johnlittle.com » Homebrew Clubs

one of my favorite RCB pics

John Little — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:12:08 +0000

This was taken at John Tipton’s house a couple years ago, and the pic has been on my fridge out in the garage getting wet and warped. Here’s a scan before it gets too messed up. From left to right is Vern Wolfe’s belly (Vern owned a small vineyard in California, is BJCP certified and is Alabama’s best meadmaker), Todd Swearingen (my sensei, but the student has become the masta), Adam Arnett (badass Marine Major.. don’t mess with him), John Doe (Brant doesn’t want the ABC Board to know that he is associated with law breakers, and since they are monitoring this website, I won’t provide his last name… It is definitely not Warren), me, and Scott Oberman (featured in the L.A. Times for his blatant Alabama law breaking).

Brewing Program Results

John Little — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:07:55 +0000

I continue to very slowly move stuff over from my old blog at resipsaloquitur.auburnbrewclub.org. I just don’t spend as much time behind the computer nowadays. I don’t think I’ll be entering any more homebrew competitions, but I didn’t want to lose this info in the shuffle cuz it took me a long time to put it together over a few years time. I’m sure I missed a few and might update them if I ever spend the time looking through my files.

Two of these were my favorite: (i) a Cranberry Kolsch at the 2005 Music City Brewoff. This was my first ever award, and Priscilla and I drove straight home from Nashville to show the kids, then the next morning to my grandparents’ house in Athens, Ala. to show them.. I was so happy to have gotten a ribbon at all, and a blue one at that! Thanks to Todd Swearingen and John Tipton for their advice on that one, and (ii) a Best of Show American Barleywine at the Blue Ridge Brew Off in North Carolina in 2006. I remember Tom Meier on the phone with someone from BRBO at an RCB Big Brew announcing the results to us… I just couldn’t believe him when he said it.. I kept thinking the phone line was dead and he was messing with us.. it was surreal when it dawned on me he wasn’t kidding.. I jumped in the air.

Brewing through the BJCP and entering everything in multiple comps was alot of work (frustrating at times), alot of fun, and very educational. If you’re a homebrewer, you should give it a try!

*****************************************************

res ipsa loquitur (rayz ip-sah loh-quit-her)
n. Latin for “the thing speaks for itself”

Listed below are beers I’ve brewed that have received at least a 30 in BJCP sanctioned competitions. I’ve made it a long term goal to get at least a 30 for every BJCP style, indicating that the beer was “Very Good (Generally within style parameters, some minor flaws).” This is also in pursuit of completing the Brewing Program for Mastering World Beer Styles. Of course, I always hope they score even better, with a score of 38-44 indicating the beer was “Excellent (Exemplifies style well, requires minor fine-tuning)” and a score of 45-50 indicating the beer was “Outstanding (World-class example of style).”

I hope to eventually post all the recipes of the beers that have done well.

1. Light Lager

1A. Lite American Lager

12/19/2006 Lite American Lager

33.5 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007)

1B. Standard American Lager

5/25/2008 Standard American Lager

38 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – Second Place

33.5 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008)

1C. Premium American Lager

12/30/2006 Premium American Lager

30 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007)

31 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007)

2. Pilsner

2A. German Pilsner (Pils)

11/4/2006 German Pilsener

39 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007) – Third Place

43 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007)

31 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007)

2B. Bohemian Pilsener

12/17/2006 Bohemian Pilsener

40 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007)

3. European Amber Lager

3B. Oktoberfest/Märzen

12/30/2006 Oktoberfest

49 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007) – First Place and Best of Show Lagers

30 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007)

4. Dark Lager

4A. Dark American Lager

11/4/2006 Dark American Lager

33 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007)

40.5 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007) – First Place

37 – American Homebrewers Association First Round South Region (4/19/2008) – Third Place

34.7 – American Homebrewers Association National Finals (6/20/2008)

4B. Munich Dunkel

7/20/2008 Munich Dunkel

33 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – Third Place

31 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008) – Third Place

4C. Schwarzbier (Black Beer)

12/8/2007 Schwarzbier

37.6 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/1/2008) – Second Place

