Home Brew Rock Stars Podcast

“Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck” – George Carlin

Hello everybody! Welcome to episode 74 this is part 2 of 2 ‘Beer questions and a hangover’. Things get a bit boozier in this episode as the guys seem to be having a very good time. Believe me they did! The discussion swerves all over the road talking about round numbers, late season winter weather, speed limits and bugs in your grain. See if you can follow along, we dare ya. It may help to be intoxicated too, ha ha!

The guys pulled more questions from our ‘listeners’ and gave their responses. Some questions are funny others have philosophical roots but the answers were totally spontaneous.

Let’s keep the pressure on those who are supposedly ‘in charge’ and ‘the experts’ to stop the madness and worshipping at the altar of the mask and open our cities, counties and states to freedom once more! In case you forgot America is a free country.

The guys sampled Sears' Irish Red home brew; A smooth and malty beer with a 5% ABV. Kent brought an Amber Ale, a very good example of the style and very similar to a Fat Tire with an ABV of 5.6%, nice job gents!

The crew sampled a very interesting beer from Cheese Head Brewing of Beloit WI. It is a 6.8 ABV mango habanero IPA conveniently named Pick-A-Pepper Mango Habanero IPA. The mango complimented the habanero flavor with a touch of heat and crisp fruity hop bitterness. Well done, can we have another? They also sampled a stout Brent brought in from O’Fallon Brewery located in Maryland Heights MO a suburb of St. Louis MO. This beer is named Dad’s Oatmeal Cookie Stout; this 5.9% ABV stout is reminiscent of an oatmeal cookie in a glass. Cheers.

And by the way if you want to have the guys sample your beer on the show give us a shout either via e-mail, our web site or Facebook. We would love the opportunity and get ya to call in and share with us, we promise we will be nice.

We would be remiss if we did not mention our sponsors. Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition that opened just recently, looks awesome guys! Brent’s band Mana Kintorso is booked to play at Pig Minds in early June. The band has been writing a lot of new material while they been off the live circuit. Grab your partner and friends and Go check em out!!

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. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens, Bob will be happy to help.Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya. ;)

As always, we appreciate if you please be sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

Prost! #drinkitup

“Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.” – Alan Dundes

Hello everybody! Welcome to episode 73 (can’t believe we have not been ‘cancelled’ yet) this is part 1 of 2 we call ‘Beer questions and a hangover’. The guys pulled questions from our ‘listeners’ and gave their responses. Some questions are funny others have philosophical roots but the answers were totally spontaneous. By the way some of you have some interesting names, just listen you will get what we mean.

How about a big shout to the states that are opening up or have never shut down. By “Opening up” is to those places that are letting their citizens decide how they want to live their day to day lives with no more restrictions.

The guys sampled a home brew that Kent brought, it was a nice White IPA. As well as Kent can remember it has 50% wheat and was fermented with the Omega Chico yeast. We also tried an excellent beer from Rock County Brewing (big hello to our friend John Rocco) called Car Bomb Stout a 5.5% ABV flavor bomb. Great job!

And by the way if you want to have the guys sample your beer on the show give us a shout either via e-mail, our web site or Facebook. We would love the opportunity and get ya to call in and share with us, we promise we will be nice.

A big hello to our sponsors who we are glad to see are still hanging tough in these trying times of ever changing ‘rules’. Keep up the good work! If you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition that opened just recently, looks awesome guys! 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. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens, Bob will be happy to help.Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

Prost! #drinkitup

“Malt is the soul of a beer, hops are the personality and yeast is the heart” - Unknown

Welcome! This is HomeBrew RockStars Episode 72 which is part 2 of our conversation with Omega Yeast.

In this episode we continue with Lance Shaner of Omega Yeast and his path to opening Omega Yeast. Lance is the co-owner of Omega Yeast headquartered in Chicago, IL. Lance, as we found out throughout our interview is a funny guy and we enjoyed talking with him. We endorse and encourage you to try some of the great strains propagated by Omega Yeast.

Before we get to Lance we would like to take a few minutes to remind everyone why we call our podcast ‘Home Brew Rockstars’. Home brewers are remarkably like young musicians aspiring to become rock stars, honing their craft in garages and basements until eventually some emerge as rock stars. It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock ‘n’ roll or brew. Prost to all of you and for those about to rock/brew WE SALUTE YOU!!

The guys sampled some commercial beers that have been fermented with Omega Yeast.

A big hello to our sponsors who we are glad to see are still hanging tough in these trying times. Keep up the good work! If you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition that opened just recently, looks awesome guys! 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. When you are ready to brew up one of your favorite homebrew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens, Bob will be happy to help. Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

Brent, Kent, Lance and Sears talk about what they have been listening to lately.

