brew and a

Brewing is a miracle of nature, a triumph of the human condition. Our world is one of exploration and communication, with emphasis paid to the victories of our species. Grain, water, yeast, beer. Through trial and error we have found a way to harness the power of nature and force it to bend to...

Brew & A is back by popular demand! We never intended to stop writing it, other things came up. Important things. Beer things. But we're happy to announce the return of our series, and we hope you are too. Who is Gratus Fermentatio, amiright? Well to put it plainly, he's complicated, although...

For today's Brew & A we're starting with an excursion. Don't worry, you're not actually going anywhere, this is a trip in our minds (I know you were probably concerned.). Breathe deep reflecting on your years of brewing. Breathe in.... breathe out. Go back. Further... No Further... All the way...

In our series Brew & A, we have sought to understand our community, and brewing as a whole on an entirely new level. Each member that has joined us has let us into their brewing, their lives, and the spirit they share with the community. It's never an easy thing to open up, but as we reflect...

Everyone has their friends online. Through the intangible ether which is the internet we come together to discuss brewing, and end up finding people that share we more than that with. Cars, cigars, professions, all great connection points, but every once in a while you meet someone who connects...

Texans are known for three things. Big personalities, being the friendliest people on the planet, and their love of horsing around. If you've met Wesley "WesleyS" Sipanka in real life, or online you know Wes fits all those qualifications very well. One of the outright friendliest members...

What is your obsession when it comes to beer? We all have that one little thing that we all find enticing. Some of us nerd out on yeast. Getting to know every little nuance of our little buddies we strive for an uncommon understanding of those awesome fungi. Some of us seek an intense knowledge...

There aren't too many of us that use our real name on HomeBrewTalk. Hidden behind obscure references, random integers, and mysterious combinations of words that almost make sense, it's a rarity to see anyone who uses their real name in the community. Melana DiDomenico Spalding is one of those...

Knowledge is a funny thing. It has so many ways of being conveyed, so many methods of entering our consciousness that we rarely note them. Beer is one the holders of knowledge that rarely gets noted. Not its impact, who drinks it, which regions drink the most, all of that which is much studied...

Do you remember the moment you decided to brew? Do you think back on it fondly with the sort of emotion typically reserved for holidays from your youth, or time and events shared with your loved ones? One of the greatest things I've learned from Brew & A over the past year is not only how...

What composes a community? Small groups of people come together all the time, but at what point do we consider it a community? Is it the presence of a leader? A sense of compassion and responsibility for one another? Is there a certain number of people required, or is it the introduction of a...

Why are there so many Texas homebrewers? Home to a significant amount of our community, a couple of the admins included, Texas produces brewers who in turn produce a wealth of information and experience adding to the complexity, proficiency, and quality of our beers. Meet Stauffbier. Known in...

There's a lot to say about a man in a kilt. When you walk into the LHBS and start looking around and find a man with a kilt in the corner isn't the first thing that comes to your mind "That guy knows how to brew."? You would be right. Very right. Pat "azscoob" Barch is that man in a kilt, and if...

What were you doing when you were 15? Playing Game Boy, pushing a hoop with a stick (I don't know how old you are), trying to convince your parents to up your allowance right? Not if you're Leonard Cogar known to HomeBrewTalk as Unionrdr. A man of many interest with the history in brewing a lot...

HomeBrewTalk is many thing to many people. A community, a resource, a support structure, and your local pub all wrapped up into a website, the community provides countless outlets for countless members. Regardless of your brewing style, we all have one thing in common. We had to start somewhere...

There's a component to commercial brewing that gets left out in the final product. Once the beer has been bottled, sent on its way, then shared and enjoyed by the masses it's taken on a new meaning. No longer having the ambitions of a brewer stuffed into a bottle, the big commercial brews lose...

Every brewer's origin is unique. We've learned a number of ways to get started. Family tradition, spur of the moment purchases, intense research after falling in love with a commercial offering, all great ways to enter the obsession. James Babiarz , known to the HomeBrewTown as CreamyGoodness...

There are many mysteries yet unsolved in the world. How were the pyramids built? What happened to the Mary Celeste? Who the hell is Laughing_Gnome_Invisible? Although starkly different mysteries in desperate need of solving they all have one thing in common. After you read this interview you're...

Have you brewed any of these beers? Black Pearl Porter, Blue Balls Belgian Wit, SWMBO Slayer - Belgian Blonde, Krisper Kolsch, Nierra Sevada, Ode To Arthur - Irish Stout, Captain Hooked on Bitters, Bass & Co, Pale Ale,Orange Kolsch (AG/EX,Maltese Falcon - America IPA (All Grain,Litehaus Wheat...

All of us start brewing for different reasons. Some of us grew up with brewing in the home. Others loved beer and actively sough it out. Then there are those of us that started by chance, a series of events, coincidences one and all that led to us looking at that box on the floor of a Thrift...