Home Brew Rock Stars Podcast

Podcast: The 420 Small Batch episode covering the history of 420, Sweetwater 420 beer tastings, an epic 420 ad fail and a music from Weed. Another small batch podcast from Home Brew Rock Stars takes a hard hit on the history of 420, with a great 70's story about a group of high school stoners called the Waldos, who frequent an after school adventure into the local Point Reyes Forest in a never-ending search for a secret weed field. They never find their wild bud orchard, but their code word "420", which was the time they would meet after school to get high before this celebrated daily cannabis treasure trip, would become infamous, partially because their 420 slang organically saturated into the culture of the Grateful Dead, as well as High Times Magazine. We've pasted the somewhat redacted Huffington Post story below for your perusal...HAPPY 420! We sample two delicious craft beers from SweetWater Brewing Co. from their 420 Strain G13. First, the 420 IPA offering a great body, good head and nice amount of ha

Podcast: We drink 10 beers in 30 minutes and match each style with the proper glassware! Beer list is below: On tap this episode is a whirlwind of beer tasting as the crew bucks it's normal format to tackle drinking 10 beers in 30 minutes. After each beer, we make a case for the proper glassware for that particular style, although the line-up is so good, almost any vessel would suffice. Maybe for our upcoming 4/20 episode, we'll utilize this same format again...why not! Victory at Sea - Ballast Point (San Diego, CA): A 10.0% Imperial Porter is a bold, smooth brew with just the right amount of sweetness, infused with vanilla and San Diego’s own Caffe Calabria coffee beans. Hazyish IPA - Avery Brewing (Boulder, CO): A 7.0% juicy, hazyIndia Pale Ale brewed for a with low bitterness, an expressive aroma of four hops; Simcoe, Amarillo, Azacca and Mosaic. Arabicadabra - Bells (Kalamazoo, MI): A 5.5% Coffee Milk Stout brewed with a cold coffee extract made at the brewery using a combination of fair trade, organic

PODCAST: The crew explores wine beer hybrids, harvesting 130 year-old shipwrecked yeast, beer "only" lent and Marcus King Band. Wine beers ... they're not new, but the interest to create them from American craft brewers is growing. The idea of combining grapes and malt is not that far fetched. We have seen a few ales in the past that have been aged in a wine barrel, with the results being a pleasant surprise. The newest trend called Brut ales are an example, although they do not use grapes but rather an enzyme to achieve the champagne like results. For home brewers, until the BJCP releases its next update of style categories these vinocervisia type of brews (much like Brut IPA) it will fall under Category 19, Experimental Beer. Of course, we do some beer tastings, including Sparkling Swan Ale - Lagunitas, a 6.5% sparkling beer-wine hybrid brewed with a moderate hops, a light malt backbone and wine grapes that's super bubbly like champagne. We also sip on Always the Hard Way from Pig Minds, an 8.7% American Im

Podcast: Small Batch episode about cannabis beverages are the feature topic, with beer tastings from DarkHorse and Pig Minds, plus music of Rival Sons Another small batch podcast from Home Brew Rock Stars delves into the fast growing industry of cannabis beverages. With cannabis laws becoming more relaxed and more states (Illinois sounds like the next state) passing legislation for recreational cannabis, the time has come. Infusing cannabis in beverages is only the tip of the iceberg regarding possibilities that marijuana can play in our daily lives. In beverages, portions are regulated for safe intake, and standardized for repeat production. The day when beverages such as these become widely distributed around the globe, gives us cause to raise our glasses in celebration. The team reviews 8 THC-infused beverages breaking ground right now. The crew also talks beer news regarding Boston Brewing Company recently announcing that revenues nearly eclipsed $1 billion in 2018. The nation’s second largest craft beer

