Last week I went to my first ever Home Brew Club meeting. It was held at a Home Brew shop in York, PA called Mr Steves. They hold meetings in a space next to the actual store. The name of the club was York Home Brew Club and it seemed pretty well established.
I had a good time, it was a bit intimidating being the new guy, there were 30 or so other home brewers there and it was a pretty casual atmosphere. When I walked in, there was a large table covered with beer in bottles and growlers that the members each made and brought in. Tasting glasses were available and you could sample and talk about the beer at will.
It was really fun tasting all the beer, and talking about the styles and how they brewed it. I probably spent more time than I should have standing in the background trying to break into the conversation but that is what happens when you are the new guy and you don’t know anyone there.
They seemed like a really knowledgeable group and they liked the ESB I brought but had some good feedback on how I could improve it. Most of the negative things they mentioned as far as taste, were things that I knew going into it and appreciated the different ideas on how I might be able to improve upon it next time.
The club meets once a month and has other activities that they do throughout the year. The real question is not whether I had a great time but whether I will be going to the next meeting. Sadly, even though it was fun, I won’t be going back. York is an hour and fifteen minutes away and I no longer have it in me to drink a lot and then drive all that way home on a work day (on any day for that matter). They drank a lot of beer that night and it was hard to show restraint. I would love to attend a regular meeting like that but I am just going to have to wait and try to find something closer to home.
I mentioned before that there are no real home brew stores in my immediate area. The closest are at least an hour away. It hasn’t been a big issue, I have traveled to several of those stores and they have all been pretty nice. I don’t mind the drive, just don’t have a lot of free time these day. Oh well.
Fortunately, I really liked two of the home brew stores I visited, Mr. Steves in York, PA and Keystone Home Brew in Bethlehem, PA. What’s more, both of them have home brew clubs. I am half way through my year of beer and have never been to a home brew club meeting. None of my friends are interested in home brewing, they enjoy the beer I have been making but have no interest in doing it themselves. My wife is the only one that really puts up with my endless talking about beer and home brew and what I have learned but she has her limits. I have brew friends that I have met digitally but none that I have met in person.
Hopefully, that will all change tomorrow. After work tomorrow, I am driving out to York, PA and attending my first home brew club meeting. I don’t know what to expect but since there will be beer involved, it should be pretty fun. I am taking 6 bottles of my ESB with me for them to try. I liked the ESB that I brewed but didn’t love it. Hopefully I can get some good tips.
Okay, well, it’s not a real brewery but I need to call my Home Brew something! I just brewed my third batch of beer, it was a Scottish Ale and I am planning on brewing another Irish Stout next weekend. I wanted to come up with a brewery name that was a little funny and maybe a little irreverent so Happy Beaver was born. I think the name is perfect because as we all know, everything is better with a little Beaver.
I have a friend that works for me that loves to mess around with Photoshop. He spent some time and put together the label below for the ESB I just bottled. I think it came out pretty well, now I just need to get the blank labels and get it printed.
My goal during this Year of Beer is to learn as much as I can about craft beer and home brewing. I am reading books, going on tours, sampling beer, reading web sites, subscribing to magazines, listening to audio podcasts and watching video podcasts. One of the best things about the craft beer hobby is the fantastic community of beer lovers that surround it. Many of these beer lovers have taken their hobby to the next level and turned their passion into a blog or podcast which has resulted in a plethora of free and entertaining content.
I want to blog about as many of these valuable resources as I can over this year of beer so you can join in and learn along with me. With this post I am going to identify my favorite craft beer video podcasts. If your podcast isn’t on the list, it doesn’t mean it’s not great, this is just a list of my favorites so far. I am sure there are plenty I haven’t even watched, especially if they aren’t on itunes. If you have a favorite that’s not on this list, please recommend it in the comments below so I can check it out.
