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Joe Formanek started homebrewing in 1987 as an undergraduate in Microbiology at the University of Minnesota. He was bitten by the brewing bug after taking a tour of Summit Brewing Company within a year after they had opened in St. Paul in 1987, and he has been going ever since. Joe later went to Graduate School at the University of Illinois and helped found the Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots (BUZZ) Homebrew Club. He currently resides in Bolingbrook, IL, is a Director for a food ingredient company in Itasca, IL, and is a proud member of the Urban Knaves of Grain Homebrew Club. Joe holds a National Judge ranking with the BJCP, and is a previous Midwest Regional Rep and Vice President of the organization.
Over the years, Joe has received many honors related to homebrewing. He has won numerous BOS awards at local and regional competitions, is a 6 time winner of the Midwest Homebrewer of the Year award (1999, 2001-2004, 2007) and won the American Homebrewers Association Meadmaker of the Year award in 2004. Joe is a 2 time winner of the American Homebrewers Association Ninkasi Award (2000, 2006) for winningest brewer in the final round of judging, and was honored as being named one of the two homebrewer winners of the 2011 Sam Adams Longshot American Homebrewing Competition with his Russian Imperial Stout, which was distributed nationally in the 2012 Longshot multipack.
Takeout Rye IPA is a well-crafted example of a mild rye-based ale, but is a bit too subtle to be considered a truly exemplary Rye IPA.
This brilliantly clear, amber-colored brew with a somewhat fleeting white head starts out with a touch of woody hop aroma with a background rye spicy note... Read More
Lemon Blueberry Blonde by Low Road Brewing is a surprisingly approachable offering in the Category 29A Fruit Beer as per the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines with the base beer being a Blond Ale. While the balance between the fruits/berries used is perhaps not ideal, the... Read More
Roughtail’s 3rd Anniversary Ale is a very solid Double IPA. It is also an example of the recent trend in the industry towards murky, hazy IPAs. Visually, this moderately carbonated brew pours a very cloudy gold with a solid, creamy and small head with some lace. The assertive aroma in this brew... Read More
Lone Buffalo: Cinnamon Maple Vanilla Barrel Aged Stout by Wild Leap Brew Co. is a brew even larger than its name. This absolutely massive dark beer exhibits incredible complexity with a huge explosion of delicious flavors and aromas that linger in the memory (as well... Read More
This beer pours a cloudy yellow color with a finely bubbled white head arising from moderate carbonation that lingers for an appropriate time. The brew has a moderately tart lemony character with earthiness and a metal-like carbonic acid zip in the nose. Considering that this is a dry-hopped... Read More
Fat Tire Belgian White is a good example of the Belgian Wit (Cat 24A in the 2015 BJCP Guidelines). A Wit is a perfect Summer ale if you are looking for a refreshing light yet flavorful brew that is not a hop bomb. Unfortunately, this example has a few flaws that impact these qualities.
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