30 – American Homebrewers Association First Round South Region (4/19/2008)

38.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – First Place

5. Bock

5A. Maibock/Helles Bock

5/25/2008 Maibock

35.3 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – Second Place

5B. Traditional Bock

11/11/2007 Traditional Bock

30 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/1/2008)

31.5 – American Homebrewers Association First Round South Region (4/19/2008)

31.6 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – Third Place

5D. Eisbock

1/22/2006 Eisbock

33.5 – Bluff City Brewers Beer Extravaganza (4/22/2006)

34 – Mid-South Fair (9/26/2006) – Third Place

34 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007) – Second Place

31.5 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007) – Honorable Mention

6. Light Hybrid Beer

6B. Blonde Ale

1/6/2007 Blonde Ale

35.5 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007) – First Place

6C. Kölsch

10/23/2005 Kolsch

34 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/4/2006) – Third Place

7. Amber Hybrid Beer

7A. North German Altbier

11/24/2006 North German Altbier

37 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007)

7B. California Common Beer

3/4/2007 California Common

33.5 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007) – Second Place

31.3 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007)

8. English Pale Ale

8A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter

9/16/2005 English Ordinary Bitter

34.5 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/4/2006) – Second Place

30 – Bluff City Brewers Beer Extravaganza (4/22/2006)

8B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter

4/6/2008 Special Bitter

38.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – First Place

8C. Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)

9/23/2007 Extra Special Bitter

39 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/1/2008) – First Place

9. Scottish and Irish Ale

9A. Scottish Light 60/-

9/28/2006 Scottish Light 60/-

41.5 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007) – Honorable Mention

33 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007)

9B. Scottish Heavy 70/-

44 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007) – Second Place

32 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007)

40.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – Third Place

9C. Scottish Export 80/-

34 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007)

30 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007) – Third Place

35.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008)

31.5 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008)

9D. Irish Red Ale

32.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008)

39 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008)

9E. Strong Scotch Ale

9/28/2006 Strong Scotch Ale

47 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007) – Third Place

40 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007) – First Place

10. American Ale

10A. American Pale Ale

12/25/2005 American Pale Ale

38 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/4/2006) – First Place

31 – Bluff City Brewers Beer Extravaganza (4/22/2006) – Second Place

33 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006) – Third Place

10B. American Amber Ale

6/12/2006 American Amber Ale

34.66 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006) – Honorable Mention

11. English Brown Ale

11A. Mild

7/5/2008 English Mild

42 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008) – First Place

11B. Southern English Brown Ale

8/20/2006 Southern English Brown Ale

35 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007)

12. Porter

12A. Brown Porter

3/11/2007 Brown Porter

30.5 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007)

38 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007) – First Place

3/11/2007 Brown Porter

42.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – Third Place

12C. Baltic Porter

6/24/2006 Baltic Porter

33.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/26/2006)

38 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006)

38 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007)

13. Stout

13A. Dry Stout

9/7/2008 Dry Stout

42.5 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008) – Third Place

13B. Sweet Stout

4/21/2006 Sweet Stout

31 – Brewmasters Open (5/20/2006)

13C. Oatmeal Stout

10/15/2005 Oatmeal Stout

33 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/4/2006)

32.5 – Bluff City Brewers Beer Extravaganza (4/22/2006)

30 – Brewmasters Open (5/20/2006)

13F. Imperial Stout

4/21/2006 Russian Imperial Stout

30 – Brewmasters Open (5/20/2006)

14. India Pale Ale

14B. American IPA

6/3/2006 American IPA

36 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006) – Third Place

7/20/2008 American IPA

41 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008) – Third Place

15. German Wheat and Rye Beer

15B. Dunkelweizen

3/10/2007 Dunkelweizen

35.5 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007) – First Place

16. Belgian and French Ale

16A. Witbier

1/14/2006 Witbier

34 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/4/2006)

34 – Bluff City Brewers Beer Extravaganza (4/22/2006) – Second Place

16B. Belgian Pale Ale

3/11/2007 Belgian Pale Ale

34.5 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007)

16C. Saison

4/6/2008 Saison

42 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – First Place and Best of Show

