(Last Updated On: December 14, 2018)

Once again, I was lucky enough to be able to interview one of my personal “Homebrew Heroes”. James Spencer took the time to answer of few of my questions.

Who Is James Spencer?

If you don’t already know, you should! James is known far and wide in the homebrewing world. He has a very popular podcast called Basic Brewing Radio, an amazing YouTube Channel, and even a DVD series!.

I started listening to James’ podcast right around the time I started homebrewing. He always has an interesting guest or experimental batch to discuss.

It’s a great podcast, and I suggest you subscribe immediately if you haven’t already.

The Interview

You were a homebrewer for a number of years before starting the podcast. What made you decide to take that leap? Were there any active brewing podcasts you were listening to at the time?

I started homebrewing in 1996. Podcasting didn’t exist then. iPods didn’t even exist. My buddy, Andy Sparks, co-owned the local homebrew store at that time. As payment for helping him to produce a couple of TV commercials, he gave me an equipment kit. I brewed extract with specialty grains for several years. In 1998, I entered the third annual Ozark Home Brew Competition. I submitted two beers: an IPA and a robust porter. Both earned gold medals in their categories, and the porter won best overall. After that, I retired from competition, undefeated. Was it beginner’s luck? We’ll never know.

When I left the corporate world in 2004, I wanted to produce a homebrewing DVD. I asked Steve Wilkes to join me on camera. In 2005, when Apple added a button to subscribe to podcasts on iTunes, I figured it was a way to promote the DVD. I thought we’d get maybe ten episodes worth of content. I posted episode 631 of Basic Brewing Radio this week.

As a listener, I enjoy the way you and Steve have such different personalities and perceptions. How did you guys get together?

Steve was the manager of an apartment complex where we both lived in the late ‘80s. We met when he knocked on my door to tell me that the owner of the apartment lost my rent check. Steve was a journalism major at that time, and I was working as a TV reporter. We had mutual friends in the journalism field. We started brewing at about the same time, coincidentally.

You currently seem to do quite a few small batch, often experimental beers. Is that to satisfy personal curiosity, or to help provide content for the podcast? Both?

Definitely both. There is so much demand for content with both the audio and video podcasts that I feel everything I brew has to be used in the shows. I have a skeptical personality, so I’m often compelled to test accepted practices to see if the rules can be broken or modified.

Have you always been a small batch brewer? What is it about these small batches that is so attractive to you?

Our first small batch experiment was way back in 2005. I was making starters at that time in half-gallon growlers, and I remember thinking, “These are really just small batches of beer.” I had been told that boiling hops in plain water would give off grassy off flavors. So, to test that, I designed an experiment brewing two half-gallon batches of beer. Turns out both beers were delicious. The next experiment was brewing a six-pack of IPA, which we did on Basic Brewing Video. That was also very tasty. Small batches are great because they take less time, and if you make something undrinkable in your experiment, there’s not much lost. Also, if I want to brew a beer that I know I won’t want to drink a lot of, such as a giant spiced barleywine, a gallon or two fits the bill perfectly.

You seem to be a big proponent of electric brewing, which seems to be really gaining popularity these days. What do you like most about electric brewing, and what (if anything) do you see as a downside?

I love the amount of control I get with electric brewing. In the days of propane, I was frequently missing strike temperatures, dealing with lost heat from windy days, being frustrated with falling mash temps, and occasionally running out of gas in the middle of a boil. Those days are gone. Plus, with my electric setup running full blast, it’s super quiet. Steve and I have also used our electric systems to cook sous vide dishes and to hold kettle-soured beers at a perfect lacto-friendly temperature for several days.

The only drawback has been that I have installed an additional 240-volt plug for my brewing gear. I was having to unplug the clothes dryer to brew before that. However, I found a local electrician that not only installed the additional plug but also a GFCI breaker for a very reasonable price.

How much has the podcast changed your “personal” brewing? Are there any major lessons you can think of that you might not have learned if you hadn’t done a certain experiment or interviewed a certain person?

Podcasting has changed my brewing radically. When we first started, I was a pretty traditional brewer. Talking to all the homebrewers and experts for the show and conducting experiments has really freed me up to be a lot more confident and experimental. I learn something new with every person I talk to for the podcasts. Often times, I remember those things.

Do you have any personal “Homebrewing Heroes”? Authors, Podcasters, Personalities in general?

Charlie Papazian got me started with his book and made homebrewing sound fun (and relaxing). I like Chris Colby’s scientific, yet irreverent approach to brewing. Mike Tonsmeire inspires me with his “mad” experiments and his seemingly unending energy for brewing new and delicious beers. John Palmer has an encyclopedic knowledge of brewing processes and is one of the nicest guys in the hobby. Steve Wilkes brings a chef’s approach to formulating recipes and throwing in culinary touches that sometimes blow your mind. Marshall Schott, Malcolm Frazer and the whole Brulosophy crew are rewriting the rules of brewing every day. That’s just the start of a long list.

NOTE: Since James mentioned Marshall Schott from Brülosophy, you might want to also check out my interview with him!

What are the best and worst thing about hosting a brewing podcast (and YouTube channel!)?

The best thing is having a reason to get together with Steve on a regular basis. These days, everyone is really busy, and time flies by if we’re not paying attention. It’s great to have a “business” reason to stop and share some brews with a great friend. Also, the amount of knowledge that you get from producing more than 600 audio shows and hundreds of video episodes is incredible.

The worst thing (and it’s not all that bad) is finding the content every week and every month to fill those time slots. Luckily, I’m very happy to have frequent input and contributions from listeners that help this train keep going down the track. We would not be where we are today without the generosity of listeners who ask questions and come on the show to share knowledge.

Anything new or exciting we can look forward to coming from Basic Brewing in 2019?

I’m very much looking forward to Homebrew Con in Providence. I’ve wanted to visit Rhode Island ever since it was the first puzzle piece lost in my map of the United States. As always, I look forward to more experiments, more smart guests and lots of tasty beers.

Conclusion

Thanks so much to James for taking the time to answer my questions with enthusiasm and insight.

Having the ability to ‘chat’ with some of the folks I really look up to in the homebrewing realm has been a very cool part of running this blog for me.

I hope you enjoyed it too! If you did, please feel free to use the buttons below to share it with all your homebrewing pals.

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