Ever since we visited brewery Rodenbach in high school (things are a bit different in Belgium I guess), I've been interested in the brewing process. The chemist in me (I'm an environmental engineer) is ecstatic to think about the various processes going on inside a mash tun or a fermentation chamber. As a forestry engineer (my specialization) I love to read about the different species of oak that are used to make aging barrels and casks. Okay, so I'm a geek, but I never put any of that thirst for knowledge into practice. The closest I've come to creating something with alcohol was when I made a batch of limoncello... Yup, dropping lemon rind in alcohol is not exactly what most would describe as "brewing".
Anyway, long story short, my wife bought a Chestnut Brown Ale kit from Brooklyn BrewShop for Father's Day 2014 and that truly ignited my brewing passion. Since then I've voraciously read books and magazines, scoured forums and blogs and, most importantly, started brewing. Of course no one can or should brew without doing proper research, i.e. sampling all the various styles out there! In no particular order, these are some of my favorites:
That doesn't mean I dislike everything else (au contraire), but IPAs are definitely not very high on my list. The bitterness just kills about everything I truly enjoy about food and drinks: the taste. I like Kriek and Geuze as long as they're not too sweet, which is my biggest critique of fruit beers in general.
Aside from the previously mentioned Chestnut Brown Ale, I'm currently bottle aging a JalapeƱo Saison and fermenting:
Primary
Secondary
These are all-grain 1 gallon (3.8 l) batches as I'm brewing on a glass-top stove.
So far, the biggest improvements have been the 10 gallon (38 l) cooler converted into a mash tun and the copper wort chiller I've made. And this is where the passion (mania?) really kicks in, because there are already quite a few other things I need/want. In no particular order: temperature controlled fermentation chamber (e.g. transforming our chest freezer), using electrical heating elements in the kettles to heat larger quantities of water, bigger kettles, control panel for automatically regulating the electrical heating elements, ... Quite honestly, the sky's the limit here. Besides I'm not only interested in beer, but also in creating sodas (root beer) and meads. One step at a time though!
Anyway, long story short, my wife bought a Chestnut Brown Ale kit from Brooklyn BrewShop for Father's Day 2014 and that truly ignited my brewing passion. Since then I've voraciously read books and magazines, scoured forums and blogs and, most importantly, started brewing. Of course no one can or should brew without doing proper research, i.e. sampling all the various styles out there! In no particular order, these are some of my favorites:
- Belgian abbey ales (West-Vleteren 12, Gulden Draak)
- Flemish Reds and Belgian sours (Rodenbach)
- Stouts & Porters (Perrin Brewing, Founder's)
That doesn't mean I dislike everything else (au contraire), but IPAs are definitely not very high on my list. The bitterness just kills about everything I truly enjoy about food and drinks: the taste. I like Kriek and Geuze as long as they're not too sweet, which is my biggest critique of fruit beers in general.
Aside from the previously mentioned Chestnut Brown Ale, I'm currently bottle aging a JalapeƱo Saison and fermenting:
Primary
- Apple Crisp Ale (based on a Brooklyn BrewShop recipe)
- Centennial Blonde (not quite, as the LHBS gave me the wrong grain bill)
Secondary
- Tripel (based on a Brooklyn BrewShop recipe)
- Dragonmead Final Absolution Tripel clone
These are all-grain 1 gallon (3.8 l) batches as I'm brewing on a glass-top stove.
So far, the biggest improvements have been the 10 gallon (38 l) cooler converted into a mash tun and the copper wort chiller I've made. And this is where the passion (mania?) really kicks in, because there are already quite a few other things I need/want. In no particular order: temperature controlled fermentation chamber (e.g. transforming our chest freezer), using electrical heating elements in the kettles to heat larger quantities of water, bigger kettles, control panel for automatically regulating the electrical heating elements, ... Quite honestly, the sky's the limit here. Besides I'm not only interested in beer, but also in creating sodas (root beer) and meads. One step at a time though!