INTERACTIVE FEATURE: Pair these foods with these seasonal beers

by Josh Smith and Anne Holcomb | KalamaBrew

Tuesday December 09, 2008, 2:20 PM

Winter is the time when Michiganians like to "nest" indoors with our favorite comfort foods, to gather with family around the holiday table, to enjoy good food and drink while watching the snow fall outside.

We asked a few area chefs and beer connoisseurs what holiday and seasonal food and beer pairings they like best, for both cooking and dining. The local experts also offered a few recipe suggestions.

Follow the link below for suggestions from New Holland's Fred Bueltmann, A Food Affair's Jared Dellario and Homebrew Chef Brother Cuthbert, as well as, a list of other sources on where to find more information on food and beer pairing plus recipes that you can download.

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SLIDESHOW: Inside St. Gregory's Abbey with homebrewer and monk, Brother Cuthbert

by KalamaBrew Staff

Sunday November 02, 2008, 2:00 PM

THREE RIVERS -- Take a closer look inside the St. Gregory's Abbey in Three Rivers where Brother Cuthbert brews an array of beers for his fellow monks.

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HOMEBREWER BIO: Brother Cuthbert talks about brewing beer at the St. Gregory's Abbey in Three Rivers

by KalamaBrew Staff

Sunday November 02, 2008, 8:00 AM

Josh Smith | KalamaBrewBrother Cutbert consults one of his cookbooks, Twelve Months of Monastery Soups, by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette.

THREE RIVERS -- Shortly after arriving at the St. Gregory's Abbey, a Benedictine monastery of the Episcopal Church, Brother Cuthbert made an exciting discovery in the basement of one of the main buildings.

He discovered a row of 15 dust-covered carboys just waiting to brew at the Three Rivers monastery. He believes they were used to make beer in the '80s, but had been dormant since.

"I was flabbergasted. I was like, 'No way. Eureka! The mother load!" said Cuthbert, a 29 year old from Charleston, S.C., who was born Rob Donehue but took on the new name when he decided to become a monk.

Continue reading and see a video by following the link below ...

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Saturday (Nov. 1) is 'Teach a friend to homebrew day,' so get ready for some learnin'

by KalamaBrew Staff

Friday October 31, 2008, 7:31 PM

What are friends for?

Teaching you how to make your own beer, at least once a year.

Saturday (Nov. 1) is the "official" day to learn as designated by the American Homebrewers Association:

The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day is an international event to introduce people to the homebrewing hobby and establish relationships with local homebrew supply shops.

Each year on the first Saturday in November, homebrewers around the world are encouraged to invite non-brewing and brewing friends and family to celebrate Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day and brew a batch of beer together.

It's all about togetherness ... and beer.

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HOMEBREW TOUR: Welcome to Gonzo's neighborhood, you're among friends

by KalamaBrew Staff

Saturday October 25, 2008, 9:00 AM

KALAMAZOO - We're pretty sure Greg "Gonzo" Haner's homebrew setup is in a league of its own.

Haner, 51, said he spent about 20 hours a week for the last three years perfecting the 1,600-square-foot garage, which is solely dedicated to homebrewing, if you can call it that on this scale.

The project cost more than $50,000 to complete. Gonzo, as he prefers to be called, can have as many as 10 of his beers on tap. The tap lines run less than three feet to his top-of-the-line barrels, which are stored in his 10-by-12-foot walk-in cooler, kept at 38 degrees.

Since "opening" in July, Gonzo's Bigg Dogg Brewing Co., also the name of his brewing consultant business he hopes to grow, has had more than 100 visitors, most of whom sign his guest book. KalamaBrew was fortunate enough to get a look. Here's what we saw:

See more of Gonzo's place by following the link below to our photo gallery ...

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HOMEBREWER BIO: This is Bigg Dogg Brewing Co. and he's 'here for the beer'

by KalamaBrew Staff

Friday October 24, 2008, 12:00 PM

KALAMAZOO - He's a former bassist in a hard rock band. He's a minister. He also makes a mean beer.

His name is Greg "Gonzo" Haner and he knows craft beer. He started as a homebrewer in 1992, then worked at Olde Peninsula Brewpub for 8.5 years and is now the associate scientist/brewer at Kalsec Inc., where he's worked for almost five years. Watch this homebrewer bio where Gonzo talks about his brewing history from his Bigg Dogg Brewing Co., the name of his home pub and brewing consultant business.

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KalamaBrew tours Kalamazoo resident Steve Higdon's homebrewing operation

by KalamaBrew Staff

Thursday October 16, 2008, 12:00 PM

KALAMAZOO - You've met the homebrewer, now take a look at his brewing system.

