Ballantyne Magazine covers news, events, real estate, restaurants, shopping, health, schools and business in the upscale Ballantyne Area of Charlotte, NC.
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ferment into hard cider. "Some add brown sugar, raisins or cranberries, and we have a little cider competition," Lynch says. In addition to monthly meetings in Dilworth, the Carolina BrewMasters holds a home-brewing session each month at a member's home. "It's a very sharing group," Lynch notes. The club's current roster contains 37 women. One of their top female brewers, Lisa Johnson, holds a women'sonly brew session every year. No matter who brews the beer, though, those involved derive tremendous fulfillment from the camaraderie as well as the product. "After all your hard work, when you open the first bottle and hear it hiss, that's a real beer," Mills says. "We pour it in a glass, taste it and say to ourselves, we made this and it is really good." FALL 20 1 3 HOME-BREW TIPS FOR THE BEGINNER Ready to try your hand at creating your own beer? These tips from experienced DIY brewers will likely save you time and expense. 1. Read about the process on the Internet or in "The Joy of Home Brewing," the beginner's bible. 2. Attend at least one meeting of the Carolina BrewMasters and learn from experienced brewers. "If you start on your own, you'll make a lot of mistakes you don't need to," advises Bill Lynch, president of the group. Jim Boland recently joined to learn the all-grain style of brewing. "The only way is passing it from person to person, so it's better if you know somebody who does it." 3. Start with an all-in-one kit. Alternative Beverage (www.ebrew.com), located on South Boulevard behind The Sleepy Poet, is the closest home-brew source to Ballantyne. The store has catalogs, ingredients and resources. 4. Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. "You do a lot of dishwashing," Mills says, warning that any Mark Mills and Allen Cassell toast one of their latest home brews. infection can ruin a batch. 5. Don't be discouraged by a bad brew. "We've had some pretty vile beers," Cassell admits with a laugh. "But after we let them age, they get better a month or two down the road." 6. Encourage the social aspect. Brew with a friend, neighbor or spouse. Invite people over and hold a party to share your beer. BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE 71