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Dan Whitted (Ace_Club) started out on HomeBrewTalk in September of '08. Since then, he has been a major driving influence on both the brewers here, and the world over, with his insight and brewing knowledge. Although only having been on site for six years, Dan has been brewing since college. If you've seen Carl popping up in threads, you know Ace_Club. If you don't though, here's a bit to catch you up.
Member Profile: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/members/ace_club
Fermentation Chamber Build: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-fermentation-chamber-build-229150/
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Extract Belgian Saison: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/belgian-saison-209750/
Basketball Post 3 Tier Setup: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/basketball-post-3-tier-setup-comments-209198
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Dan is an open-minded brewer and beer drinker, and it was a pleasure to talk with him. I look forward to seeing the innovation and designs he brings to the community. Without further ado, Dan Whitted.
TxBrew: How did you start brewing?
Dan: I brewed a couple of small batches of mead in college. They turned out okay, but I didn't get serious until after college. A buddy that I worked with in the Navy was a homebrewer and talked me into getting a starter kit and giving it a try. I've been hooked ever since.
TxBrew: What was your college brewing setup like? How advanced did it get?
Dan: My college brewing setup consisted of a glass, gallon jug and an airlock. That is as advanced as it ever got.


TxBrew: What's your favorite beer?
Dan: Fullers 1845
TxBrew: Why? What do you like about it?
Dan: Fullers is a deeply complex British ale. Malty, beautiful flavors with hints of molasses, raisin, toffee, and other spices. A great beer.
TxBrew: What's one piece of your brew setup you can't live without?
Dan: My auto-siphon.
TxBrew: What's the worst product you've ever used?
Dan: Mash stabilizer, biggest waste of money EVER.
TxBrew: Why do you homebrew?
Dan: For the sex appeal. Women find homebrewers absolutely irresistible, just ask my wife.
TxBrew: Does your wife brew with you? Is she a member of the site?
Dan: My wife does not brew with me, nor is she a member of the site.
TxBrew: What's your homebrewing style - extract, partial mash, all-grain, biab, or?
Dan: All-Grain
TxBrew: Tell us about one of your most memorable homebrewing experiences.
Dan: Brewing the beer for my in-laws anniversary party. We hosted around 70 guests and they all loved the beer. A huge success.
TxBrew: What did you brew? How long did it take to get ready? Any tips on brewing for events?
Dan: Brewed Edwort's Pale Ale and a Moose Drool clone. Both were a hit with the attendees. The brewing took two weekends to complete on my 10-gallon basketball post setup. The rest of the event planning took months to complete. The pale ale was kegged, and we had friends serve as bartenders for serving. The Moose Drool clone was bottled, with special labels for the event, and my wife and sister-in-law helped with the bottling and labeling. As for brewing for large events, definitely think about who is coming and try to brew at least two different kinds of beer to give people choices.
TxBrew: Describe the perfect beer - style, aroma, flavor, etc.
Dan: Whatever is in on tap at the moment.
TxBrew: So your love of beer is mindful?
Dan: There are very few beers that I do not like. From a nice, crisp BMC to a deeply complex dark ale, I love most beers. In fact, to date, the only beer that I really hated, that I had to dump and didn't finish, was Duchesse De Bourgogne. That beer did not sit well with me at all.
TxBrew: What's your dream brew rig, and how would you assemble it?
Dan: An all electric, indoor system. For now, though, my basketball post, three-tier system works just fine.
TxBrew: What is the one piece of advice you wish someone would've given you when you first started?
Dan: To please keep up with all the changing aspects of brewing science. The first book I picked up with regards to homebrewing was Papazian's The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. It's been the main brewing reference that I've used throughout my career despite some of the dated advice contained within.
Thanks to Dan for sitting down with me and answering some questions. If you would like to see a particular brewer interviewed for our Brew and A, Legends in Brewing please send me a private message with who you would like to see profiled and I can ask!
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Nice article, thanks for sharing. That walk-in ferm chamber looks pretty nice! Wish I had the space to expand to something like that, but my little 5 cu ft freezer rig will have to do.
 

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