Homebrew Month, Week One

Hello my loyal followers, I really hope you all like beer! Ha!
Well, after a little while of planning, beer making, researching and cooking, we are finally here... Homebrew Month!
Early in February, I had the privilege of helping my Uncle Jeff make a batch of Nut Brown Ale. The men in my family are all beer enthusiasts and years ago my Dad, Grandpa and Uncle made their own brew. After a season or two of enjoying their own, they decided to start buying beer again but have always made the effort to support our local craft brewers! Now, years later, my Uncle Jeff is at it again but instead of using a brewing facility, he makes his beer at home. But, before we delve into the step by step process of brewing, I thought a great way to begin Homebrew Month would be to start at the beginning of beer!

Photograph: Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

A Brief History of Beer Making:

Some say it all started over 10 000 years ago with prehistoric peoples. They were the first to farm grain and process it. Easier to make a drink from grains than baking it into bread, it is an acceptable theory that beer was most likely consumed by them first. By the time the ancient Sumerians and Egyptians came about, beer making was tried, tested and true! The Egyptians made their beer by parbaking loaves of bread, then crumbling them into water and allowing it to ferment for a few days before straining and drinking. Daily rations of beer were given out to the work force and military. Beer was sometimes used as medicine, currency and making homebrew was a great way for Egyptian women to generate some extra money. These early crude methods of beer making eventually made their way into Europe where today's methods were fine tuned and homebrewing made way to large scale production. A major breakthrough in beer happened when Louis Pasteur discovered pasteurization in the 1850's. Although pasteurization is often affiliated with milk, Louis was in fact working with beer at the time of his revolutionary work! Soon after, beer making was brought to The United States and shortly after that, hombrewing arrived in Ontario. Unfortunately, prohibition, the Great Depression and war took it's effect on beer making and the number of brewers dwindled. Thankfully, the last few decades have lead to a resurgence in local brews and the number of people homebrewing and craft brewers have taken off!

Photograph: Bettman/Corbis

My first recipe of Homebrew Month is one that I have always wanted to make. Mouth watering Welsh Rabbit (a.k.a. Welsh Rarebit) might not sound too appealing, but believe me, it's delicious! And no, this recipe is not made from rabbit...

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Welsh Rabbit (a.k.a.Welsh Rarebit)
(makes 6 pieces)

1 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup old Cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup beer (preferably homebrewed)
1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
pinch sea salt and fresh ground pepper
6 slices of white bread (preferably homemade)

In a pot on medium heat, melt the butter, add in the onions and fry until softened, 4 to 5 mins. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the grated cheese, beer, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce. Turn heat to medium low and stir until the cheese is melted. Quickly stir in the egg and stir over the heat for about 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture has thickened slightly. Make sure to stir frequently or the egg could cook and scramble. Remove the mixture from the heat. Toast the bread either in a toaster or broil in the oven on both sides. Stir the cheese mixture occasionally. Turn on the broiler (if you haven't already), arrange the pieces of toast spaced on a tray and spoon the cheese mixture equally onto each piece. Place under the broiler for about a minute until the cheese is bubbly and browned. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Simply delicious and a perfect recipe with beer to kick off Homebrew Month! Serve this Welsh Rabbit on it's own, with a salad or as a snack. My Mum makes something similar with slices of baguette for an appetizer with chutney on the side. Yum!

Well followers, this just the beginning! I will be back next week with another chapter in our homebrew story and of course, I'll feature another fantastic recipe with our star... Beer! Bye for now!