John Lyle Harrison

A home brewer for more than 15 years, John Lyle Harrison began with easy-to-use malt extract kits. For years, all he had to do to brew beer was to combine the ingredients of these kits with sugar, yeast, and water and wait about two weeks for the finished product. This system was cost-efficient, and John Lyle Harrison created many batches over the years for approximately 25 cents per bottle. However, he never found himself particularly happy with the quality of his product.

John Lyle Harrison built a new house with a larger basement and began transforming part of the basement into a brewhouse, he changed his method to all-grain brewing. He used the “brew in a bag” method, which allowed him to craft beer from scratch while operating with relatively simple equipment. The brewer seeks out high-quality ingredients over the Internet and combines them using a burner-and-kettle system to boil the liquid and a fabric bag to mix the solid ingredients.

Having produced nearly 800 liters of beer to date with this method, John Lyle Harrison has changed his system to a Braumeister 20l all in one system to improve the process. Most recently, he began utilizing a computer-controlled system that allows for greater accuracy in monitoring volume and temperature. Thus far, (2000 liters) the system has proven helpful in achieving more consistency in quality. He also built a “keezer,” or a temperature-controlled dispenser, that allows him to serve his beers on tap.