Brewin' and Q'n, whats the link?

sprinter

Hey all,[p]Ive been part of the group now for about 3 months and have been wondering what the link or the connection is between those who homebrew and those who Q. There are a LOT of homebrewers here, that surprises me. I've been brewing for about 10 years now, kind of another obsession of mine. I know MrBeer is a brewer, there are others that I know are as well. Not trying to turn this into rec.crafts.brewing but how long have you brewers been practicing your other craft? Just curious, feel free to reply off line, though others here may be interested in starting to brew. Gotta tell those who are not brewers, there is nothing better than having a low and slow Butt on the BGE and a batch of your favorite brew in the kettle and one in your hand.[p]Troy

Nature Boy

sprinter,
Obviously there is some sort of connection. There are quite a few beer brewers/Qers here, as well as wine and mead craftspeople. I used to homebrew some...then we had twins. [p]I have resorted to my new position as professional taster! Jobu has sent me a few of his brews for feedback. In exchange, I gave him a professional beer drinker's review. So, any homebrewers out there, feel free to mail me samples. My "professional-review-in-exchange-for-beer" offer is open indefinitely!!!![p]Happy Hopping
NB

Bama Fire

Nature Boy,
What a generous cult member you are, NB![p]B~F

sprinter

Nature Boy,[p]I know what you mean with the twins. Not twins here but have a 2 1/2 year old son and a 4 month old daughter. Time is getting more and more scarce. The great part is that my son is really taking an interest in the brewing and the egging. He loves to "help" by throwing in the hops, pouring stuff from one container to another etc. He also likes to help put things on the egg. Kid after my own heart. Not nearly as many batches yearly as I used to but then I can't drink it like I used to either. It's hell getting old.[p]Troy

Unknown

Nature Boy,[p]Yeah man. IMHO the connection is the pursuit of greater Epicurean satisfaction and the creative aspect of the two processes. You have a blueprint to work from and then you personalize it. Hopefully, you come up with something that you enjoy and want to share with others.[p]I have to stop now, my brain hurts.
Jobu(Or should it be JoBrew?)[p]

sprinter

Jobu,[p]Or, hopefully it's good enough that you DONT want to share it with others. Those are the best beers.[p]Troy

Nature Boy

sprinter,
Jobu's brews fall into that category. Superb.
I consider myself lucky to get the opportunity to try them.[p]The last batch Jobu sent were delivered as I was pulling off a prime rib roast. They were delivered at about 40 degrees and served immediately out of the box with the prime rib. As it was a stout, it was a perfect match.[p]Look forward to sampling some "fellow cultist craft brews" at the fest!! [p]NB

Unknown

Nature Boy,[p]Thanks for the kind words. Made a pale ale (Bass style)yesterday from all grain that should be really good.[p]What a PITA though. If I had to equate it to Egging it would be like overshooting the desired temp and waiting for an hour for it to come back down, opening the lid and getting a fireball and then having your fire go out all in one session.

Unknown

sprinter,[p]I made a Raspberry Wheat like that last year. "Mine, all mine. Nobody gets any."[p]Jobu

sprinter

Jobu,[p]Sounds like a bad stuck sparge or a bird crapped in the boil kettle. Man, what a brew day. Hope it turns out, and don't tell Nature Boy if it was a bird that crapped in the kettle. Call it Flying Goose Pale Ale or something like that. Hope it turns out.[p]I have a Pilsner that I just started lagering, should be good. Red Ale in the keg drinking now.[p]Troy

sprinter

Jobu,[p]I have a keg of Raspberry Wheat that is drinking real well now. Great lawnmower beer but a bit too sweet for drinking a lot of it. The wife likes that though so I have to keep some on hand for her.[p]Troy

MAC

Nature Boy,
What is this," I will review for Beer"[p]MAC

Nature Boy

sprinter,
Lager beer really sets apart the serious homebrewer. [p]Never got past the top-fermented variety that is possible with minimum equipment! Good pilsners are beautiful.

sprinter

Nature Boy,[p]This particular brew has kind of been the house brew for me. I've been lucky to fall backwards into brewing equipment deals. I got my fridge from a friend for about 20 bucks, 3 years old and worked perfect. Kegging setup was found at a garage sale none the less. Temp. regulator for the fridge was a birthday gift. The list goes on and on but I've not invested a ton in my stuff. I agree with you that lagers are a wonderful thing. I plan on making my red ale (another house beer of mine) as a lager this time, should be interesting. Its great as an ale, wonderful color and malt flavor, as a lager it should be awesome. If I only had more time to feed my passions. And money.[p]Troy[p]PS: if you want to be the official "tester" of this ale made lager, let me know, I'd appreciate the opinion.

Nature Boy

sprinter,
check your email.
NB

AnE

Nature Boy,
Amen to the lager comment- that's Alan's specialty and I say he does QUITE a delightful job-when he gets 'round to it..can't wait to show him this thread when he gets home--maybe it will motivate us to fire up the brewpot and finally get the recirculating mash system set up...we haven't brewed since August..But he can't do any brewing until he finishes the Egg bench!!!!! Wonder why it is that us girls like the wheat or fruity ales (I have a killer watermelon ale recipe from a friend) and the guys generally gravitate to the pilsners or are "hop heads"??? I agree that the two go together..brew and q!!! Cheers! Elizabeth

Char-Woody

Nature Boy, wonders never cease!! You can send money via e.mail now?? I am open for those kind of deals..:-)
C~W[p]

Mr Beer

sprinter,
Isn't it obvious?? Brewers make beer because they want the best there is. There is no better beer than the one you make yourself. This same thing can be said about Q'n on the egg. Brewers appreciate the best and freshest beer available and also appreciate the outstanding food that can be cooked with a BGE. [p]A little bit about my brewing background: I've been brewing since 1979 (Blue Ribbon malt extract with Budweiser baking yeast). Started all-grain brewing in 1984. Brewed my first batch professionally in 1986. Became a certified beer judge in 1989. Started a brewing consulting company in 1990. [p]I prefer to brew mainly ales. Mainly because of the ease that they are made and the fact that I like them very much. Every time I make a lager I tell myself that I will never make another one again - although I have a recipe for a killer wild rice pilsner that I would like to make again this summer. [p]Good brew'n and Q'n[p]Mr Beer [p]

sprinter

Mr Beer,[p]"There is no better beer than the one you make yourself"[p]I've proven myself wrong on this account a number of times during my brew days. All in all I agree but there have been some that made it to the drain without much being drunk at all.[p]Can I live vicariously through you? I missed my calling as I'd love to own/operate a brewery/grill etc. How did that beer taste with the baking yeast? Sounds interesting.[p]Troy

Mr Beer

sprinter,
You don't want to make a beer with baking yeast. Yuck!!! That's about how my first batch turned out. It was very hard back then to find the right ingredients so you had to do what you had to do. I have found out over the years that yeast is the ingredient that has the most effect on flavor of the beer than any other ingredient. In fact for my homebrewed batches I normally will brew ten gallons and split them into two different fermenters to which each has a different yeast. I end up with two totally different beers this way.