PODCAST: Salute to Charlie Papazian, the godfather of homebrewing, with craft beer tastings and news It's another small batch podcast from Home Brew Rock Stars where we dive in short form and discuss the Papazian influence on home brewing and celebrate Charlie's retirement! It wasn’t just Papazian’s expertise that he had honed since that first homebrewing experience in in 1970, that resonated with readers. It was also his light and humorous tone, making learning about homebrewing fun, peppered by those words became a kind of catchphrase for Papazian, “Relax. Don’t worry. Have a homebrew”. The crew also talks beer news regarding MillerCoors bailing out on the Beer Alliance after Bud Light’s Corn Syrup Ads during the Super Bowl. Hey, either you put corn syrup in your beer, or you put rice in it...who cares. The gist is the beer alliance was supposed to be a big effort to compete with the 11 billion servings the big beer companies lost to wine and spirits last year. OUCH!...that might take some healing. (just ru

Download Episode! PODCAST: 2019 A.H.A. Craft Beer Clone Recipes List and Tips for Better Bottle Carbonation for Home Brewers Looking for some good clone beer recipes? Greetings and welcome to another "small batch" podcast episode where we talk about some the 2019 AHA Craft Beer Clone Recipes (each year the American Homebrews Association picks one craft beer from each state for their list) that includes a Brut IPA, New England IPA, Grisette, Histotical Beer, Sour Farmhouse and pretty much everything you could possibly brew. We also run down . short list of upcoming AHA contest events throughout the US in February. The home brew topic topic this show is Better Bottle Carbonation, as Mike reads through some of the important steps home brewers should take to achieve the ultimate carbonation in a number of different (see full details pasted below). Of course we imbibe in some beer tastings from the likes of Generations Wintergreen IPA (brewed with spruce tips), Founders Blushing Monk and Southern Tier Cinnamon Ro

Download Episode! PODCAST: The Government Shutdown chokes small breweries, and how to name your home brew beers. Welcome to our new "Small Batch" format (approx. 30 minutes) that features a shorter show where we talk about craft beer and home brewing news, beer related events, home brewing tips, new music and we taste some new beers, of course! Yes, as we post this podcast, the knuckleheads in Washington DC have opened the government for 3 weeks, but the longest partial government shutdown in US history had an impact on small and independent craft breweries. The closure of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has created a similar abundance of requests for Brewer’s permits and created a backlog of Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) requests, all costing breweries, related businesses and their communities a huge hardship. the crew spells it all out in less than 10 minutes! We also shared that the 2019 National Homebrew Competition (NHC) Open Enrollment Application Starts January 22, 2019 at

Download Episode! PODCAST: The End of Year Recap of 19 Home Brewing Episodes and a Sneak Peek at 2019 HAPPY NEW YEAR!! This episode takes a look back at our interviews with the home brewers, brew masters, rock stars and brewing topics we covered throughout the 2018 podcast season. After 19 episodes, more than 20 guests, 40 interviews and 100 beer tastings, it's time to reminisce the highlights of an awesome year. We also imbibe in a slurry of incredible beer tastings that include a new home brew from Brent, his session hazy IPA featuring Cashmere hops, the traditional scotch ale of Bell's Christmas Ale, and three big boy beers all over 10 AVB with Ridgeway's Insanely Bad Santa, New Holland's Dragon's Milk S'mores and Flying Monkey's Arcadian Groove Imperial Maple Porter. Episodes recap of 2018 home brewing topics includes: E16 Beer Fitness, Health, Resolutions - Two Brothers, Surly, FoundersHome Brewer Eric Johnson, music from Go Go Torpedo E17 Taxes, Casks, Beer News - Revolution, Hopslam, Home BrewHome Bre

