Home Brew Rock Stars Podcast

Being basically socially locked down and spending waaaay too much time at home, I am tiring of such things as videos of Hollywood celebrities singing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ to ‘entertain’ me, instead I have been brewing quite a bit and of course listening to music. This has started me daydreaming about brewing a beer with weed. My version of ‘Imagine’ I guess. HA!

As of March 2020, 11 states (including my home state of Illinois as the newest state on the roster) and the District of Columbia have laws on the books that allow legalized adult recreational use of marijuana. However, under Federal law it is still an illegal substance and because it is an illegal substance brewing beer with alcohol and THC is not commercially legal anywhere in the United States. This is because federal law supersedes state law.

Due to these legal hurdles, THC infused beer with alcohol can currently be made as home brew projects legally in these states only. Over the years I have tried a few of these attempts offered from some of my home brewing acquaintances. The beers were good but most missed getting the psycho active THC into the brew, what a tragic waste of good weed. This was not their fault, as the science of THC extraction was not available back then. Until the Feds get their act together we’re going to have to tackle this on our own! Hey, that’s what home brewers do...am I wrong?!

So the question some may ask, "Why brew a beer infused with THC?". Well as you probably know (or maybe you don't), marijuana is a cousin to the hop plant. That right there is a great reason to try it...experimental hops! (hell, where do you think the term dank came from?) How about the sheer sport of it? Call me a curious yellow (whew, dating myself here) or in this case a nice shade of marijuana green. Maybe smoking is not your thing; this could be a form of an edible, while slaking your thirst, win-win. Finally, how about the challenge of trying something new and pushing boundaries on brew day?

The first hurdle is securing enough weed. This is based on how much THC infused beer you want to make and I’ll leave that decision up to you. The next question – what style? The first style that comes to mind is an IPA. Double IPA, Hazy, traditional IPA; all would pair well with the aroma and taste of some dank weed. The problem with hoppy beers is that the flavor and aroma of the hops fades fairly quickly so it needs to be drunk fairly fresh. This is ok if you were to make a small batch but 5 gallons would be challenging to drink it all before the freshness diminished, I guess this would not be an issue if we’re still sheltering-in-place (fuck that term irritates me) in the near future. Cooped up at home drunk and stoned, yeah that’s never happened to me. HA HA HA! I have some other style ideas I will float by ya but for now let’s get to the process.

THC is alcohol soluble at a level of 8 percent ABV or higher, so if you want to use a dry hop method stick with a double IPA—the higher the alcohol content, the better the THC extraction. Extraction efficiency is a concern based on the high (pun intended) cost of weed from a legal dispensary. A possibility is if you live in a state like Illinois where a marijuana medical card holder can legally grow up to 5 plants at a time, and you know one of these individuals, to keep costs low you could co-brew a weed beer? I mean it is still illegal to sell weed if you are not a dispensary but you’re helping out a person in need, right?

Cannabis strain selection is the next thing to figure out. Sativa strains for the most part have uplifting and mental focus characteristics, a good match to offset the alcohol in my opinion. Indica strains have the more relaxing & mellow and possibly couch lock effects. There are many sources available that will help you find a cannabis strain that’s right for you. A source I have found helpful is leafly.com 

Now hold on, don’t just go throwing that precious weed into the secondary! There are some things we need to do to get all that THC goodness into our brew. So let’s review these.

Water curing is the process of removing the chlorophyll (grassy flavors) from the green plant material. It also removes the nutrient salts without removing the THC, remember THC and the resin glands are only dissolvable in alcohol or fats. That is why THC stays in our system so long; it binds with the fat cells in our bodies until they are flushed over a period of time.

Decarboxylation is the process of heating or aging cannabis to activate THC, the component of cannabis that produces a “high.” Without this process, the cannabis won’t have any psychoactive property thus you will get only flavor from its use. Sadly, the down fall of my home brewing acquaintances as I stated previously.

Ok now that we have some weed ready for our beer, there are a few ways to get it into the beer.

Dry Hop method is similar to selecting hops for a normal beer recipe. Fruity, bright, melon hops work well for the dry hop method such as Citra. Others that would tend to complement the flavors of dry hopped cannabis are Lemondrop, Motueka, Ekuanot, and Amarillo. Try to avoid dank, catty and grassy types such as Simcoe, CTZ, Crystal, Fuggle.

Try two separate dry-hop doses will help minimize the grassy/weed flavors, just like hops. There are many dry hop to weed formulas along with suggested amounts of weed to use based on your weed’s THC strength and desired buzz level, so I’ll let you do the research on that.

