Beer Brew Friday

Peter and Tom have many, many common interests, from skiing to boating to cycling... to beer brewing. Peter's pretty much the family connoisseur of beer brewing and he led this evening's effort, with Danelle and Tom his eager interns.

Tonight's batch is an amber ale -- "a Mac and Jac clone," he says -- with the following specs (for those who appreciate such things):

• 60 IBUs (international bitterness units)
• 1.040 beginning specific gravity (which is a measurement of the density of the liquid which is an indicator of the amount of sugar that's dissolved)
• 6% (approximate) alcohol by volume

I asked what food would go well with it and Peter replied, "What food? No food! Just beer!" (And then he suggested a hearty steak and potatoes...)