“Homebrewing has been an integral part of the history of America, so it’s thrilling to know that soon all 50 states will support this growing hobby and long-standing tradition,” said Gary Glass, director, American Homebrewers Association. “We appreciate the backing of all of the homebrewers, the dedicated grassroots efforts of Right to Brew and the legislators who have worked so diligently to make homebrewing a reality in Alabama. We are especially grateful to Representative Mac McCutcheon who introduced this bill and has fought long and hard for its passage, along with Senator Bill Holtzclaw.”

A few quick facts from the AHA:

• History in the making: This will be the first time since pre-Prohibition days that all 50 states will legally allow homebrewing.
• Rapid-fire succession: Mississippi was the 49^th state to legalize homebrewing, and the state did so in March, only two months prior to Alabama.
• Alabama might not be last: Alabama has an opportunity to legalize homebrewing before Mississippi, since the Mississippi bill has a 90-day wait period to become effective, while the Alabama bill would go into effect immediately once Governor Robert Bentley signs it.

Additional information can be found in the release below and on the AHA website.

About the American Homebrewers Association

The American Homebrewers Association has worked on behalf of the homebrewing community since 1978 and celebrates a membership of more than 37,000 homebrewers. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) organizes events including the National Homebrewers Conference and National Homebrew Competition. The AHA also publishes Zymurgy magazine. The AHA is part of the Brewers Association, whose Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.

Beer lovers and anyone interested in making their own homemade beer are invited to learn more at HomebrewersAssociation.org. Follow the AHA on Twitter, and join us on Facebook.

Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

INTRODUCING: WALKER DAVIS

AUTHOR OF: MILK IS FOR BABIES

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Walker Davis
Twitter handle: @milkisforbabies
Name of blog: Milk Is For Babies
Current location: Marina del Rey, CA

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

Houston, Texas

2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?

High School, baseball year round. Post College, softball and bowling, which I love because I can drink beer during games and can play till I’m old.

3. How old were you when you had your first beer?

19

4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?

I was at college my freshman year and it was a Coors Light during a flip cup game at a Water Polo party. Needless to say those athletes drank me under the table and my night quickly de-escalated from there.

5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?

I went to Pepperdine University and graduated with a degree in International Business. I joined Sigma Chi fraternity. I studied abroad to Florence, Italy my sophomore year, went to 18 countries and it was one of the best years of my life. My traveling companion for many trips is my current roommate and the other half of beereveryday, David, who has become a silent partner on the blog but not the beer-a-day drinking. My true single regret, is that I wasn’t very aware of beer then because I would have pilgrimaged to so many places and become a sponge for knowledge. The only breweries I visited were Carlsberg in Copenhagen and Heineken in Amsterdam, both cool but very commercial.

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

1. What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:

It was late at night in the dirty kitchen of my David’s old college apartment a month after we returned from Europe. He was far more knowledgeable about beer at the time. He had bought an Affligem Tripel and demanded that I try it. He poured the full bottle through a strainer to collect the sediment and I thought he was nuts. I remember thinking, what the hell is wrong with this beer?! I thought he was playing a trick on me and that he’d actually filled the bottle up with toxic sludge, which would turn me into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle or something…But remember that moment in the film Garden State where Natalie Portman tells Zach Braff to listen to The Shins “New Slang” because it will ‘change his life?’ He turned out to be my Natalie Portman. Did I mention we’re two heterosexual males? Anywho, I thought with the Affligem Tripel I’d hit the motherload of all beers. Ah, I was so young and naïve once…

2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:

There are four that stick out in my mind –

1. We did a 14 day straight tasting of Stone beers in October, which was truly amazing. We included a three year vertical flight of Old Guardian Barley Wines and I was fascinated at the influence aging had in each beer’s complexity. I’m currently storing a 2008 OG in my beer closet.

2. Our first brewery trip was a surprise birthday getaway for David in November to The Bruery and by pure chance they had their last year’s Christmas Ale on draft, 2 Turtle Doves. Up until that point I’d never had such a startling rich beer. My love affair with The Bruery began in earnest after this. At my current purchasing rate of Bruery beers, there’s a decent chance I’m putting one of Patrick Rue’s kids through private school.

3. Hair of the Dog Adam Old Ale – the label says the beer tastes like chocolate, smoke, leather and figs. It actually freaking did. Amazing. Each time I have one it’s like I’m testing something from Willy Wonka’s Factory.

