I
f you’re lucky enough to be invited to a homebrewing session at
the home of Dr. Gary Vitale, prepare first for the text messages.
In particular, be prepared for their immediacy. It’s not uncom-
mon to suddenly read “Thinking of beer making tomorrow,
how many can make it?” or “I plan to make beer today around
2 p.m. to have ready by Derby.”
The schedules of physicians and residents (the primary guests
of these endeavors) are complex so, when the invite comes, your
schedule had better be clear. The wait, or lack thereof, is very much
worth it, as Dr. Vitale makes his home warm and inviting for all
who attend, with a fascinating and educational pastime taking place
during each visit.
Walking into the home of Melodie and Dr. Gary Vitale during one
of these spontaneous homebrewing nights, you’re likely to be struck
by a unique aroma. That’s the smell of boiling barley tea. It has an
earthy and pungent personality that seems to thicken the air of the
kitchen. On the stove is a giant stainless-steel pot with three gallons
of the brown simmering liquid. A mesh sock of grains is pinned to
one side. The attached thermometer hovers around 160 degrees.
“These grains create the sugar for the beer, the color and some
of the flavors,” Dr. Vitale explained. “You’re taking the flavor from
the grains through heat. Different temperatures produce different
flavors.”
Once the grains have seeped for 30 minutes to create the barley
tea (officially known in the brewing world as “wort”), Dr. Vitale adds
liquid and dry malt extracts. He and the residents then take turns
stirring the giant pot of wort for an hour, adding hops as needed.
As dinner nears, the smell of the wort merges with hamburgers and
Melodie Vitale’s macaroni and cheese. Although she was traveling
to see family during this brewing night, Mrs. Vitale kindly left all
sorts of good things to eat.
While someone stirs the wort, the house buzzes with the fast talk
of residents getting recent cases off their chests. About 20 residents
have stopped in for tonight’s session. Everyone is eating freshly
grilled burgers, watching basketball or both.
Though he talks fast, Dr. Vitale’s easygoing nature is striking.
His voice barely raises a pitch while simultaneously preparing a
meal for 20 people and boiling a 3-gallon pot of light Saison beer.
He is, after all, a general surgeon. Hosting a homebrewing event is
less stressful than his day job. In fact, he’s a little blasé to the entire
process of beer making. After 11 years practicing the hobby, Dr.
Vitale knows what to expect.
“You’re going to find out,” he said both sarcastically and matter-
of-fact, “that there’s nothing to do while brewing beer but watch the
water boil. That’s why it’s perfect to make during basketball.” Still, the
residents are excited by the process. Many take turns stirring, and
everyone peers into the pot to see this night’s batch coming to life.
FEATURE
The flavors came out similar to the name brand, with just enough
difference to recognize it as a home brew. In Dr. Vitale’s words, “It’s
like a live concert. It’s not the same as a recording, but sometimes
you can like the live album even better.”
The second beer on tap was the intimidatingly named “Soulsuck-
er Stout,” that had an alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage of 10.5.
For comparison, a typical domestic light beer is four percent ABV.
Despite its high ABV, the Soulsucker Stout was delicious - malty and
not overbearing on hops or bitterness, with a deep well of flavors.
“Some might say there’s a bit of conflict here, as all the surgery
residents come and make alcohol with their pancreas doctor. Pan-
creas is primarily the work I do, and alcohol has a negative effect
on it,” said Dr. Vitale. From across the kitchen, a voice interjected,
“That’s called drumming up business!” Woody, the cockatiel, chirped
in agreement.
After 60 minutes passed, the wort was taken off heat and dropped
in a sink full of ice. This step is taken for a variety of reasons but in
short, it keeps the beer’s yeast healthy and able to properly ferment.
“You have to get the temperature to drop very quickly,” Dr. Vi-
tale explained, noting that the initial 3-gallon batch is essentially
beer concentrate. Two gallons of additional water are now added
to bring the recipe to a proper concentration level. This 5-gallon
concoction is then placed in a fermentation vessel and supplemented
with dry yeast.
Dr. Vitale places each brew in a plastic vessel for a week to allow
primary fermentation. The beer will bubble as the yeast eats the
sugars and transforms them to alcohol. When bubbling ceases, he
transfers the brew to a glass container for secondary fermentation.
In three weeks, the beer goes from wort to ready for consumption.
If everything works out as planned, it will be extremely delicious.
Each homebrewing night is commemorated by a card featuring
both the recipe and the names of all in attendance. This allows Dr.
Vitale to remember every guest who helped make his brews through-
out the years. For the better part of a decade, UofL surgery residents
have visited Dr. Vitale’s to blow off steam and share evenings with
those going through the same grueling experiences. Doctors stop
by, and neighbors too. “This is really a family event,” he explained.
“All are welcome.”
As the night wound down, residents began to leave. Many had
early mornings fast approaching. But, sometime when they least
suspect, their phones will buzz again, and Dr. Vitale’s home will
open for another night of food and camaraderie.
Aaron Burch is the communications specialist for the Greater Louisville
Medical Society.
There were two previously made beers available to sample upon
this visit. The first was a clone of the popular Bell’s Two Hearted IPA.
OCTOBER 2018
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