The
local breweries do a fine job creating and pouring out different flavors, but for some the
art of brewing and creating their own tastes has an appeal that no business can
reproduce.
--- In
fact there's always been a strong audience of people who have taken to
fermenting and distilling their own brand of wines and brews clear back from the
days of prohibition, and the trend has picked up steam over the past couple of
years from those who are tired of paying for drinks that just don't agree with
them. I recently got the opportunity to chat with Riordan Connelly, a home brewer himself, about
the process itself and thoughts on local brewing, along with a brief tour of his
job over at The Beer Nut on State Street.
Riordan
Connelly
Gavin:
Hey Rio! First off, tell us a little bit about
yourself.
Riordan: I was born and raised in Salt Lake
City, I love it here.
Gavin: What first got you
interested in beers and brewing?
Riordan: I have an
older brother that went to college in wine country. He tried his hand at making
a couple of batches of wine up there. I happened to go to school in what I would
call "beer country," the Pacific Northwest, and it struck me that I could do the
same. I was really inspired by the rapid development of the craft beer scene in
the region. Seeing all the styles and tasting them made me think it was worth a
shot to try brewing.
Gavin:
How did you go about getting the equipment you
needed?
Riordan: My father had sponsored my older
brother in his wine-making endeavors, so I asked if he might sponsor me in beer.
My brother became re-interested too, so we all went down to the Beer Nut
together and they hooked us up with what we needed to get started, and our first
ingredient kits.
Gavin: Was there a specific way you
set it up or did it just end up taking over the
kitchen?
Riordan: The first ten batches were at our
parents' house over a Summer when I was living there. My mom hated the smell of
the cooking wort, but I loved it. We did take over the kitchen, but tried to
always clean up after ourselves.
Gavin:
What's the process like for you choosing ingredients and mixing
formulas?
Riordan: Now it's very different than it
was back then. We started out buying the Beer Nut's recipe kit, which gave us a
good start, but then moved pretty quick into our own styles, but we didn't know
what we were doing. Having worked with the ingredients for a few years and
having gotten to know them, it's much easier to put together a recipe in my head
now. I still like to look up recipes from other famous brewers, and I use a
little more help from computers these days
too.
Gavin: Is there a lot of experimentation or do
you have to keep things pretty strict to get it
right?
Riordan: The process has to be pretty strict,
but there is a ton of experimentation all the time, mostly with recipe. Beer is
a spectrum, a broad range that it is possible to manipulate when making a beer.
While categories exist, they're there almost as much to provide something to
work away from.
Gavin:
What's the average time for you from start to finish to create a
beer?
Riordan: About a month, depending on style.
Lagers probably take two months or more.
Gavin: Would
you say its easy for someone to start doing or is it something you'd need to
look into first?
Riordan: It always helps to a little
research, but yeah, it's easy. You can come down to the Beer Nut, buy some
equipment and a recipe, and be brewing an hour later. And more to the point, you
can actually turn out good beer by then!
Gavin:
For someone who does want to do it, what do you suggest they
do?
Riordan: We have quite a few starter options for
somebody interested in fermentation as a hobby, it does take a little
investment, but the hobby is worth it.
Gavin: Would
you say it's better for people to buy a kit or create their
own?
Riordan: It's better to start with other
people's recipes, then move into your own after becoming more familiar with the
process and ingredients. Equipment is about the same–once you get a feel for
what you need, you can put together what you want, but it's a good idea to trust
someone who knows what they're doing right at first.
Gavin:
I understand you've entered and placed in brewing competitions. What's it like
for you taking part in those?
Riordan: Well, this
summer's competition was the first ever in Utah, and working at the Beer Nut, I
did a lot of work to help with it. It was really great to be able to enter the
competition, and see how it worked from the inside. It was also my first
competition, and the feeling of medaling the first time we tried is really good.
It's excellent positive reinforcement for all the work we've been putting into
this.
Gavin: A little local, what's your take on Utah
breweries and the impact they have on the
state?
Riordan: Their impact is huge. Beer in this
state has always fought an uphill battle. I think because of that, it's made the
industry stronger in the long run. The craft beer scene here would be nowhere
without Squatters, Uintah, and all the others.
Gavin:
Are there any particular brews out right now you
enjoy?
Riordan: Squatters released Hop Rising, a 9%
ABV Double IPA this month. It's amazing, and it Utah's first ever double
IPA.
Gavin: What's your opinion on the recent liquor
law changes and how they've affected bars and
clubs?
Riordan: Most of the regulations are pretty
stupid, even after the changes. Trying to modify a broken system only ends up
making it more broken. But there are a few changes I'm very grateful for. Last
summer, a law changed that allowed the breweries to bottle and sell high point
beer on premises, without the DABC as a middleman. This has really opened up the
scene, made it more lucrative to produce high point than it was before. In the
last year we've seen the release or re-release of at least seven new beers, and
I expect to see a lot more in the coming year. As for bars and clubs, why does
the computer need to store my information after my ID is scanned, seems pretty
1984 to me. Oh, and why can't we have high-point beer on draft, instead of just
in bottles? The real problem around here is the DABC, get rid of them, and all
the problems go with them.
Gavin:
What can we expect from you the rest of the
year?
Riordan: I'll mostly just be continuing to
brew, I try to do at least two beers a week. I'm hoping to this as a career, to
brew professionally, so I'll just be working toward that
goal.
Gavin: Is there anything you'd like to plug or
promote?
Riordan: Drink local beer! For the economy,
for the environment, for the promotion of craft and artisan products. The beer
scene here is just starting to explode, and it needs more support. Go to your
local DABC "beer-prison" and if you don't see your favorite local brew, ask for
it!