Using Zemo's recipe for a strawberry milkshake IPA, the Strawberry Kiss is made by adding oats and white wheat to the mash. The beer also calls for Belma hops, which imbue a slight strawberry essence. In two weeks, fresh Plant City strawberries are added, along with a little vanilla, and by April, the IPA is ready to go.
Zemo prefers to use all grain versus extracts while brewing her recipe. The difference is "like making cake," she says.
"Buy it from a box, or you can make it from scratch and it just tastes better."
It's this all-grain approach, and a zeal for cooking, that inspired Zemo to become a homebrewer.
"Beer is cooking meets science," adds Mary Taylor, a soon-to-be-retired teacher who looks forward to brewing full-time and acted as the Collaboration Brew Day's assistant brewer.
Both Taylor and Zemo are frequent brewers at BrewworX, which offers brew-on-site facilities to make beer and cider, as well as wine. The homebrew and winemaking supply store carries everything one needs, from equipment and ingredients to knowledgeable help.
Halfway through the brewing process, more people filter in as Tampa Bay traffic subsides. The group gathers around the store's corner bar, enjoying pours of house-brewed beer in between brewing. Those helping with the Strawberry Kiss say it's time to incorporate the last dose of hops, and a touch of lactose.
The International Women's Collaboration Brew Day, now in its fourth year, takes place all over the world, and the local event promoted the Barley's Angels Brandon chapter. A release party for the collaborative Strawberry Kiss is planned at BrewworX on April 8. Stay updated on the details.
This article appears in Mar 9-16, 2017.