40 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008) – First Place

16E. Belgian Specialty Ale

10/28/2007 Spiced Belgian Dark Strong

31.5 – American Homebrewers Association First Round South Region (4/19/2008)

37.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008)

18. Belgian Strong Ale

18A. Belgian Blond Ale

8/20/2006 Belgian Blonde Ale

41.5 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006) – Third Place

42 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007) – First Place

34.5 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007)

38 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007) – Third Place

18E. Belgian Dark Strong Ale

6/26/2006 Belgian Dark Strong

35.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/26/2006) – Second Place

36.5 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006)

19. Strong Ale

19A. Old Ale

7/22/2008 English Old Ale

36 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008)

39.67 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008)

19C. American Barleywine

12/25/2005 American Barleywine

42 – Bluff City Brewers Beer Extravaganza (4/22/2006) – First Place

33.5 – Brewmasters Open (5/20/2006)

44.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/26/2006) – First Place

33.5 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006) – Second Place

33.5 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007)

44.5 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007) – First Place and Best of Show

43 – AHA Club Only Strong Ale Competition (8/19/2007) – Second Place

20. Fruit Beer

20A. Fruit Beer

1/6/2007 Strawberry Blonde Ale

30 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007) – Second Place

21. Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer

21A. Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer

9/1/2008 Pumpkin Spice Ale

44 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008) – Third Place

21B. Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer

12/11/2005 Randy Mosher’s Radical Brewing Christmas Ale

38.5 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/4/2006) – First Place

36.5 – Bluff City Brewers Beer Extravaganza (4/22/2006) – Third Place

40 – Brewmasters Open (5/20/2006) – First Place

32.5 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006)

33.5 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007)

22. Smoke-Flavored and Wood-Aged Beer

22A. Classic Rauchbier

4/27/2008 Classic Rauchbier

41 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – First Place

31 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008)

22B. Other Smoked Beer

3/4/2007 Smoked Robust Porter

36 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – Second Place

22C. Wood-Aged Beer

4/6/2008 Wood Aged Special Bitter

41.6 – Mid-South Fair (9/27/2008) – First Place

32 – Bay Street Bash (11/8/2008)

23. Specialty Beer

11/18/2007 Wheatwine

34.5 – Peach State Brew-Off (3/1/2008)

25. Melomel (Fruit Mead)

25C. Other Fruit Melomel

11/12/2005 Black Cherry Melomel

38 – Brewmasters Open (5/20/2006) – Second Place

37.5 – Mid-South Fair (9/26/2006) – Second Place

33 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007) – Second Place

36.5 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007)

41 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007) – First Place

27. Standard Cider and Perry

27A. Common Cider

4/15/2006 Scott’s Orchard Common Cider

31 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006) – Honorable Mention

28. Specialty Cider and Perry

28B. Fruit Cider

8/15/2006 Black Cherry Cider

39 – Music City Brew-Off (10/21/2006) – First Place

41.5 – Peach State Brew-Off (2/24/2007) – First Place

38.3 – Bluff City Brewers Homebrew Extravaganza (4/21/2007) – First Place and Best of Show Ciders

31 – BrewMasters Open (5/12/2007)

40.5 – American Homebrewers Association First Round South Region (4/19/2008) – First Place

30.3 – American Homebrewers Association National Finals (6/20/2008)

my old about me page

John Little — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:37:55 +0000

posting this left over from resipsaloquitur.auburnbrewclub.org… just posting this because I don’t want to lose it. I’ll update the links sometime and do a new About page.

**** Last update June 2008

I love homebrewing. It is my only hobby, and I find that piddling around in the brewery, sitting in the recliner flipping back and forth between homebrewing books, planning my next brews or equipment tweaks are some of the only things that really take me away from work at the end of the day.