THC tincture Tinctures are made with high percentage alcohol, they usually come in glass bottles with droppers. As a result, the cannabis tincture is one of the best methods of consumption for precise dosing. By using a tincture, you can custom dose each bottle with the precise amount of THC you want.  Maybe the bulk of your bottles are a mild dose so you can share a couple without getting wasted. Then dose a few bottles (or more, it’s up to you) with a higher amount of tincture for those special occasions. You can see how to make a tincture at home by going to THC tincture. Reminder: since tinctures are edibles, the cannabis used must be decarboxylated to ensure all the ingredients are active. This would be my preferred method as I could dose a scotch ale, robust porter or stout all of which have a much longer shelf life than a highly hopped beer.

Follow standard packaging practices with kegging or bottling. Cannabis beer tends to maintain freshness longer (from many months) and the hops/cannabis flavors stay vibrant for much longer even in the bottle. Use good packaging practices and minimize oxygen as usual in your process to get the best results. 

If you decide to make a THC infused beer, drop us a message here at Home Brew Rock Stars and let us know how it went and the results. Hey maybe send us a bottle for us to sample on one of our podcasts. Good brewing to all and PLEASE… Like us, rate us and follow us!

Prost! #drinkitup

Most of us are spending a lot more time at home than we’re used to, and that has unintended implications; Such as too much one on one time with our spouse/significant other. I guess there is something to the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Normally a humorous adage but for people that are quarantined, furloughed, laid off, or sick during these unprecedented times of coronavirus, that's just not humorous.

I am fortunate to be employed with an essential manufacturer so I do get out of the house for a purpose... but damn, the last week has seemed like a month. I truly feel for those that are shut in. If I hear the catch phrase “social distancing” again it will be much too soon. Every time I read or hear it I get extremely agitated. Hell, I’m pissed at myself for typing it! I gotta grab another home brew and relax (thanks Charlie) HA HA HA!

I make sure to unplug and relax as much as I can, we need distractions and to be reminded about what makes our lives worth the time we are here, in this plane of the cosmos. One of my distractions is music and the other? Well beer of course! Or to be more specific craft beer and home brewing craft beer.

Here are some ways beer lovers out there can pass the time:

Support Your Local Breweries and buy beer. Bars, restaurants, and taprooms shut their doors per municipal and state mandates to prevent gatherings. Many are selling gift cards and have adopted selling packaged to-go, anything to keep some semblance of cash coming into the business. Here in my home state of Illinois, for example, officials are temporarily allowing breweries to do just that. Make your neighbors and friends day better; leave a sixer or growler on their porch.

Order beer to your doorstep. Delivery apps such as Drizly, Tavour, and Saucey make it pretty easy to get great beer sent to your house, especially if you live in a large city. Other delivery options can bring you beer along with restaurant food.

I have also heard of people having virtual happy hours via an app called ZOOM. I guess that’s ok but not for me, as in the words of blues artist George Thorogood, “You know when I drink alone, I prefer to be by myself”.

But for me I have been home brewing; and for those of you that have not brewed for a while maybe it’s time to reconnect with your favorite hobby? How many of you have wished for more time to be at home and make beer? Hell yea, let’s do this! Think of all those projects or unusual recipes you’ve been meaning to give a shot. How about setting up that kegerator? Brew your first lager? Barrel-aging?

Historically home brewing tends to pick up during an economic downturn. With our countries fantastic economic success the last three and a half years the AHA has reported home brewing in slight decline. So it’s safe to speculate that home brewing will trend up again as some homebrew shops are seeing at least a small uptick in business. Our local home brew store also sells indoor gardening supplies so he can remain open as an essential business. How’s that possible you ask? Well in Illinois indoor gardening supplies are essential for our cannabis medical card holders as they can legally grow up to 5 plants at a time.

Homebrewing need not be a complicated or expensive hobby. Despite all the cool and helpful gadgets out there, you don’t need much more than a pot, a bucket, and some ingredients to make good beer. You can brew great stuff with extracts in your kitchen. There are a ton of websites and videos out there to help the newbie and experienced brewer hone their craft. Most of the homebrew shops I’ve been in sell kits to get started, and even those lower-priced, simpler kits like Mr. Beer can be adapted to brew more complex beers. I believe Mr. Beer can be purchased at some retailers or at Amazon or click on Mr. Beer to go to their website. Take a look at the article Hot-Rod Your Beer-Making Craft Beer & Brewing Kit by going to hot-rod-your-beer. Speaking of Mr. Beer, listen to our Home Brew Rock Stars podcasts # 63 & 64 with David Benson, he talks about ‘hot rodding’ his Mr. Beer kit.

Hopefully you will find some time to brew and if you do drop us a line and tell us about it, we would love to hear from you!

Prost!#drinkitup

Yo! So how’s everybody doing? COVID-19 continues to change our routines and lifestyles as we are now facing mandatory ‘shutter in place’ and closings. Hopefully everybody has plenty of home brew and brewing supplies to ease their minds. 

