1. How did you start brewing?
I've been a beer "nerd" and owned a kegerator for many years before I started brewing. I remember one night looking up the reviews on a beer I had purchased at my local bottle store and stumbled across a recipe for this beer on line. It was like a light when off in the room....."You mean I can make something like the craft beer I was tasting?" To be honest I didn't believe it. I mean, we've all heard stories about bath tub gin and crappy beer made from cans of extract, but I'm the type of person that likes to research things before I purchase and I learned that people actually were making good beer at home. Hell, if some were to be believed, they were making great beer. So I talked myself into buying a starter kit. During my brewing research I discovered HBT and watched hours of you tube videos, so I went into my first brew not fearing too much. The beer came out fantastic, and I never looked back.
A Kegerator For Conditioning And Serving Beer
2. What's you favorite beer?
My tastes have changed over the years and it's hard to narrow down a favorite beer or style. If I had to choose though, it would be a good American IPA. Not insanely hoppy, but not a wimp either.
3. What's one piece of your brew setup you can't live without?
Right now I'd have to say my RIMS. Not just the tube itself, but the controller too. Thanks to Sawdustguy and his HBT thread "RIMS for dummies," I was able to build something I never would have attempted by myself. I made some great beers with my trusty 10 gallon cooler, but the ability to maintain mash temp for any duration has made the brewing process worry free.
Start Out Right With A Good Grain Crush
A close second to my RIMS would have to be my water filter/RV hose setup for getting water to my rig. My back really appreciates not having to lug buckets of water from the house over to the garage and then dump the water into the HLT. Did I mention my back is now happy?
4. What's the worst product you've ever used?
I'll be unpopular for this, but I've actually tossed gallons of beer down the drain because of S-04 yeast. I've tried to like this yeast, I've wanted to like this yeast....but I just can't. I've brewed it cold, I've let it brew warm. My palette can detect the twang from English yeast, including Nottingham, WLP 002, etc. It's gotten to the point that my dislike of these yeasts ruins trips to brewpubs that use English yeasts, and it's gotten worse over time. It's not a reflection of the product, just of my personal taste. For every beer I've dumped because of it, I've given just as much away to friends that think I'm crazy. Maybe I am....
Maintain Temperature Control During Fermentation
5. Why do you homebrew?
I homebrew for several reasons. I love to cook and I love good beer. The two hobbies kinda morph into one out in the garage and in my basement. I know we usually tell noobs that you don't get into homebrewing to save money, but it's also another reason I brew. I can make the equivalent of a sixel of craft IPA for half the price of a commercial beer (of course we don't discuss things like equipment overhead with the spouse). Around here, a sixel of Stone IPA is around 90 bucks + deposit. Also, I get the satisfaction of seeing people's faces when they try my brews and I smile back and say "Yep, I made that!"
6. What's your homebrewing style - extract, partial mash, all-grain, biab, or ?
Like most I started out with extract kits. I completed two extracts before I moved to partial mashes. I cooked a couple of those on the stove and the wife said that I had to move the operation out of the house. So, I went all grain by first using HBT to build my 10 gallon round cooler mash tun. Then a few years ago, I decided I needed to control my mash temps better. Brewing in the garage year round made that a necessity. I built my RIMs setup on an old 55 gallon aquarium stand. I brew 10 gallon batches with a friend. We built him a keezer a few years ago. So now we split the cost of supplies and he does the cleaning for 5 gallons of beer. We both think we got the best ends of the deal.
7. Tell us about one of your most memorable homebrewing experiences
The most memorable experiences are the ones where we have people over to socialize (have a party), and the only adult beverage supplied for 20-30 people is mine and mine alone. Friends don't bother bringing their own "stash" anymore. Even though my friend's taste in beer ranges wildly, they know that with 6 taps flowing ....I'll have something they will enjoy.
Kegerators Come In All Sizes
8. Describe the perfect beer - style, aroma, flavor, etc.
That's a tough one. I'm not one of those guys that right reviews on beer advocate or anything. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, it's just not me. The perfect beer for me is an IPA, or APA with a nice hop balance. I love the aroma/taste of Simcoe and Amarillo. In fact I've pretty much perfected a light, simple, crisp IPA that's all Amarillo. I keep that on tap always.
Brewing For The Love Of Brewing
9. What's your dream brew rig, and how would you assemble it?
My dream rig? If money was no object? I simply drool over the Electric Brewery site. His home brewery is insane. I wouldn't know where to start. Of course, if money was no object, I'd have a home big enough to put all that in.
http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/
10. What is the one piece of advice you wish someone would've giving you when you first started?
The importance of temperature and aeration. I'm sure that the information was available, it's just that when your just starting out, you have so much information that you have to prioritize, but those two items are critical to making great beer; both are the difference between a beer stalling at the dreaded 1.020 mark, or fermenting down to where you want/think the beer should be.
Another piece of advice..... Your commercial beer experience will change as well. You'll learn over time to taste flaws in commercial beers. It happens.....
