Congrats SamuelD!
Howdy!
My name is Sam Diggins, (SamuelD in the forums) and I'm happy to be the newest Brewmaster working for Mr.Beer. I was born and raised in Tucson, AZ, and am always looking for an excuse to beat the heat with a cold brew. I entered the crazy world of brewing about 5 years ago, admittedly while I was still in high school. I figured it was easier to make it yourself than ask a smelly weird guy outside a gas station! VPS
My first batch ever brewed was a pale ale about 5 years ago, and though it may not have actually been that good, I thought it was the best tasting beer in the world, because I brewed it. I quickly fell in love with the art of brewing and early on decided to pursue this crazed addiction as a possible career path. Since then I've learned a lot more and done a number of jobs related to beer and brewing, including working for the local homebrew store here in Tucson.
My most influential experience related to brewing has to have been while I was studying abroad back in 2010 in the city of Karlsruhe, Germany. While taking chemistry courses at the Technical Institute of Karlsruhe, I also took a side job and apprenticed at the local Brewery, Vogelbräu Brauhaus. I learned a considerable amount from them, namely the traditional strict brewing practices that make german beers so internationally renown, and always try to scale down and apply those practices to brewing at home. I also learned never to outcompete the germans in a drinking game. You WILL lose.
Though I am a huge fan of traditional beers, especially those german styles that adhere strictly to the German Purity Law, I also love to be experimental with new flavors and ingredients. Some recent favorites of mine that I have brewed were a prickly pear wheat beer and vanilla cocoa nib porter – neither lasted more than a week in the keg.
With that said I am excited to be a new member of the Borg, and can't wait to start talking beer! Borg on!