If you’re like us, you’re most likely filled up on coronavirus news reports and getting all streamed out on television, so why not change it up; pour a home brew, settle in and listen to Home Brew Rock Stars as we try to get through.

In Part 2 of “Jazzin’ Up with Mr. Beer” we continue with David Benson talking about home brewing, Mr. Beer & other non-traditional types of brewing and his Jazz music recordings.

David, Brent, Kent and Mike taste and review a home-brewed Tank #7 (Boulevard Brewing) clone brewed by David. A 7.7% farmhouse ale brewed in David’s Pico brew system. We also sampled an Imperial Rye Cream ale David made weighing in at a hefty 9% ABV (it's bigly!) - great back story here! Our sponsor Pig Minds Brewing provided us with a peaty & smoky Wee Heavy they call Smokeness Monster. This 8.1% ABV beer was just what the doctor ordered. Warning...with these big beers we’re drinking the podcast gets a bit slurry, but don't worry, it's all about having fun!

Big thanks to Bryan, Shane and Dustin at Pig Minds Brewing we are thinking of you during this trying time for the restaurant/bar business. Shout out to Anthony and Aaron at Artale & Co, for all their suds and support, we love you guys and keep the alcohol sales going to help us all get through! Now is a great time to start indoor gardening with the extra time, stop in and see Bob at 815 Gardens and Brewing for your supplies and brewing needs. Please think about these businesses first when you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line; seeking a hard to find commercial craft beer  or wine and spirits to take home or as a gift. And when you are ready to brew up one of your favorite homebrew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project.

Feedspot was recently nice enough to rank Home Brew Rock Stars as a Top 10 HomeBrewing Podcasts - kudos to them...they are some really smart people ;) And as always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US! Really... we do listen to you and WANT to hear from you.

Prost! #drinkitup

Dia Duit, (PRONOUNCED - dee-ah gwit) and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Welcome back to HomeBrew Rockstars. A fitting greeting as it is Irish meaning "God to you". We Hope you are enjoying your St. Patricks Day.

Since our last few episodes a lot has changed in our world, as COVID-19 seems to be in all the news and on our minds. “Social distancing” has become a catch phrase along with hoarding of disinfectants, hand sanitizers, masks and… toilet paper? What the hell is everybody going to do with all the toilet paper? Come on people, really? I’m more worried about having enough home brew!

Since there are no sports to watch it’s time to just “relax and have a home brew” (thanks Charlie); so crack open a good one, start up a new brew, or just settle in and listen to Home Brew Rock Stars.

In Part 1 we call “Jazzin’ Up with Mr. Beer” we invited David Benson to the Bat Cave studio to talk about home brewing, Mr. Beer & other non-traditional types of brewing. David is also a jazz musician and we play some of his music as we visit and drink beer. Man, I like my job!

David, Brent, Kent and Mike taste and review a home-brewed Saison Blanc made by David. We also tried a cider David fermented from store bought (no preservatives) apple, peach and mango juice. Our sponsor Pig Minds Brewing provided us with a tasty Belgian Strong Ale aptly named Drunken Rook. Full bodied with hints of plum and fig make this 9.3% ABV beer a real treat that loosens the tongue and forget about Corona...let alone any virus, Hah! 

Be watching for Part 2 of our chat with David and his eccentric world following this episode.

Big thanks to Brian, Shane and Dustin at Pig Minds Brewing, Anthony and Aaron at Artale & Co, for all their suds and support, we love you guys! Also to Bob at 815 Gardens and Brewing for "supplying" us. Please think about these businesses first when you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line; seeking a hard to find commercial craft beer or wine and spirits to take home or as a gift. And when you are ready to brew up one of your favorite home brew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project.

As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US! Really we do listen to you and WANT to hear from you.

Prost! #drinkitup

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How hops it? Welcome back to HomeBrew Rockstars!

All home brewers, no matter what level we are at were once newbies to home brewing. At first it seemed daunting to just get a finished drinkable product, but the more we brew the more comfortable we become. We gain new brewing knowledge and tricks with each brew session along with discussing with other home brewers. Some lessons we derive from our mistakes, those setbacks are usually remembered the best!

In this podcast we call the Newness - Part 2, we continue with our guest Pete Domino to talk about ‘newness’ of home brewing, relocating back to the Midwest (right next door to Sears, the poor bastards!)

Pete, Brent, Kent and Mike taste and review a home-brewed Brown Ale made by Pete and his brewing partner in crime, Jason Sears, that they brewed for the Forest City Brewers February club competition. This was a cool event where 19 brewers received identical brew kits consisting of set grains, hops and yeast to then they let their own ‘brew flags’ fly and make theist brown ale to BJCP style guidelines. We also sipped on a cider that Mike fermented and brought in, which was very nice, sweet and dry the way most like their hard ciders.