I've been a beer "nerd" and owned a kegerator for many years before I started brewing. I remember one night looking up the reviews on a beer I had purchased at my local bottle store and stumbled across a recipe for this beer on line. It was like a light when off in the room....."You mean I can make something like the craft beer I was tasting?" To be honest I didn't believe it. I mean, we've all heard stories about bath tub gin and crappy beer made from cans of extract, but I'm the type of person that likes to research things before I purchase and I learned that people actually were making good beer at home. Hell, if some were to be believed, they were making great beer. So I talked myself into buying a starter kit. During my brewing research I discovered HBT and watched hours of you tube videos, so I went into my first brew not fearing too much. The beer came out fantastic, and I never looked back.
A Kegerator For Conditioning And Serving Beer
2. What's you favorite beer?
My tastes have changed over the years and it's hard to narrow down a favorite beer or style. If I had to choose though, it would be a good American IPA. Not insanely hoppy, but not a wimp either.
3. What's one piece of your brew setup you can't live without?
Right now I'd have to say my RIMS. Not just the tube itself, but the controller too. Thanks to Sawdustguy and his HBT thread "RIMS for dummies," I was able to build something I never would have attempted by myself. I made some great beers with my trusty 10 gallon cooler, but the ability to maintain mash temp for any duration has made the brewing process worry free.
Start Out Right With A Good Grain Crush
A close second to my RIMS would have to be my water filter/RV hose setup for getting water to my rig. My back really appreciates not having to lug buckets of water from the house over to the garage and then dump the water into the HLT. Did I mention my back is now happy?
4. What's the worst product you've ever used?
I'll be unpopular for this, but I've actually tossed gallons of beer down the drain because of S-04 yeast. I've tried to like this yeast, I've wanted to like this yeast....but I just can't. I've brewed it cold, I've let it brew warm. My palette can detect the twang from English yeast, including Nottingham, WLP 002, etc. It's gotten to the point that my dislike of these yeasts ruins trips to brewpubs that use English yeasts, and it's gotten worse over time. It's not a reflection of the product, just of my personal taste. For every beer I've dumped because of it, I've given just as much away to friends that think I'm crazy. Maybe I am....
Maintain Temperature Control During Fermentation
5. Why do you homebrew?
I homebrew for several reasons. I love to cook and I love good beer. The two hobbies kinda morph into one out in the garage and in my basement. I know we usually tell noobs that you don't get into homebrewing to save money, but it's also another reason I brew. I can make the equivalent of a sixel of craft IPA for half the price of a commercial beer (of course we don't discuss things like equipment overhead with the spouse). Around here, a sixel of Stone IPA is around 90 bucks + deposit. Also, I get the satisfaction of seeing people's faces when they try my brews and I smile back and say "Yep, I made that!"
6. What's your homebrewing style - extract, partial mash, all-grain, biab, or ?
Like most I started out with extract kits. I completed two extracts before I moved to partial mashes. I cooked a couple of those on the stove and the wife said that I had to move the operation out of the house. So, I went all grain by first using HBT to build my 10 gallon round cooler mash tun. Then a few years ago, I decided I needed to control my mash temps better. Brewing in the garage year round made that a necessity. I built my RIMs setup on an old 55 gallon aquarium stand. I brew 10 gallon batches with a friend. We built him a keezer a few years ago. So now we split the cost of supplies and he does the cleaning for 5 gallons of beer. We both think we got the best ends of the deal.
7. Tell us about one of your most memorable homebrewing experiences
The most memorable experiences are the ones where we have people over to socialize (have a party), and the only adult beverage supplied for 20-30 people is mine and mine alone. Friends don't bother bringing their own "stash" anymore. Even though my friend's taste in beer ranges wildly, they know that with 6 taps flowing ....I'll have something they will enjoy.
Kegerators Come In All Sizes
8. Describe the perfect beer - style, aroma, flavor, etc.
That's a tough one. I'm not one of those guys that right reviews on beer advocate or anything. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, it's just not me. The perfect beer for me is an IPA, or APA with a nice hop balance. I love the aroma/taste of Simcoe and Amarillo. In fact I've pretty much perfected a light, simple, crisp IPA that's all Amarillo. I keep that on tap always.
Brewing For The Love Of Brewing
9. What's your dream brew rig, and how would you assemble it?
My dream rig? If money was no object? I simply drool over the Electric Brewery site. His home brewery is insane. I wouldn't know where to start. Of course, if money was no object, I'd have a home big enough to put all that in.
http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/
10. What is the one piece of advice you wish someone would've giving you when you first started?
The importance of temperature and aeration. I'm sure that the information was available, it's just that when your just starting out, you have so much information that you have to prioritize, but those two items are critical to making great beer; both are the difference between a beer stalling at the dreaded 1.020 mark, or fermenting down to where you want/think the beer should be.
Another piece of advice..... Your commercial beer experience will change as well. You'll learn over time to taste flaws in commercial beers. It happens.....