PODCAST: Tundras talk Rock-n-Roll Beers and why craft beer melds well with music. This episode goes untraditional for the Home Brew Rock Stars crew while perhaps getting to the root of the podcast's namesake, as we feature Brian Mastrangeli and Cory Wicklund from TUNDRAS, a progressive Midwest band with a passion for well-made craft beer. Tundras talk about their musical beginnings, influences and tales of keeping a band relevant. They also share some musings regarding their introduction to the craft beer world, pointing to a well-timed situation where legal drinking age aligns with an American beer invasion. Add to this a love for the British invasion of rock-n-roll and now you've gotten the gist of this episode. The show kicks off with a segment reviewing a list of beers that were released by rock bands, which could be appropriately named "the good, the bad and the undrinkable". These would include (ratings from Beer Advocate): Badass American Lager from Kid Rock (19/200), Bastards Lager from Motorhead (49/

PODCAST: The Curious Phenom of Palate Fatigue with Off Kilter Brewing Founder Jim Goecks This episode features a focus on palate fatigue with no better way to approach the subject than a fun interview with Off Kilter Brewing founder/brewer Jim Goecks. This up-and-coming brewery was born out of a passion for home brewing at Jim's home in South Beloit, IL. Jim shares his knowledge and purposed techniques for brewing malt forward craft beer without the harsh bitterness that has dominated the craft beer revolution. This goal to fill the gap between those traditional American pilsners and hoppier beers that crowd store coolers is no accident, hence the name Off Kilter...it's refreshing! We also dive into a conversation regarding beer palate fatigue as we imbibe some of Jim's awesome craft beer and relate to the thoughtful character given to his brewing style. "Fatigue is a dangerous thing for a beer lover. It plays with your mind, causing you to question what you know to be true and second guess your old favorites

Podcast: A rare look at couples brewing from a husband and wife new to all-grain home-brewing. This episode features fellow home brewers Hayley Dickinson and David Setiawan, a happily married dynamic duo that brews together, as well as many other fun activities. As Hayley filled us in, she takes the assistant brewer role voluntarily and let's David do the heavy lifting, but they both contribute to the process creating an atmosphere of  collaboration and passion that anyone would hope for when couples brewing. Our guests also talk about their own podcast, After We Take Out the Garbage, which is a fun spirited improve on random topics with random guests where just about everything is fair game. Taste Great! Of course, we all imbibe, first with two home brews from our guests which include a interesting Honey Wheat with some unexpected floral citrus notes and a delightful Rhubarb Pumpkin Ale featuring home grown additives. Both were clean and crisp, leaving a pleasant front-end bouquet and with a subtle after ta

Podcast: Bearded brewers from the new Urban Forest Craft Brewing are featured, plus craft beer tastings from the taproom! This episode features Alex Cando And Heath Meyers from Urban Forest Craft Brewing as the swing by the bat-cave for an hour of education, fun and full bearded revelry. These brewers are o the cusp of starting the next phase of their careers in making commercially available craft beer, and if the beer list below isn't enough, the excitement from an already exuberant fan base is showing promise before their doors even open. YOU SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! Of course, we should mention it was Mr. Mike Sears' B-day, which should go without saying that we drank a little beer to celebrate. Actually we drank a lot! Here's the list from our extensive beer tastings throughout this show, all furnished by Alex and Heath from their soon to be beer menu: Kindred Kolsch 4.9% Clean and delicate and made with traditional German hops. British Golden Ale 5.3% A distinct hop bite with bready maltiness. Whitney 4

Podcast: Interviews and Mustaches collide at this year's Screw City Beer Fest 2018 It was perhaps the best Screw City Beer Fest yet with a new location on the rock River in rockford, IL with an excellent performance by founders Aaron Sleger and Chris Wachowiak. The festival featured 15 new breweries (more than 50 total), delish local food, 2 hop companies (sharing hoppiness), one home brew club (that served more than 100 gallons of beer brewed by locals), a beer podcast (complete with free mustaches), a crew of awesome volunteers, drones, lawn games, line dancing, lounging, live music for the more than 2,500 thirsty, festive drinkers. This podcast episode features the Home Brew Rock Stars interviewing festival host Aaron Sleger and the majority of the Forest City Brewers club members (15 total) that brewed and served their special beers. We also interview some craft breweries that include Destihl and Polyanna, as well as the guys from Forest City Hops and Live Wire Hops. And finally, below we have some fun p

