My name is TK and I am an avid beer fan and amateur brewer. I decided to create this blog to share my journey, of learning the basics of brewing, to hopefully one day owning my own brewery. Hopefully I can share some words of wisdom along the way, of lessons learned the hard way, and of my personal victories of a job well done. I also want to share some thoughts I have on different beers I try, both local and around the globe. Hopefully you enjoy what you read here, and perhaps even subscribe. Feel free to reach out to me, as I would love to meet fellow beer enthusiasts and brewers.
I know it’s been a little while since posting… Partly because of the time it takes to get all the equipment together, and partly because I have a problem with motivation (not the best quality to have as a blogger, or brewer for that matter). Slowly, but surely, I’ve been buying, collecting, and trading, just to get what I need for my first official brew.
I’ve obviously brewed before, but always with others, using their setup, mostly just assisting. This will be the first time I’m in the captain’s chair. Gotta get it right…
As far as picking things out, I’ve taken ideas/inspiration from my friends, what I’ve used in the past, and a plethora of online forums and reviews. Amazon has been my best friend lately. Each paycheck, I put a little aside and splurge on all the goodies I’ve found over the past week. I’m almost completely there, and will have an update on my first brew soon. Not sure if anyone is interested in knowing pricing and brand info on what I have, but I may write about it in another post.
As far as my first purchase, I eagerly made my way to the nearest Lowe’s, and bought a conspicuously blue igloo cooler. I’ve heard a lot of good things about using these as mash tuns, how during the mash you hardly lose any heat, which is great news. One of my main concerns is temperature control, so this will be one less thing to worry about.
My buddy from Brewjay graciously provided an immersion chiller and pump around the same time, so I actually started to feel the reality of my goals being realized. He also gave me a great deal on a 8 gal. boil kettle that he had grown out of, which should be just right for my 5 gal. batches. I also reached out to a newly found friend from Whitebox brewing, who sold to me a great little Blichmann plate chiller, and threw in a 17 gal. kettle he wasn’t using. I now had my hot liquor tank. The main components of my 3 vessel system were now in place. I also got a nice, kinda spendy, false bottom, but one I think will be well worth the price.
Over the course of a few weeks, I had collected a number of fittings, valves, and other small necessities. I had a hard time keeping everything straight in my head, and now in hindsight should have probably put together some sort of diagram showing every part in it’s proper place. But a few extra hose barbs never hurt anyone.
I recently bought a few bigger ticket items, like my new Dark Star burner by Northern Brewer. It got some great reviews, very few complaints, and thankfully no burning paint fumes so far (which seems to be a common problem among burners).
Another purchase from Northern Brewer was a wide mouth fermentor. One of the features that sold me on it was the wide mouth of course, which will come in quite handy with cleaning. Some possible issues with the lid may occur, according to a few reviews, but nothing a strap can’t handle.
One question I had to research was what size tubing to use, 1/2″ or 3/8″, which in the end seemed to come down to preference. I decided to go with 1/2″ for a little bit quicker operation, and for someone as impatient as myself, makes a difference.
The other day, while checking craigslist, I came across someone trying to unload dozens of corny kegs. I was a little skeptical at first, but found out the seller was actually Euryale Brewing in Riverside. Not only did I pick up some nice kegs, but was able to sample a couple delicious beers in the process!
That pretty much wraps up my equipment so far. I can’t wait to add to the collection, especially when I find out my own personal preferences in brewing. Once I actually use everything, I can provide item by item reviews, but at lease now you have an overview. And as always, suggestions or tips are always welcome!
So I know I promised to share my brewing journey, but you should first know where I’m coming from, and why brewing is so important to me. Think of this as a personal reflection/soliloquy (can’t believe I spelled soliloquy right on my first try!).
Currently, as of this writing, I work in the construction industry. I work in an office, 8 to 5 (although it’s flexible), every soul-sucking week day. I shouldn’t complain too much, after all this will be funding my home brewing, and in general, it’s a good job. Some would say it’s a great job, and would probably love to be in my position. And not to toot my own horn, but I think I have a knack for it. So what does all this have to do with anything?
As probably most people are, I’m tired of the stress and the lack of appreciation of my current job. There’s a voice in the back of my head saying “suck it up, everyone deals with it, so should you”. I am dealing with it, and will continue to deal with it. But for some reason, I just can’t justify giving all my time, what little of it I have, to some job that means nothing to me. All that stress for what? Just a paycheck. I’m not oblivious to my need to support myself and my wife, but why spend one more second NOT living my dream?
So that’s where brewing comes in. My journey starts here, with a simple home brewing hobby. With learning the ins & outs of the craft. My goal, nay, my DREAM is to create something that people enjoy, that I made with hard work, and to hopefully one day support myself with this endeavor. This is something I can justify putting 40 or more hours a week. This would be a true accomplishment.
Hopefully now, when you read my future posts, you will see where I am coming from, and that the stakes, to me, are a lot higher than what it may seem. Thank you for sticking around through my rantings. If you feel as I do, and your not living your dream, as cheesy as that sounds, perhaps you should reconsider, how far away is that reality? Just something to think about…
Lazy Creek Brewing Co. 