resulting liquid is then strained or “sparged” into the brewing pot.  The resulting “wort” is then heated to boiling to begin the brewing process.  The “spent grains” can be composted, fed to cattle, or dried to add flavor and texture to breads or other baked goods.

Mashing and sparging require about 3 hours and some specialized equipment, so most home brewers bypass this by purchasing malt extract in syrup or powdered form.  The extract is added to boiling water to begin the brewing process.

The brewing process from this point onward is about the same for both extract and all-grain.  Hops are added at the start of the boil to add a bitter counterpart to the sweetness of the malt.  The wort is boiled for 60-90 minutes with flavoring ingredients such as honey, herbs, spices or additional hops added 15 minutes before the end.

After boiling, the wort must be brought back to room temperature as quickly as possible.  Then yeast is added and fermentation begins.  Yeast converts the fermentable sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide, with the carbon dioxide vented from the fermenter through an airlock.
The all-grain process from mash through yeast addition requires about 5-6 hours.

What responses have you gotten from people when they learn that you brew your own beer?

Responses fall into two categories, depending on who I’m talking with.   If the person is male and between 21 and 35, the response is either “I’ve been seriously thinking of doing this” or “I’ve done some brewing too.”  Otherwise the response is some variation of “Wow, that’s cool!  Can I try some?”

What books would you recommend for those starting beer brewing?

The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing, by Charlie Papazian.  Your first brewing efforts are bound to be filled with anxiety, and Charlie’s mantra is “Relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew.”  Many call this the Bible of home brewing.  His recipes are creative and easy to follow for the beginner.  His sense of humor is so corny that you can’t help but to laugh out loud.  If you can’t find it, go for The Complete Joy of Home Brewing Third Edition, by Charlie Papazian, which is similar only more recent.