November 2005

By Kathy Thompson

Over the weekend I got to know a fellow brewer, Mike Carroll, a little better. Mike has been brewing since 1994. He has been a member of HBA off and on over the past few years. He has even served as VP and Treasure of HBA at one time. Recently, he returned from a two year stay in Maryland. He still enjoys making beer and mead. Unfortunately over the past year Mike’s family obligations have kept him from attending HBA meetings on a regular basis, but he says we will be seeing more of him after the first of the year. This weekend he brewed a mead and intends to flavor it with some kind of berry. As a matter of fact, he stated that he proposed to his wife, Suzanne, over a blueberry mead. I had the privilege of trying one of Mike’s meads, a blackberry vanilla. Very yummy! Mike has also been a judge at many competitions. He was recently a judge at the National Homebrewers Convention in Maryland. Mike is a wealth of knowledge about brewing beer and mead. I learned a thing or two this weekend. Feel free to ask for his assistance with your future brewing session.