hello from the sub-zero tundra...of illinois!

[wacky1980]

greetings everyone! i am a noobrewer as of about 3 months ago, but a long-time beer drinker and recently, a bar owner as well. myself and a couple friends decided to start making beer in november, and we've gone all-in over our short time in the craft.

our setup is still relatively simple, but produces a respectable volume and is growing every week. currently, we're brewing extract kits only (northern brewer and boomchugalug primarily) but we plan to transition to all grain, starting this spring. we've brewed about a dozen kits so far. after doing the first half dozen in bottles, we gave in and started filling 1/6 barrel sanke kegs whenever available. we've really jumped in with both feet here, brewing relatively complex extract kits and learning a lot on-the-fly because none of us is disciplined enough (yet) to study up beforehand. i mean, who doesn't want to jump right in and make their own grapefruit ipa, chocolate milk stout, hard root beer, and bourbon barrel porter?

it's time to become a part of the greater community though, so i'm coming here to meet and mingle with the pros. so without further delay, hello! i am wacky1980 from rural west/central illinois. i'm looking forward to meeting you all, and learning much more about this craft.

 

[MaxStout]

Welcome to the forum from the nearby sub-zero Minnesota tundra!

Where in west-central IL? My first job out of college was in Quincy.

 

[wacky1980]

hello! has the cold snap broken up there yet? we've been above 0 since yesterday morning, and i think we'll be staying "up" in the teens for at least the next few days.

i actually live about 40 miles east of quincy. depending on how long it's been since you were in the area, not much has changed on the local beer front. o'griffs in downtown quincy is the only local brewpub within about 50 miles.

 

[MaxStout]

We finally cracked zero yesterday afternoon, after 48 hours straight of below zero temps. It's supposed to warm into the 20s by the end of this week.

Used to go to O'Griffs when I lived there, though it was just a bar back then. And the Abbey for burgers and beer. This was in the '90s, so not much craft beer around then.

 

[wacky1980]

There's a push going on right now in Quincy to revive the old "Dick Brothers" brewery. The Abbey is still a good place to go for burgers. I was just there last week!

O'griffs started selling their own beer about 12 years ago, if memory serves. I'm actually not local to the area, just moved here around 2003. I grew up in Galena, IL. Lots of good wine there, but no local beer until recently.