Our sponsor Pig Minds Brewing, provided us with a very nice New England DIPA named Kloude (pronounced Cloudy) This is a tasty NEDIPA with strong notes of pineapple, mango and grapefruit. With a sneaky ABV of 8.1% it will make you feel like you’re on cloud 9! Well done gents.

If you’re looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line, then try Pig Minds Brewing. Seeking a hard to find commercial craft beer, wine or spirits to take home or as a gift, stop in to Artale & Co, Anthony and Aaron have plenty of great ideas. And when you are ready to brew up one of your favorite home brew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help.

Big thanks to our program sponsors - we love you guys! Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya….and as always, we appreciate our listeners and encourage you to Like us, Follow us and RATE US!

Prost! #drinkitup

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Greetings and welcome back to Home Brew Rock Stars! We come out of a short hiatus while Sears took a long overdue trip to the Yucatan Peninsula for some much-needed R&R. Plenty of sun, sand, ocean and of course beer. Doesn’t get much better than that while the snow and cold assaulted our home turf. Now that we’re all back in the Midwest and Sears has had an attitude adjustment (the jury is still out), we have a new episode of Home Brew Rock Stars. Be sure to listen in as we are in the process of tweaking our format and focusing more on home brewing based on what you listeners have been telling us. Really we do listen to you and WANT to hear from you.

Some exciting podcast news was published recently. On February 19^th Feedspot included Home Brew Rock Stars into their top 10 list as A Top Home Brewing podcast! Go here to see who we stack up against  As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US!

In this podcast (part 1 fo 2) we invite Pete Domino to the Bat Cave studio to talk bout the “Newness” of home brewing. Although Pete has been only been brewing for about a year, he already has dozens of brew sessions under his belt. He has also had the pleasure of relocating from sunny Charleston SC to the snowy, cold Midwest which we will touch on in part 2. The guys talk briefly about a new trend in the brew world, Nitro Coffee. If you have not tried Nitro Coffee, you may want to give this tasty version a shot.

Pete and the guys taste and review a home-brewed hoppy hefeweizen made by Pete. We also sip on Sears’ home-brewed cider, and imbibe with a glass of Sir Pigglesworth ESB, a 4.7% English style pub ale that is highly sessional, boasting strong malt flavors of toasted shortbread from our sponsor Pig Minds Brewing.

Be listening for Part 2 with our continued chat with Pete, posting soon.

Big thanks to Pig Minds Brewing, Artale & Co, for all their suds and support, we love you guys! Speaking of sponsors we have added 815 Gardens and Brewing to our list of local businesses  supporting us. Please think about these businesses first when you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line; seeking a hard to find commercial craft beer  or wine and spirits to take home or as a gift. And when you are ready to brew up one of your favorite home brew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project.

Prost! #drinkitup

Now that xmas gifts are opened and you're staring at that new brewing gear and gadgets to check out, it's time to brew some home brew for 2020! This episode we're joined again by Bob "my bud" Marske to explore the "State of Home Brew" in America, where we've been and where we're going as brewers of our own beers. Have you hit a lull? Has the excitement of a full boil lost its luster? Or are you entrenched in a brewing project nearly every weekend? No matter your brewing status, always try to remember that an active engagement with brewing is the best way to really understand and appreciate beer. The waiting is the hardest part (said Mr. Petty-RIP).

The cast also reviews (and tastes) some awesome holiday craft beer that you'll wanna put in your fridge for the "playoffs"! What's that? Ah - Playoffs? Don't talk about - playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game! ...well a spicy xmas beer sounds like a good game plan! Tasters in this show include Anchor Christmas Ale, Deschutes Jubelale Winter Ale, Metropolitan Arc Welder Dunkel Rye, North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, and we couldn't help but chew on a little more of Brent's home brew Whiskey Stout...and a silent night calmly follows.

Big thanks to Pig Minds Brewing, Artale & Co, 815 Gardens and Brewing #gotyeast, for all their suds and support of our fun hobbies in 2019. And may your 2020 be fun and focused on brewing your best beers ever! #drinkitup

There is no handbook to opening a brew supply store; no guides, no advice to seek out or business plans already generated. Welcome to an episode discussing How to Start Up a Home Brew Supply Shop with our guest BOB “my bud” Marske from 815 Gardens and Brewing. We get into the ins and outs, peaks and valleys, and rabbit holes of putting together a home brewing supply offering, including determining your demographics, suppliers, influences and clientele. It's all about word-of-mouth to get it going and find out what your customers really want, like tapping into the local home brew club, holding tastings and brew days and networking the community!