As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

Prost! #drinkitup

“They say there is more to life than beer. Who is ‘they’ and why the hell would I trust them??” - Unknown

“Welcome back, to that same old place that you laughed about” (remember the Wecome Back Kotter theme song?)This is HomeBrew RockStars Episode 71 which is part 1 of 2 with Omega Yeast.

In this episode we visit with Lance Shaner of Omega Yeast about his roots as a homebrewer. Lance is the co-owner of Omega Yeast headquartered in Chicago, IL. Chicago is a fitting location for a yeast propagation company based on the explosion of craft breweries recently in the metropolitan Chicago area. Is Omega’s presence a contributing factor to this growth or a coincidence? We’ll let you decide.

The guys sampled a home brew provided by one of the Forest City Brewers members, Cory Kuczynski which is coincidentally a sour fermented with the OLY-211 strain from Omega. We damn near spit out our beer in laughter listening to Cory tell this hilarious story of how this beer was forgotten, started, forgotten, then forgotten again! After all of that it turned out to be a damn fine beer, Prost Cory! And by the way if you want to have the guys sample your beer on the show like we did with Cory’s give us a shout either via e-mail, our web site or Facebook. We would love the opportunity and get ya to call in and share with us, we promise we will be nice.

The guys also sampled some commercial beers that have been fermented with Omega Yeast!

A big hello to our sponsors who we are glad to see are still hanging tough in these trying times of ever changing ‘rules’. Keep up the good work! If you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition that opened just recently, looks awesome guys! 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. When you are ready to start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens, Bob will be happy to help.Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

Prost! #drinkitup

“Give a man a beer, waste an hour. Teach a man to brew and waste a lifetime!” – Bill Owen

Welcome and glad to have you back! This is HomeBrew RockStars Episode 70 part 2 - “Bring it on home-brewer” (Cue up the Led Zeppelin).

In this episode we continue our conversation with Jon Lambert. Jon is the head brewer at Hairy Cow located in the town in Byron IL overlooking the scenic Rock River in Ogle Co. Hairy Cow just celebrated their 2^nd anniversary! We discuss Jon’s home brewing roots and his journey to going pro and how much he misses home brewing. The guys share what they have been listening to lately during brew sessions.

The guys brought some of the home brews to sip on they talked about in Episode 69. Brent’s dark hoppy ale he calls “Phunky Cold Medusa” is a tasty IPA featuring Medusa hops and a bold 7.2% ABV (all-grain). Kent brought his IPA (brewed on his Brewzilla system) which features some tasty Mandarina Bavaria hops, this has a respectable 6.5% ABV. Mike weighs in with his Christmas ale based on the Boston Beer Co’s Old Fezziwig featuring ginger, sweet orange peel, cinnamon & honey with an ABV of 5.7% (Grainfather). Good beers gents! And by the way if you want to have the guys sample your beer on the show give us a shout either via e-mail, our web site or Facebook. We would love the opportunity and get ya to call in and share with us, we promise we will be nice.

We would be remiss if we did not mention our sponsors who we are glad to see are still hanging tough in these trying times. Keep up the good work! If you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition that opened just recently, looks awesome guys! 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. When you are ready to brew up one of your favorite homebrew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help. And don't forget to swing byUrban Forestfor some of the most creative craft beers anywhere!

Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

Prost! #drinkitup

“You can't share your magic with everyone. Your job is to live within your magic. And if other magical people find you, then let’s go and make a brew”. - Brian Tyree Henry

Happy New Year and Welcome back to HomeBrew RockStars Episode 69 part 1 - “Brewin till the cows come home”. It’s been a bit since our last show but we are all fired up for the 2021 year!

The guys Brent, Kent & Mike discuss what they currently have on tap & on deck on the home front and in the Bat Cave, sounds like they have been busy! Sears also wonders if he has truly damaged his Hippocampus region…

In this episode we chat with member on hiatus of the Forest City Brewers and now pro brewer Jon Lambert. Jon is the head brewer at Hairy Cow located in the town in Byron IL overlooking the scenic Rock River in Ogle Co. Hairy Cow just celebrated their 2^nd anniversary! We discuss Jon and Hairy Cow’s journey through the hills and valleys of opening a brewpub/restaurant in a small community, their business plan adjustments along the way and Jon’s relationship with friend and business partners Todd McLester and Jim Orlando. Jon also touches on the local pro brewing community, local hops, Chicago area yeast producers Omega and distilleries that have their spirits proudly featured at the Hairy Cow full bar. The Hairy Cow is worth the drive down scenic route 2!

