Home brewing is catching on among beer lovers in Sisters

The historical road of brewing beer in the U.S. is riddled with speed bumps. Considering our "melting pot" existence, early U.S. beers were as varied as the new Americans who made them.

Give a nod to French microbiologist Louis Pasteur as he studied and explained the role of yeast in fermentation. Science and sanitation then improved upon what American beer palates tasted. Life was good, until...

January 16, 1919. The 18th amendment to the Constitution prohibited alcohol production and consumption. Large brewers like Anheuser-Busch were able to change production to soda, malt, or other things in order to survive. Small brewers closed shop, while gangsters got rich.

Fifteen years later, the 21st amendment brought alcohol production and consumption back. However, a minor omission of language said nothing about home brewing. This oversight kept home brewing illegal until 1979, when the Congress and President Carter signed a bill into law allowing home brewing again.

Former home-brewing criminals emerged as artists, and began rebuilding the craft beer culture.

Charlie Papazian founded the Association of Brewers, and eventually went on to write the book "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing," which is now considered the home brewer's bible.

In the 1980s, some home brewers began opening microbreweries. Many of them failed, but like the pioneers they were, they gained the necessary foothold for other brewers to survive in the 1990s, and now thrive in the 21st Century. Beer lovers raise their glasses high in honor of those bold trailblazers.

Today, beer drinkers will find a microbrewer in every large town - and in most small ones. Every bar has a variety of microbrew taps juxtaposed to the big American corn-fed beers.

Chances are you have tasted a craft beer, not realizing how this ancient tradition has been handed down through the millennia, its makers suffering toil, sweat and incarceration so that now you have the freedom to taste the artful combination of grains, hops and yeast.

A logical question is, if there are so many successful and tasty microbrews proliferating these days, why home-brew at all? The answer is as diverse as microbrews available. Home brewing can be cheaper, better and more fun. A home brewer can create beers that don't exist or that better suit his palate. Other home brewers like competition and enter into a growing number of beer contests and festivals.

Ross Kennedy is a Realtor for RE/MAX Town & Country Realty - and a home brewer. He brews "because I can make exactly the beer I love. And it's a whole lot of fun." His favorite is his Hoppy Brown Ale.

"It is a very malty, flavorful beer with a clean hoppy finish," he says.

Gabe Gillan is the third manager at Ray's Food Place. Home brewing for him is "part gourmet cooking, part mad science and part pleasure for the palate.

"I can make beer any way I want any time I want," he says.

Gillan has three favorites: Oatmeal Stout, Johnny Appleseed Mead and Chocolate Oatmeal Stout.

"They came out really well; perfect for what I wanted, and were experiments in that style. I never tasted anything quite like that. They were 100 percent me."

Chris Jensen is a reforestation technician for the Forest Service. He brews because "it's a creative outlet and an interesting adventure to see how each batch will turn out. I like American Strong Ales, and I've been on a 10-year IPA kick."

Interested in brewing at home? It can be as easy as boiling your kit and "pitching" your yeast. Or it can be quite complex. It is a hobby that appeals to the scientist and the artist equally. There are many books that will guide you to your first batch of suds, but most of them reference Papazian's book, "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing."

Another resource for knowledge, supplies and ingredients is The Brew Shop, found at 2524 N.E. Division St. in Bend. Check out their Web site, http://www.homesuds.com or call them at 541-323-2318.

Don't forget to mind your Ps and Qs, which of course are your pints and quarts!

Jeremy Storton has been brewing for several years, enjoying the creative and culinary outlet. His favorites are his Smoky Brown and his Espresso Porter.