The AHA in the NYT

[phillamb168]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/garden/home-brewing-need-a-beer-hit-the-basement.html?_r=2

[passlaku]

Thanks for sharing.  AHA, HBT, MB3 all got their names dropped in that article.  Good read.

[bluesman]

Great article. Nice to see our craft in the limelight. Thank Phil. 

[brewmichigan]

Nice to see some National recognition in a positive light. Cool story.

[tygo]

This pretty much sums up my setup:

[quote]For many people, home brewing summons visions of beat-up equipment that is stashed in a corner of a garage, dragged out only occasionally, powered by modest propane tanks normally attached to the barbecue and yielding just a few gallons. (Professional breweries measure output by the barrel — roughly 31 gallons each.)
[/quote]

Except for the part about being dragged out only occasionally.  ;D

[tschmidlin]

"We cater to the higher end of the group, the advanced home brewers,” Mr. Sulier said.

Apparently you can be an advanced homebrewer just by buying a brewmagic system.  And by implication, you’re not advanced without one.

[denny]

Maybe I won’t read the article after all…sounds like I’d just get pissed off.

[tschmidlin]

@denny

Maybe I won’t read the article after all…sounds like I’d just get pissed off.

That’s just part of it.  It’s pretty good overall, they get a few things wrong like you’d expect from a publication where the editor knows less about the subject than the non-expert author.  But the quote from sabco is annoying.  Here is the full context:

For these dedicated hobbyists who are willing to spend money, said Mr. Glass, beer equipment manufacturers, like Sabco, of Toledo, Ohio, and More Beer, of Concord, Calif., are now making high-end commercial-grade products for home use.

“It is still the exception, not the rule,” said Mr. Glass, who is emphatically not one of the high-end hobbyists. He brews about six times a year, and does so on a Frankenstein system, an affectionate term used by home brewers to describe a mishmash of equipment that is not pretty, but gets the job done.

But the president of Sabco, Bob Sulier, believes the number of high-end brewers is growing. In the past, the company’s Brew Magic system — their $6,000 flagship — was sold primarily to professional brewers, he said, but now many are being bought by home brewers or home-brew groups. In 2010, the company sold about one Brew Magic system a day, he added.

“We cater to the higher end of the group, the advanced home brewers,” Mr. Sulier said. “For many, this is the next logical step. They are willing to drop a dollar.”

There is the implication that Gary’s system “gets the job done” in that it makes beer (but not very good beer), while a Sabco makes beer as good as pros.

[hopfenundmalz]

Other than the SABCO part, it was a pretty good read.  Homebrewing was covered in a positive way.

Others mentioned in the article were Randy Mosher and Chris Bowen (Mrbowenz on this forum IIRC).

[a10t2]

@tschmidlin

There is the implication that Gary’s system “gets the job done” in that it makes beer (but not very good beer), while a Sabco makes beer as good as pros.

I didn’t get that out of it at all. The article is primarily about home brewers with expensive commercial-grade systems. The drop-in about “Frankenstein” brewing was there to provide the counterpoint. It’s a heavy-handed and irritatingly common journalistic practice.

I think the much bigger issue here is that Gary only brews six times a year. :o

[maxieboy]

@denny

Maybe I won’t read the article after all…sounds like I’d just get pissed off.

"To learn how to brew your favorite commercial beer, like Guinness, Bass Ale and Chimay Red, pick up a copy of “Clone Brews: Homebrew Recipes for 150 Commercial Beers,” "

;)  ;D

The article overall casts homebrewing in a positive light.

[bluesman]

@tschmidlin

@denny

Maybe I won’t read the article after all…sounds like I’d just get pissed off.

That’s just part of it.  It’s pretty good overall, they get a few things wrong like you’d expect from a publication where the editor knows less about the subject than the non-expert author.  But the quote from sabco is annoying.  Here is the full context:

For these dedicated hobbyists who are willing to spend money, said Mr. Glass, beer equipment manufacturers, like Sabco, of Toledo, Ohio, and More Beer, of Concord, Calif., are now making high-end commercial-grade products for home use.

“It is still the exception, not the rule,” said Mr. Glass, who is emphatically not one of the high-end hobbyists. He brews about six times a year, and does so on a Frankenstein system, an affectionate term used by home brewers to describe a mishmash of equipment that is not pretty, but gets the job done.

But the president of Sabco, Bob Sulier, believes the number of high-end brewers is growing. In the past, the company’s Brew Magic system — their $6,000 flagship — was sold primarily to professional brewers, he said, but now many are being bought by home brewers or home-brew groups. In 2010, the company sold about one Brew Magic system a day, he added.

“We cater to the higher end of the group, the advanced home brewers,” Mr. Sulier said. “For many, this is the next logical step. They are willing to drop a dollar.”

There is the implication that Gary’s system “gets the job done” in that it makes beer (but not very good beer), while a Sabco makes beer as good as pros.

I believe that “any equipment” is only as good as the operator at best. Therefore, by simply using a Sabco system does not by default make better beer or a better brewer. It’s the skills, knowledge and experience of the brewer that makes better beer. Sure…optimal equipment will help the brewer through automation but it is only a tool.

