Home brewers get crafty with beer

Hamilton scientist Karl Safi is New Zealand's champion home brewer.

The trend in the popular pastime is towards more unique, flavourful brews that are easy for enthusiasts to make.

More Kiwis will be sipping homebrewed beer this summer as the popularity of craft beer continues to grow.

Suppliers of brewing equipment and product have seen a big increase in sales in recent years, said Greig McGill, an organiser of this year's National Homebrew Competition.

"From running the competition and talking to our sponsors, they're all selling heaps more product than ever before to a whole bunch of new people who seem to be popping out of the woodwork."

The surging popularity of craft beers in both bars and at the supermarket checkout has undoubtedly contributed to the homebrewing trend, Mr McGill said.

"People do taste these beers and they want to learn about the process and learn about what these brewers are doing to get these amazing flavours.

"Another aspect is economics. They're thinking, 'I've been out drinking these great beers, but at $10 a pint it's a bit hard to justify, so I wonder if I can do it at home'. And the answer is, of course they can."

Craft beer is a loose term that generally is associated with beers made by smaller brewers and that have distinct taste and character.

However, beers including the Boundary Road brands run by larger brewers also claim the craft label, which annoys some beer connoisseurs.

Mr McGill, who has been homebrewing since around 2000, said he believed such developments were generally positive.

"Anything that opens people up to something a little bit more flavourful than they have [tried] before helps feed this big movement that's happening and pretty soon you'll end up with the same beer culture that we've enjoyed in wine."

So, what good advice is available to those with newly unwrapped brewing equipment?

New Zealand's champion brewer, Karl Safi, said drinking a lot of other people's beer is essential to build up an experienced palate.

Mr Safi, who won his title in last month's National Homebrew Competition, organised by Mr McGill and others in the Society of Beer Advocates, said people were often disappointed when told their brew was not up to scratch.

"Going to tastings and listening to judges at competitions, and even standing around trying each other's beers, helps you realise what was meant by the faults the judges picked up."

Mr Safi's day job is as a microbial ecologist at Niwa's Hamilton office, and he conducts research into topics including algae, climate change and ocean acidification.

Brewing beer was a combination of science and art, Mr Safi said. "Yeast, the organism used to make beer, is a similar sort of micro-organism to algae so I suppose I have an understanding in how to deal with them."

5 top brewing tips

Advice from Karl Safi, who was crowned Champion Brewer at this year's National Homebrew Competition. Mr Safi entered 16 beers and won 12 medals.

Drink a lot of other people's beer
Going to tastings and listening to judges' comments leads to an understanding of the kind of faults that are common.

Don't buy a supermarket kit
Ten years ago, you were hard-pushed to find good grain of a quality you could use but with the internet there are good suppliers with all the elements you need.

Use full grain
A method of brewing beer using malted grains instead of extract.

Temperature control
This is critical. A temperature control on the fridge is necessary but can be bought cheaply. Other expensive gear isn't needed - Mr Safi uses pots and chilly bins.

Practice helps
Mr Safi makes much too much beer to drink himself. He gives it away, and admits to occasionally throwing it out too.