Brew Dudes

I’ll preface this post with a little tid-bit about myself. I am a wise-guy.  Not a Hollywood/movie type wise-guy; but a wise-a$$ wise-guy.  I call it like I see it.  Some find it refreshing, some find they need refreshment after I open my mouth.

With that out of the way…on to your Monday morning rant.

Why is it that after some brewers finish off their 3rd extract batch from a True-brew kit they seem to find themselves wanting to go backwards in their process.

Recently, reading through a few brew forums I have found guys asking questions like this:

“Hey all, I just added 2 lbs of sugar, 2lbs of agave syrup and 1lb of raisins I found in the couch to one gallon of Juicy Juice.  I fermented it all with baking yeast.  What do you think it will taste like?”

My polite response is usually, ask you cell mate.

Come on!  Can’t you at least have a little respect for yourself and the process and pitch that swill on some leftover yeast cake from California Ale yeast!?!  Baking yeast!  Jeesh!

Then you get a follow-up from the original poster like this:
“Oh I almost forgot, my apartment is 110F and because the AC went on the fritz two weeks ago.”

Just pour some rubbing alcohol in your eyes and get it over with.  Maybe you should be saving your Juicy Juice allowance to replace your AC unit.

BREW ON!

This month’s Fermentation Friday topic is:

What turned you on to Craft Beer?

It is being hosted by Jason at http://perfectbeer.blogspot.com/

Mike had a great response to this question:

First real unique experience with Craft Beer happened with Guinness.

(I suppose we could debate its validity as a Craft Beer and just call it a historic Great Beer.)

My only exposure to beer was generally the macro-lagers we are all familiar with.  About the time I really started drinking beer legally, Sam Adams was making a real presence in the marketplace and the first beer I had at a bar was a pitcher of Sam Adams.

But soon after gaining legal drinking status, a close and good family friend took me to an Irish Pub in Dover, NH called the Emerald Rose.

They had bench seat tables, darts,  and a small elevated stage with my first Irish Duo singing songs and getting the crowd to chant along with them.  But the real memory of that night was having my first Guinness.  It was an almost out-of-this-world experience.

Creamy, roasty and smooth.  The magic of the nitrogen push was still a mystery to most people. It was the first beer I had had that was black; quite a stark contrast to even drinking Sam.

My buddy told me as he ordered our first two pints, “This will change your life.”  And it certainly did.  I remember thinking about the many Guinnesses we drank that night and thinking about the flavor (yes I actually used that terminology).

I wondered, “How did they make that?”

“WHY was is different than other beers?”

The uniqueness of the beer and the experience introduced me to what Craft Beer can be.  I still remember that night to be a great one of good beer and good friends.  The whole pub experience that night, along with the beer, still shapes what craft beer is too me.  Craft Beer is about savoring the experience of a great “foodstuff” and sharing those experiences with friends.

Sharing great beer with great people is what got me into Craft Beer.