I'm Kelly, 29 years old, married with a baby and I'm in the Air Force.
I got the idea of homebrewing while stationed in Turkey. I came back to the US on leave to visit my girlfriend (now wife) in VA. She was a nanny and while talking to her boss, I mentioned beer. He was a big fan of Red Hook and had always wondered about homebrewing. He took me to a local shop and I picked up a basic equipment kit and amber ale LME kit and went straight to the post office to mail it back overseas.
Later that week, I knew I needed some books for the long plane ride back to we went to the mall to check out the book stores. I found "Homebrewing for Dummies" and picked it up. I scanned through Papazian's book but found it to seem dated. Homebrewing for Dummies had all of the information in layman's terms and it was easy to read in no particular order.
I got back to Turkey and waited anxiously for the package to arrive. over two weeks later it came. I read some of the book and got enough information to take over the community kitchen. I sanitized EVERYTHING with a bleach solution and got started. A good friend was helping me (mainly drinking and watching TV). I cooled the wort, set the bucket on my desk and pitched the yeast. Later that night I was roused from my sleep by the airlock bubbling away. I was AMAZED!!!
While I was waiting on the package to arrive, I was drinking heavily to save bottles. I ended up networking with some aquaintances and used military air to deliver a few cases of 1878 from Germany in exchange for some pistachios. After the beer was done, we sanitized the bottles, bottled the beer and waited again.
Two weeks after bottling, I put some beer on ice, gathered up my brewing "partner" and popped the tops. Each of us had a beer in hand and after a few minutes of "you go first", "NO, you go first". I tried it. It was GOOD. For some reason, it had a REALLY high alcohol content. The following morning, technically the afternoon, the beer was dubbed "Nite Nite Amber Ale" by my assistant. I asked him why and he said that two bottles would put you to bed.
I got back to the US and was stationed in NW Florida. I brewed a few batches with one REALLY good stout, an excellent homemade recipe (that I didnt write down) and a failed coffee stout, Sept. 11 happened and I was at a class in NJ. Once I got back, work was so hectic that I gave up.
Now that I'm here in a training position for two years, I'm a bit more stable and can take up brewing again. Right now I have an Altbier in the secondary and I'm planning the next batch. I was ordering from Midwest Supplies but I may start supporting my LHBS since his prices are about the same with shipping.
Well, that's about it for now, I look forward to learning a lot from this forum.
