Eric Hedin's store is heaven for home brewers. The Athens Do It Yourself Shop, 6 Euclid Drive, looks more like a scientist's laboratory than a brew-your-own supply store. Coils of tubing hang from the walls. Light filters through multi-colored glass bottles. Plastic baubles sit atop display cases. And Hedin presides over it all -his knowledge of beer brewing so vast, it might be divine.
Brewing came natural to me. It was like I'd done it in a previous life
said Hedin, who has more than 10 years of brewing experience and has held the title of Brew Master at O'Hooley's Irish Pub, 24 W. Union St. Customers from towns between Parkersburg, W. Va., and Columbus, Ohio, have traveled to The Athens Do It Yourself Shop for home-brewing resources.
I tend to have two types of customers he said. One group of people I call the 'bungee jumpers.' They try (home brewing) once and they're satisfied. Then you have the 'golfers
' who do it once and then do it for life. My advice is: Give it a try. It's easy. If you can follow a recipe
you can make beer.
At The Athens Do It Yourself Shop, customers can start at the very beginning of home brewing. Hedin offers an array of how-to books, $40 basic-equipment starter kits and a wide variety of ingredients. The Malt and Grain Room
labeled in orange script, contains 55-pound bags of grains from all over the world.
Hedin stocks additional ingredients to make coriander-orange beer, blackberry stout, raspberry wheat beer and even herbal healing beers.
The people that live in Athens are definitely the type that do things on their own and love good beer
he said. People (brew their own beer) because it saves money or they don't trust what Budweiser puts into their beer. You can make two cases of beer for $15 to $16. And it's not 'Nati.
But the one trait a home brewer must have is patience. It takes an average of 28 days for beer to reach its final, drinkable state, Hedin said.
When Athens resident Mike Kraus brews at home, he devotes eight hours to making beer on the first day alone. But he said the wait is more than worth it.
It's a satisfaction you can't get from going to the carry-out and getting a six-pack
said Kraus, who calls the section of his basement devoted to brewing his Headquarters.
Kraus, who has home brewed for two years, uses The Athens Do It Yourself Shop's ingredients and supplies and also constructs his own gadgets to simplify and perfect the process. He makes 10 gallons at a time, using his kitchen stove. His daughter, Maya, takes the role of funnel girl.
Kraus has home brewed for two years and said, Every time I brew
I learn something new.
Initially unaware of Hedin's store, Ohio University junior Andy Schuler and Hocking College junior Jeff Borchers recently embarked on the beer-brewing journey with a little less guidance, using a book Schuler bought from www.amazon.com. But Borchers said the process has been easier than he expected.
I was a D to F student of chemistry in high school
but this is not that hard. Waiting is the toughest part
Borchers said. I can't wait to chug the first glass.
Schuler and Borcher's first batch is fermenting in their basement and will not be ready in time for The Athens Do It Yourself Shop's seventh Homebrew Competition taking place this Saturday at The Wire, 21 Kern St.
The competition will feature more than 20 local brews and a grand prize of a $100 gift certificate to Hedin's shop. Anyone 21 or older is allowed to act as a judge and will receive a tasting glass and scorecard at the door.
Kraus, a returning champion, is bringing American Wheat Ale and American Amber for the judges' enjoyment.
