Any audiophiles brewing beer?

At times, I've been a pretty serious extract brewer. But on three separate occasions, my brewing partners have become parents, sinking our operation. (To say nothing of the time we got bleach all over my partner's wife's fashionably black maternity clothes.)

I've still got a decent setup, and hope to get back to brewing a keg or two (bottling is the worst part, IMO) of American pale ale once or twice a year, for parties. John

Hi. I strongly favor American beers. Here's my list of the five best breweries in the country, though I could have easily added 10 more.

1. Sierra Nevada (CA)
2. Bell's (MI)
3. DuckRabbit (NC)
4. Rouge (OR)
5. Stone (CA)

Favorite brews I've done:

Dogfishhead 120 clone (18%abv!)
Chocolate Chilli Imperial Stout
Sierra Nevada Pale clone

Remember: if you've never had to mop the ceiling, you're not a homebrewer!

Happy Holidays! John

Pedrillo:

It's a complicated recipee for the Dog 120, which is from an old issue of Zymurgy. The short of it: first pitch with a High Gravity Ale Yeast, followed in a few days by a second pitch of Champagne or Eau de Vie (sp?) yeast, followed by ten days of "feeding" with highly fermentable sugar, like dextrose, and very high IBU hops. Beer reminded me a bit of Sherry, tho it was surprisingly light in body, and had a bit of whiskey burn. Not the first thing I'd try, but if you're brewing regularly, a memorable challenge. John

Mezmo: I think grain done right will get a bit more subtlety and elegance in the beer. But as you say, at a cost cost of mess, difficulty, and complexity in the process. Interestingly, some folks I know started brewing worse beer when the moved from extract to grains! I've never been tempted to take the plunge, since I've found that carefully done extract brews can compete pretty well with top commercial craft brews. I once saw several people prefer an extract-brewed Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone to the real thing in side-by-side tasting; an effect I attribute to the freshness of the home brew, but still impressive. I'd stick to the extract, and keep my apartment livable! John