Craft_Conversations
New Member
My name is Sagar and I am a SoCal home brewer. I live in Orange County and was first introduced to craft beer by Russell, a good friend of mine, in early part of 2014. We were drinking Stone’s Old Guardian Barley Wine and it changed my perception of what beer is as a whole. Prior to it, the only exposure to craft beer was when I just turned 21 and I purchased a bottle of some artistically packaged beer and the bitterness turned me off to craft in general. My perception of beer from then on were lagers and wheat beers and my go to beers were Victoria, Shocktop, and Blue Moon. Stone’s Barley Wine was completely different, the amber brown color and rich caramel toffee maltiness was amazing, slight bitterness from the hops were present but balanced by bready maltiness, leaning towards the sweeter side. I remember that I could definitely taste the alcohol presence and really enjoyed the Old Guardian. Unlike most of my friends, I started appreciating the delicious nectar more and more and really enjoyed the variety of styles available in the area from local breweries as well as craft beer retail stores. The Craft Bug bit me. I started frequenting the local breweries more regularly, trying new beers and purchasing more reading material to increase my understanding, knowledge, and appreciation for beer. Learning from wherever I can, from books, articles, podcasts, forums, YouTube videos, and home brewers at my local brew shop.
I finally made the plunge and purchased my first home brew kit on July of 2014. It was an IPA kit composed of some LME and steeped specialty grains. My first brewed beer was ok and fell short of my expectations. Each and every batch thereafter has been getting better and better. Looking back, at first I was just following directions and cleaning, sanitizing, boiling, cooling and fermenting as described from the brewing directions but as time progressed I was more curious as to the “whys” and “how” and the effects that certain ingredients (such as malts, hops, etc.) and processes (temperature, water treatment, cooling, fermentation, timing) have on my end products. Slowly but surely my knowledge and appreciation for beer continues growing more and more and I am looking for other beer geeks with similar interests and appreciation for beer. My goal on this forum is to meet and make great friends, make better beer, and learn from the wisdom and experience of others on this forum.
I want to start by brewing as often as I can every weekend to improve my processes and gain more consistency in my brew schedule. I will be posting my brews on this forum and would appreciate your feedback. Thanks for taking the time to check out my thread!
My Brewing Equipment:
10 Gallon Home Depot Mash Cooler with 12” SS False Bottom
10 Gallon Spike Brewing Brew pot
2* 6.5 Gallon Glass Carboy
1* 5 Gallon Glass Carboy
Yeast Starter Equipment: 2L Erlenmeyer flask, Stir bar, and Homemade PC Fan Stir plate
Oxygenation Equipment: Regulator, sterile inline filter, 0.5 micron stainless steel oxygenation stone, disposable O2 Tank
Temperature Controller Chest Freezer
2* 3 Gallon Kegs, 2*5 Gallon Kegs and 5 Lbs C02 Tank.
I would like to reuse the spent grain to make some baked goods with it instead of trashing it. Anyone have any suggestions for some tasty recipes?
Photos from the first Home Brew (IPA Kit)
I finally made the plunge and purchased my first home brew kit on July of 2014. It was an IPA kit composed of some LME and steeped specialty grains. My first brewed beer was ok and fell short of my expectations. Each and every batch thereafter has been getting better and better. Looking back, at first I was just following directions and cleaning, sanitizing, boiling, cooling and fermenting as described from the brewing directions but as time progressed I was more curious as to the “whys” and “how” and the effects that certain ingredients (such as malts, hops, etc.) and processes (temperature, water treatment, cooling, fermentation, timing) have on my end products. Slowly but surely my knowledge and appreciation for beer continues growing more and more and I am looking for other beer geeks with similar interests and appreciation for beer. My goal on this forum is to meet and make great friends, make better beer, and learn from the wisdom and experience of others on this forum.
I want to start by brewing as often as I can every weekend to improve my processes and gain more consistency in my brew schedule. I will be posting my brews on this forum and would appreciate your feedback. Thanks for taking the time to check out my thread!
My Brewing Equipment:
10 Gallon Home Depot Mash Cooler with 12” SS False Bottom
10 Gallon Spike Brewing Brew pot
2* 6.5 Gallon Glass Carboy
1* 5 Gallon Glass Carboy
Yeast Starter Equipment: 2L Erlenmeyer flask, Stir bar, and Homemade PC Fan Stir plate
Oxygenation Equipment: Regulator, sterile inline filter, 0.5 micron stainless steel oxygenation stone, disposable O2 Tank
Temperature Controller Chest Freezer
2* 3 Gallon Kegs, 2*5 Gallon Kegs and 5 Lbs C02 Tank.
I would like to reuse the spent grain to make some baked goods with it instead of trashing it. Anyone have any suggestions for some tasty recipes?
Photos from the first Home Brew (IPA Kit)
