It's a mixture of chemistry, cooking, alcohol and precision. Home brewing of beer, cider and mead has developed into a light-hearted and thriving practice among Dartmouth students and faculty.
Campus brewing may eventually broaden to include wine production, which would be legalized under a bill that awaits the signature of Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. The state legislature approved the bill last month.
New Hampshire law currently permits residents over 21 to brew beer as long as it is not intended for sale. Cider production is also allowed, so long as its alcohol level does not exceed 6 percent.
For his 21st birthday last month, Seth Brown received a beer brewing kit, which contained a glass, fermenter and jug, as well as yeasts and molt extract sugars.
With a friend, Brown carried out the four-hour process of boiling, mixing and siphoning the liquid. The first part of the process is brewing, during which the malt extract is boiled with water. Grains are often added to the mixture to enhance the flavor.
After transferring the liquid to another container for cooling, yeast is added to spur fermentation.
While cleanliness is imperative throughout the process, it is especially important during fermentation to prevent a sour, bacteria-infested product.
"If I wasn't sanitary enough, I would have been able to tell because the beer would smell horrendous, like a frat basement," Brown said.
The beer is then transferred to a bottle, which is stored for two weeks to allow for carbonation.
Brown has yet to taste the final product.
"I didn't realize how chemistry-heavy it would be," he said.
Safety and Security director Harry Kinne said that home brewing is allowed on campus if the participant is of legal age and not in a residence hall that forbids alcohol.
Brewing beer and other types of alcohol like mead and cider have been a staple pastime for Upper Valley residents, said Andrew Ager, president of the Upper Valley Beer Society and an employee the Registrar's office. Ager has spent his free time over the past 19 years brewing beer in a makeshift lab in his garage.
His equipment has evolved to be professional, complete with an outside burner and a 15-gallon kettle.
"As a non-scientist, I ended up learning a lot about chemical reactions and yeast biology," Ager said. "It opens up a whole social world as well. The minute you say, Oh yeah, I make beer,' they want to talk to you, they want to try it."
Members of the Upper Valley Beer Society meet monthly to discuss home brewed beer, mead and cider.
The group organizes tastings and food events, and Ager said he has made a number of friends in the Upper Valley through his brewing connections.
Graduate students at Dartmouth, particularly those in the sciences, are also active in the home brewing scene. The Graduate Students Association hosts an annual home brewing competition, which Ager has judged for the past five years.
Although brewing beer costs more than buying a six-pack at Stinson's, Brown said he enjoys the hobby.
"It's reminiscent of a time when people were self-sustaining and self-sufficient," he said. "And it makes me feel like a badass."
