Congratulations to Joe Formanek of Bolingbrook, IL, 1999, 2001,
2002, 2003, 2004,and 2007 Midwest Homebrewer of the Year
Joe was raised in a small town near Brainerd,
MN, and attended the University of Minnesota where he received a B.S.
in Microbiology in 1988. It was while attending the U of M where he
decided that he’d put his training to good use and try his hand at
homebrewing. He and a friend, Dave Simonson, made a few batches at
that time, but after that Joe put his brew kettle aside for a few
years. In 1993, while attending the University of Illinois, Joe helped
found the Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots (BUZZ) homebrew club in
Champaign, IL and served as its President until 1996. It was at this
point, due to the suggestion of fellow BUZZards that he should actually
be brewing some of his own beer instead of drinking everyone else’s,
that he began to brew in earnest. He did his first all grain mash in
1994.
Joe had the opportunity to be an assistant
brewer at Joe’s Brewery in Champaign for a year in 1995, working with
John Isenhour. “This was an incredible experience!”, Joe says. “I
gained a lot of knowledge on recipe formulation as well as gaining
appreciation for what goes into scaling up these recipes for commercial
production.” Over the years, he has also had the opportunity to brew
at Mickey Finn’s in Libertyville, IL, Blue Cat Brew Pub in Davenport,
IA and at Flatlander’s in Mundelein, IL.
Upon receiving his
Doctoral degree in 1997, Joe relocated to the Chicago area to take a
position as a Research Scientist at a Food Ingredient
manufacturer/supplier. It was at this time that he joined the Urban
Knaves of Grain homebrew club. In 1999, the UKG was a 1999 AHA
Co-Homebrew Club of Year. Joe attributes much of his success as a
homebrewer to his membership in these fine homebrew clubs. “The quality
of the beers that brewers make in these clubs is phenomenal, as is the
brewer’s knowledge base”.
Besides being the
1999 Midwest Homebrewer of the Year, Joe was also honored with the 2000
AHA Ninkasi Award for scoring the most points in the 2000 AHA Finals
held in Livonia, MI. Joe received a Gold medal for his IPA, and Silver
medals for his American Brown and Bock at the competition.
Joe says that there are a number of keys to good homebrewing.
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Being well versed in a style before first brewing it is very
important. This includes reading up as much as possible about that
style – recipes, style descriptions, mashing procedure, water
chemistry, yeast usage, fermentation temperature regimes and historical
information. These are all critical for a brewer to make a batch that
emulates a particular beer style.
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Make sure that you have fresh ingredients. Either using an all
grain mashing procedure or using spray dried extract is critical for
making a beer with a minimum of off flavors. Use whole hops, not
pellets, for both flavor and aroma. When it comes time to pitch, be
sure to use an active liquid starter. Water is >90% of your brew.
Make sure your water of the proper chemistry and free of contaminants
like chlorine.
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Entering competitions, and utilizing the knowledge of beer
judges is also very important. When you receive the scoresheets for
your entry in a competition, take the judges comments to heart and
tweak the recipe the next time you brew it.
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Finally, enjoy the beers you brew. It is difficult to brew a beer of a style well if you don’t like that style yourself.
