Grow (and Brew!) Your Own Beer
If you’re a beer lover, the idea of brewing your own batch of the amber beverage might be something you’ve dreamed about. But have you ever considered growing AND brewing your own? Since most of the crop ingredients of beer are easy to grow and make great additions to your garden – give it some thought! Barley grows fast and is surprisingly ornamental, and it’s hard to imagine anything more satisfying than taking a project from seed to glass!
Brew Your Own, an online magazine with details and instructions on everything you need to know to grow your own grains and brew your own beer, suggests talking to the locals to find seed sources. Or call up the professors at Colorado State University in the horticulture and crop or fermentation science department and ask them!
Beer garden plants can be the perfect complement to your existing garden, or a completely new landscaping idea. Brew Your Own has tips on how to grow a beer garden and information about all kinds of things, including malting, kilning and roasting.
How About Those Hops?
Hop your way to brewing bliss with the most important of beer ingredients in the garden – hops. These grow from bines, which are similar to vines and can be purchased as rhizomes from Boulder Fermentation Supply, the “Colorado Homebrew and Winemaking Paradise”! These fast-growing plants can reach heights of 15 to 20 feet in one season and while they die back in winter, will rise again the following spring.
Each hop variety has a different flavor, and is either a bittering or aromatic plant. Bittering hops give the dense, dark notes of high acid levels. Aromatic hops brighten beer and brings both scent and flavor to the brew. 
The Boulder Fermentation Supply has classes and events – give them a call at 303-578-0041 to find out more about brewing your own! And HGTV has a quick tutorial where you can learn more about growing a container beer garden, using empty beer bottles and twigs to create a trellis for your hops!
Brewing at Home
Another resource close to Colliers Hill home brewers is Quirky Homebrew in Northglenn, where selection is the focus. In fact, the 3,300 square foot shop claims to have one of the largest selections of beer-making ingredients in the country, with more than 300 varieties of malt products and 160 types of hops.
Patrons of Quirky Homebrew say it’s a one-stop shop for home brewers with all the malt, hops, yeast and equipment one could ever want. The staff is knowledgeable and combines new technology with old school customer service. Many of the product offerings are hard-to-find gems, attracting both amateur and professional brewers for those critical ingredients needed for the perfect brew.
Kick Back for a Brew
If you just want to relax and leave the brewing to someone else, head over to Echo Brewing Co in Erie on Briggs Street. Owner-operators Shannon Dukes, Katy Dukes and Melissa Richards serve up a variety of craft beers and enjoy introducing guests to new brews!
Grow Your Own in Colliers Hill
Residents in the premiere master-planned community of Colliers Hill are part-time gardeners, craftspeople, hobbyists, and entrepreneurs and 9-to-5ers. We invite you to join them and explore all the amazing amenities and variety of floor plans in new builds from Richmond American Homes, Century Communities, Shea Homes and Meritage Homes. Tour the model homes and distinctive floor plans and find the perfect fit for your family and lifestyle.
