Homebrewing in the Electrionic Age- Podcasts

<<Old Man Winter Voice>>
When I started brewing, There was no INTERNET.  We had to read BOOKS and TALK to people to find out the newest tricks for brewing.  You young whippersnappers have it so easy...
<<end voice>>

Yes, I brewed the first few times in 96/97 and yes, there was an internet then.  Kind-of. It certainly was nowhere like he internet of today.

ANYways, this isn't really  a history lesson- it's a celebration!

These days, information is available to new and advanced homebrewers to learn how to improve their process, all the time.  At your desk and on your phone.

My favorite way to learn about homebrewing is through podcasts.  I have a 45 minute drive to work each day (and often 45 minutes home, too!)  This leaves a lot of time to listen to "the radio" Well I HATE the radio.  So I download podcasts to my phone and with bluetooth, connect to my car stereo and listen to beer info just about every minute I'm on the road.

Podcasts on beer can range from completely basic to over-my-head scientific.  They can be PG rated or X-rated.  They can be full of farts and burps, or relatively stoic.  They can have excellent or HORRENDOUS sound quality.  They can post new shows weekly or every 3 months.

Usually you take a few  good and a few bad and make them all work.

Some of my favorite podcasts are:

BeerSmith Podcast
http://beersmith.com/blog/
Brad Smith is the creator of what I consider the best brewing software out there.  It is only around $20 and well worth it.  NOW- the podcast is free and has some of the best guests IN THE WORLD.  Brad is a pretty straight laced guy, but does like to laugh.  The shows range from basic to INTENSELY scientific.  Shows are about an hour long, and PACKED with brewing info.

BasicBrewing Radio (and Video, though the video podcasts are not as good for the car...)
http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio
Dude, seriously- I want to be James Spencer when I grow up.  This guy has a blast with beer.  The shows are fun, but not fart-joke fun.  They are PG rated, but not childish.  James does collaborative experiments and invites homebrewers to submit beers to the projects.  He clearly loves this hobby and this podcast.  Shows are updated weekly and I look forward to every single one.

The Brewing Network
The Brewing Network has several shows.  They are all fart-joke comedy.  That is the only drawback for me.  They have fun, they share an incredible amount of information and honestly, they do an INCREDIBLE service to the homebrewing community.

TBN- The Session
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Sunday-Session
Formerly the Sunday Session, shows are now recorded Sundays and Mondays and occasionally on Tuesday. This show is recorded almost weekly, and is over 3 hours long. YES!  3 HOURS!  Interviews of commercial brewers, sharing homebrew tips, general beer talk, etc.

TBN- The Jamil Show
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Jamil-Show
This started as the Jamil Show, became Can You Brew It (focused on cloning commercial beers) and is now Brewing With Style, which explores each style category in depth.  This show can get deep, but is definitely recommended

TBN- Brew Strong
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/Brew-Strong
This show is a Q&A Format show, great for all experience levels.

TBN- Other shows...
They also have an occasional show called Lunch Meet which I have not listened to.  The Homebrewed Chef is great, but hasn't been broadcast in over a year.  There is talk of a new show which will take listener beer submissions and have BJCP judges, judge them and make suggestions on improvements.  This show has not yet been posted.

Brew Bubbas Radio
http://www.brewbubbas.com/Site/Brew_Bubbas_Radio/Brew_Bubbas_Radio.html
The Brew Bubbas are based in Michigan and talk a lot about Michigan beer.  They also talk about homebrew.  Many times I find myself feeling like the married guy at a bachelor party, with the BrewBubbas talking about all the awesome beer I can't get.

Final Gravity Podcast
http://finalgravitypodcast.com/
Ranging between an hour and 2 hours long, this podcast talks about commercial beers, beer festivals, equipment, and homebrewing.  Definitely the "buddies getting together and shooting the sh*t" format, it is both entertaining and educational.  I think some people may be turned off by the tangents and silliness that goes on, but I dig this podcast.

Homebrew Talk
http://www.hogtownbrewers.org/podcasts.cfm
An hour long show with a cool twist- musical breaks.  Each show is themed and the hosts have a great repoire. No fart-jokes, and no cursing.

Maltcast
http://maltcast.wordpress.com/
This relatively new podcast features two guys (actually 3 now...) one in San Diego, and one in Canada.  They discuss homebrewing from an intermediate level and also discuss general brewerania.  Easy to listen to, not incredibly deep, and really fun.