Tis the season for Christmas Beers as we review a nice current and accessible list from 52brews.com thatincludes a wide variety of spiced up winter and dark treats for your holiday celebration. We also do some tastings from Pig Minds Brewing "The Jude Abides" Milk Shake IPA (Yum), Begyle Brewing Imperial Pajamas Stout barrel-aged with coffee (dreaminess!), Struise Pannepeut (Belgium) Old Monk Ale (2011) and Brent's home brew beauty Whiskey Stout (a night cap utopia for all your bourbon freaks).

We'd be reminisced to adjourn without thanking our gracious sponsors for all of their support this year and want to remind you to check out both Pig Minds Brewing and Artale & Co. for all of holiday drinking needs. They have a plethora of new and exclusive holiday beers, wines and spirits to brighten up your holiday celebration...#drinkitup

We welcome back guest Ron Derry Jr., a.k.a. "Legenderry", to discuss extreme beer collecting. Ron is an avid collector, especially Barleywines and Barrel-aged by products. The Home Brew Rock Stars crew review a beer event bucket list in the US and abroad, and they dig in for an interesting, if not humorous discussion on how, when where and why beer collecting is such a big thing. Bucket list events include Russian River Intinction Sauvignon Blanc, Schönramer Pils, New Anthem Songs Unsung and Steez, Modern Times Barrel-Aged Stouts and Great Taste of the Midwest.

We also do some beer tastings:

• Revolution Strawberry Straight Jacket - Barrel-Aged Barleywine
• 2nd Shift Liquid Spiritual Delight - Imperial Stout
• Brasserie de Rockefort Trappistes Rochefort 10 - Belgium Quad 
• Pig Minds Brewing Fall for Revenge- Winter Amber with Aged on Sour Cherries
• Fresh Hop Home Brew (Brente) California Lager -  features 33 ounces of Cascade and Chinook hops fresh off the bine that were added to just 5 gallons (Chinook in the mash)...yummy good!

#drinkitup

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Home Brew Rock Stars welcomes guest and fellow homebrewer, Ron Derry Jr., as this 'tis the season moment calls for a discussion on honey and its value to the many uses in beer and mead. Mr. "Legenderry" offers his experience with both brewing with honey, and seeking out some of the best honey-brewed beer and mead in the United States.

One other interesting fact and coincidence is that beta acids found in hop cones kill mites, a major pest for honeybees. Some other honey history and factoids:

• The use of honey in something akin to beer could go back 9,000 years
• The U.S. alone produces more than 300 types of honey
• The Honey Board estimates there are between 115,000 and 125,000 beekeepers in the United States, most of them hobbyists with fewer than 25 hives. (c.2017)
• American brewers used 25.4 million pounds of American honey in 2015

Beer tastings include a couple of sweet "Legenderry" meads, Pig Minds-Good Ole Rye, Revolution-Honey Jacket, Hatch Distillery-Limoncello and Collective Arts-Audio/Visual Lager...speaking of...

Our sponsors at Pig Minds Brewing and  Artale & Co. have also announced upcoming tastings for the fall season, including that Pig Minds is hosting the Black Wednesday barrel aged release party November 27th, BA Royal Bitch and BA Joe Daddy with a couple variants. And on November 22nd, Artale is teaming up with Culture Shock and Collective Arts Brewing for an evening of vinyl and beer. There’s a beer tasting featuring Collective Arts’ brand new Audio/Visual Lager. Joey Morris of Collective Arts will sample other selections from Collective Arts’ portfolio in addition to Audio/Visual and also spin some featured vinyl during the event.

#drinkitup

Trick or Treat? That's what we're finding out in this show about Fall Beers, what to drink, brew, why and when. The dead rock stars of recent memory (Rick Ocasek, Eddie Money, Robert Hunter...) lead us into the temptation of Halloween 2019, and a fun revision of The Official Halloween Night Handing-out-Candy Drinking Game (revised for beer drinkers from the original from SheKnows). For example, kids that complain about candy selection...drink a "sour"!

Remember our home-brewing commercial pilot pal, Jeremy Krieger, from episode 55? He rejoins Mike, Kent and Brent for an appropriate discussion of Fall Beers of 2019 and they talk about their favorite beers to brew, and/or have brewed, during the fall season. Featuring a tasty one-year aged Brown Sugar Porter (clocking in at 8%) and wood aged with whiskey soaked staves from Bardstown Bourbon "makers" that set the "mark"...tasty shit!

We also drink some commercial beers, including:

• Pig Minds  - Oktoberfest
• 3 Floyds - Zombie Dust
• Burnt City - Two Headed Boy
• Goose Island - Bourbon County Stout 2014

Our sponsors at Artale & Co. have also announced upcoming tastings for the fall season, as well as Pig Minds will soon be releasing Fall for Revenge and Joe Daddy! #drinkitup

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This podcast episode features a commercial pilot that homebrews, Mr. Jeremy Kreiger. We explore the history of beer flights (who's got the good ones around the world), flying with beer (how to pack it in your luggage) and talk to Jeremy about being a pilot and a home brewer...how traveling influences that hobby and where to find cool beers and breweries. Jeremy tells all about some of the best destinations to go drink beer, order beer flights and eat chicken sandwiches.

