Hill City Homebrewers Unites Beer Enthusiasts
By Jeremy Angione | Photos by Ashlee Glen
Virginia is home to hundreds of craft breweries (344 at the time of publishing) that have helped to craft a more positive culture around social drinking and an appreciation for the process that goes into making beer and other fermented or alcoholic drinks such as cider or mead.
In Lynchburg, dozens of craft beer enthusiasts over the last few decades have turned their appreciation into a hobby. The Hill City Homebrewers are a collective of members who trade ideas, recipes, and processes to create their own signature beers.
The club was cofounded by Doug John and Chris Molseed in 1998.
“I’m proud of the fact that it’s still going after all these decades,” John said.
Currently, Hill City Homebrewers is led by club president John Meade, who joined in 2012, due, in part, to Doug John’s tutelage. According to Meade, he was also gifted a homebrewing kit for Christmas by his wife, which helped to initiate his interest in the hobby.
“Doug was really good. He would come to your house and brew that first beer with you, and show you how to use all that equipment. He was instrumental in getting many, many people into the hobby.” Meade said.
For John, much of his life led to the formation of what would become Hill City Homebrewers. He moved from Florida to Lynchburg to earn his degrees in chemistry and biology from University of Lynchburg (then Lynchburg College). He would later return to his alma mater to earn his Master’s degree in business.
John stayed in the area and opened a homebrew shop in downtown Lynchburg called Pints O’Plenty in 1995.
“That kinda fueled my passion for brewing. That’s when the evolution of the club started,
or shortly thereafter in 1998. We were a little ahead of the curve when it came to homebrewing,” John said.
According to John, many of his frequent Pints O’Plenty customers would go on to be some of the first members of the Hill City Homebrewers.
John would later open Apocalypse Ale Works in 2013, the brewery that would become the primary location for the Hill City Homebrewers to meet
every month.
“The club was the foundation and the key to becoming a professional brewer,” John explained.
Meetings are held one Monday a month, and the club even hosts a quarterly competition for members to pit their brewing skills against each other creating their own versions of the same beer.
Despite being the victor of many of these in house competitions, Meade insists that the club is mostly a place to socialize and learn.
“I think the purpose is to better yourself in the hobby,” he said.
Just as John passed on his expertise to the club, Meade also enjoys sharing his knowledge about the brewing process.
Although the club hosts members who enjoy a more scientific approach to brewing, Meade claims the process can be as simple as following instructions.
“It’s simply a matter of using all kinds of different grains that would soak in water for an hour or so,” Meade explained. “You’re getting the sugars out of those grains. Then, when that sugar is eaten by the yeast, that’s where your alcohol comes from.”
A brewer can also change their batch by adding ingredients like hops or fruit at different times during the process to yield different results.
“In most cases, it’s about a three-week process from your brew day to when it’s ready to drink. So, it’s a fairly quick turnaround,” said Meade.
For most homebrewers, a batch will be roughly five gallons, which could fill about 50 beer bottles. Meade says most homebrewers typically just share their batches with friends and family, rather than selling them, since there is “quite a bit of regulation on selling.”
Despite his name, Meade has yet to brew a batch of the honey-based drink, mead. He says it is a longer process that he simply has not gotten around to.
“I’ve written several recipes that I’ve wanted to do, I just haven’t made the leap yet. I’d like to do it one day. I’m what they would refer to as a ‘hophead’,” Meade said.
His favorite batch to brew is a hop forward West Coast IPA that has a clear look and bitter taste which Meade says is caused by adding hops early in the brewing process.
According to John, a friend brought him a beer from Belgium that smelled like raisins, had a ruby color, and was apparently brewed by monks. That beer would help inform his love for the drink and the craft.
“For me, the Belgian ales are near and dear to my liver,” he joked.
Currently, the Hill City Homebrewers hosts around 12 paying members who pay 35 dollars in membership dues annually. Both Meade and John agree that interest in homebrewing ebbs and flows, but it is currently declining.
“The fact that great beer is readily accessible at one of the 300 plus breweries in Virginia, homebrewing is less of a need,” John said.
Despite the level of interest in homebrewing from the local community, the current members remain dedicated to their craft. Aside from monthly meetings, the Hill City Homebrewers typically attend the Maker Faire at Randolph College where they can hand out samples of their personal brews and educate the community on the process of homebrewing.
If Meade and John are any indication, the community of homebrewers seem eager to share their knowledge and their beer with newcomers.
More information about Hill City Homebrewers can be found at facebook.com/hillcityhomebrewers. To join the club, simply show up at their next Monday meeting (dates and times posted routinely
to Facebook).
