Fraternity offers tips on berr-brewing

Faced with the pressure of catering to mass crowds of eager party-goers, many Penn fraternities resign themselves to serving cheap beer at their events. But some fraternities -- like Alpha Phi Delta -- take matters into their own hands and explore the fine art of beer-brewing themselves. Houston Hall's Smith Penniman room became a virtual microbrewery yesterday afternoon when APD brothers invited George Hummel of Philadelphia's Home Sweet Homebrew to give a seminar on how to brew the perfect keg -- at home. APD brother Dan Slawe, who coordinated the event, has been home-brewing beer for about two years. "It's not as complicated as you might think," the College junior said. "I just follow the directions and out comes good beer." But most of the students who attended the event had not brewed before and said they hoped to learn the skills of "beer-brewing," or zymurgy. "Someday I might find myself on a desert island and need to know how to make it," 1996 College graduate Jon Klassen said. Hummel, who brewed a five-gallon cauldron of beer while giving his lecture, shed light on the simplicity of the brewing process. He assured his audience that basic zymurgy -- which is done over a stove -- is not overly complex. "Guys do it," he joked in reference to the procedure. "Well, with some of the frat guys, we have to explain that the stove is the thing underneath all the pizza boxes." Hummel explained that brewing beer is not especially costly. A basic zymurgy kit runs for about $60 and ingredients for brewing "about two cases of beer" cost approximately $15. Hummel also gave a detailed explanation of the history, evolution and scientific processes of beer during his lecture. "Primitive man gave up being hunters and gatherers and settled down on farms in order to have a steady supply of grains for brewing beer," he said. "Every great civilization had some sort of spirits they enjoyed." Hummel focused on beer's four essential ingredients -- malted barley, hops, yeast and water passing around samples which he encouraged students to examine, smell and even taste. During the demonstration, Hummel also dispelled some common "beer myths." "There is no 'heart of the hops.' Those marketing boys at Miller were the same folks who came up with 'cold filtered,' " Hummel said. "It sounds good but it doesn't mean anything." Yet Hummel admitted that he does not necessarily prefer microbrewed beer to commercial beer. He added that the best beer is always served "cellar temperature," and that the ice-cold beer popular in America numbs drinkers' tastebuds and disguises the beer's true taste. "A lot of people wonder if I drink any [mainstream] beer at all now," he said. "If anything, I drink more -- in the name of research. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it." As for Hummel's favorite brand, he refused to name a winner. "There is no utopian beer," he claimed. "It's finding the right beer for the right mood."