Greetings from Scranton, PA!

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kkuczma

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Hello, all!

My name is Kyle and I'm a rookie at home brewing beer! My hobby began in January with a Christmas gift my girlfriend got me- a home brew kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. I wound up loving the process and was pleasantly surprised by the final product. I decided to order another couple of kits and I've continued to purchase recipe kits since then. I've now made 7 kits total this year; I have 4 in the middle of their cycles (Belgian Golden and a Lavender Blonde just bottled, Bruxelles Blonde and Simcoe IPA in fermentation) and I have another 4 kits I plan on brewing in the next week.

Looking forward to upgrading my equipment- my neighbor is a brewer and he just talked me into by a hydrometer and cylinder so I can start to learn more about what I'm making. Happy to be here and learn from others! Cheers!
 
Well it sounds like you're completely hooked. Is the girlfriend still with you on this?
We might be passing through Scranton in June to visit a grandchild in MA. Is there a brewpub we should visit if we stay in town?
 
Welcome to HBT!

Having 4 brews fermenting all at the same time makes you one of us! +++++10!

Are these 1 or 5 gallon Brooklyn Brew Shop kits?
 
Welcome!

In my case my mom bought me my first brew kit, then turkey fryer pot, then kegging setup....But buy that time i was actually 19 and working, and bought my own 'first' fridge for the keg! ;) :mug:
 
Welcome from a couple of hours east of you in Pa. sounds like a good start to the obsession I mean hobby.
 
IslandLizard said:
Yowsers, that's a drive, and then some!
Click to expand...

Well, we've had to go to Croatia, Austria, and Kazakhstan to visit the other grandkids over the years, so whether we fly (likely) or drive (less likely) it's not really a big trip. Really only considering driving because we haven't gone anywhere in so long.

BTW: I got a kit from my sons (ages 22 and 18 at the time) for Christmas in 1993 to start me in this hobby.
 
Wow! Sorry, folks- I just saw all the replies!

If you're passing through Scranton, we are actually lacking a bit in brew pubs. Groove Brewing is the only brick and mortar, locally, but they don't do food (yet?). If you don't mind a trip into the Poconos, about 45-50 minutes from Scranton in Hawley is a place called Wallenpaupack Brewing Company. Great brews, great food. Can't recommend enough. But most of the local bars carry a local favorite in Susquehanna Brewing Company, which has some fun brews but no on-site restaurant.

I'm actually stunned there isn't a brewery themed around just The Office. It would probably be a Scranton landmark if somebody called it Dunder Mifflin Brewing.

These are all 1-gallon kits from BBS, but I've also got a kit from a new business in NYC called Satchel Brew Kits. Theirs is the Belgian Golden Strong and I'm going to brew their American Pale Ale later today!

Fun fact: my girlfriend and I bought our house in November and I converted one of the rooms into a paint studio, as I'm a painter. It has a small side room that I was using as a "sit down" room when I was stuck on a canvas. I've now converted that side room into my brew equipment room and put up blackout curtains on the one window, blackout curtains covering the doorway, added metal racks and now have a home for not only my equipment, but all my fermenters and bottles where they can stay out of the light (and out of the way of the rest of our house- what started out as a fun gift has quickly become a hobby and obsession!).

Cheers, everyone. Happy to be here and learn!
 
My wife still has a lot of family in Scranton. Kkuczma, ever go to Ale Mary's? My wife's cousin owns it.
 
kkuczma said:
I've now converted that side room into my brew equipment room and put up blackout curtains on the one window, blackout curtains covering the doorway, added metal racks and now have a home for not only my equipment, but all my fermenters and bottles where they can stay out of the light
Click to expand...
It's OK for now, but some time in the near future, you really need to start thinking about controlling your ferm temps a bit more tightly. It makes much better beer, with more consistency.

A dedicated fermentation fridge with a temp controller is the easiest and most consistent.
Beverage coolers with cool water as a heat sink/water jacket, or swamp coolers can do the job in a jiffy.
 
Gusso said:
My wife still has a lot of family in Scranton. Kkuczma, ever go to Ale Mary's? My wife's cousin owns it.
Click to expand...
Yes! Enjoy it there. Also love the Speakeasy they have/had, not sure if it came back during the pandemic. Ale Mary's used to have my favorite way to order a brew- the beer roulette. They pick out a beer at random for you from whatever is leftover in bottles from the previous season. Makes it a cheaper cost, overall, but you have no say in what you get.
 
Welcome Kyle, my first brew was mead, but my first home-brewed beer was a 1 gal Brooklyn Oktoberfest kit. I made mistakes, but it was drinkable that was about 7 years ago many brews later. Enjoy!
 

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