First Craft Beers
I was first introduced to craft beer in 2003 by a friend who lives in Memphis. He and I were hooked on the MMORPG game, Star Wars Galaxies, and used to talk to each other with headsets and microphones while playing. He’d always tell me what beer he was drinking, and it was always a good gourmet beer. He introduced me to ratebeer.com, which lists thousands of beers and allows users to rate and comment on the beers. I decided to give good beer a try and went to the Whip Inn in Austin, which carries about 400 different brands of beer, and began to pull singles off the shelf. I didn’t know what I was buying, I just wanted to get a variety of things. Each night, I’d get a few out of the fridge and look them up on ratebeer.com to learn what exactly it was I was drinking. I don’t think I would’ve ever been able to discern choclate, plum, banana, raisen, biscuity, fruity, citrusy, nutty, toffee or any other flavors without the power of suggestion I found on that site. I was immediately hooked. Later my friend kept talking to me about his interest in homebrewing. I was ambivalent at first but kept the idea in the back of my head. We joked about creating Star Wars themed beers and cool labels… Lokian Wild Wheat Ale, for example. And just to clarify, I’m not a Star Wars nerd, but the game was fun for a while after it first came out.

First Homebrew
I attended my first homebrew club meeting in 2004, that of the Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society (LAGERS). It was incredible. I loved the homebrew, and it wasn’t long before I went to the local homebrew shop and bought my first brewing equipment. (I still use some of this equipment, but my brewery has come a long way since then.) One of the guys in the homebrew club invited me to come over to his house for a brewday on a weekend soon afterward, and I brewed my first batch, an extract batch with steeped specialty grains. After bottling that batch, I just stored it away for a while, and around this time we relocated to Alabama for work reasons.

Rocket City Brewers
Right away, I discovered the Rocket City Brewers in Huntsville, a very active club with over 40 active homebrewers. The club has won Mid-South Homebrew Club of the Year several times. I began to attend their monthly meetings and received an amazing education at each meeting. Their format of tasting one homebrew at a time, with extensive discussion of each, including a discussion of the BJCP style guidelines where appropriate was very valuable to me over the next 2 years. I immediately upgraded to all grain brewing and have brewed somewhere in the neighborhood of 83 different beer, mead and cider styles (as of June, 2008). My original goal was to not brew the same style twice and to make my way through the BJCP styles until I had brewed them all, but I fell off the wagon somewhere around batch #77. Each new style has been a real educational experience for me. Some of them have accidentally turned out quite good too!! I got involved in entering the Mid-South Homebrew Series competitions, together with the other RCB brewers, and have managed to get lucky and win a few ribbons. The competitions have been exciting and have encouraged me to brew more often and to brew different styles.

Auburn Brew Club
I moved to Auburn in May, 2007. There wasn’t a homebrew club here; and, after asking around, I wasn’t having any luck getting any names. I was beginning to get worried, because there’s nothing like getting together regularly with good hombrewing friends. So I put up a website, registered the club with the AHA, and posted messages about the club on the brewboard, beeradvocate, morebeer and northernbrewer. That helped tremedously. The club has 20 active brewers so far (as of June, 2008) and another 60 or so on our announcement list. We hope to have 30 active brewers by the end of the 2008. I commute to Montgomery for work, and I’ve been listening to podcasts from the Brewing Network and Basic Brewing on the way to and from, which has been very rewarding and makes the drive not only tolerable, but enjoyable.

Brewing and Work
Since 1992, I’ve worked exclusively on healthcare and public health issues. My online resume is here. I became licensed as an attorney in 1997 while pursuing a Master of Science in Public Health and have primarily worked for hospitals, physicians, residential care facilities, medical equipment companies and the like. Over the past few years, because of my involvement in the brewing community, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to answer questions from homebrewers and commercial brewers and retailers. I’ve always tried to maintain a focus on healthcare and public health issues, and I don’t think my forays into alcohol manufacture and serving issues takes me away from my focus. These are public health issues after all. So it has been a real pleasure to answer questions from beer brewers, consumers and sellers. There’s nothing like being able to combine work and the issues you get most excited about.

My Memphis friend never followed through with his interest in hombrewing, but I picked it up and ran with it. It has been a blast!! Thanks, Dany!

The Auburn Brew Club’s famous logo

John Little — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:33:59 +0000

Priscilla, Julie and I were talking to a couple of very hot waitresses a while back at the Mellow Mushroom, Paige and Abbey. I promised a pic of the Auburn Brew Club thong, but can’t find it on the site. I must’ve only published it on the listserv we used to have.

