Almost one year ago to the day, I was drinking my first batch of homebrew.
Man, how things have changed over the course of a single year. I’ve gone from brewing extract batches, along with the struggles of bottling, to all grain brewing and kegging everything.
Over the course of the last year, I’ve brewed 19 batches, most of which have been all-grain. I’ve used a number of different processes that range from BIAB to MIAB, and continue to refine the methods I use.
Most of all, this hobby is about having fun and experimenting. I love the fact that I can brew my own beer, and have multiple varieties on tap. Nothing better then having an ice-cold draft beer whenever you want one.
Oh, and I’ve started this blog to chronicle my homebrewing adventures.
Q&A
Given I seem to ask myself a lot of questions regarding this homebrewing hobby, and it’s somewhat worrisome that I answer myself… I thought it would be fun to change things up a bit, and give you some additional insight, by doing a Q&A session with myself (hosted by myself).
That’s a great question Craig, and an easy one to answer. By far, the best beer I’ve brewed to date has been my warm fermented lager. This beer was crisp, refreshing, and very drinkable. Who says you need to ferment a lager cold for it to be good.
It was my second beer, a Cream Ale. Now nothing against Cream Ale, but this one didn’t turn out very well. This beer was an extract brew, and my LHBS convinced me to try steeping some mixed grains for some added flavor. While it was drinkable, it really wasn’t the best.
My BrewGround is my brewing playground. I use this when I want to experiment with different hop varieties, or different yeast strains. One of the funnest things you can do homebrewing, is play around with the different components of the brewing process.
I seem to have settled into small batch brewing using the BIAB process. Doing small batches lets me gain more experience as I’m brewing more often. The BIAB process keeps things simple, and I’m all about that.
This is what I’m most excited about. I’m shifting to an eBIAB setup using the SS Brewtech eBrewing 1V system. I mostly do small batches on our gas stove, and it takes forever to heat my strike water for mashing, and bring the sweet wort to a boil. I’m also limited to doing less then 3 gallon batches. With the 1V system, it’s going to open up all kinds of opportunities.
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