4. My first Rochefort 10 – need I say anymore? Its richness and complexity is mind-bottling.

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been writing your beer blog?

August 5th, 2010.

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?

I was in a ‘life rut’ last summer (one of those, I don’t know what I’m doing with my life moods) and I took a spontaneous road trip to Arizona to visit my old college roommate and his wife. There I met a couple who were trying a different beer everyday – only they weren’t writing about it. I didn’t have a creative outlet at the time and desperately needed one. I quickly realized that doing something different each day and chronicling my experience might just be what I needed to jumpstart my life. And my roommate David loved beer. I returned home that Sunday, told him about my idea and he immediately agreed. That week I set up the website and Friday, August 5th we had our first beer, Allagash Tripel.

3. Why did you choose the name of your blog?

Growing up, my brother had the best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression and he gave me the “Pumping Iron” documentary for my birthday a few months before. At one point – I can’t remember if it’s during training or when he wins Mr. Olympia for the seven consecutive time – he says, “Milk is for babies. Real mean drink beer.” It was hilarious. When it came time to give bestow the blog a name, it was one of the first out of my mouth.

4. What are your personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?

At the beginning, the goals were simple: Drink a different beer every day before midnight and write about every beer. I perceived my role to be an explorer of sorts, because most my friends were like me when I first started – unaware of craft beer. So I wanted to write entries that were simple, entertaining and that would connect people to beer they probably wouldn’t have tried without having seen my blog.

My rating system might be my proudest device of the blog. It’s a beer rating system based on the films of Michael Bay films (equates to 1-7 stars). Michael Bay’s films, I love and hate at the same time. They’re so entertaining but they’re also so ridiculous. With a blog name that referenced pop culture, I thought this rating system fit the bill. The blog has been very controversy free except for the ranking system, which places Transformers above Armageddon. That draws a lot of ire, which is hilarious. People have really emotional reactions watching Armageddon and apparently not to robots. Pff, humans. But I stand my ground, as Armageddon being more illogical and crazier than Transformers – who brings a mini-gun to space? Come on!

5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?

The support and the enthusiasm by friends and especially my family has been really special. What I especially think is cool, and it was unexpected, is how it defined me as a person. I went to a wedding for a family friend in Houston over Memorial Day weekend, someone I’ve known since I was 4. During the reception, she came up to me and thanked me for being an flying down and being an usher, and then promptly apologized for not serving ‘good enough’ beer. Like, really apologized. And I started laughing hysterically. At her own wedding she was apologizing to me? That was so absurd to me (and coming from her, very sweet). The same thing happened during a recent trip to Chicago; apparently friends get nervous when serving me beer. Beer has become forever intertwined with my identity and I love it. I’m in no way a beer snob, but I suppose the year has simply defined me as a man of fine taste. HA, jokes on them.

6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

Excluding present company (Ms. Wench, who I follow regularly) –

• The Greatest Beers of All Time
• The Barley Blog
• Beers In Paradise (an LA local blog that works really hard to give us the latest and greatest tap updates from bars and beer event news)

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

Imperial IPA, Barleywine, Old Ale. I love really bold, rich and complex beers that assault my tongue with flavor.

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

The Bruery, Russian River, Stone Brewery

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?

I would usually say The Bruery but they’re moving towards making a lot of Sour Ales and I just can’t fully get behind that. So my answer is Stone, because not only is their culture and passion amazing, but they’re expanding in incredible ways. Their continued desire to make collaboration beers embodies the ‘community’ theme of the craft world, and they plan on opening a brewery in Belgium soon. Marketing and selling American beers to European customers would be an incredible experience! Plus, since European beer has been so dominant throughout history, it would be like the reverse of the 60’s British Rock Invasion. Stone’s Gargoyles would just take Europe by storm.

4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?

I’ve become a very avid homebrewer and have brewed 6 different beers in the last six months. My first beer was a Christmas Ale spiced with cloves and Tahitian Vanilla and it was called King Moonracer’s Revenge (KM was the king of the Misfit Toys in the Rudolph Christmas Story). My wildest recipe is I just bottled, a Sea Salt Caramel specialty ale that I designed to mimic the taste of caramel candy with sea salt on top. I want the sea salt to make the caramel flavor pop in your mouth. Un-carbonated, it’s very rich and is looking extremely promising.

5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?

