Home / Arts and Entertainment / This Home Brew’s for you, NWA!

This Home Brew’s for you, NWA!

Texas has Shiner Bock. Kansas City has Boulevard. Even Little Rock has Diamond Bear. Those places make great beer. But if you have a buddy who is one of the many home brewers in Northwest Arkansas – and this person is generous with their beer – you might experience real beer satisfaction. Or, better yet, learn to make your own beer and you just may experience true beer nirvana.

Sorry, that’s a little overboard, but I really like beer.

NWA is definitely not hurting in the beer department, thanks to a large, thriving community of home brewers. There are brewers all over Northwest Arkansas, but you have to give Fayetteville special props for being the location of The Home Brewery, a home brewing and wine making supply store that has a lot of cred in the home brewing scene.

Our hometown amateur brewmasters can also be proud of the fact that one of their own hosts an internationally recognized podcast, which is produced right here in NWA. There’s also a club of home brewers that meets monthly at the Hog Haus on Dickson Street, an establishment with a pretty good reputation for hand crafted beer in its own right. There’s just no excuse to drink bad beer in NWA. So drink up!

James Spencer, who hosts the Basic Brewing podcast along with Steve Wilkes, was good enough to answer some questions about his podcast and our favorite refreshing beverage.

Fayetteville Flyer: How long have you been doing the Basic Brewing podcast, and where can we check it out?
James Spencer: We started Basic Brewing Radio in July of 2005. Basic Brewing Video was born in December of that same year. Both can be found on iTunes or at basicbrewing.com. We’re also producing Basic Winemaking Video, a podcast about winemaking, with its first episode being posted a couple of weeks ago.

FF: What can new listeners expect to hear?
JS: I consider our podcasts to be sort of the NPR Science Friday of beer podcasts. My goal is to share some knowledge in every episode that will help home brewers brew better beer. We do this through interviews with authors, brewers, and other experts and with experiments on the brewing process. We’re called “Basic” Brewing, but we often cover very advanced topics in the brewing world. My view is that even advanced techniques are basic, once you know how to do them. So, we get great feedback from both beginners and brewers who have been making beer for decades.

In the beginning, we produced the podcasts to support our DVDs on home brewing beer. As time has gone on, the roles of the podcasts and DVDs have flipped. Now, the podcast end of things has grown into a much bigger entity, and the DVD sales go toward supporting the shows.

FF: We hear your podcast is really popular, any way to give us an idea of how many listeners you have? Feel free to brag.
JS: It’s hard to get an exact figure on the number of listeners and viewers we have, but it’s several thousand. We hear on a regular basis from brewers around the world. Home brewing is really big in Australia and England, but I’ve heard from people on every continent except Antarctica. We even did an interview recently with the owner of the only brewpub in Beirut, Lebanon, who started brewing with our DVDs.

FF: What advice do you have for people just getting into home brewing?
JS: First, buy our DVDs. ; ) Seriously, there are many resources out there that give great information on brewing, from books and magazines to podcasts and Web sites. Also, we’re very lucky to have a great homebrew shop right here in Northwest Arkansas: The Home Brewery in Fayetteville. My buddy Andy Sparks owns the shop, and he got me into brewing more than ten years ago. Having knowledgeable local brewers is definitely a luxury. Also, there is a local homebrew club, Fayetteville Lovers of Pure Suds – FLOPS, that meets at the Hog Haus the third Thursday of each month. Home brewers are known for their willingness to share information and recipes.

Also, on the technical side, be ready to pay serious attention to cleaning and sanitizing your gear. If you have a phobia about washing dishes, then you probably won’t like home brewing. On the other hand, if you’re willing to spend a few minutes cleaning up and keeping your gear in good shape, you’ll be rewarded with amazing beers.

FF: Do you ever drink store-bought beer? If so what’s good?
JS: I love to buy good beer. It’s part of what keeps me inspired to brew more interesting brews. We’re lucky in that we’re getting more good beers into the area. Some of the brands I buy regularly are Avery, New Belgium, Flying Dog, Rogue, Boulevard, Diamond Bear, North Coast, and others. And, if you’re adventurous, we’ve just started getting Jolly Pumpkin beers, which can be funky and delicious. It’s great to go to liquor stores that allow you to mix your own six-pack. Step out of your comfort zone and try some beers with flavor!

FF: Sounds like you really know good beer, but do you ever drink cheap beer out of cans, like a Shlitz or Lone Star?
JS: First of all, there is a movement in the craft beer industry to move more into cans. Cans provide more protection for the beer than bottles – no light can get in to harm the beer. So, just because a beer is in a can, doesn’t mean it’s bad. Oskar Blues out of Colorado and Maui Brewing Company from Hawaii (of course) are making some really mind-blowing beers, and they’re only sold in cans and on draft.

Second, every beer has its place (except for really crappy beers like Milwaukee’s Best or the like). While I try to avoid flavorless light beers like Miller Lite or Coors Light at all costs, sometimes that’s all there is. And, if I’m thirsty, and that’s all there is, I’m not going to turn my nose up and offend a friend who’s offering a beer from his fridge or cooler. In fact, the last time I had a Schlitz, it wasn’t that bad – certainly more malty and interesting than flavorless light beers. And, when I’m in Austin visiting friends, a Lone Star in a longneck has a certain coolness factor, especially when listening to live, authentic country music.

The key is not to be afraid of trying new things. This is a golden time for beer lovers. There are hundreds of healthy craft breweries making thousands of wonderful beers. In this time of economic uncertainty, it’s even more important that we give them our support.

Life’s too short to waste with bad beer, and if you make your own, you’ll learn to appreciate good beer even more – including the beer that you make with your own hands. As Charlie Papazian, founder of the country’s modern home brewing movement says, “Relax, don’t worry. Have a homebrew.”

Comments

The Fayetteville Flyer doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy.