Welcome to Shegogue Brew

Welcome all!  I have been meaning to setup a blog to record all things related to my hobby obsession of homebrewing, but just hadn't had the time until now. Here is a quick recap of how I got started, what I have accomplished so far.

Homebrew Beginnings: I first started homebrewing on my 23rd birthday.  I took some birthday $ and went with my sister on a snowy January day to the Flying Barrel in Frederick, MD, where I purchased a starter kit and and extract ingredients for an American Pale ale.  The next day, my actual birthday, I brewed up the batch with my friend Josh (also his birthday).  We made a lot of mistakes, as most first-time homebrewer's do and it is a day I will never forget.  The next day I was already eagerly googling for information on the possible mistakes I had made, as well as trying to learn more and decide on my next brew!  I am pretty sure I ended up buying ingredients for a 2nd batch before I had even tasted my 1st!

Where I am now:  I currently brew 5 gallon (have capacity to do 10) All Grain recipes using a 15 gallon pot, propane burner, 13 gallon mash tun, grain mill, wort chiller, and temperature controlled fermentation chamber.  I am inherently frugal and constantly attempt cost saving DIY when it comes to this hobby.  I love to research and absorb any and all information that will help me brew better.

I have learned a great deal through all the good people at HomeBrew Talk, which is a highly active internet forum and community.  You can reach me over there under the alias of "brettwasbtd."  I have also been educated through the hours upon hours of archived podcasts over at The Brewing Network.  I hope I can give back be the tiniest fraction of help and advice to the homebrewing community through my blog.

Cheers!