We also drink beer (of course) featuring beer from our great sponsors and Jeremy's personal stash of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, including:

• Pig Minds - Down with the 815 (Hazy IPA)
• Goose Island - Bourbon County Stout (2013)
• Prairie Kraft Brewing - Paper Wings (NEIPA)
• Lanikai Brewing (Hawaii) - Pillbox Porter

Our sponsors at Artale & Co. have also announced upcoming tastings for the fall season, as well as Pig Minds will soon be releasing Fall for Revenge and Joe Daddy! #drinkitup

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It's was another year at the Screw City Beer Fest in Rockford, IL with the Forest City Brewers serving home brew. This year the home brewing club served up a whopping 30+ home brews (see list below). Home Brew Rock Stars created a home brew lounge, complete with a couch pit, mustache rides ("stache your glass") and 18 interviews with some of the home brewers that served their beer.

We were hoping to get all the home brewers on the mic, but we ran out of time (and we may have gotten a little drunk, in mostly a good way), so apologies to those we missed - we'll look forward to featuring some of those that didn't make it on this podcast in future shows. Regardless, all the the home brewers brought their best as you con see in this list of yummy treats below...#drinkitup

Beer Festivals are rampant in the US and we preview one of the hottest tickets in the Midwest, Screw City Beer Fest 2019, which sells out each year in under an hour. Co-founder Aaron Sleger fills us in on what's new for their 9th annual festival, with a fun look back on the early days of this in-demand beer tasting event and a bit of forecasting for the 10 year anniversary coming in 2020.

While Screw City won't change too much from 2018, last year's move to the new location along the Rock River in Rockford, IL was a popular move for the festival and will again be the site for some 50+ breweries from the biggest craft brewers and up-and-comers in the Chicago and surrounding region, with several other nationally known brands. The  beer line-up at post time included more than 270 styles, including an unprecedented 30 home brews that will be on tap (about 150 gallons) from the Forest City Brewers Home Brew Club - that's not a misprint!

We also do some beer tastings from some of the breweries that will be at the festival this year, including:

Madagaskar (Imperial Stout w/coconut and cacao) - 4 Hands Brewing

Beady Eyes (Blood Orange and Hibiscus Pale Ale) - Marz/Collective Arts/Donut Monster Collaboration

Lieu Et Heure (Saison) - White Rooster Farmhouse Brewing

Raspberry Turtar (Fruit Beer) - Hairy Cow Brewing

Clockwork (Blood Orange Pale Ale) - Pig Minds Brewing

Stay tuned for our next podcast at the Screw City Beer Fest where we'll be broadcasting at the Home Brew Rock Star Lounge, interviewing home brewers, craft brewers, the hosts, and we'll be doing the popular mustache rides again this year!

Go to your favorite podcast streaming services right now and give us a big rating! #drinkitup

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Welcome to HomeBrewRockStars episode #52 and where we’re talking Beer Brewed in CHI-Town, good ole Chicago, the windy city on the big lake, and one of, if not the most booming major craft brewing metropolitans in the world, definitely in the US. Chicago now ranks #1 in the country for craft breweries and it's not slowing down anytime soon. The crew, along with our Chicago beer expert, Mr. Aaron Sleger of Artele & Co. dive into what's under construction and what's trending big in the Midwest's capital city.

We also do some beer tastings, of course, from a few Chicago area breweries such as Hubbard's Cave, Fresh One Hop (Mosaic) IPA, Pollyanna Pils (German Style Pilsner), Buffalo Creek Brewing's Xerxes Chocolate Bacon Stout and MARZ Chela Negra, a black Mexican lager with awesome black on black artwork (see pic below).

We also listen to some samples of music from Larry Carlton/Robben Ford, Live in Tokyo, featuring jazz, blues, rock, and funk from two of the most prolific session guitarists in history. The two have played with a who's who list of celebrity musicians, bands and other projects.

Special thanks to Pig Minds Brewing and Artele & Co. for their extreme support. Stay tuned for a special "Prefest review" of the upcoming 2019 Screw City Beer Festival where the HomeBrewrockStars will be featuring the Home Brew Lounge, hundreds of free moustaches and interviews from the festival brewers. Rock On! and #drinkitup

As we often do on this podcast, this episode explores the connection of music and beer, the great songs about beer, beer names inspired by thee music world, and we do our best to pair summer music tours with beer styles. Our beer tastings are personal picks of craft beer names that would make a great name for a band, including Pig Minds Brewing's "Southy Bitch Slap", Crystal Lake Brewing's "Too Much Cologne" Founders Brewing's "Green Zebra", and a fabulous Pipeworks/Amager Collaboration called "Electric Rattlesnake"...all taste as great as they sound;)

10 Music-Inspired Beers (c/o Anita George–PASTE)

North Coast Brewing - Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale 9.3% - Inspired by the legendary jazz pianist, the brewer donated a portion of the proceeds to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. Known to be sweet with a spicy kick, raisins, bananas and apples are among some of its tasting notes.

