Have fun with crazy beer

Writing about beer without knowing how to brew is like coaching basketball and having only played NBA Jam.  You understand the basic flow of the game but you have no idea about the intricacies of what goes into the final product.  This logic and a lazy Sunday afternoon led me into Beer Crazy.  The store, nestled into a strip mall in Urbandale, hits you with the smell of grain right as you walk in.  On my first visit as a nascent brewer my partner, Graham and I bought a starter’s kit, consisting of a fermentation bucket, bottling bucket and the necessary tubes and cleaning equipment.  We also picked up a five gallon stainless steel pot to brew our tasty concoctions.

For beginners, they have a multitude of True Brew kits to make any kind of beer you want, from an intimidating Double IPA to a palette pleasing Belgian Wit.  Our choice was the Brown Ale which was a cinch to brew.  After brewing it fermented for about a week and then we cobbled together some used beer bottles and stored it in the bottles for another two weeks.  Beer Crazy does sell twelve ounce and pint bottles for those without coat closet full of microbrew bottles in various states of cleanliness.  Our Brown Ale came out a dark shade of brown and tasted sweet and malty.  Great success!

Our India Pale Ale, on the other hand was absolute garbage.  The kit required us to add wood chips to the boil which led to our beer tasting and smelling like a camp fire.  I didn’t care for it, but I didn’t mind pushing it off on my mooching friends.  I vow that this article will be the last time I ever mention it, except as a cautionary tale.

The kits are a nice introduction to brewing but the real fun is exploring the ingredients at Beer Crazy.  You want malts?  They have multiple varieties in both extract and grain formats.  Want to add a bit of raspberry, orange peel or vanilla in your brown ale, Belgian Wit or porter, respectably?  They have those and more.  Do you have a yeast preference?  There are multiple options.  And, most importantly a cooler dedicated to that most important of all ingredients, hops.  One can choose from full flower hops or hop pellets, grown from various regions.  Plus, Beer Crazy has a passionate staff eager to answer any questions.  They also have a small library of recipes for those lacking inspiration.

Beer Crazy sells 500 different varieties of beer, sold individually for those who don’t have the time to brew and bottle and would rather just drink beers made by the pros.  This opens it up for some great combos like, for instance, three Quilmes, two Chimays and a Boulevard Single Wide.  Or 3 Hop Wranglers, a New Belgium Ranger IPA, a Madhouse Hopburst and a Red Rambler.  In short, the possibilities are endless.

And that pretty much sums up Beer Crazy.  Some may call it a simple beer store, nestled in the suburbs of Iowa’s Capitol.  Move on and pay these people no mind.  Beer Crazy is a place where both larks can be indulged and where long-incubated ideas can brew.  Beer Crazy is an important store for metro residents looking to up their beer game.  Pay them a visit and as their employees say upon checkout “Have Fun!”

Related articles

• Sniffing the Brew (desmoinesisnotboring.com)
• Brewing Beer II (davidgsavage.com)
• Homebrewing: Make Your Own Red Ale (suburbanmen.com)