So I found all the pics I took when these tshirts and thongs first came in. Enjoy.

Taking a break from the Mid-South Homebrew Series

John Little — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:59:57 +0000

The No Chicken Symbol is a friendly jab at RCB’s arch-nemesis, the Chicken City Ale Raisers.

Well, it is half way through the 2007 Mid-South Homebrew Series, and I’ve decided to take a break. Tom Meier and I have been neck and neck since the beginning of the year, but he has been building a nuclear arsenal of excellent brews this summer, and I’m sure he would have blown me away. But I still would have given him a run for his money if not for my move to Auburn. The new job and the move kindof threw my brewing schedule and process into the wind.

The new location is a big factor. I’ve really been struggling to adjust to the water here so I don’t end up with chlorophenols (Chlorine ruined one of my first of two batches here). Also, I’ve been slowly making some adjustments to my setup (which is in a basement now rather than a garage), and it will take me a while to get the system like I want it. What I hope to get to is using an Electric HLT and pumping up to the mash tuns, using gravity to run off into the boil kettles, and then rolling the boil kettles outside to boil with propane fueled flames. So, I’ve been converting a couple of 15 gallon ice cube coolers into mash tuns and have identified a few welders in town that I may be able to take my kettles to for some modifications and to build the rolling stands. In the end, my goal is to be able to have 4 batches going at the same time. That’s 8 batches in a weekend and potentially 16 a month. Beat that Tom!!! Of course, that means I’ve got some storage and bottling issues to take into account too.

Also, since I’ve made some new homebrewing friends here in Auburn, it was easy for me to decide to start pulling some of the bottles from my competition stockpile to share with friends, instead of sending them off. Once I’m re-established, I think I’ll start brewing with an eye on next year’s national competition in Cincinatti.

my first homebrewery

John Little — Sat, 01 Jan 2005 02:20:15 +0000

At the urging of my good friend Dany in Memphis and after having a great time at the December meeting of the LAGERS Club here in Louisville, I’ve purchased the parts I need for a home brewery.

Here’s what I’m starting with (initial cost of around $380 for the hardware, the book, and the ingredients for my first 5 gallon batch):
-> 34 quart stainless steel brew pot with outdoor propane burner (I already had an old propane tank)
-> pump syphon
-> hydrometer
-> thermometer
-> 2x 6 1/2 glass carboys with temperature strips and fermentation locks
-> Muslin boiling bag
-> Counter Flow Wort Chiller
-> 3x cases of 22 oz. bottles (and a package of 144 bottle caps)
-> Bench Capper
-> The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, 3rd edition (by Charlie Papazian)

There’s a few other items having to do with the bottling process that I’ll get in a few weeks after the first batch ferments and is ready to bottle.

And here’s the ingredients for my first 5 gallon batch of India Pale Ale:
-> 5 1/2 lbs. amber plain dried malt
-> 1 lb. crystal malt
-> 1/2 lb. malted barley for toasting
-> 2 tsp. gypsum
-> 2 oz. Northern Brewer hops (boiling)
-> 3/4 oz. Cascade hops (finishing)
-> American ale yeast
-> 1 1/4 cup dried malt extract (for bottling)

LAGERS Club 2004 Christmas meeting

John Little — Thu, 23 Dec 2004 01:52:43 +0000

Dany’s been trying to get me into homebrewing for over a year. I’ve been thinking I’m ready to give it a try. Last week I found a brochure published by the Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society (aka the LAGERS Homebrew Club). I decided at the last minute to check out their December meeting, and I had a blast.

Approximately 50 people showed up, and almost everyone brought different kinds of beer. Some (including myself) brought commercial porters, lagers and holiday ales. Many brought growlers and Cornelius kegs with homebrew they’d been working on.

Everyone was very nice, and several people engaged me in conversation and offered very valuable advice on getting started with homebrewing. One gentleman loaned me The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing, ,which I’ve been reading. Now I’m very excited about it and definatelyu want to give it a try!!

Pic taken via phonecam.