Steve Higdon has "scaled up" what was once just a kettle on top of his fridge to a stainless steel, 28 gallon system, complete with a barley grinder, immersion chiller and counterflow chiller.

He uses this metal behemoth -- which his friend and welder Frank Robinson helped him to assemble -- to brew his own beer, wine (the grapes grow wild in his backyard) and mead. He also grows his own hops (which you will see in the video below).

Continue reading to see a photo gallery of Steve Higdon's basement ...

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HOMEBREWER BIO: From a Mr. Beer Kit to a 28 gallon system, Steve Higdon thought he would 'scale up' up a bit

by Josh Smith | KalamaBrew

Thursday October 16, 2008, 9:00 AM

Josh Smith | KalamaBrewHomebrewer Steve Higdon.

KALAMAZOO - Homebrewer and beer enthusiast Steve Higdon has a very understanding wife. As long as he moved to the garage.

He began brewing his own beer after hinting to his wife, Nicole, that if he could do it at work, why not do it home? At the time, Higdon worked for Upjohn, now Pfizer, as a fermentation operator.

So she bought him a Mr. Beer Kit. That was in 1995, and from there, he got a little "carried away."

"My wife was going to kill me. That was one way of convincing her, 'If I scale up, I'll move to the garage,'" Higdon said.

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For the homebrewer in you: Where to shop, how to find your way

by Josh Smith | KalamaBrew

Sunday October 05, 2008, 12:00 PM

Josh Smith | KalamaBrewOne of the place's you can find wine and beer making supplies is at Daane's Wine and Liquor at 8901 Portage Road in Portage.

Once you have decided to start brewing your own beer or if you want to take it up a notch, you might need a little instruction. Relax, don't worry we can help.

Lots of books, stores and other online resources are out there to help you find your way to a better homebrew.

There's always Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing," to get you started. But there are also lots of other books out there that will teach you how to clone your favorites, design your own from scratch and even how to take a walk on the "radical side."

And where do you buy this stuff?

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PHOTO GALLERY: Pics from today's American Homebrewers Association rally at Bell's Eccentric Cafe

by John Liberty | Kalamazoo Gazette

Saturday September 27, 2008, 3:32 PM

John Liberty / KalamaBrewCharlie and Sandra Papazian with Taps McFirkin at the Bell's Eccentric Cafe Saturday.

KALAMAZOO -- I was able to sneak over to the American Homebrewers Association rally at Bell's Eccentric Cafe this afternoon.

The party is still going, but the office came calling. I caught up with several area homebrewers, Bell's Brewery Inc. president Larry Bell and homebrewing guru and author Charlie Papazian and his wife, Sandra, who calls herself "Mrs. Hops." Papazian said the turnout was one of the largest if not the largest he'd seen at a rally. Kudos Kalamazoo!

The Papazians also met our mascot Taps McFirkin and took a few pictures with him. Papazian said he'd tried an Oberon, Oktoberfest and the barrel-aged sour beer. His wife said she had the Cherry Wheat Ale.

"One of the best, very good," Sandra Papazian said.

Papazian said he was still getting settled in and looking forward to trying the 18 beers/mead on tap.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SEE THE OTHER PHOTOS.

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Homebrewing guru and author Charlie Papazian talks about his latest brew, Bell's beer, his home tavern and shares a little philosophy

by John Liberty | KalamaBrew

Thursday September 25, 2008, 6:30 PM

Courtesy of Lew CadyHere's a peek inside Charlie Papazian's European-style cafe in his home. It's affectionately called the Creekside Pub. Papazian is seated center. The space is decorated with glassware from around the world and many pictures of friends, he said.

In April, Papazian completed a project to convert his old kitchen into a European-style cafe, called the Creekside Pub, where the legendary homebrewer and author shares beers and conversations with friends and neighbors. Papazian, who will be at Bell's Eccentric Cafe from 1-4 p.m. Saturday as part of the American Homebrewers Association rally, said he spent about $12,000 on the 10-by-12-foot room. He pours his homebrews from four taps on his wall -- "I'm not going to waste tap space with buying beer" -- with the kegs kept in a thermostatically-controlled freezer.

He said he brews about once or twice a month or 13 to 20 times a year.

"My neighbors and friends are always thirsty," said Papazian, whose best-selling book, "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing," has sold more than 1.1 million copies since the first edition was released in 1984 and is considered the Bible of homebrewing books. "It just seems our neighbors really like it a lot."

