My dad, Don, started homebrewing in the early 1960s and exemplified the “keep it simple” approach to the craft.

The ingredients of his recipe included Premier Blue Ribbon pre-hopped pale malt extract (two 3-lb./1.35-kg cans), C&H cane sugar (13 lbs./5.9 kg), and Fleischmann’s active bread yeast (two packets). All of the ingredients, including the Blue Ribbon extract, came from the local Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) store. 

The wort and fermentation equipment included a 21-quart (20-L) canning pot, a small saucepan, a 20-gallon (76-L) plastic garbage can with a lid, and a glass hydrometer. Bottling equipment included a 6-inch (15-cm) piece of 2×4 with a hole in the middle, 6 feet (1.8-m) of surgical tubing, 50+ empty 1-quart (1-L) bottles, caps, and a bottle capper.

Wort preparation didn’t require boiling. It started with pouring the cans of malt extract into the canning pot and rinsing the cans with hot tap water to get every drop. The sugar was added to the pot with more hot water and stirred until blended. Yeast was added to the saucepan with warm water to condition for starting. The wort was now ready to be taken to the basement and poured into the garbage can on top of a wooden pedestal that stood a couple feet (0.6 m) tall. Cold tap water was added to the wort, eyeballed up to about the 15-gallon (57-L) mark, the activated yeast was pitched, and the lid was seated on the garbage can.

Fermentation was not temperature-controlled, but a light bulb and canvas cover was used in the winter to keep the bubbles coming, monitored by eye, as there was no airlock. Kräusen was skimmed a couple of times during fermentation with a sieve. The hydrometer was then set in the beer to monitor the finish point, which was important to catch before full fermentation. There was no priming, as residual sugar remaining in the beer was used to provide carbonation as each bottle finished fermenting in the capped bottle. 

Bottling started by pushing the surgical tubing through the 2×4 with a short protrusion and set on top of the beer to float above the trub. Pulling a vacuum by mouth on the end of the tube started the beer flowing. The float was monitored so it didn’t hang above the beer, as restarting a siphon at lower levels could be difficult. Filled bottles were capped and moved to the basement beer shelves to condition. Cleaning of equipment after bottling was done using hot soapy water. There were no sanitation steps.

Chilled bottles from a new batch were usually opened over the kitchen sink to test for over-foaming or geysers. Rarely, a “hot” batch would blow up a bottle during conditioning. The finished beer was typically clear with a steady foam head, estimated around 5–6% ABV based on a “feel” comparison with commercial 3.2% beers of the time. The taste was somewhat sharp and cidery, but popular with visitors. This simple homebrew was a link to good friendships for many years and was said to improve dart and horseshoe throws as well. 

Dad and his younger brother, Bob, started brewing at the same time, sharing their knowledge and using similar equipment, recipes, and techniques. Quality assurance was done by sampling each other’s brews over the years. 

Bob’s son, Kraig, and I have used our fathers’ experience for our own homebrewing efforts from the 90s on through to the current day. Both my cousin and I have taken a bit more of a scientific and modern approach to homebrewing, but recalling how our fathers made beer reminds us that sometimes simple techniques and equipment are all you need. At the end of the day, it’s all about having a homebrew you like!