Howdy!

Howdy, y'all!

I am Doak Procter from Houston, Texas. I've been brewing for about fifteen years, and drinking longer than that, but I'm still on the very low tech side of things. I am looking to upgrade my system, though, in the near future.

In addition to brewing, I enjoy cooking of all sorts and, especially, barbequing on my offset pit. I also enjoy volunteering to help out on tours at the Saint Arnold brewery, and I am active with the Foam Rangers homebrew club, based in Houston. I've been a Foam Ranger for about five years and judging competitions about that long. Currently, I am a BJCP Certified judge.

My favorite beers vary with time and my mood. Right now, I'm more attracted to balanced beers that show some real care and craft to create that balance. I am pretty tired of the head-spinning, tongue-scraping hop bombs that lack structure.

I must apologize that one of my first acts is to promote the Dixie Cup, the Foam Rangers' annual competition. However, I just found this forum (I'm behind the times), and I'm the Dixie Cup Coordinator this year. Please forgive me!

I look forward to chatting about beer, brewing, and whatever else happens to come along.


TL

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the forum! Don't worry about shamlessly promoting yourself or local events, there is a (highly under used) calender and a local events and gatherings section on the forum, be sure to post any happenings there too so they get more exposure.

Cheers

Thanks, guys. This is one hoppin' forum! I wish I had found it years ago!


TL

Always glad to have someone hanging around here who actually knows what the hell they're talking about (unlike myself )

Hi Doak,

Been brewing about three months, now. Live about three blocks from defalco's. I was just wondering if I should become a foamranger, and why?

Thanks

Tim

Tim,

There are two big reasons to join the Foam Rangers.

First, you will become a better brewer, and it can happen very quickly. I had been brewing for about nine years when I joined the club. Before that, I had brewed pretty much on my own and thought I had it pretty well figured out. In a few months, I learned that I hardly knew anything! There is a lot of experience in the club and a lot of guys willing to pass it on. A great tool is to bring some of your homebrew and have some of the guys evaluate it and give you some tips. They are priceless resources. Several guys may invite you over to brew with them sometime, and I highly recommend accepting that invitation sometime. There's no better way to learn.

Second, it's a lot of fun! There are some great folks in the club that have become good friends of mine.

Also, if you are ever interested in entering a competition, the club helps you out with shipping to certain competitions, and many members are active competitors. They can give you excellent advice.

We actually have a meeting this Friday night (tomorrow) at 8pm at DeFalco's. You ought to head over there and check it out. You don't have to join to stay at the meeting. Just hang out, have some beer, grab a bite (there is food at the meeting), and talk to some folks. Almost everyone there is very friendly, so just introduce yourself to someone, let them know you are a fairly new brewer, and that you are interested in the club. If you get there a little early, there usually are some guys hanging around outside with some beer.

I'm afraid that I won't be there tomorrow, as I'll be out of state for a wedding, but I will let the other officers know that you may stop by. The guy in the fez is Bob "T-Bob" Daugherty, and he is our Grand Wazoo (our version of club President). The guy behind the counter at the back and passing out beer should be Scott DeWalt, unless someone has relieved him for a few minutes. Scott Birdwell, the owner of DeFalco's, should also be there. Enjoy yourself!


TL

I'm a new guy in Houston as well, may stop by DeFalco's tonight for a few before heading to either The Flying Saucer or The Ginger Man for a couple of brews.

I hope you made it, Tim and Nutt, and I hope to see you around.


TL