Nope, but I’ve certainly looked into it.

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

Thai Food and IPA’s. The Thai Spice gives way to the bitter hoppiness of the IPA, providing for a unique back and forth.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

Film and TV Development Assistant at a large production company.

2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?

I would do marketing for a beer company. I’m becoming more and more attracted to the marketing and advertising worlds and this year has lit my hair on fire for beer. The greatest character trait of the craft beer industry is the passion people have for their beer. It’s infectious and inspiring. Being a part of that would be special.

3. Are you married? Children?

Nooooooope. I’m 28 and still a long way off from either. Fermenting a beer a month and maintaining that temperature is responsibility enough for this guy.

4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

1. I love building furniture and have built a bar, coffee table, media/dvd stack, winecork table. I plan on turning my patio table top into a giant chalkboard.
2. I also do Krav Maga, which Israeli form of martial arts. Helps tame beer’s caloric side effect.
3. Just drinking out of cups, being bitch.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be an why?

An ESB because they are drinkable pub beers that make easy company but can also be a bit nutty. Plus, you know, sometimes I smell like biscuits.

2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?

AleSmith Speedway Stout – it’s so rich and complex that I would not only still be savoring it as I was walking up the gallows, but its dankness would still be with me as I greeted sweet, sweet death. Plus it’s 12% so maybe I’d go out buzzed; isn’t that how we should all go?

3. If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add?

I would use Bourbon Barrels and make a sweet Belgian Dark Strong Ale with a healthy salt dose. I’d also include salt because I know how the Wench feels about bacon and the combination of beer sweetness and savory bacon would simply be combustible.

4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Nostalgia Man, who has the ability to take people back to a certain time in their life which changed them for the better. Hopefully the experience would rejuvenate their current life.

5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?

When I studied abroad, someone who had lived in France the year before returned with horror stories and a hatred of the French. He told me when I visited Paris, to punch a French man – which I wasn’t about to do. But what I did instead, in a very classy move on my part, was urinate over 4 French landmarks; in between the 1st and 2nd observation deck of the Eiffel Tower, in the bottom of the Louvre where the foundations of a previous castle are, Disneyland Paris and in the Gardens of Versailles. One could say, that I dispensed my own personal brand of justice. My parents will be proud to hear that one.

6. What are your thoughts on bacon?

It’s good for you…and everyone should own a bacon air freshener.

SPECIAL THANKS TO WALKER FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!!!

CHEERS!

The Beer Blogger Interview Series

Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

INTRODUCING: PETER KENNEDY

AUTHOR OF: SIMPLY BEER

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Peter Kennedy
Twitter handle: SimplyBeer
Name of blog: Simplybeer.com
Current location: Montclair NJ

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

Grew up in Bangor Maine. Spent the winters Skiing and the Summers Sailing. Until 14 when I moved to Katonah NY in Westchester County, about 3o minutes north of NYC.

2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?

Mostly Skiing and Soccer

3. How old were you when you had your first beer?

I was allowed to sip my dads occasionally growing up. But I was about 12 when I stole my first beer from my dad, a can of Heineken

4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?

My stepbrother and I stole a couple cans of Heineken. Then got the brilliant ideas to empty all the powder out of a case of these funky sparkler fireworks into one of the empty cans. As brilliant an idea seemed in concept, it almost turned out horribly bad when we lit it on fire and it shot white hot flame about 6ft out the top of the can for about 20 seconds before spinning out of control. We lucky we didn’t severely hurt ourselves or burn the woods down!

5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?

I did a 4yr sentence at SUNY Stony Brook. Where I graduated with about a 3.2 average. I majored Art History and Photography and was a lunatic rollerblader.

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:

My beer epiphany – On a mind numbing bindge in our dorm room, some guy brought a six pack of Brooklyn Lager. In the early 90’s Brooklyn was much smaller then it is now, but that was the first beer I’d ever had that had flavor to it. It almost became an obsession after that trying every new beer I could get my hands on, Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, 15 years later still on a quest to try new beer. I will always order something I’ve never had when at a bar, unless I’ve had everything.

Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:

I think my biggest epiphany came when I started to brew beer. I was amazed at how simplistic beer was, yet so hard to make it well and consistent. Like cooking, the end result is much greater then the sum of its parts. There is something intangible that goes into making exceptional beer. My wife tells me it is love. Whether it be love, passion, or just an innate sense on how hops, grains and yeast work in unison, it help me realize what goes into crafting beer.

