Anyone can easily make high quality home brewed beer and wine!
The art of Wild Home Brewing wine, mead, beer and sodas using wild edible plants for flavor, hosted by Earth Connection.
Earth Connection is providing this MAPS Group course at the Earth Connection School property in Sumerville, Virginia, and with a healthy discount to MAPS Group Members.
Learn the basics of fermentation for creating alcoholic beverages and home made soda. Everyone will go home with several unique brews that were made during class that day, all well on their way of turning into that magical liquid we all know and love.
Background
Alcohol has been brewed domestically throughout its 7000-year history beginning in Mesopotamia, Egypt and China. Knowledge of brewing beer and wine was passed on from the Egyptians to the Greeks and finally to the Romans. Some records indicate that the ancient Sumerians produced a beer-like beverage around 3000 BC.
Mass production of brewed beverages began in the 1700s with the industrial revolution.
Homebrewing was outlawed in the U.S. with the madness that was Prohibition. After Prohibition was repealed, wine making at home was made legal, however beer brewing at home was not made legal due to a stenographers error!
In 1978, a federal law was passed that allows 100 gallons of homebrew to be made per adult per household (the average homebrew batch is 5 gallons), up to a maximum of 200 gallons of homebrew per household annually. Because alcohol is taxed by the federal governments via excise taxes, homebrewers are restricted from selling any beer they brew.
Now you can get in on the fun by learning the basics of home brewing with easy to find materials and wild flavoring additives.
Requirements
The course is restricted to 21 and older only! ID's will be checked on arrival.
All needed course materials will be provided and we will gather what we dont have during the course.
What to Bring
Lunch and snacks are on you... bring your favorites.
Beverage of your choice except alcohol... you'll be making that.
Cost
$55 per person (MAPS Members Only). That's a $25 Discount!
Not a MAPS Group Member?? Join Here!
Earth Connection's rural woodland camp,, rich in biodiversity is located near Somerville, Virginia.
There is no electricity, phone (spotty cell phone coverage) or running water at the Earth Connection camp. Water will be provided.
The restroom facility is a simple outhouse.
Parking is close to the class and camp.
Students will have access to their vehicles during courses.
Directions
Note: If you get lost, need last minute information, or are running late, you can reach Earth Connection on the morning the of the course.
Call 540-270-2531 after 7am.
...FROM WASHINGTON D.C.
Travel West on Interstate 66 for about a 30 minutes from the intersection of Route 66 and the 495 Beltway.
Take the Gainesville exit for Route 29 South toward Warrenton.
Travel South-west on Route 29 for 20 minutes and pass the first Warrenton exit. Take the SECOND Warrenton exit for Meetze Road- Route 643 and make a left at the top of the exit ramp. Follow this road for 15 minutes. This road will end at Route 28.
Make a right turn on Route 28 and go 1.5 miles.
Make a left onto Route 649 at the Farm with the big "Ear of Corn" painted grain silo. (Al-Mara Farm). Follow this road until it ends at 616, it should take about 15 minutes to reach 616.
TIP
After about ten minutes driving down 649, you will come to a corner store on your left with no sign or name at the crossroads of 649 and Elk Run Road.
THIS IS NOT WHERE YOU TURN. Be careful because this looks like a four way stop, but only north and south traffic stop. The East and West traffic on Elk Run road does not stop. Keep going straight on 649 until it ends in Somerville at the white Groves Store on Bristersburg Road, which is Route 616.
Make a right onto Bristersburg Road and go 2 miles, then make a right onto Elk Ridge Road (Route 614). There is a Methodist church at this corner. Pass the paved church parking lot, and get ready to turn. There will be two gravel driveways very close together. Take the second gravel driveway. Ours is the one that looks less used and it has RED REFLECTORS. Also look for the Earth Connection Sign. Follow our driveway to the back of the farm, and please park on the right.
...FROM I 95 SOUTH OF GARRISONVILLE
Travel North on Interstate 95 until you reach the Garrisonville exit.
Take the Garrisonville, Va. Exit 143B, and head west on 610. After approximately 10 miles you will need to take a left to stay on Route 610.
TIP
The left turn is just after the Izaac Walton League park on your left (look for yellow sign for the park). The left turn is also right after a small graveyard on your right.
Take this different leg of 610 (Aquia road) for about 5 minutes until it ends at Bristersburg road, which is Route 616. Make a left onto Bristersburg Road. Go 2.5 miles on Bristersburg. Turn right onto Elk Ridge Road (Route 614). There is a Methodist church at this corner. Pass the paved church parking lot, and get ready to turn. There will be two gravel driveways very close together.
Take the second gravel driveway. Ours is the one that looks less used and it has RED REFLECTORS. Also look for the Earth Connection Sign. Follow our driveway to the back of the farm, and please park on the right.
...FROM NORTH INTERSTATE 81 AND FRONT ROYAL
Travel East on Interstate 66 until you reach the Marshall area.
Take Exit 28 and then go South on Route 17 toward Warrenton for 10 minutes.
Make a right turn onto the Route 17 Bypass. Follow the Bypass and merge into Route 29/Route 17.
Take the Meetze Road Route 643 exit. Make a left at the top of the exit ramp and follow this road for 15 minutes. This road will end at Route 28.
Make a right turn on Route 28 and go 1.5 miles.
Make a left onto Route 649 at the Farm with the big "Ear of Corn" painted grain silo (Al-Mara Farm). Follow this road until it ends at 616, it should take about 15 minutes to reach 616.
TIP
After about ten minutes driving down 649, you will come to a corner store on your left with no sign or name at the crossroads of 649 and Elk Run Road.
THIS IS NOT WHERE YOU TURN. Be careful because this looks like a four way stop, but only north and south traffic stop. The East and West traffic on Elk Run road does not stop. Keep going straight on 649 until it ends in Somerville at the white Groves Store on Bristersburg Road, which is Route 616.
Make a right onto Bristersburg Road and go 2 miles to make a right onto Elk Ridge Road (Route 614). There is a Methodist church at this corner. Pass the paved church parking lot, and get ready to turn. There will be two gravel driveways very close together. Take the second gravel driveway. Ours is the one that looks less used and it has RED REFLECTORS. Also look for the Earth Connection Sign. Follow our driveway to the back of the farm, and please park on the right.
Earth Connection Description
Earth Connection is an outdoor school founded in March of 1997 by Tim MacWelch. They are a licensed and insured business in Fauquier County, Virginia, U.S.A.
They are a small wilderness and primitive skills school that ensures better service. They have led the way in outdoor skills education by developing and offering ground breaking courses like Edible Plants for each season, Primitive Cooking and, in particular, Friction Fire Making techniques that you won't see anywhere else.
