Page 10A
Bird's EyeView
Wednesday, November 20, 1996
Brewing in the Basement...
40
While enjoying a beer at Free State Brewery, 636 Massachusetts St., Dave Bruchmann, Barrington, Ill., junior, wondered how easy it was to produce a good beer.
"Just to crack one open, tilt it back and say, 'I made this,' is a great feeling." he said.
Like Bruichmann, many KU stu
Like Bruchmann, many KU students and Lawrence residents have discovered the pleasure of home brewing and the rewards of drinking beer that they make.
Rex Russell, an employee of Lawrence Brewer's Supply at 11 E. Eighth St., estimates that 100 to 200 people brew beer in the Lawrence area, he said. And a large percentage of those people are students.
Russell also is vice president of the Lawrence Brewer's Guild, an association of about 30 local home brewers. The group meets the second Thursday of every month at Lawrence Brewer's Supply to sample beer and exchange brewing tips.
Home brewing began with the ancient Egyptians in 2,000 B.C. and gained notoriety in the United States during Prohibition. Today, federal law limits the amount of beer a household can make annually.
Debbie Briggs, an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms inspector in Kansas City, Mo., said that 109 gallons of beer may be produced per household for each person 21 or older living there. But only a maximum of 200 gallons can be brewed per household.
try home brewing by the growth in micro-
brewed beers in recent years.
The American Homebrewers Association estimates that 1.5 million people have tried home brewing. Russell said that many of those people were encouraged to
"After a lot of
He said that high-quality, microbrewed beers made many beer drinkers realize that it did not take a large corporate brewery to produce good beer.
basic kit contains a five-gallon plastic fermenter, an air lock, a thermometer and the materials used to bottle the beer.
including a bottle capper and used to bottle the beer.
Scott McLeroy, owner of Homebrew Pro Shop in Overland Park, recommends that first-time brewers brew with malt barley extracts. The extracts are a syrup-like product of mashed grains and barley. The ingredients for a standard five-gallon batch cost $20 to $25, McLeroy said. A five-gallon batch makes about two cases of 12 ounce bottles.
Experienced brewers prefer to mash their own grains rather than buy the extract, Russell said. This enables the brewer to produce a higher quality beer but requires much more time. Russell recommends that all brewers set aside an entire afternoon to boil the grains or extract and mix in the yeast to produce alcohol.
After letting this mixture, called the wort, ferment for about two weeks, sugar is added for carbonation. The beer then is bottled and aged for about two more weeks before it is ready to drink.
"It's very therapeutic," he said. "You brew a batch and sample some beer from your previous batch on a Saturday afterpoon."
In addition to the pleasure gained from brewing, Russell said that it was great to share home-brewed beer with friends.
"The first batch I made was so bad that not even my poor friends would drink it," he said. "But after a while, I had something that my friends liked to drink."
Bruchmann said one aspect of home brewing that he enjoyed was producing something that most people believed only large breweries could make.
To stand up with the big boys at Bud-
weiser and know that I am making
something better makes it all worth it," he said.
TOP: Several bottles of beer are on display at the Lawrence Brewer's Supply at 1.1 E. Eighth St..
BOTTOM: Home brew kits can be bought for around $45-85. These kits contain everything the beginner needs to get started.
BOTTOM LEFT: Dave Bruchmann, Barrington, Ill., junior sips a beer that he brewed.
NIGHTLIFE
WEEKEND
Thursday, 8 p.m. at the Palm Grove Cafe, 603 Massachusetts St. Plaza
Sunday, 10 p.m. at the Hammersville St. Coast 512
Saturday, 10 p.m. at the Hammersville St. Coast 512
The Dessert with Sweets Utility and Succulent Medicine Dessert open at 7.6 p.m. at Lighthouse Café, 603 Massachusetts St. Coast 512
Ruby McFadden, 50 p.m. at the 12th street of Lawrence, 9:46-12 Minute chance to chill at Coca-Cola 512
Lisa Shankin Riley Lemon with Sunny Orange, 10 p.m. at the Grassroots, 1020 Massachusetts St. Coast 512 and 514
THURSDAY
Siliconmobil Fine Holdings
pallet 7.300 lpm of Renaissance
materials
Rail Fine
■ Full Concert; University Center Company with the Corner House, Southern Dock Company, 9 o.m. at the Land Center, Coast $4 students and veterans on campus, 80 general public.
