Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!hao!nbires!opus!rcd
From: rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn)
Newsgroups: net.wines
Subject: Re: My first homebrew
Message-ID: <366@opus.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Feb-86 00:37:06 EST
Article-I.D.: opus.366
Posted: Tue Feb 11 00:37:06 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Feb-86 17:35:20 EST
References: <393@watmum.UUCP> <654@tymix.UUCP>
Organization: NBI,Inc, Boulder CO
Lines: 26

> It has been about 25 years since I regularly made homebrew in 5-gallon
> batches, but I have some very clear recollections of successes and
> failures, and my experiences may be of value to others...

Herb Kanner's article continues with discussion of various problems and
techniques which don't work (for pretty much the reasons he describes).
It's interesting background, but we can do a lot better these days.
Homebrewing is legal now (even in Texas:-) and this means that good
ingredients and proper techniques can be easily found.  Get some good
books; find some homebrewers in your area; check out Zymurgy and the
American Homebrewer's Association.

I started brewing in 1978, with help from one not-very-good book and trying
to figure out most of it on my own.  Over several years I went from making
awful beer to hit-or-miss successes.  After I finally figured out that
I needed some advice and help, and found out where to get it, I solved the
few problems that were causing most of my failures.  The big thing was
getting help from other brewers, 'cause when they tasted something bad they
could tell me WHAT was bad and WHY it had turned out that way.  It was
about a year between starting to explore brewing with other brewers and
winning a first in one category of a national competition--plus I was
having a lot more fun.  (I've also only had one bad batch out of about 20
since then.)
-- 
Dick Dunn	{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd		(303)444-5710 x3086
   ...Worst-case analysis must never begin with "No one will ever want..."