Homebrew Shop

St. Charles store offers the stuff to brew your own beer and wine

A bumper sticker on the wall at the Homebrew Shop reads, "I brew the beer I drink." Above that sign are seven -- count 'em seven -- ribbons that store owner and brewer Ed Seaman won at the recent Drunk Monk competition held annually at Walter Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora.

Sponsored by the Knaves of Grain brewing club, the event draws more than 500 entrants competing for honors in 27 categories of beer. Clearly Seaman knows beer and brewing. He also has numerous ribbons testifying to his wine making skills. Personally, he likes Belgian Ale best.

Seaman opened his Homebrew Shop in 2001. Home brewing is a hobby that can start small and go as big as you like he said. "I started 17 years ago and I'm still learning." Most everyone begins with a starter kit; $130 for beer, $110 for wine.

Legally anyone can produce up to 200 gallons of fermented beverage for personal consumption. Fermentation uses sugar, water and yeast to produce alcohol. Honey produces mead; fruit makes wine and grain becomes beer. Home distillation of spirits such as vodka is not legal.

Two hundred gallons of wine fills one thousand, 750 millimeter bottles or the equivalent of 84 cases of wine. Excluding the initial cost for equipment, the cost of raw materials to produce a bottle of wine ranges from $2 to $6 a bottle. At retail, Seaman said that wine would cost $8 to $20 bottle. Home brewing beer produces the tasty equivalent of a good microbrew for about a $1 a bottle in material costs, plus the fun of the hobby.

Jess Voigt, who works at Homebrew and prefers red wines, showed me some of the 50-plus varieties of grains in the back room that she grinds, labels and bags for beer brewing aficionados. The most commonly used grain for beer is two-row barley. The shop also sells material for making root beer and soda pop.

For folks who want to learn about wine and beer making, Seaman offers classes that show starter kits in all stages of completion. Wine classes are held the first Wednesday of the month, 7:30 to 9 p.m. Reservations are necessary. Tuition is $20 and students get 10 percent off any purchases on class day. Those over 21 may sample the wine. A beer brewing class, called beer church, is held various Sundays by reservation from 9 a.m. to noon with the same cost and discount. Check the Web site or call the store for details.

The Homebrew Shop also sells and rents large scale crushers and pressers for scratch wine makers who typically buy bulk grapes in the September/October harvest.

Ethel, help me stomp these grapes, please. OK, Lucy.