■ Arena Jazz, 9 p.m. at the Full Stock Cafe, B&B Music, St. Pierre.
■ The WS Store, 10 p.m. at The Barberack, 757 New Hamburg St. Cost $35.
Ruby Ruda, 10 p.m. at The Jasminus of Lawrence, 926 1/2 Mass.
St. Cust, $3.
SRIDAY
Fall Fall, University of Oklahoma
Company with the City of Oklahoma
Dust Company. B.p.m. at the Old
Center, Court. MA student or higher
courtesy. $4 general public.
Acoustic Juice. 10 p.m. of the Fall
Moon Cafe. 8:30 Muen. St. Press.
The Deal. 10 p.m. of the Battlefield.
7:37 New Hampshire St. Dust Café.
Grace Moon. 10 p.m. of the Lawn
zhaus of Lawrence. $20 of Mary
churchst. St. Dust. $3.
Luciana Jackson, door number 3.
12:00 p.m. at the Granite, 1,020 Massachusetts
suite 5, Cast, $1.0 per room/hour.
SATURDAY
Uncle Dirty Tales, 10 p.m. at the Full Moon Cafe, 803 Miles St, Fraser Shag, 10 p.m. at the Brookhaven, 737 New Hampshire St, 803 Miles St, Common Ground, 10 p.m. at the Jazzhouse of Lawrence, 903/272 Massachusetts St, Cost $4 The Royds, 8:30 p.m. at the Granada, 1002 Massachusetts St, Costa St, £5 and £6
SHWMV
Faculty Recital: Michael Sausen
organ; 2:30 p.m. at Bates College
Hall, Free.
Fall Concert: Collegium Musicale
Instrumental Consort; 7:30 p.m. at
Swarthwout Recital Hall, Free.
Similar box, 10 p.m., at the Ruthe
rock, 7:30 New Haven Hall, St. Joseph's
The Lawrence Chancefield Fes-
tival "Celebrating the Holiday" at
Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts
St. Louis, $4 for students with a 14.00
and 50 for adults.
Taps into Lawrence
Barber's Itch Showroom, 504 N.
The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire
St. Paul.
TIFSMAV
Gabe Cahill and Friends, 8 p.m. at the Full Moon Cafe, 803 Massachusetts St. Free.
Pro Pine, 10 p.m. at The Pottery neck, 737 New Hampshire St. Coach $10:
Critical Volume Music reviews by Robert Mocydlowsky rmoczudk@falcon.cc.ukans.edu
In recent weeks, several readers have sent e-mail to the Critical Volume mailbox concerning a lack of hip-hop and R&B coverage. One guy went so far as to call the column "anti-ram."
the column "anti-rap."
The Critical Volume reaction?
And so, in the interest of our readers, Critical Volume bows to public opinion and dedicates the week's space to the flood of recent rap releases.
Good point.
Chuck D Autobiography of Mistachuck (Mercury Records). Only in the crazy world of modern hip-hop would Public Enemy founder Chuck D have to endure being openly dissed and ignored by the very artists he opened doors for almost a decade ago. If not for Public Enemy's radical and open political views or the release of the seminal album It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, it's doubtful that the mainstream music press would have taken ran music seriously.
So now, in part to respond to his johnny come-lately critics and in part to comment on the Back-on-Black war that is so prevalent in modern rap, Chuck D has recorded and released Autobiography of Mistachuck, his first solo project since Public Enemy came on the scene in 1987.
Let's be honest: the last Public Enemy album was terrible, and Chuck needed this record to prove that he is still on top of his game.
but in the end this is still a record for Public Enemy lovers — it isn't likely to make Chuck D any new fans. Autobiography of Mistachuck is a great complement to the Public Enemy collection and old school rap fans will appreciate what went into its creation, but in the end it's just one more better-than-average album.
