I started homebrewing back in 2010 when a friend introduced me to it. At the time I thought it was the coolest thing ever to brew my own beer, and it was easy enough to do, even in my apartment. My first couple beers were classic homebrew made with extract with all the typical mistakes. I did know enough to keep things clean but yeast health, fermentation temperatures, and oxygenation were all a problem for me - but I was ignorant and motivated enough to look past those problems and brew on. After a couple brews that were...meh... I got busy with work and stopped brewing for about 18 months.
We moved to a new house and I had a lot more time off as well as space to brew so I broke out my old kit, bought a burner and a bigger pot and I started brewing again. An old friend of mine commented on my Facebook post with an article from here about the lack of a need to use a secondary. I liked the discussion, the science, the flaming, and the general atmosphere of the place so I became a member. With a new knowledge base, the time to brew, and a reinvigorated spirit of experimentation and learning I started to try to improve my beer making, instead of just making kits. I studied yeast health, fermentation yeast propagation, water profiles, pH, mash temperatures, grain crush, sanitation techniques, oxygenation, and a bunch of other things. I took a measured approach to change and made small iterative adjustments of which I could measure the effects, and then read about results similar to or different from my own. temperatures,
The results were not dramatic nor immediate. With each beer I brewed I would fix one or two issues but discover many more. Additionally as I mastered certain techniques or became proficient with a certain setup I would inevitably upgrade or change something and have to deal with the second and third order effects of those changes over the next series of brews. The step from extract to all-grain, complete with my own grain mill, was huge. But so was the learning curve for setting up and maintaining a keg setup. But slowly, ever so slowly, my beer got better. I am my own worst critic and I'm constantly seeking out opinions of those who can help me improve my beer. So when my friends tell me that my beer is great I tend to dismiss then as just being nice. I remind myself that this all takes a long time and maybe some day I'll be a great brewer but that day is not today.
But the other day I was reminded of how far I've come. A younger guy I work with heard me talk about brewing and brought in some beer his dad brewed for me to try. I brought it home, chilled it, and got ready to be blown away by what was sure to be a great beer, since it was brewed by someone other than me. It was not. Too much priming sugar gave it uncontrollable head as well as a sharp and unpleasant bite. High fermentation temperatures and to little yeast and oxygen made it taste of band-aids and bananas. The malt flavors were muted, the color was too dark, and the twang from the extract was strong. In short it was a trip down memory lane and a reminder that I am getting better at this. The next day I thanked my buddy for the beer, complemented the positive points, and shut my mouth because one does not criticize free beers unless asked to. And you never talk bad about another man's dad's hobbies. (Except on the Internet where literally millions of people can read about it)
I don't relay this story to bash my buddy's dad. And this is not a humble brag either. This is a reminder to myself that this is a fun and rewarding hobby at which even I can excel. This is a reminder to all of you off the same thing. Read, learn, experiment, fail, get better. Then share beers with each other and with noobs. Also, take the time to teach if you've learned something worthwhile. I've invited my buddy and a bunch of folks from the office over for a brew clinic and to help me empty some kegs. Hopefully they learn something or find the same kind of joy I do in brewing. And hopefully I will continue to get better at this.
We moved to a new house and I had a lot more time off as well as space to brew so I broke out my old kit, bought a burner and a bigger pot and I started brewing again. An old friend of mine commented on my Facebook post with an article from here about the lack of a need to use a secondary. I liked the discussion, the science, the flaming, and the general atmosphere of the place so I became a member. With a new knowledge base, the time to brew, and a reinvigorated spirit of experimentation and learning I started to try to improve my beer making, instead of just making kits. I studied yeast health, fermentation yeast propagation, water profiles, pH, mash temperatures, grain crush, sanitation techniques, oxygenation, and a bunch of other things. I took a measured approach to change and made small iterative adjustments of which I could measure the effects, and then read about results similar to or different from my own. temperatures,
The results were not dramatic nor immediate. With each beer I brewed I would fix one or two issues but discover many more. Additionally as I mastered certain techniques or became proficient with a certain setup I would inevitably upgrade or change something and have to deal with the second and third order effects of those changes over the next series of brews. The step from extract to all-grain, complete with my own grain mill, was huge. But so was the learning curve for setting up and maintaining a keg setup. But slowly, ever so slowly, my beer got better. I am my own worst critic and I'm constantly seeking out opinions of those who can help me improve my beer. So when my friends tell me that my beer is great I tend to dismiss then as just being nice. I remind myself that this all takes a long time and maybe some day I'll be a great brewer but that day is not today.
But the other day I was reminded of how far I've come. A younger guy I work with heard me talk about brewing and brought in some beer his dad brewed for me to try. I brought it home, chilled it, and got ready to be blown away by what was sure to be a great beer, since it was brewed by someone other than me. It was not. Too much priming sugar gave it uncontrollable head as well as a sharp and unpleasant bite. High fermentation temperatures and to little yeast and oxygen made it taste of band-aids and bananas. The malt flavors were muted, the color was too dark, and the twang from the extract was strong. In short it was a trip down memory lane and a reminder that I am getting better at this. The next day I thanked my buddy for the beer, complemented the positive points, and shut my mouth because one does not criticize free beers unless asked to. And you never talk bad about another man's dad's hobbies. (Except on the Internet where literally millions of people can read about it)
I don't relay this story to bash my buddy's dad. And this is not a humble brag either. This is a reminder to myself that this is a fun and rewarding hobby at which even I can excel. This is a reminder to all of you off the same thing. Read, learn, experiment, fail, get better. Then share beers with each other and with noobs. Also, take the time to teach if you've learned something worthwhile. I've invited my buddy and a bunch of folks from the office over for a brew clinic and to help me empty some kegs. Hopefully they learn something or find the same kind of joy I do in brewing. And hopefully I will continue to get better at this.