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Podcast: Adjuncts are on review with guest Todd Ryan from Ryan Brewing In this podcast episode we delve into adjunct brewing with Ryan Brewing master brewer, Todd Ryan. The crew discusses the craft beer craze of adjunct brewing in detail. We'll talk about Todd's new start-up one-barrel craft beer system and visit his brewing past from explorations in Europe to Wyoming home-brew roots to the now 2-month opened for public consumption, Ryan Brewing in Roscoe, IL. And of course, we do some beer tastings....this time featuring M-43 NEIPA from Old Nation Brewing Co. in Williamston, Michigan, the first release in Othe “New Orthodox” IPA series utilizing a complex combination of Calypso, Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo hops. Not to outdone, Todd brough 4 fabulous beers from Ryan's Brewing, including his signature Schlopgarten German Hefeweizen, Back in Blackberry PA, a Cherry Apricot Sour and a delicious Kolsch with some steamy influence. Speaking of one barrel systems, we wondered in the real life, does size really matte

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Podcast: Best Day Drinking Beers and tips for home brewing them are reviewed It's summer, it's hot, and you don't wanna get too filled up in the heat. This podcast reviews the best day drinking beers, tips for drinking light during the day and some ideas for home brewing your own lawn-mower beers! Pucker up as we re-taste Pig Minds Farmango kettle-soured farmhouse ale with and sip on Genesee Cream Ale (New York's oldest brewery). Then we pucker more with Brent's home brew called Pound of Columbus, plus the crew indulges in other day drinker beer tastings from Bell's Larry's Latest Sour, Left Hand Travelin Light Kolsh, and Metal Monkey Bikini Bottom Pineapple Gose, a true monkey pucker if we ever had one:) Talk about a mind puck...Kent and Brent lead a Real or Fake "Day Drinking Beer Trivia" segment and we fool around a bit more with the show theme to explore some best "practices" for starting your drinking before noon...like what to wear...like...that ever matters?! We also feature sound clips from a band ca

Podcast: How to home brew fast lagers in up to half the time! Wanna Quickie? This podcast episode features a short "how to" for home brewing fast lagers. With a little more detail to gravity and temperature step acceleration, you could possibly cut your lagers and pilsners down to 4 weeks, give or take depending on how you serve them. Thanks a bunch to those sharp minds at Brulosophy for the Fast Lager experimenting! We also share some tastings of some great lagers from New Glarus (Two Women and Totally Naked), Victory (Home Grown Lager) and Steamworks (Pilsner). Yum! Plus the guest beer of honor comes from our sponsor, Pig Minds which features a 6th anniversary beer called Farmango, a 4.8 AVB  kettle-soured farmhouse ale blended with mangos. More Yum! Talk about quickies...Kent leads a Real or Fake "Speed Trivia" segment and we fool around a bit more with the show theme to explore some unusual "quickie" destinations ... hey, you only live once ... we thinks?! And...catch the interesting vibe from the music i

Podcast: Big Brew 2018, with a home run line-up of home brewers and an extra innings bottle share! This home-brew podcast goes remote to Rivets stadium in Rockford, IL with the Forest City Brewers and friends. We took in the sun and fun at the old ballpark to celebrate the largest group brewing event in the world (AHA Big Brew is the 40th anniversary and the farewell to Charlie Papazian, the father of home-brewing!). Home Brew Rock Stars interviewed people that brewed beer for the upcoming Brews On First beer festival on Saturday June 2. And with an impressive bottle share and some baseball meets Cinco de Mayo meets Kentucky Derby, all bets were in. It was an interesting day of four brewers all doing brew-in-the-bag beers, but with 4 unique setups. Leading off with his Cincinnati Irish Red was Ron Derry, who once did a 3-day try-out with the Reds back when the players were "pumped" and the bats were corked. Batting second was Mike Bohn with his Belgian Dark Strong Ale and primed to move the Irishman into sco