21st Amendment Brewery’s Back in Black IPA  6.8% - Actually inspired by Paul Revere and his historic midnight ride. But AC/DC is emblazoned on their label, hence named “Back in Black” after the band’s hit song in 1980, and Brewed with Centennial and Columbus flavor hops and four different malts.

Heavy Seas - Smoke on the Water Porter  8.0% - Inspired by Deep Purple’s 1973 hit actually features a partial printing of the song’s sheet music on its label, Heavy Seas’ Smoke on the Water Porter is mostly known for its chocolate, soy sauce and mildly smoky tasting notes from its smoked malts.

Suntory Liquors - Stones Bar Rolling Hop  4% - As part of a series of Rolling Stones-inspired alcoholic products, this beer was released in Japan in June. Flashing the famous “Lips & Tongue” icon monogrammed on the front, the beer has a citrus aroma with a clean yet bubbly finish.

Purple Moose Brewery - Dark Side of the Moose 4.6% - One of the greatest albums of all time slyly names this Pink Floyd-inspired dark ale from Welsh-brewer Purple Moose Brewery did not disappoint. Its won 25 International Beer awards - Brewed with roasted barley and Bramling Cross hops.

Abita Brewery’s Purple Haze  4.2% - The lager is a nod to the brewery’s post-filtration use of berries in the brewing, the beer’s slight purple color and haze, and the 1967 song by Jimi Hendrix of the same name. Brewed with raspberries, Vanguard hops and pilsner and wheat malts.

Terrapin Brewery’s So Fresh and So Green, Green Ale 6.6% - The Athens, Ga.-based brewery’s ode Atlanta rap duo Outkast, So Fresh and So Green, Green is a reference to Outkast’s 2001 song “So Fresh, So Clean.” The use of fresh, green “wet hops” in the brewing of this ale is different every year.

Cambridge Brewing Company - Sgt. Pepper Farmhouse Ale. 6.0% - This beer is both a reference to the brewer’s use of peppercorns in the brewing of Sgt. Pepper and the iconic 1967 Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The beer includes four different kinds of peppercorns with Magnum and Spalter hops and three kinds of malts.

Iron Maiden and Robinsons Brewery - The Trooper  4.7% - Named after Iron Maiden’s 1983 single “The Trooper”, this collaboration beer is brewed with Cascade, Bobec, and Goldings hops, is known to feature citrus tasting notes

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Faithfull Ale  - The Delaware brewery has released a whole music series, paying tribute to the likes of Miles Davis, The Grateful Dead, Deltron 3030, Robert Johnson and, this Belgian-style golden ale brewed with black currants called Faithfull to salute Pearl Jam’s 20-year success.

if you like UFO’s, Astronauts, Space Travel, Black Holes and beer, the theme for our 50th episode is music and beer in space as the US celebrates the 50th anniversary of the day a we put a man on the moon. We drink from a list of space themed beers, chat remote with "unsilent" Jay" and listen to samples from the new album from Name the Moon called Space Force. That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

MIXTAPES: We talk about a record producer named Mickey Kapp, who after forging a somewhat improbable connection with several Mercury 7 astronauts, went on to provide later space explorers with customized mixtapes to listen to during their historic flights thanks to José Jiménez, a fictional comic character with a thick south-of-the-border accent who was created by the comedian Bill Dana. Mickey died at 88 on June 11 at his home in Carmel, Calif.

SPACE DRINKIN?: Two of its astronauts had flown three sheets to the ozone in 2007, NASA formally banned crews from imbibing in orbit. It’s equally sobering to note that carbonated beverages are outlawed on the International Space Station. Gas bubbles in a carbonated drink don’t act the same as on gravity-rich Earth. Instead of floating to the top, the bubbles lie there, evenly distributed in the liquid. To rework the lyrics of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” the head on a brewski poured from a tin can far above the world would float in a most peculiar way.

SPACE BEER: 2014, Ninkasi Brewing Company, an independent craft brewery based in Eugene, Oregon, set its sights on a beer launch like no other and in July 2014, the Ninkasi Space Program (NSP) took flight. The mission: send brewer’s yeast to space and return it to Earth to brew a deliciously out-of-this-world beer. Ninkasi Brewing released the first edition of Ground Control April 2015.

