How did you get started?

General brewing information, questions and discussion. Topics that do not seem to fit elsewhere.

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jdbooth
Light Lager
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Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2002 2:07 am

Beer Humor... You gotta love it!

Post by jdbooth »

I like you Man! We have to talk more. I might be able to steal a few lines from you. hahaha
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John
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Push Eject
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Become a Falcon

Post by Push Eject »

If you haven't already be sure to join the Maltose Falcons at the shop! It's 10% everything in the store and pays for itself fairly quickly. Hope to see you there!
~ Herr Essers
andytv
Double IPA
Double IPA
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Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2001 8:55 pm

Better Beer!!

Post by andytv »

I made my first batch about six years ago while attending PennState. I was in my "hippy stage" and frequented a health food store (had to eat something besides the 30+ beers per day. Thet had a moderate selection of homebrew supplies so I figured I'd give it a shot. I bought ingredients on a whim, picking the "coolest sounding" ingredients and a basic kit. The beer sucked. I blame it on poor sanitization. The aftertaste was similar to underwear mixed with old shoe which surprised me because I removed my roommate's underwear and old shoes from the batch as soon as they fell in. I figured that it wasn't worth pursuing this hobby..... until a couple years ago. My friends and I enjoyed great beers, but all agreed that there was no "perfect beer". That's why we started a homebrew club.... to make the perfect beer. Since then we have made dozens of "perfect beers". I am a heavy beer drinker (approx 10gal per week) and I have been drinking only my own beer for 6mo now. Our small club has allowed us to upgrade to 10gal all-grain w/o alot of personal investment, sharing the costs of equipment and so forth. So that's my story... I couldn't find the perfect beer, so I made one.
l48shark
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Sweet!

Post by l48shark »

Hey Mike, glad to hear that the second batch went much better after the near disaster when bottling the first. Great job!
Cheers,
Ford
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KBrau
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Brew Clubs

Post by KBrau »

If you are looking to find or start a club you should really reference the AHA (American Homebrewing Association) website which has lots of very good information on brew clubs. The following link should take you directly to the right page. http://www.beertown.org/AHA/Clubs/clubshome.htm
As far as competitions go, you can check with local brewclubs for events in the area or check magazines such as "Zymurgy" and "Brew Your Own" which usually have info on national brewing competitions. Hope this was helpful.
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KBrau
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10gal/week?

Post by KBrau »

Do you really drink 10 gallons per week? God bless you. I think that works out to be 14 or so beers per day. If so you may want to check out this website:
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/
jdbooth
Light Lager
Light Lager
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Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2002 2:07 am

I dont think I ever had a "perfect" beer...

Post by jdbooth »

but I had a lot that were so close you couldn't tell the difference. Hahaha. I was wondering if it was you yourself that drank the 10g or your club?
.
John
l48shark
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Clubs Rule

Post by l48shark »

If you don't have a local club, start one. It does not really take much, just a few dedicated homebrewers and some beer connoisseurs. Mine has only a handful of active members, but we have a ton of fun. We meet once a month and usually gather for a "social night" at an area pub once between each monthly meeting. We also enjoy any local beer festivals and exploit any opportunity to advertise our hobby by way of public venue. We attend any local beer festivals and encourage our members to submit their brews to any AHA sanctioned competitions. My favorite part is where our club elders share with us lesser-experienced brewers their brewing experiences so that we may learn from their failures and triumphs. Good luck!
Cheers,
Ford
Freon12
Strong Ale
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Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2001 8:27 pm
Location: WHITELAND, IN, US

hops at home

Post by Freon12 »

I saw that it is time to buy the hop plants on the web at WWW.Morebeer.com. I going to try next year.
andytv
Double IPA
Double IPA
Posts: 206
Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2001 8:55 pm

Did I say 10 gal??

Post by andytv »

I meant 15!! Actually, as I'm sure many of you know, homebrew has become quite popular with neighbors. I have a little help from others.......sometimes.
andytv
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RE: Perfect beer

Post by andytv »

As much as I appreciate all of your admiration for drinking 10gal/week, I have to give at least "half" the credit to friends, neighbors, & club.

As far as your beers being close to perfect, I afraid that that may be a biased assessment. Please send a six pack to me and I will judge them.

AndyTV
jdbooth
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Light Lager
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Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2002 2:07 am

I second that!

Post by jdbooth »

Send some my way too! I would love to begin my carrier as a competition judge early!
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John
mickeymac
Light Lager
Light Lager
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2002 9:18 pm

Good suggestion

Post by mickeymac »

Maybe I'll do that. I can always use a helping hand. Fortunately, my neighbor is a homebrewer and an Anhaueser-Bush employee, so he has give me a few tips along the way.
mickeymac
Light Lager
Light Lager
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Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2002 9:18 pm

Thanks

Post by mickeymac »

I was very lucky that my screw-up on the first batch didn't contaminate it. It was a mistake I'll never make again. We're malting grains for a new batch, this time using millet, sorghum, and corn. I'm hoping for something resembling Hefeweizen.
BillyBock
Imperial Stout
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Location: Ohio

Humor & Service

Post by BillyBock »

I'm full of lines, John. Well, I'm full of something anyway from what folks tell me :-) On a serious note, I've had the distinct pleasure of serving with submariners in my current assignment. Out of all the jobs in the Navy, it's theirs and the Marine Corps I respect the most. Maybe that's herecy since I come from a long lineage of Army stock :-). But anyway, I'd like to encourage all of you, next time you see a servicemember or a vet, to just simply say "Thank you for your service"--it actually means alot to us believe it or not. And for those that have fallen, cherish their memory on Memorial Day. Ok, I'll step down from my soapbox :-)
Until next time...duty, honor, country. And as they say in NH, "Live free or die!"
--Cheers!
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