And in the wake of this fall's releases, better-than-average may not be enough. **Overall, out of 10: 6.**
**LL Cool J All World** (Def Jam Records). Speaking of influential artists and "don't call it a comeback," **LL Cool J**
has recently released a greatest hits album as part of Def Jam Records 10th anniversary celebration.
Released on Election Day, like just about every other rap album of the fall, and featuring all the essential tracks from his 10-year career, this record cements LL's place in the history of rap music.
Guaranteed it's been too long. Overall, including the bonus points for the inclusion of '88's Jack the Ripper; 8.
The key word in that sentence, of course, is history. For all of his record sales in recent months and the success of his television sitcom, LL is still seen as permanently old school, and unless he can reinvent himself an unprecedented third time, his days in the spotlight could be numbered.
Luckily, LL Cool J is everybody's favorite old-timer. Unlike early New York contemporary Chuck D, LL is revered by those in every rap scene for his pioneering crossover to white audiences, pop radio and MTV. If there's anybody who can translate a greatest hits record into a continuing career, it'sLL.
And for those of us who grew up with Rock the Bells and I Need Love rockin' our junior high dances, this compilation offers a chance to return to hip-hop's feel good days.
The Infamous Mobb Deep Hell On Earth (RCA/LMCD Records). With today's New York hip-hop scene being
characterized by the Notorious B.I.G. and Puffy Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment, it's getting increasingly difficult to hear New York's cutting edge rap acts on mainstream radio.
But the musical message isn't the only ground-breaking element at work here. Hell on Earth is also rap's first enhanced CD-ROM album. Put this record in your cd-rom drive and you can see full length videos, interview clips and an exclusive, CD-ROM only track. The disc also comes with free internet browser software and a link to the best rap site on the Web, the Loud Records Web site at <http://www.loud.com>.
And while it's hard to categorize Mobb Deep as part of the New York underground (the duo has a gold debut record behind them), their thick jazz-keyboard beats and tightly messages of street life's hazards stand in clear contrast to those "hug life" tales of their contemporaries.
Couple that with the guest appearances from Nas and the Wu Tang Clan's Method Man and Chef Raekwon, and Hell on Earth becomes a collage of the best the East Coast has to offer, without succumbing to any commercial convention.
Watch for Animal Instinct to be the album's first single, and call KIHK's Hip-Hop Hype show on Saturday night to hear it. Overall: 8.
Makaveil The Don Killuminati and Snoop Doggy Dogg Taa Dogfather (Death Row/Interscope Records). When Dr. Dre left death Row Records and formed Aftermath Entertainment earlier this fall, it sent tremors through the West Coast rap scene.
2Pac, alias Makaveli, recorded an experimental album that marked the end of his 2Pac personality and dramatically foreshadowed his violent death in Las Vegas. Released posthumously on Election Day and ensured important status simply because of its prophetic nature, The Dom Killaminati is a relentless, abstract mix of the hardest of the hard-core raps. Any questions of Death Row's street credibility end abruptly with this record.
Sadly, so does Shakur's star-crossed career.
And about the sophomore record from Death Row's favorite son and principle money maker?
Don't worry about Snoop. He may have taken two years to write and record The Doggfather, but as everybody knows, he was more than a little busy with a murder charge and eventual acquittal.
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Snoop's legal woes clearly had a calming influence on the hard-talking rapper, who comes with a strilking new sense of positivity on the new record. Instead of his usual homage to the marijuana high, Snoop now laments gang crime, fatherless black youth, and the criticism of the mainstream media.
But it's almost as if Snoop intentionally turned up the misogyny in order keep his other anti-crime, anti-violence sentiments from damaging his gangsta image.
For all of Snoop's love for 70s artists like Roger Troutman and Charlie Wilson — who contribute mightily to this record's new sound — this kinder, gentler Snoop still can't find any respect for women.
Until he does, nobody is going to take his so-called positivity seriously. The Don Killuminatt, Overall: 6. Tha Dogafat, minus all the "ho" and "bitch" noise: 7.
Submissions should be addressed to Critical Volume, care of the Kansan, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. All local submissions will be reviewed.
Check out the Critical Volume web site at <www.kansan.com>. It features more than 50 album reviews and artist interviews, plus sound samples and live photos.
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