BEER TASTINGS: 

• Pig Minds - Always the Hardway IPA
• Boulevard - Space Camper Cosmic IPA
• New Glarus - Moon Man
• Half Acre- Beer Hates Astronauts
• Toppling Goliath - Twisted Galaxy

 #drinkitup #manonthemoon #namethemoon

#apollo11

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It's been almost 50 years since we put a man on the moon, and it's almost time for our 50th episode on Home Brew Rock Stars ... hmmm, I wonder what that will be about?!

To celebrate, we thought an episode with some of our favorite moments from the first 48 episodes seemed appropriate. There have been so many that we'll probably do another favorite moments again, but the clips in episode 49 were a lot of fun.

To start, we share a clip from one of our first "Real or Fake" segments with guest Eric Johnson. Then we explore the meaning of "Grundrel" with Zak Rotello and some tunes from Miles Nielsen and the rusted Hearts. Then we revisit our "holiday hangover' episode with some silly stories, followed by a couple of memorable segments with resident home brew/mead maker/tie-dye artist, Mike Bohn.

About the halfway point we replay a hilarious Real or Fake band names segment with guests Brian Mastrangeli and Cory Wicklund from TUNDRAS ... which was no doubt one of the funnest shows we ever recoroded! And speaking of rock stars, the next clip reviews some a deep psychoblab moments with our on site interview with Carson Suoza, now former head brewer at Pig Minds Brewing ... you'll crack up, for sure.

We wrap with a short clip at Kent's during a brewers guild that explored some New Zealand hops, then some clips from our palate fatigue chat with guest Jim Goecks head brewer and found of Off Kilter Brewing. And we wrap this favorite moments with some clips from our tribute to Mr. Charlie Papazian, the grandfather of home brewing.

A bottle rocket for your thoughts?! For our 48th episode as we approach another 4th of July, the crew discusses why 'Merica likes their freedom, and their beer. We dip our toes into some facts about the 4th of July, how our forefathers started our celebration of independence (of who many were home brewers themselves), feature and taste a few beers for Independence Day and continue our 'Merica theme with some new music and do a fun quiz game called Patriot Beer God (how red, white and blue is you're beer intellect?).

Did you know congress didn't actually vote for independence on July 4, and the Fourth of July didn't become an official holiday until over a century after America declared its independence? Listen . close and you'll find out a lot of fun facts about how and why we celebrate our freedom. Plus, we'll do a few beer tastings like Yankee USA IPA from Wisconsin Brewing Co, Revolution's Freedom of Speach, Buckledown's Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts Lager and Liberty IPA from Anchor Brewing (which we also share a clone recipe for all you patriotic home brewers).

Speaking of Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts, we listen to samples from their latest effort called "In the Meantime", a sassy 'mericana digital 4-song EP, with song titles of Start it Up, Gangrene, Revolution Day and High Street, and just $4.00 to own it. A full length album called OhBAHOY will be out after in the Fall 2019.

Make sure to revisit later in July for our 50th episode, sure to take you back in time to the beer world of 1969. #drinkitup

It's officially summer when the BBQ grills get used (and abused) and the beers go down quick in the heat of the moment. The team tackles some grilling tips on how to make the summer cookout a little better (and safer), plus some tips on the best craft beers to sip on when your grilling up some chow. And we review a story of a homebrewer that connects his beers with Net Neutrality (from Andrea Wyrich at DailyDot)

We also do some tasting of a few summer craft beers that tend to go down well when you're flipping your meat and veggies over the hot coals (...watch it!). For example, those burgers and brats will taste even better with a Southy Bitch Slap Red Ale from Pig Minds Brewing, or just as soothing would be the the Berliner Weisse from New Glarus. We also taste a sumptuous summer raspberry ale called Summerly from Pollyanna. And of course when possible, top the experience off with a homebrew - for this we had the pleasure of trying Jason Sears' Smash IPA, a smooth easy drinker and well done for a rookie brewer, we might add. SEE Session IPA recipe below.

We also sample some tunes from Nashville (by way of Spokane) bluesy rock band, Too Slim and the Taildrggers, including a couple of sound clips from their newest offering called High Desert Heat. This music is sure sure to help all those grilled treats you're preparing this summer to "slide" down easy!

Here's the Session IPA recipe we discussed:

• Malt: 5lb of Maris Otter, 1lb of Vienna, 1lb of Munich
  1lb of Crystal 20, .5lb of flaked oats
• Hops: 1oz of Simcoe at the top of the boil () and 1oz at 5 min, then at flame out/whirlpool, 4oz Simcoe and 2oz Amarllo - no dry hop!
• Yeast - London Ale III (Wyeast 1318) 
• Mash, lauter, sparge, and boil, wait to add your Amarillo in the whirlpool after the temperature has dropped below 180F (82C), and let them steep for a solid 15 minutes to really boost the hops aromatics. Chill, and ferment at 68F (20C). 
• 1.044 /35 IBUs / 4.3% ABV