One of the things Brülosophy has become known for is questioning conventional homebrewing techniques and putting them to the test, the results of which haven’t always sat well with some people. While chatting with fellow exBEERimenter, Denny Conn, at NHC, I learned he experienced similar reactions when he started testing things out. This conversation continued over the following weeks and eventually culminated into today’s open letter where he encourages us all to be HOMEbrewers!
Awesome, Marshall and Denny. You guys are some of the giant dwarfs on whose shoulders I stagger!
Great points Denny and Marshall. I think you really start evolving as a brewer when you look for the best info possible but then try it for yourself critically, to see how well it works for you and your system. Kudos !
Great article. Like the keep it simple and fun otherwise its work approach.
Awesome writeup!
Looking forward to my next batch sparged, non decocted, 60 min boil, German lager!
One take away I got is that guys like me need to be aware of how we word things when sharing info with others. Things like “pils malt wort has to be boiled 90 minutes or you’ll have a DMS bomb”… unless I have personally tested it out, I really shouldn’t word it like a fact. I’ve read, or ive heard that, or some people say… would be better. Its like when people are talking about recipes. Often we tell people “You dont want…” how do we know what they want? Or we just assume they are trying to brew to style guidelines, and often time that means cloning the leading commercial example. We might come across less rigidly pedantic if we ask a question or two first rather than just blasting them with quoted authorized practices.
+1
I agree, Jim.
When I read that, Denny’s voice was in my head, must have been from the talk at Hop School.
Hot Side Aeration used to be a Boogy Man, you had to be careful or it would stale your beer. I was careful then, but now, who cares? Last year I brewed a CAP with the Hudacek brothers, and they splash and pour the mash liquid with abandon. I think it was Andy, or maybe Joe, that said they don’t believe in HSA. Their beers are very good. I have even have some that were approaching a year old, and those were still fine. They do use a boatload of fresh viable yeast, which Bamforth says will take care of any HSA.
The take away is to think for yourself, if something you observe does not match the conventional wisdom, question that wisdom.
A wise man always questions his assumptions; Denny is a wise man.
Very nice article. Cheers!
Did you just call me a dwarf?
Yes, yes, yes!
He’s certainly got the look down 
I’ve done 3 of these…still boil 90 minutes though. ;D
Denny, your letter has ruined homebrewing, beer and the internet for me
I see so much of this mentality out there with other homebrewers, on certain forums and homebrew shop owners. One owner told me he doesn’t sell lactic acid anymore because no one uses it after 5.2 came out. I don’t go to that shop too often unless it’s an emergency.
I get shocking looks from people when they ask what apple varieties I use when I make my ciders…I say Motts. Is it cheating or not real cider? Maybe but I got a wall of medals that says differently.
With advances in technology, you now have automated brewing systems like the Picobrew Zymatic. People will say it’s not real brewing…like a microwave for homebrew. I wonder if these people ever take tours of breweries and see how automatic their setups are.
Yes, but a giant one whose article has just been referenced to on the Dutch homebrewers forum. Trust me, if you’re from Belgium like myself, the message is really very necessary. People stone you for not doing a protein rest.
5.2 has its lovers, call me a hater.
+1. The only beer I ever made with an Alka Seltzer aftertaste was made with 5.2 - that was a dumper obviously. Can’t find too many styles where that aftertaste would be appealing. Total crap product.
To go one step further, even if you’ve tested it yourself, you shouldn’t word it as fact. To quote Dr George Sheehan, “We are each an experiment of one”, applies to homebrewing also. There are too many variable in the process. Your results may not be the same as mine. My biggest gripe with Marshall’s exBEERiments is when they are quoted as fact. They are significant data points to help us come to our own conclusion, but are often not portrayed that way.
I fight authority – authority! – always will.
(Yes I know what I did there. That’s what it sounds like when MY ears hear it. ;D )
Thank you so much, Denny and Marshall – and so many others, too! – for helping me in this fight!
Something I wrote and sent to Denny a few months ago as a ‘life lesson in brewing’:
[quote=AB]Think critically and think for yourself. You can learn a lot from forums, the internet, and books but nothing is going to help you learn better than thinking critically about what you’ve learned and seeing how it applies to your brewery. My brewery is not the same as Denny’s brewery and it’s not the same as yours. Think about cooking, for instance. If a recipe says that you should bake the cookies at 375F for 20 minutes but your oven runs hotter than the recipe tester’s oven, would you take the cookies out of the oven before they burn or wait the full 20 minutes because the recipe said to? That same critical thinking process should be applied to your brewing.
[/quote]
Wholeheartedly agree Marshall & Denny. Thank you for what you guys do - and for taking all of our comments & suggestions in stride. 
Maybe they just don’t like you? ???
Jim…you get it. I love ya, man!