Chop and Brew
http://chopandbrew.com/
Food and brewing.  I have only watched one of these (it's video) but I like the concept 

The Beer Goddess
http://beergoddess.com/
This is a Portland based beer podcast, very Portland/Oregon centered, but they do tak beer and have an occasional homebrew spot.

All Beers Considered by the Aleheads
http://aleheads.com/category/all-beers-considered/
This podcast is not updated regularly, but they also have an awesome blog which is updated every couple of days.  Content revolves around commercial brewing and the beer industry, but I really like it.  It's funny, avoids burping and farting, and often has some nuggets of gold.

In order to listen, you can go to the links on your computer and click.  If you want to go mobile, you can subscribe through itunes and sync your iphone, or load the feeds into BeyondPod which is what I use on my Android phone.

I am ALWAYS looking for more podcasts, so if you know of any good homebrew podcasts, PLEASE email me or mention them in the comments.

Enjoy, learn, and BREW BABY BREW!

Whole Foods Homebrew class 3

All the students brewed tonight. 4 sets of brewers. 4 burners. 4 batches. This was an awesome class. I can not even explain how much fun this was and how much I love teaching homebrew classes. Prosit!

WF Class number 2

The most recent homebrew class for Whole Foods was moved to an alternate venue.  A scheduling conflict at Whole Foods prompted this move, which turned out to be awesome!

We met at Sleepy Dog Brewery in Tempe, on University.  They always have some nice stuff on draft.

At first it was a bit dicey- there were 10 people in the place, randomly spread throughout the space, and the students (and I) were not sure exactly how to arrange ourselves.

Everything worked out and I did my presentation on beer ingredients.  After an hour and a half, I had gotten through the material and we opened up with some questions for the Sleepy Dog brewer, Rob.  He was very forthcoming and everyone had a great time.

(Why do I feel like this blog is written in the style of my 5th grade son?)

ANYWAYS, one thing that I really liked was the Rob shared his water treatment techniques- he uses Tempe municipal water run through a carbon filter to scrub out the chlorine.  That's it- it goes to show that you don't have to "build your water up from zero" to get some great brews.

Now- GO BREW!

Class number one @ WF

This is a picture of the result of our brew classes last night. I know, it's like... A quart of wort. (rhymes are funny!) 

I undershot the boil by about a quart, then James wanted all the students to taste the finished wort. Seriously. I have no idea why he would do this to them. Hot scotchys, I dig. Wort with hops? No thank you. Yuk.

Teaching at Whole Foods was different. The environment was loud, the students were farther away. I felt like I had to YELL and they still couldn't hear me that well. I am already a loud person.

The biggest difference between the City of Chandler class and this one was that at the Chandler class, the students are CONSTANTLY interacting with me and other students. It's a very different environment when there are 30 people. I found myself trying to come up with topics to discuss without "using" all the subjects for next week's lecture class up. Which I really shouldn't have worried about so much, because repeating the temperatures that alpha-amalayse and beta-amalayse are optimally effective, is not something people get the first time around, anyways :-)

Another difference is that most of the students in the CofC class had some homebrewing experience. In this class only 5 out of 30 have brewed before. It's the nature of the demographic. People in the CofC class had to seek out the class. At the WF class, they found it while grocery shopping. Which is AWESOME because it introduces the hobby to a whole BUNCH of people who may never have otherwise found it.

So in summary - great class and it was well received. I would do a couple things different in the future, and I'm already reformatting next week's class. It's really going to be pretty kick ass.

Whole Foods Class

Tonight is the night, we'll be feeling ALRIGHT!

Yes, I'm teaching another homebrew class, this time at Whole Foods in Chandler on Ray Road- in the infamous Watering Hols with King James Swann. (you do know that infamous is MORE than famous)

This class is a little different.  Whole Foods sells a 1-gallon all grain kit by Brooklyn Brewshop.  So we will be brewing one gallon batches.  I HAVE actually done this before- it's pretty easy. It goes quick. It makes good beer.  You aren't totally invested in a huge batch and a long day- so go crazy and throw in strange ingredients. Bottling- 10 bottles.  This is NOT a pain in the butt.

My Dad is signed up for the class, along with 29 other people. Yep- 30 people in the class.  Pretty crazy, honestly.

Shout out to my brethren in the Arizona Society of Homebrewers- I have once again scheduled my classes to conflict with the meetings.  http://www.azhomebrewers.org

I will be recording (possibly streaming?) the class, so keep your eyes open for that :)