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Local hops? From a Michigan farm? High-five!

by Josh Smith | KalamaBrew

Wednesday September 03, 2008, 2:48 PM

Courtesy of Chris MartinsonFreshly picked Northern Brewer hops from Heritage Hops, a Michigan hop farm near Pinckney, Mich.

PINCKNEY, MI -- No matter what they brew, or how much, the higher price of hops have gotten brewers thinking about their options.

Some have locked-in rates to rely on. Others brew with hop-less recipes. Some are trying to absorb the costs in a wait-and-see approach.

Chris Martinson decided to grow his own.

As both owner and operator of a small hop farm, Martinson saw his new business as an opportunity to expand both his gardening and homebrew hobbies into something more.

"Like many homebrewers, I have a dream of opening my own brewery and it would be great to use my own locally grown hops in the beer."

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HARVEST TIME: Get those hop cones ready for some homebrew

by Josh Smith | KalamaBrew

Thursday August 28, 2008, 6:00 PM

Diether Endlicher | Associated PressDon't you wish you had this kind of yield? Lorenz Huber, son of a Bavarian hop farmer and his grandmother pick leaves and stalks from a crop of hops in Lohwinden, located in southern Germany The hop harvest has just started there.

If you followed the advice of Chris Martinson (Heritage Hops, Tales from the Mash Tun) and got your hands dirty back in the spring, its time to reap the benefits of all that hard labor and waiting.

(Or if you didn't, there's always next year. Go ahead and bookmark this post for winter planning, we'll wait ... )

All set? Ahem ... That's right, it's harvest time!

Martinson is back, fresh from his own harvest (more on that in another post) and kindly offered some tips to all of us first time hop farmers on how to reap what we sowed.

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Jeff Carlson of Grand Rapids claims national Cidermaker of the Year Award for third time

by KalamaBrew Staff

Tuesday August 12, 2008, 6:00 PM

Courtesy of of the American Homebrewers AssociationJeff Carlson, brewing guru Charlie Papazian and AHA director Gary Glass, from left, at last month's awards ceremony.

For the first time since repeating in 2000-01, Grand Rapids homebrewer Jeff Carlson was picked as the Cidermaker of the Year at last month's 30th annual American Homebrewers Association's National Homebrew Competition in Cincinnati. Carlson's cider, made from juice produced by the Hill Brothers and Engelsma Orchards of Grand Rapids, topped 169 entries for Best in Show. Carlson said he's "humbled and gratified" by becoming the first three-time winner.

"Obviously there's some luck in it," Carlson said Tuesday during a phone interview from his home. "I've got a good taste for what I like and the judges like it, too."

Carlson said he also uses wine yeast and ferments his cider at temperatures between the high 50s and low 60s. He is a member of the PrimeTime Brewers homebrewer club. The 57 year old is primarily a brewer -- he's sitting on a batch of Imperial Cream Ale (8.5%) for the club's competition next month -- but he's made cider since the mid-90s. Do you have questions for Carlson? E-mail him, maybe you'll even get a sample.

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Local homebrewer David Curtis' Top Crop Nut Brown at Michigan Brewers Guild's Summer Beer Festival -- get you some!

by John Liberty and James Sanford | Kalamazoo Gazette

Friday July 25, 2008, 1:09 PM

Kalamazoo's David Curtis won last month's homebrewers competition, organized by the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild and held at the Corner Brewery. As his reward the Arbor Brewing Co. made seven barrels of his winning Top Crop Nut Brown. It was tapped Saturday at the brewery and will also be available at this weekend's Michigan Brewers Guild's Summer Beer Festival in Ypsilanti (look for the Arbor Brewing Co. booth). Curtis, who will be attending the event Saturday, said Friday afternoon that he used an Essex Ale Yeast, which is only available two months a year.

"It gave it a musty flavor that made it stand out," Curtis said. "It's kind of carmely with a touch of fig in it. It's darker but real dry."

The beer hits keep coming for the 31-year-old Curtis, whose brother bought him a kit in 2002. He started brewing in 2003. Curtis said he will leave his job as an engineer at Hi-Lex, a Battle Creek company that makes mechanical cables for vehicles, to join the crew at Arcadia Brewing Co. in Battle Creek on Aug. 4.

"To be honest, I'm scared as hell, but it's something I want to try," he said.

If you can't get to the festival, which runs from 5-9 tonight and 1-6 p.m. Saturday at the Riverside Park in Ypsilanti, Curtis said his batch is on tap at the Arbor Brewing Co. until it's out.

KalamaBrew will have more on Curtis when we meet up this weekend. Cheers, sir!

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