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OT: When and why did you start brewing? LC: Around 2006, Susarah bought me a basic brewing kit from Aunty Liz at National Food Products [now The Homebrewer’s Shop] in Linden (I later found out that many, many a homebrewer in Johannesburg started out this way). My kit stood in storage at home for about six months until a buddy also bought a kit and we brewed our first beer together. It was not a good effort at all, so I decided: “I'm sure I could do better.” I went through a few extract brews and then started adding my own additional grains and hops until my additions were more than the extract and I went over to all-grain brewing. OT: What's the best beer you have ever made? LC: This is definitely not a simple question/answer. “Best” beer is usually determined by the person drinking it. I always have a preconceived idea of how my beer should taste once it's ready to drink. My best beer is the one that tastes just like I intended. For me, that's my version of a Sweet Stout. I've made my perfect sweet stout once or twice. OT: What is your biggest brewing disaster? LC: Once, trying to brew on two different systems at the same time (which I won't try again) I forgot to unplug the kettle cord from my wort kettle. I tried to lift it higher for the gravity feed heat exchanger and obviously, the cord went taught and my hand slipped off the handle, tipping the hot wort over my arm. Someone had parked a car on the hose connecting my system, so I didn't have immediate cold water either. My arm recovered, but the spilled beer was gone forever. OT: Describe your system in a sentence (or two) LC: Initially, my humble all-grain system was a two-bucket mash-tun, with hundreds of little holes drilled in the top bucket by yours truly and the boiler was an old keg, with the top cut off and a gas burner underneath. I upgraded vessel by vessel, until I had a gravity-fed system with modified kegs and a pully on rails. In 2019, my wife, several family members, friends and a few brewers clubbed in to buy me a Grainfather for my 50th birthday. According to the Grainfather app, I'm on brew number 115 in five years. OT: Do you have any brew day quirks or traditions? LC: Only one really comes to mind, and anyone who has brewed with me can tell you as well: "We're only allowed our first beer after mash-in." Also, it's a MUST after mash-in. OT: What would be your ultimate clone? LC: I have been trying to perfect a Belgian Witbier for quite some time. Without access to the recipe of a Hoegaarden, I've been trying to replicate this beer by trial and taste. I have brewed a Witbier more than 15 times now, with small changes each time. One day, I'm hoping to clone the Hoegaarden. OT: What is your main brewing goal? LC: I love sharing the full beer experience with others. Getting people to appreciate what goes into making good beer just makes all the work in brewing worth it. As with most homebrewers, we get the "Please will you brew for my wedding/birthday/charity day?" requests. My answer is always, "Yes, as long as you brew it with me.” Those who are serious then do the brewday with me. They then share the beer experience with everyone they serve it to, so for me, it's mission accomplished. OT: You have taken home two first-place awards recently, one at the South African National Homebrew Competition at the end of 2023, and one at Fools & Fans in April. What has that felt like – to be recognized for your homebrews? LC: It's an awesome feeling. I'm quite humbled by the feedback I have received by top, top brewers and judges. I've received advice from many of those same people in my brewing time, so it's an accolade for them too. If you follow the homebrew scene here in South Africa, you may recognize the name “ Lee Carpenter ” given that he has recently taken home two first-place homebrewing awards. We thought we’d catch up with Lee, who lives in Roodepoort, Gauteng with his wife Susarah and son Dane. Below he answers a few questions about his homebrewing journey and what it has felt like to have his brews publicly recognized. HOMEBREWER 18 | Winter 2024 | ontapmag.co.za