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been writing SIMPLY BEER?

Started Simply Beer in November of 2008

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?

People kept asking me questions about beer and homebrewing, so I decided to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and it has evolved from there.

3. Why did you choose the name of your blog?

That took a long time. I wanted a dot com domain name that might have marketability in the future. It took about 6 months to find Simplybeer.com. It really fits into what I wanted to do with my website, focus on Beer, Homebrewing, podcast, and cooking with beer. My website is simply about beer – Simply Beer.

4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?

Spread the word of beer. Try to get people to try new things whether it is new beer or homebrewing, there is room for all of us to grow and expand our horizons.

I love beer the way others love a great meal. It’s about the different flavors coming together to create a unique taste. It’s the creation of each recipe and the time it takes to craft that recipe into a delicious experience.

I have dreams of opening my own bar/brewpub and this is was a great way to get to know people, learn more about the industry, and what people are looking for.

5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?

Probably the coolest thing is tasting beer with the people who make them. Some of the resent highlights have been tasting a 06 Allagash Curieux with Rob Tod, Life & Limb with Sam Calagione, and Brooklyn Black Ops with Garrett Oliver.

6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?
1. thankheavenforbeer.com —  Nate and Michael do such a great job of mixing up the content and they are passionate about what they do
2. The Beer and Whiskey Brotherhood — new blog, Brothers Jim and Don mix it up well with both beer and whiskey (I love whiskey, bourbon and scotch)
3. The Brew Club — another Jersey Blogger, write great reviews of seasonal beers and recent homebrewer convert!

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

Interesting question… my top three Sour beers, Barrel aged beers, and Brett ipa’s

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

Allagash is on the Top of my list, and then I would go with Dogfish Head and Flying Dog. Now if I could regularly get Russian River, Lost Abbey, and New Glarus, that list might change.

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?

Allagash. They make some incredible beer and I grew up in Maine.

4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?

I’ve been brewing beer for 10 years, although only over the last 3 have I really been serious and dedicated to the craft. I will pretty much brew anything that strikes and intrest or I haven’t done before. One of the most interesting things of late was the Beer Bloggers Brew-off I organized. On Dec 13th, 9 homebrewers all brewed the same batch of beer across the country. The kicker, we can all use one secret ingredient in the beer.

5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?

Cicerone Certified Server

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

Cheesecake and a cantillon kriek

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

I manage a group of 15 software developers at a pharmaceutical company

2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?

I would open a brewpub in a heartbeat. A job I can put my passion into!

3. Are you married? Children?

Yes. My wife is amazingly support of all my beer endeavors, but I try to keep that part of my life separate from the beer.

4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

It is pretty much family life since work and beer take up a healthy proportion.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be and why?

An Imperial Stout – I’m a big, warm guy

2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?

Probably a bottle of tactical nuclear penguin, so I would be loaded not to care about being executed

3. If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add?

Since you’re a bacon nut (who isn’t?) it would have to be along the lines of a rauchbier

4. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?

That depends on the statute of limitation… seriously, once worked for a industrial photographer and had to climb smoke stacks, cargo ship cranes, rode in earth movers in open pit copper mine, and stood in the dishes at the VLA.

5. What are your thoughts on bacon?

It’s bacon; a food group like beer.

SPECIAL THANKS TO PETER FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!

The Beer Blogger Interview Series

Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!

INTRODUCING: THE BREW DUDES

AUTHORS OF: BREW DUDES

Beer Blogger Interview

Full names: Mike Warren and John Krochune
Internet nickname (if applicable): Brew Dudes
Twitter handle: @BrewDudes
Name of blog: Brew Dudes
Current location: Chelmsford, MA

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

We both grew up in Billerica, Massachusetts.

2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?

Mike: Swimming

3. How old were you when you had your first beer?

Mike: Tasted beer at maybe 12, didn’t really start drinking until 19.

John: I think I was 12 or 13.

4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?

Mike: Sipping my Dads Budweiser at a family BBQ in the back yard. There’s really, not much story to it.

John: I probably had a few sips from my grandfather’s PBR.

5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?

Mike: UNH, Biochemistry; Rec sports and a couple Campus Activities Committees.

John: Emerson College and I studied Mass Communications. I was the program director of WERS for a year while I was there.

