BEER QUEST WINNER PROFILE
Lincoln home brewer Bryon Belding won the publics favor with his inovative Triticale Wit on Sunday, August 24th. He took a minute to share some of his background with us.
Years brewing: 2.5
Inspiration for brewing: I began sampling some beers created by two of my good friends Jim Anciaux and Aaron Carnes. Shortly thereafter, I read a book by Charlie Papazian (The Complete Joy of
Homebrewing) and another by Sam Calagione, the founder of Dogfish Head brewery. All of those guys seemed to have their lives enriched by brewing, so I followed suit.
Favorite part of brewing: I really enjoy the boil. There is nothing greater than sitting around a warm kettle on a cold day, a homebrew in one hand, and the smell of hops saturating the air. It’s also really rewarding to get a bunch of fellow brewers together to sample the product. Actually, that camaraderie recently led us to form a “club” we coined “The Brew Man Group”. Members welcome!
Least favorite part of brewing: Straight and simple, my least favorite part of brewing is the cleanup. Someone needs to come up with some cheap disposable alternatives to beer brewing.
Best beer I've brewed: I’ve only been brewing for approximately 2 years, so my recipes are limited in number. Additionally, I am a little bias in that I love Belgian beers and American IPAs. With that being said, my last two beer quest entries were among my favorites. I hope they continue to get better and better with experience.
Awards: The only competition I’ve entered is Beer Quest. I’ve entered 6 out of the last 7 competitions, was fortunate enough to make the finals every time, placed in the brewer’s category a few times, and won the public vote twice. However, I think I am going to branch out a little over these next few years and enter some state and regional competitions.
Favorite commercial beer: Wow, where do I begin? With regards to the many different styles of beer, It seems that I find a new favorite every other week. I guess my all time favorite commercially brewed beer would probably be Goose Island’s Imperial IPA, Blanche de Chambly or Delirium Tremens. Don’t make me choose!
BEER QUEST HOME BREWER WALL OF FOAM
The list of all Home Brewers who have won past Beer Quests
Dave Oenbring - Lincoln - Oktoberfest 2002
Brian Allison - Lincoln - FestivAle 2003/04
Terry Pratt - Omaha - IPA 2004
Dave McGrath - Omaha - American Wheat 2004
Dave Meister/Brian Allison - Lincoln - Kolsch 2004
Dave Oenbring - Lincoln - Buckwheat Honey Ale 2005
Jon Zvolanek - Lincoln - Maibock 2005
Dave Meister - Lincoln - IPA 2005
Jon Zvolanek - Lincoln - Wheat 2005
Jon Zvolanek - Lincoln - Winter Ale 2006
Dave Meister - Lincoln - Bock 2006
Jon Zvolanek - Lincoln - IPA 2006
Jason MacLeod - Lincoln - Bier de Garde 2006
Bryon Belding - Lincoln - Winter Ale 2007
Brian Allison/Dave Meister - Lincoln - Dunkel 2007
Mark Beatty - Lincoln - Best Bitter 2007
Dave Oenbring - Lincoln - Dutch Smoked Porter 2007
Bob Catherall - Lincoln - Holiday Stout 2008
Mark Beatty - Lincoln - Irish Red Ale 2008
Jim Anciaux - Lincoln - IPA 2008
Bryon Belding - Lincoln - Triticale Wit 2008
