KC Nanobrew Winter Summit

Brewing for Beginners. And Experts. And Dudes. 

(This guy's beer will be in your belly in three months)

I’m not quite sure why they call it nanobrewing, since there was nothing inherently “nano” about the amount of beer that was brewed consumed brewed this past weekend with the dudes of KC Nanobrews, at the Stuck Truck Brewery. Or as I like to call it, Chad’s house.

Brewmasters and malted-novices alike gathered to witness the birthing of an All-Grain Irish Ale in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day, ensuring that, unlike in year's past, we'll have something to imbibe while watching the Celtics play. This meeting afforded brewers of all levels and experience the opportunity to meet one another, discuss beer-related plans for 2013, watch K-State get spanked, and drink copious amounts of, what else, beer.

Rob and Chad spearheaded the actual brewing process, though in this public forum I won’t divulge any of KC Nanobrews’ trade secrets. Really, I just didn’t pay attention. There was so much going on all at once - the pouring, measuring, filtering, smelling. The sanitizing, steaming, mixing and discussing. It made me dizzy, though ironically so did the beer.

(Chad controlling the steam with his iPhone)

Any brewer worth his hops has to read directions and follow them, know what goes where, and when - there’s a process and it can’t be interrupted or changed in any manner. Or maybe it can. I honestly don’t know. With each subsequent delicious home-brewed beer that went from cup to belly, I understood less and less about what was going on. Yet oddly, the less I understood, the more intrigued I became.

I tried to follow along and comprehend, though as I saturated my body and brain with liberal streams of homebrew, I became utterly unable to understand the magic and wonderment of the brewing process. I should be familiar with the basics by now, having lived with two different home-brewers, however it appears that this is one of those crafts in which expert status is not achieved through osmosis, simple observation or sampling. Even if its strenuous sampling.

(No idea what's in there. Could be beer?)

On a positive note, the goal of this shindig wasn't for me to learn how to brew beer - that would have been an amazing and improbably side consequence. This day's objective was simply a great excuse to spend some time outside on a randomly gorgeous January afternoon, drinking beers and goofing off (more on that later).

  

And though I haven’t mastered the craft and am flunking the entrance exam, I did pick up a few pointers. Brewstervations, if you will. (Holy crap that’s lame, but somehow I don’t want to delete it).

  

For starters, only guys can brew beer – I’m positive of this. Please don’t perceive this as a sexist remark. But there were no women there. At all. So I can only assume.

(Science at work)

Also, homebrew is better than milk - for spicy foods, that is. Screw you, Chad, for throwing an entire jalapeno bush into the chili. You know that that sort of hotness gives me the sweats. Still, the thick, dark, foamy porter did well to combat my imminent tongue swelling. And it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The last time milk did that, things didn’t turn out so great.

Because it takes so long to brew, there needs to be a planned non-dangerous distraction. What is this, you ask? Something to fill in the gaps between the brewing action items. College basketball provides a good distraction, but so does taking advantage of a fire pit. And while the KU game only took two hours, Chad’s yard had at least four good hours of crap to burn. We didn’t plan the bonfire ahead of time; it just sort of happened. I blame the boos, the lack of women, and of course, the fact that there was no pre-determined safe distraction.

  (This is what happens without adult supervision)

And most importantly, I learned that as long as you bring a six-pack of beer, you’re free to sample generously. That’s the best part about having friends who brew – free beer! For us non-brewers, at least. Seems obvious, but like any master craftsman, brewers not only love to create – they love to share. Yes, brewing is a costly and time-consuming hobby that can haunt your living soul as you tinker, tinker, tinker with your formula, striving for hoppy perfection. So if I can add to my buddies’ satisfaction by flashing a stout-stached smile and providing well thought out constructive notes such as, “tastes great!” then all the better. And if all it costs me is a sixer and mileage, well that’s pretty cool.

I plan to mooch off of KC Nanobrews for as long as they’re around, which I hope is forever, and always in my home city. I strive to understand even the most basic elements of the craft, so the next time I share these stories, they comes from a voice of confidence. Even if that means drinking less and taking more notes.

OK, that last part is completely unrealistic. Let’s start with this: I strive to drink less Miller Lite. That I think I can do.

Brew Away!

(I don’t know if brewers actually say this, but I’m pretty sure they do)

Check out this list of KC Nanobrews concoctions for Chad and Amy's wedding. To learn more about this incredible social club, follow them on Facebook.