Episode 11: Lori Clough

This week, even though we were missing Doug, we began what we hope will be a recurring series on Beer with Strangers, "Going Pro" Or "Gone Pro" or "Brewer's Road" (OK, clearly, the segment doesn't have an official name, but it toes have a trajectory). Monthly, if not more often, we will have interviews with former home brewers who have opened their own breweries or who have become professional brewers for someone else. Our first guest who fit the bill was Lori Clough of 3rd Wave Brewing. **The link goes to their beer list. During the interview I distracted Lori, and we lost track of which beers she'd already named. This is what's on tap there this weekend**
One of the things that tend to tie brewers together is their interest in sharing their home brewing stories. First off, it isn't as if it's a trade secret. Pretty much everyone who is a pro brewer started out as a home brewer. What home brewers have in common, besides a love for beer, is they rarely do it alone. Brewing beer is a communal process. Friends do it, and so far, without exception, the brewers we've spoken to brew with friends. True, many brewers are doing the work by themselves and sharing their beer, bit the point is, it is almost as much about getting together as it is about beer.
In Lori's case, it was about brewing weekends. She would come down from Harrington each Saturday to meet the friend who would become her business partner and they would spend the day brewing. Lori has lots of good stories, including a particular affinity for re-brewing the same recipe and altering one step to see what effect, if any, it has on the beer. She also gave the lowdown on what's in the works at 3rd Wave for the coming weeks and beyond.
If you're interested in being the next call-in guest on the show or you'd like to come in and share a beer with us, email me here, or message me on +State of the Beer. The show's Facebook page is Beer with Strangers and we're "@beerwstrangers" on Twitter.
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