Hometown Hobbyists: Local man finds unique passion in home-brewing

GRUNDY CENTER - When he’s not busy at his day job in youth ministry, Brad Hillebrand of Grundy Center enjoys spending time on his unique hobby - brewing his own beer.
 
The recipe is a little more complex than just turning water into wine (or beer). It requires a little barley, some hops and some yeast, along with plenty of patience and a dash of creativity.
 
Hillebrand says he first got started home brewing about five years ago.
 
“There used to be a homebrew shop in Cedar Falls, and I was walking by there one day and they were doing demonstrations outside showing people how easy it is to brew your own beer,” he said. “I thought, ‘why not?’ So I bought a kit, and started playing around with it.”
 
Hillebrand brewed his very first beer in a kettle on his kitchen stove; it was an Oatmeal Stout, a dark beer with with chocolatey malt finish.
 
“I was hooked right away,” he said. “I always enjoyed craft beer, but I didn’t really fall in love with it until I started brewing. For me, I enjoy the process probably as much as the finished product. I was a biology major in college, so I enjoy the scientific aspect of working with a living thing like yeast, and taking these different ingredients to create something new. There’s also a lot of creativity involved, and you can make something really special that’s completely unique.”
 
Since he first started brewing five years ago, Hillebrand has grown and expanded his operation; purchasing an advanced brewing kit and setting up a brewing, bottling and storage area in his basement, where he spends his free days playing around with new brews. His whole process, from start to finish, is very personalized and very precise.
 
He starts by crushing his own barley on a mill; then the crushed grain is mixed with hot water to create a mash. The mash is then filtered into another kettle where the concentrated liquid (called wort) is boiled. Then, he adds hops (some of which he grows in his own garden). After the hops are boiled with the wort, the hop particles are separated and the liquid is transferred to a container to be cooled and fermented.
 
Fermentation takes anywhere from two weeks to several months, depending on the type and flavor of the beer. After it’s done, Hillebrand either puts it in kegs, or bottles it.
 
All in all, the process from brew to bottle takes about four weeks, Hillebrand says.
 
“It takes a lot of patience, but I love the feeling when it’s done, and I give it away to my friends to try and I get their feedback,” he said. “It’s a rewarding feeling to create something that tastes just as good, and sometimes better, than what you can buy at the grocery store.”
 
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