I'm a beer guy. I've always been a beer guy. I tried rum and whiskey out of my parents' liquor cabinet - hated it. Tequila in college - you don't want to know! Mention scotch, I think of golf. But, oh, my first beer: Pabst Blue Ribbon with my Illinois relatives, my first keg party: this was for me. I went through my budget beer days (still do!) and Schlitz Malt Liquor was an early favorite. Tried the "exotic" beers from out west: Lone Star & Coors. "Dark" beers were Becks and Heineken. But occasionally, we found a beer oasis stocked with Dragon Stout, Mackeson XXX and Samual Smith Oatmeal Stout or Taddy Porter. And we started to see Sierra Nevada and Anchor. But in 1990 I went to Europe for the first time and my world changed: cask beer in London, a real German lager, and beers in Belgium I never could have imagined. As my travels in Europe continued through the mid-90s, I was finding many beers that I liked a lot - the doppelbocks of Bavaria, Bohemian pilsners, and the lambics and sour beers of Belgium. (Actually, I love all the beers of Belgium - these are my people!) Meanwhile, craft brewing was raging in the U.S. I knew early on that I was a hophead, and now all of my hop dreams were coming true. |
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| July, 2000: I opened a huge birthday
present from my wife: all the equipment I needed to brew beer - and BrewChub
was born! Pale Ales, Weissbeirs and Doppelbocks were amongst the early
recipes. Later, a barleywine (5 years old now, and 6 bottles left!) some bocks
and stouts, plenty of IPAs and, of course, my ancestral Belgians. I'm enjoying the voyage - hope you're onboard. Drink beer and be happy! |
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   At the brew kettle Adding hops Racking (with helpers) |
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After developing recipes for most of the traditional styles, a more artistic side of me began to appear as I experimented with the addition of fruit, spices and vegetables to my brews. Raspberry wheat beers & stouts have been greats successes, and my habanero and jalapeno beers have become big hits. Of course, I'm still looking for the next magical brewing combination. (A ginger beer is on the horizon!) Oh, and MAYBE I'm a little aggressive when it comes to hops. Can you say HOPHEAD? I can! Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding recipes or the brewing process. |
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