Craft Beer Epiphany

Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”

1. What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:

Mike: Guinness Irish Stout was the first beer that really opened my eyes to how different beers could be. At that time Guinness was pretty much one of the most unique things available. I had been drinking Sam Adams for the most part, but then went to my first Irish-styled pub near college. Its smoothness and depth of character was the most dramatic part that I remember. Drinking that beer made me start to really wonder how beer was made and what made different beers different. This eventually sprouted into my passion for homebrewing.

John: I would have to say that Sam Adams was my first connection to craft beer. At the time, I thought the color was outrageous. I mean, it wasn’t straw-colored…this has to be something special. I remember the mouthfeel and the bitterness were very different from what I was drinking. It seemed to have a lot more presence than whatever other beers I could get my hands on.

2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:

Mike: Sour beers in general have opened a new style catagory for me. Traditional lambics and berliner wiesse are now some of my most sought after offerings when I go to good beer stores or big beer-fests. Oddly, enough it started with a bottle of Sam Adams Cranberry lambic. Regardless, of what people think of that beer NOW, it was pretty revolutionary for the Boston Beer Company and most beer drinkers back in the late 90s. I remember taking my first sip from a 22oz bomber at a party. No one else liked it so I guzzled it down and loved it. It wasn’t until years later that I got a hold of some Lindemans Kriek and thought it too sweet, but it was still interesting. After having beers like Cantillion Kriek, DFH Festina Peche, and a special kriek from Cambridge Brewing Company that I really fell in love with the style.

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been writing your beer blog?

2+ years

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?

We saw it as a good opportunity to start putting some of our own ideas about brewing and beer into words, and to share experiences with others.

Also, we wanted to become a part of the larger community of homebrewing outside of just brewing some beers in the garage once and a while.

3. Why did you chose the name of your blog?

We are just two dudes that like to brew.

4. What are you personal goals for your blog?

What do you hope to achieve with it? We hope to just reach a wide audience, stimulate good conversation, and help other new brewers along their path to better brewing.

5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?

Getting the occasional free sampling from breweries, getting highlighted in BYO’s “Homebrew Nation” section.

6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

Brookston Beer Bulletin, Andy Crouch BeerScribe, Beer Advocate.

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

English style session ales (primarily Northern Brown Ale and Ordinary Bitter), Oatmeal Stout, Berliner Wiesse

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

Wachusett Brewing, Allagash Brewing and Cantillion

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?

Allagash Brewing company has several great regular offerings, but they continue to experiment and push their own envelopes to keep the line up fresh. I think many a good brewery has lost favor because eventually no one wants to keep drinking their Pale Ale, Golden Ale or Amber anymore. Allagash strikes a great balance between great standard offerings and new and inventive special/seasonal releases.

4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?

Oh yeah, we are homebrewers!

Mike: My most unique brew is a big 15 gallon batch of beer I make then split into three secondaries to flavor with Strawberries, Blueberries, or straight up. I served it last July at our Independence Day cookout and called it Red Wheat and Blue.

John: I split a honey wheat ale into two parts. One I bottled and let condition as normal. The other part I put in a glass fermenter with a gallon of a honey/water solution. Two distinctly different beers from one batch.

5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?

Not yet.

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

Mike: Oatmeal Stout and Tiramisu.

John: Dry Stout and beef stew

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

Mike: Biochemist for a large pharmaceutical company.

John: Online marketer for travel site.

2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?

Mike: I would maybe get into Public Health policy.

John: Pilot

3. Are you married? Children?

Yes and yes

4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

Outdoor recreational sports; like hiking, paddling, fishing and camping.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be and why?

Mike: I’d be a super sour and bitter IPA that no one would touch!

John: An ESB. I think I would like to be a session beer.

2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?

Mike: I’d chug a Carrabasett Pale Ale (it’s no longer available though so I guess I’d meet my maker with a dry palate.)

3. If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add?

Mike: I’d make a rich Amber ale with a black pepper finish and a bit of smoked malt to it. (Maybe get the black pepper essence from a Belgian yeast profile)

John: Probably a Saison. Complex and spicy.

4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Mike: I’d want to be able to generate heat with my hands so I wouldn’t have to wait so long to get water to boil in the brewpot.

5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?

Maybe another time over beers……

6. What are your thoughts on bacon?

Along with some perfectly cooked eggs, white toast and a side of hash, it’s as close to godliness as you can get.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE BREW DUDES FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!