The Fermentation Proclamation Blog

by Aaron Fournier

[Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of Keystone Homebrew Supply. Aaron walks his own path, to say the least. And that path basks in the radiance of his unique comedic perspective, unshrouded by feckless humility.]

Welcome to the Fermentation Proclamation blog! I will be your guide, your guru, your Lord of the Lagers, your Admiral of Ales, and your Hero of Hybrid beers. Well, and lots of other things, but let’s not drag this out any longer than we have to.

This blog is designed to fill a large gap in the online beer and specifically homebrewing community. There are many blogs focused on either craft beer or homebrewing. So why in tarnation would you want to read mine? Well, for starters, I’m a nice guy. But nice doesn’t stuff the turkey for Thanksgiving, I know. To quote one of the finest examples of motion pictures as an art form, Waterworld, Kevin Costner’s character says “Because I have sailed farther than most have dreamed”. Well good people, I have brewed farther than most have dreamed.

Very few people in the brewing world came into homebrewing like I did. While already being a seasoned beer snob, I decided to start at the most advanced way to homebrew. My friend was an all-grain brewer, and me being just a beer snob, I assumed that’s how you homebrewed. So invested my money on lots of equipment (and borrowed where I could) and started brewing my own. This taught me many things. That naivety is indeed hereditary in my family, but also that my love and deep appreciation of beer wasn’t just focused on the end product, but also of its process.

Now let us get down to brass tacks. What qualifies me to write this here blog? Like many homebrewers, I could bore you with a list of my wins in homebrew competitions. I could also tell you that my beers have been written about in Zymurgy, Philly Beer Scene, and the Philadelphia Daily News. I could spin the proverbial yarn about being the two-time defending champion for “Most Innovative” at the Sierra Nevada Homebrew Competition during Philly Beer Week. I could weave tales of the hundreds of batches of beer I’ve brewed, or my years teaching brewing classes and helping customers at Keystone Homebrew Supply (one of the best and busiest homebrew stores in the country). Or the countless weeks out of every year I would drive across the country visiting breweries and pestering professional brewers for any insight they could give me. I could tell you all that, and it would be true.

But you’re here for the meat. You’re tired of going out for hamburgers. You’re ready for steak. In this blog I will take all of my years of brewing, coupled with all of my formal and informal brewing education, and I will present solid, but sometimes unorthodox ideas, techniques and recipes for homebrewing. We will talk homebrewing gadgets on occasion, and we’ll pull up a mash-tun with a professional brewer from time to time. We will also explore the most popular craft beers and/or styles, and advise you how or when to brew them for maximum enjoyment. You’ll see a guest blogger here from time to time, too – mostly friends and trusted colleagues from Keystone Homebrew who have something special to contribute.

Welcome dear friends, to what will surely be the best damn beer blog this side of your computer. Welcome, to the Fermentation Proclamation!