Homebrewing (NWL)

The main topic to be covered will be how to brew a quality beer in your own home. Equipment, ingredients, procedures, recipe formulation. James Link expects to bring actual examples of equipment needed to get started. Jim will also cover beer styles (lagers and ales) and how they differ. How to brew your favorite beer and what to watch out for to prevent common flaws. Will also discuss fermentation procedures and when and how to bottle the finished product.

A homebrewer in Connecticut for 30 years, and a member of the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) for 28, Jim worked closely with Pat Baker, the driving force behind the creation and inception of the BJCP, while advancing to Grand Master ranking in 2001. With several decades of judging experience under his belt (along with many fine brews), Jim has served as Associate Exam Director for the BJCP, appeared on Connecticut Public Television in a how to for Homebrewers and worked with international beer experts Michael Jackson and Jim Koch in judging Best of Show for the Samuel Adams Longshot competition in 1995. Jim recently judged at the 2015, 2016 and 2018 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado and has worked extensively with  Mark  and Tess Szamatulski  Co- authors and owners of  Maltose Express and Veracious Brewing Company over the past twenty years evaluating beer and  judging homebrew competitions. Jim currently writes beer reviews for Beer Connoisseur  on line which enjoys a 600,000 paid subscribers list.

PARKING: There is ample library event parking in the nearby Isham Garage. Please bypass the garage kiosks and come directly to the Noah Webster Library Meeting Room, 20 South Main Street, where you may validate your parking with your license plate number.

Supported with funding from the West Hartford Library Foundation.