Jon brought a couple of beers to enjoy during our visit. The first is Dos Dookies (fun name!) a milk stout with an ABV of 6.4% and IBU of 25. It is a rich and full-bodied beer with strong chocolate and hints of roast. A perfect beer for the cold mid-western nights, “Life is brewtiful”. The second beer we sampled is Hairy Cow’s anniversary beer aptly named Artdus II, a winter lager with an ABV of 7.2% and 30 IBU. A very drinkable spiced Christmas lager brewed with ginger, orange peel, cinnamon, and local Miz Bee Haven honey. This brew will guarantee to make the Christmas season last a bit longer!

A big Happy New Year to our sponsors who we are glad to see are still hanging tough in these trying times. Keep up the good work gents! If you are looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition that opened just recently, looks awesome guys! 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. When you are ready to brew up one of your favorite homebrew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help. And don't forget to swing byUrban Forestfor some of the most creative craft beers anywhere!

Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

Prost! #drinkitup

“My playground is full of moonshine, mason jars, beer bottles, and bonfires”- Big Smo

Welcome back to HomeBrew RockStars Episode 68 “Be Still- Shinin’& Brewin”

So here we are STILL in the thick of a “pandemic” with more threats of lockdowns, masks and God knows what else; so to help us keep our sanity amongst this madness we are moving to some stronger drink, good ol’ moonshine. The song by George Thorogood titled ‘I drink alone’ is more true than ever these days, Ha Ha!

In this episode we chat with our home brew club’s Forest City Brewers new President Ron ‘Legend’ Derry about the upcoming challenges for home brew clubs n 2021. We then head to the New England territory and chat with Jon Zajac from The Distillery Network and talk about the business of manufacturing stills and ‘Saving the planet 1 still at a time’. His father, Steven manufactures larger size stills, check them out at Stillz.

Along with making liquor a still is able to produce potable (purified) water from undrinkable water sources, Alcohol based antiseptics such as hand sanitizers, herbal based medicinal compounds and oils (marijuana based too) and ethanol to power internal combustion motors. It’s a ‘preppers’ dream! Jon shares with us his moonshine recipe using beer. You can check out his videos on YouTube .

We sampled Brent’s IPA, a tasty 6.2% brew using Sabro hops, very tasty! Sears shared his hard cider fermented from cider he purchased from Curran's orchard this is a 6% cider that was back sweetened with 100% frozen apple concentrate. He also brought some moonshine made in the back country of South Carolina. Not sure the proof but it was very tasty and smooth for ‘white lightning’.

We are glad to see our sponsors are still hanging tough in these trying times, big shout out to them! Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing and check out the new addition that opened just recently, looks awesome guys! 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. When you are ready to brew up one of your favorite homebrew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help. And don't forget to swing by Urban Forest for some of the most creative craft beers anywhere!

Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

As always, we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something!

Prost! #drinkitup

Q. How far can you walk into a forest? A. Half way, then you start walking out.

Welcome back to HomeBrew RockStars Episode 67 “Not outa the woods yet”. This is part two of a two part episode where we revisit (has been almost 2 years?!) with the creators of Urban Forest, in this episode we delve further into brewing during a pandemic, brewing with weird hops, mixing beers (a.k.a. blending) and beer cocktail’s (and why they are on the menu at Urban Forest Craft Brewing)

Sears shared his popular home brewed Robust Porter. This was a practice run for this recipe on his Grainfather which turned out very well with chocolate and coffee notes, a creamy mouthfeel and a not bashful 7% ABV, opening the door for the almost famous bacon porter which has been served at past Screw City Beer Fests & Great Lakes Brew Fest at Home Brew Island.

Kent also served a tasting of his Belgian session (Brewed on the Brewzilla sustem), a lighter sipper keen for a hot summer day and some brats off the grill! If you have a homebrew that you would like us to try and review on the podcast contact us and we will make arrangements to get it into our thirsty hands.

Alex and Heath brewers/owners of Urban Forest brought a crowler of their Time & Materials for us to sample. This is a delicious and low gluten Oatmeal Stout based on Heath’s winning home brew version; Silky smooth from the oats, with layers of roast and chocolate with a sneaky 6.7% ABV. A very drinkable and enjoyable beer, well done! Look soon for a rum barrel aged with vanilla version in the works.

We also talked about what music we’ve been listening to lately featuring a plethora of artists from James Brown to Courtney Marie Andrews. Alex shared a fin story about recording on a song with Iggy Pop for the Freddy Got Fingered soundtrack!

Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? 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. When you are ready to brew up one of your favorite homebrew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help.

Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

In case you missed it… feedspot.com (updated on 8/21) has rated HomeBrew Rockstars podcasts as one of Top 10 Home Brewing Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020 We always knew this but hey it’s nice to get some confirmation.

As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US, or hate us, but do something already!

