Hello fellow brewers! Long-time homebrewer, new to these boards. I actually started homebrewing when I was in my mid-late teens -- I'm 35 now. I've gone in cycles over the years, getting really into it, then tapering off. I admit I'm more of a pleasure brewer than a hard-core brewer. I don't pay close attention to numbers, I don't keep records, I have never had the strong urge to go all-grain, and my set-up is admittedly McGyver-esque. If you want tips on how to have a ridiculously cheap (yet successful) brew kit -- less than $7.50 -- I'm the guy to ask!
Having said that, I do have a great deal of experience under my belt... more than I thought. A couple of weeks ago, while in the brew shop waiting for some grains to get ground, I started talking to others who were walking around. I was able to answer questions from a few people with varying experience levels. I surprised myself with how much knowledge I have picked up over the past 18 or so years of "just winging it".
I'm actually wanting to get a little more serious with my beers in the form of better record keeping. It's kind of the only way to move up from where I am. For the first time, I bought a hydrometer for my latest batch (a mocha stout). While kind of interesting, I don't really find it *helpful*.
This post makes it sound like I will drink any swill that comes out of my closet. In fact, my beer stacks up quite well against great craft breweries. I just did a blind taste test of my latest IPA against two I bought at the store, and it compared very well next to them. I brewed a Scotch Ale at the same time as the IPA, and, even though I say this every time I brew up a batch, these were the best two beers I've ever made. I'm sure the mocha stout will also be the best beer I've ever made.
I look forward to getting to know folks and give and take some really great info. Maybe one day I'll get a hair up my arse and do an all-grain brew.
Having said that, I do have a great deal of experience under my belt... more than I thought. A couple of weeks ago, while in the brew shop waiting for some grains to get ground, I started talking to others who were walking around. I was able to answer questions from a few people with varying experience levels. I surprised myself with how much knowledge I have picked up over the past 18 or so years of "just winging it".
I'm actually wanting to get a little more serious with my beers in the form of better record keeping. It's kind of the only way to move up from where I am. For the first time, I bought a hydrometer for my latest batch (a mocha stout). While kind of interesting, I don't really find it *helpful*.
This post makes it sound like I will drink any swill that comes out of my closet. In fact, my beer stacks up quite well against great craft breweries. I just did a blind taste test of my latest IPA against two I bought at the store, and it compared very well next to them. I brewed a Scotch Ale at the same time as the IPA, and, even though I say this every time I brew up a batch, these were the best two beers I've ever made. I'm sure the mocha stout will also be the best beer I've ever made.
I look forward to getting to know folks and give and take some really great info. Maybe one day I'll get a hair up my arse and do an all-grain brew.
