Bitchin' Brews
 photo by tess |
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 photo by sri |
 photo by tess |
 photo by tess |
 photo by tess |
 photo by sri |
 photo by sri |
 photo by sri |
 photo by sri |
photo by Sri
Addison Homebrew Provisions Fullerton, CA
established 2011
owner Eric Addison
Eric Addison is the 43 year old owner of Addison Homebrew Provisions, and he didn’t always like beer. In college everyone drank Miller Genuine Draft (MGD) and Miller High Life, products of the American corporation, Miller Brewing Company. MGD had no appeal to Eric, so he figured he didn't like beer. When he was 23, he started drinking imported beer, craft beers, and realized he could brew his own. He didn’t know anyone who brewed their own beer, or liked drinking craft beer but he liked the homebrew he made. With a masters of information and technology and more than 20 years as an IT manager, Addison left formulas and programs for something much more crafty.
Craft beer is brewed the “old-fashioned way,” by hand. It doesn’t require a lot of equipment and it makes good beer. Incorporating technology into the brew process allows for repeatability. Commercial brewers, like Miller Brewing Company and Anheuser-Busch who make internationally sold Budweiser and Stella Artois, spend a lot of money making sure every beer tastes the same. “Craft beer doesn’t taste the same every time because it is brewed by hand,” Addison explained. Repeatability is the death of the craft beer. There’s a spontaneity in making homebrew that can seem more important and enjoyable than actually drinking the brew. “There are some brew-chores that have to be done,” said Addison,” but its one of the few hobbies I know that after the work is done you have something to show for it.” About 5 gallons of craft to show, and the work is minimal.
"The Old Fashion Way"
by Tess Andrea
Robert, store worker and homebrewer at Addison Homebrew Provisions
Robert has been homebrewing for about 15 years, and cites brewing beer as a point of evolution for his taste palette. Beer and food clearly go hand in hand.
[video shot by Sri, interviewed and edited by Tess]
The process for homebrewing depends on the type of beer crafted, but all recipes include the very basics: 2-5 gallons of water heated to 160 degrees fahrenheit, yeast, sugar or malt to feed the yeast and 10 gallons of hops or grain to ferment with the yeast and malt. Addison Provisions has 43 different types of grain, the bottles, caps, gallon tubs, malt and sugar neatly organized in their small, concrete shop tucked away in a Fullerton business plaza. When customers enter Addison Provisions, they select everything themselves. On brewing day, a homebrewer will spend about 6 hours starting their beer, and in about 3-4 weeks the beer will be ready to drink. Five gallons of water yields about two cases of beer, and will cost anywhere between $20-40, a little over $.50-.70 per bottle. Compared to purchasing craft beer individually, homebrewing saves a craft-centric drinker a good amount of money.
But how do you know if your beer is actually good? Addison suggests two solutions: if you like it, then it’s good. But also, if a brewer is looking for more critical feedback there are always craft beer competitions. He has entered California state and local homebrew competitions like the Orange County Fair Homemade Beer Competition. He received terrible feedback about his beer at the first few competitions, unsatisfactory or all around negative feed back and didn’t participate in another competition for 4 or 5 more years. When he entered again, he began winning. In 2013, Addison’s entry, number 567 Old Ale, took third place in the Strong Ale division. However, the Orange County Fair is notorious for having bad judges, but with so much subjectivity riding on a decision, it is hard to imagine who constitutes a good judge of beer. “Most people are terrible judges of your beer,” Eric said. That’s why he runs with the motto that your own opinion is the most valuable. “When I was first learning, somebody else’s opinion mattered a lot. Now it doesn’t.” After 20 years of brewing, it’s not about good beer and bad beer or winning and losing; it’s the craft.
Robert discusses the culture of a craft-centric lifestyle.
The culture of craft beer is rich, with people traveling all over the world to sample different styles of beer and learn different brewing methods. For many people, the culture and the competition is one of the many great reasons to continue brewing.
[video shot by Sri, interviewed and edited by Tess.]