Hi. My name's Kurt.
When I was growing up, every year my grandfather would make a 10 gallon batch of beer for each kid my grandparent's had (which, by the end, was 80 gallons) in June, to be opened on December 31st.
He worked in metals in the army, then as a welder for Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and then at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and then did private sector jobs after retirement--so yes, he made his own kettles, fermenters, etc.
A couple years ago I was visiting my grandmother and she went to the basement and came up with a case of his beer. She said I should have it, since by the end I was the only person even remotely interested in what he was doing, even though I was 12 and didn't care about anything other than the fact on December 31st, I could have a beer. So I brought it home, put it in the closet, and let it sit.
Last March I found it and thought, since it was my birthday, I'd have a few. I don't remember much of that night, at all. I remember the first beer tasted like a Smithwicks with huge hops and some kind of "germanish" Malts in it. Next day I called my uncle and asked about the beer, because it gave me a hangover and I NEVER get hangovers. Apparently my grandfather used some kind of wine yeast to make it, since it was all he could get at the time aside from baker's yeast, so potentially that's a huge ABV beer.
After that, I decided to make my own. I started with kits like most everyone else, and then onto partial mash, and now I'm doing all grain and completely ignoring style rules.
I've been lurking for a while so I thought I should introduce myself.
When I was growing up, every year my grandfather would make a 10 gallon batch of beer for each kid my grandparent's had (which, by the end, was 80 gallons) in June, to be opened on December 31st.
He worked in metals in the army, then as a welder for Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and then at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and then did private sector jobs after retirement--so yes, he made his own kettles, fermenters, etc.
A couple years ago I was visiting my grandmother and she went to the basement and came up with a case of his beer. She said I should have it, since by the end I was the only person even remotely interested in what he was doing, even though I was 12 and didn't care about anything other than the fact on December 31st, I could have a beer. So I brought it home, put it in the closet, and let it sit.
Last March I found it and thought, since it was my birthday, I'd have a few. I don't remember much of that night, at all. I remember the first beer tasted like a Smithwicks with huge hops and some kind of "germanish" Malts in it. Next day I called my uncle and asked about the beer, because it gave me a hangover and I NEVER get hangovers. Apparently my grandfather used some kind of wine yeast to make it, since it was all he could get at the time aside from baker's yeast, so potentially that's a huge ABV beer.
After that, I decided to make my own. I started with kits like most everyone else, and then onto partial mash, and now I'm doing all grain and completely ignoring style rules.
I've been lurking for a while so I thought I should introduce myself.
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