[betkefest]

The author of the article could have talked to a few more home brewers with advanced DIY equipment to give a broader view of the hobby.
Also, I used to think home brewers who did primarily clones was missing the point of making their own beer.  But now I think it’s a good way to practice.  By making a clone you can see if you did everything right.
I prefer to just brew a classic style for practice - but if you want to do it with Guinness go right ahead, and good luck getting the carbonation right!
Overall the article shows home brewers as good guys.

[denny]

Well, I read it…I guess that according the article I’m still not an advanced homebrewer after 401 batches.

[johnholl]

I wish I had more space to talk with more homebrewers.  But, that’s one of the limitations of print.

Clearly this article was not aimed at the experienced homebrewers - those with years of experience and a proven track record of producing award winning beers. No, this was aimed to the general reader, the people who don’t know much or anything about homebrewing. I wanted to give these people a chance to learn about the process and options and hopefully inspire them to join your ranks and become as passionate and knowledgable as the people on these forums.

Also, there was really no implication (on my part) that a Frankenstein system is not as good as an expensive SABCO. As someone said earlier in this thread, it’s the talent of the brewer that makes good beer. I believe that.

Happy brewing, everyone.

Cheers,

John Holl

John Holl

[bluesman]

@johnholl

I wish I had more space to talk with more homebrewers.  But, that’s one of the limitations of print.

Clearly this article was not aimed at the experienced homebrewers - those with years of experience and a proven track record of producing award winning beers. No, this was aimed to the general reader, the people who don’t know much or anything about homebrewing. I wanted to give these people a chance to learn about the process and options and hopefully inspire them to join your ranks and become as passionate and knowledgable as the people on these forums.

Also, there was really no implication (on my part) that a Frankenstein system is not as good as an expensive SABCO. As someone said earlier in this thread, it’s the talent of the brewer that makes good beer. I believe that.

Happy brewing, everyone.

Cheers,

John Holl
beerbriefing.com

Agreed.

We are artisans of a craft. The equipment is the tools of the trade utilized by artisans. Skilled artisans can produce great beer on just about any system whether it’s a SABCO or a pot on a stove.

The magic in the beer is created by the artisan.  :)

[garyg (Gary Glass)]

How cool is that, the author of the article chimes in on the AHA Forum!

John, you weren’t supposed to print that I only brew 6 times a year!   ;D  If you add in the mead I make, it is much more frequent, but due to the nature of the job, I find myself working a lot of weekends that I’d otherwise be brewing on.  I’m also hoping that once my daughter is old enough to be trained as an assistant brewer, I’ll be brewing more frequently again.

Cheers!
Gary

[denny]

@johnholl

I wish I had more space to talk with more homebrewers.  But, that’s one of the limitations of print.

Clearly this article was not aimed at the experienced homebrewers - those with years of experience and a proven track record of producing award winning beers. No, this was aimed to the general reader, the people who don’t know much or anything about homebrewing. I wanted to give these people a chance to learn about the process and options and hopefully inspire them to join your ranks and become as passionate and knowledgable as the people on these forums.

Also, there was really no implication (on my part) that a Frankenstein system is not as good as an expensive SABCO. As someone said earlier in this thread, it’s the talent of the brewer that makes good beer. I believe that.

Happy brewing, everyone.

Cheers,

John Holl
beerbriefing.com

Hi John,

Thanks for joining the discussion.  Since your article was aimed at new brewers, I’m even more mystified why you chose to focus so much on multi thousand dollar brewing systems instead of the more typical setup a new brewer might use.  I have a hard time imagining that anyone who has never brewed before would drop that kind of money on a system, not to mention the fact that without some experience those systems can be baffling to a brewer.

I truly appreciate the fact that you brought homebrewing to people who may never have considered it before and you mentioned the AHA, but I hope that if you have a chance to do another article in the future that it can be a bit more realistic.  I’ve done seminars about equipment and techniques for new brewers, so if you should ever need any information I’d be more than happy to help out.

[johnholl]

Denny,
I focused on the higher-end stuff given the nature of the NYT home and garden section.
Just the way that section works.

But, I appreciate your offer for help. I’ll add you to my list and hope to have a writing assignment where you can lend your voice down the road.
Cheers!

[tschmidlin]

@bluesman

I believe that “any equipment” is only as good as the operator at best.

Agreed.

@johnholl

Also, there was really no implication (on my part) that a Frankenstein system is not as good as an expensive SABCO. As someone said earlier in this thread, it’s the talent of the brewer that makes good beer. I believe that.

I believe you believe that, but I have a hard time reading the Sulier quote any other way.  There just isn’t a clear distinction in the article drawn between the quality of beer made with any of the systems, and it may leave people believing that really good beer requires dropping $6K on a Sabco to be “advanced”.  Automated may have been a better choice of words, but I get that the article was not about the different ways that people brew.

I appreciate you commenting here though, and I hope we haven’t offended you.  We’re not angry, we’re passionate.

@a10t2

I think the much bigger issue here is that Gary only brews six times a year. :o

Clearly