Here For The Beer – http://www.hereforthebeer.com
Here for the Beer is done by a husband and wife duo, Tim and Amy Brady. They have been involved in the craft beer scene for 8 years now and although they claim they aren’t professionals, they do an amazing job. The quality of the videos are fantastic. Tim and Amy used to work in the corporate world in New York city but left that life behind them when they moved to Vermont and bought the Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast. When they aren’t busy running their inn, they are traveling, drinking great beer and shooting video.
The videos they shoot run a variety of topics, they cover beer tasting, beer news, brewery and pub tours, interviews and more. You can find out more about their show and check out other episodes by visiting them at HereForTheBeer.com
This show is mostly shot at the Moon River Brewing company in Savannah, GA and has 2 or 3 hosts depending on the episode. For the episodes I have watched, Paul Leone and John Pinkerton have been in every episode with David Little joining them in a little over half. The quality of the video is quite good and it is basically a beer review show without the rating. They taste a beer, discuss it, discuss what elements of the beer are bringing out which flavors and give some background on the brewery that made it. They do a great job of being objective and believe that taste is subjective so they don’t rate the beer when they are done.
I don’t know what the future of the show will be as in one of the recent episodes Paul Leone, who seems to be the main driver behind the show, has announced that he is moving to Texas. Seems like if the show does manage to continue, it would be with a new cast of people but who knows, I am only speculating. You can find out more about this great video podcast by going to BeerAmerica.TV
I have written about BasicBrewing.com before and I just love these guys. They have both a regular audio podcast and a video podcast and unlike the other shows I am recommending in this blog post, their focus is on Homebrewing. James and Steve know what they are talking about and it’s obvious that they have a real passion for the hobby. They have that rare talent of being very knowledgable but still being able to communicate the finer points to someone like me, who is just starting out in the hobby. I also subscribe to their audio podcast and when I do my top audio podcasts post, it will certainly be included.
They put out several “How-To” DVD’s on homebrewing but I can’t speak to them as I haven’t bought any yet. I do intend on getting their “Stepping into All-Grain” DVD soon as I want to try all-grain brewing but am finding it difficult to make that jump. You can read more about them and subscribe to their podcasts at BasicBrewing.com
Two Guys on Beer – http://www.twoguysonbeer.com
These guys are somewhat local to me, I live in the Reading, PA area and these guys are based in Philadelphia which is only an hour away. Every episode I have seen has been filmed at National Mechanics, a bar I haven’t been to yet but look forward to checking out. The episodes are the perfect length. They are just a few minutes long and give you the content you want, your in and out and have a new beer to hunt down and try.
They are a review show and review a lot of beer I have never heard of. They do a good job of describing the beer and the brewery that made it. They score each beer on a scale of 1 – 100 but most beers are usually in the 80’s and 90’s. You can check these guys out and subscribe to their podcast by going to TwoGuysOnBeer.com
The plague has finally left my house and for the first time this year, I am back to enjoying beer. As I type this, I am drinking an Ommegang Hennepin which is a Saison farmhouse style ale. It’s quite tasty, first time I have ever had it. I have yet to have a beer from Ommegang that I haven’t liked and wanted more of.
For most of January so far I have been sick and while recovering, my palette has been in terrible shape, I haven’t been able to taste much but that is behind me and I am ready to continue my year of beer. Tomorrow I am planning on brewing my 3rd batch of beer. It’s going to be either another Irish Stout or a Scotch Ale.
I need to update my goals as I have made some pretty impressive progress so far. I have visited more than 10 breweries, toured all that offered a tour, tried a ton of different beers and have learned a lot. I have a lot more to learn but am pretty happy with how far I have come since my birthday an am excited to be back to blogging on a regular basis.
Just 2 days after I made my post about how I am going to be getting back on track now that the holidays are over, I got sick with bronchitus, haven’t been able to taste anything and have been worn out and miserable after work. Oh well, I am starting to feel better so hang in there, regular posts are coming soon!
