And in the beginning

Give a man a beer, and he wastes an hour, but teach a man how to brew, and he wastes a lifetime. This statement is more true than we could have known 1.5 years ago when we decided to take the plunge in brewing our own beers. My name is Nick and my other brew master and contributor is Jarrod, my partner in conversational tangents and brewing alike! 

Our history goes back to our college days in the little Podunk town of Kirksville, Missouri where our love of all things beer was started just a ripe 3 years ago. Like many, we had done the usual transformation from BMC (Bud, Miller, Coors) to wheat beers, to eventually 16% alcohol, oak aged Barley Wines and everything in between. We have spent a number of years trying and testing beer from all over the world and developing a keen palate for hop, grain, and yeast variations and combinations that some might consider bordering insanity- but it’s a passion that many fail to understand until they have that first “ah hah” moment with a beer that ignites their passion. 

We started brewing completely on our own with no help outside of available books and internet knowledge- it has been a ground up endeavor but that is the fun in all of this: anyone can brew, and we hope that we can encourage at least a few other people out there to start making a product that has been the pillar of civilization for centuries! Our learning process has been rocky and imperfect at times- we continue to learn and implement new processes and strategies all the time, but with each new batch we continue to make a better product and try to glean as much as we can from our mistakes. 

Our plan with this blog is to take you along on our journey from the basics of beer making to advanced topics as we learn and implement them in our own brewing. In addition to sharing information about brewing, we plan to share our own beer tastings and document the revitalization of craft brewing, specifically in the St. Louis area. This desire to share is the fundamental pillar of all things brewing- be it information about process or simply sharing our latest brew concoction, there is nothing more enjoyable than both expanding the world of beer for newcomers to sharing a great homebrew with new and old friends alike. Our only request is that you learn and share as much as you can from us and keep passing the battalion of brew knowledge and passion along. Sit back, relax, have a homebrew, and enjoy the ride!