Prost! #drinkitup

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“The forest is not a resource for us, it is life itself. It is the only place for us to live.” –Evaristo Nugkuag Ikanan

Welcome back to HomeBrew RockStars Episode 66. Unlike our last episode (#65) where we recorded from Kent’s porch we are back in the Batcave… Home Sweet Home! This is part one of a two part episode where we revisit (has been almost 2 years?!) with the creators of Urban Forest Craft Brewing, but unlike last time, we’ll be discussing their long anticipated grand opening, AND...in thick of a pandemic. You just can’t make this stuff up.

We sampled a VERY appropriate commercial beer from Ale Asylum of Madison WI called FVCK COVID 2.0. They get a wink of approval on this on as they incorporated the ‘V’ in COVID instead of a ‘U’ to get this through the federal label review process. A pleasant and sessionable (5% ABV) hazy IPA featuring Idaho 7, Ekuanot, and Trident hops. The brewery refers to it as a “Hazy American Pale Ale” and the flavor profile is described as being soft and bright.

Brent shared with us his home brew Pale Ale creation featuring Amarillo hops as flavoring and aroma, a tasty treat as always.

Alex and Heath brewers/owners of Urban Forest brought some crowlers of various beers for us to try, the first being a real nice pilsner named Glass Slipper at a very reasonable 4.8% ABV. This is a beer you can enjoy all afternoon or evening without getting blasted.

We also played a game trying to guess which COVID beer names are ‘real’ or ‘fake’, as usual Sears did horrible (LOL!)

Big thanks to our program sponsors Pig Minds Brewing, Artale & Co, and 815 Gardens and Brewing for all their suds and support, we love you guys! And… it looks like HomeBrew Rockstars has secured an additional sponsor; listen for the announcement in the near future!

Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? Try Pig Minds Brewing. Their outside seating in the beer garden is perfect for these late summer afternoons and evenings. Maybe you are 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. When you are ready to brew up one of your favorite homebrew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help.

Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

If you have a homebrew that you would like us to try and review on the podcast contact us and we will make arrangements to get it into our thirsty hands

And as a reminder feedspot.com (updated on 8/21) has rated HomeBrew Rockstars podcasts as one of Top 10 Home Brewing Podcasts You Must Follow in 2020 We always knew this but hey it’s nice to get some confirmation.

As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US!

Prost! #drinkitup

"You don’t need to be burned out to go on hiatus."

This quote rings so true. Welcome back to HomeBrew Rockstars EPISODE – 65 were calling unGreatest Hiatus. This welcome back has a special meaning to us as we took almost 3 months off during the mandatory lockdown which we explain why in the podcast. We missed all of you! We hope you missed us!

In this podcast (apologies for the skippy sound, it was windy!) we ease back into our podcast shenanigans and covering the world of homebrewing. Brent, Kent and Mike sip beers on Kent’s deck and talk about how we (and people we know) wrestled with the obstacles of COVID-19 rules and regulations and anything else that crosses our alcohol addled minds.

Our sponsor Pig Minds Brewing, provided us with the always reliable and tasty Southy Bitch Slap; a 5.2% ABV American/Irish Red with caramel sweetness and a mild bitterness. A great summer eve sipper!

Brent treated us to one of his homebrew creations he named Zappa Haze, an IPA using 6 row barley and the funky Zappa hops (just like their namesake). Very nice beer Brent.

We tried an excellent beer from the newly opened Urban Forest named Got Rye. Officially named "Got Rye with a Little Help From Our Friends". This Red Ale/American Amber is a 5.4% ABV beer with crispy bitterness and a hint of citrus notes followed by a spicy dry finish from the rye. Another good beer from our friends Alex & Heath, Thanks guys!

Sears brought his attempt at a Founders Brewing, Two Hearted clone. A pretty good rendition of this famous American IPA but needs a bit more hoppiness to be a bit closer to its commercial namesake, nevertheless a good beer featuring the popular and tasty Centennial hops.

Kent offered up a beer one of his customers, David Westervelt, brewed along with a funny story about it. It is David’s first attempt at all-grain brewing and is a Cigar City Jai Alai clone. Jai Alai (pronounced HY – UH - LY) is an American IPA from the Florida brewery that has quite the reputation and is a much sought after beer. Not bad for David’s first all-grain attempt. Looking forward to seeing some more beers from David, Nice job!

Big thanks to our program sponsors Pig Minds Brewing, Artale & Co, and 815 Gardens and Brewing for all their suds and support, we love you guys and hope to see you soon and glad you survived the great American lock down. We actually have been able to see Bob as he has been at full business mode since the lock down.

Looking for a great craft beer and some of the best vegan food in the state line? 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. When you are ready to brew up one of your favorite homebrew recipes or start a new indoor gardening project stop in to 815 Gardens and Brewing, Bob will be happy to help.

Tell them that HomeBrew Rockstars sent ya.

As always we appreciate if you make sure to Like us, Follow us and RATE US!

Prost! #drinkitup