What would you do with 200 gallons of beer? People in most states can take advantage of the legal ability to brew their own beer at home – up to 100 gallons per person over 21 years of age per household. There is a limit of 200 gallons per year though, but still, that’s over 2000 bottles per year! WOM checks in with two local home brewers, Todd (favorite brew: IPA) and Matt (favorite brew: Double Bock, Scotch Ale), to see how it’s done.

Sample Brew Recipe

Also on WOM – This week’s predictions: Beer and scientific advancement.

Links:

• Brewing Recipes
• Great Homebrewing Resource
• Beer and Scientific Productivity

We made these Guinness cupcakes to reward ourselves after filming this episode – fitting, eh? If you squint your eyes when you look at them they look just like a mug of Guinness beer. You can pick out the dark stout of the Guinness and the foamy head! Here is the recipe we used:

Cake

• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 stick, plus 1 Tbs, unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda

Glaze*

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350; butter a muffin tin.
Combine the Guinness and the butter, chopped into 1-inch chunks, in a large sauce pan, and heat to melt the butter. Remove from heat, and whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then add to the beer mixture. Sift together the flour and baking soda, and fold into the batter. Pour into muffin molds and bake for 20 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes, remove from muffin tin, and cool completely on a rack.
Using a mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth, sift in sugar, and beat. Add milk, and beat until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled cupcakes.

*To create a thinner glaze, use a tablespoon or two more milk; for a topping more akin to icing, use less milk, and perhaps more sugar. In either case, add a little sugar or milk at a time, mix, and check for desired consistency.

1. Matthew

   The flash link doesn’t work, but otherwise another good episode!

   May 10th, 2008

2. Antronicus Prime

   Does siphoning by mouth inoculate the brew with any other microbes? Or do you sanitize Steve’s mouth too? after all that nom nommin’ and stuff

   May 11th, 2008

3. wideopenmind

   As long as you don’t backwash into the siphoning hose (or the bucket), it should be fine. The hose has been sanitized and we make Steve gurgle the sanitizing solution as well =) Don’t worry, it’s just an oxidizing solution so he should be fine (not recommended, though). Either that, or a good douse of Listerine does the trick.

   May 11th, 2008

4. Anonymous

   Beer… splitting families apart for hundreds of years. Ah, thats refreshing.

   keep up the good work! Cheers!

   (and happy mothers day)

   May 11th, 2008

5. Andy

   Leigh, sweet animation! The yeast were propelled by their amazing gases! Love the episode, great enthusiasm from everybody. Steve your mad scientist segment made me LOL…..hahaha…I’m typing LOL. Matt and Todd were very entertaining and kept some friendly banter going. Looking forward to the next episode as usual!

   May 12th, 2008

6. Jim and Shell

   Well, we finally got a chance to watch – very nice as usual! I agree with the others; the mad scientist part and “nom nom” graphics were my favorite (loved the “Made in Ohio” shirt, too =) Keep up the great work! And thanks for sharing the Guiness cupcakes, mmmmm…

   May 16th, 2008

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