Silvia Eyster and Barry Forrest
Homebrewers
Interview Date: January 5, 2023
Q: Tell us about your first batch of homebrew. When did you start?
Our first batch was an oatmeal stout all grain. BYO magazine recipe.
Q: What's your favorite beer you've ever brewed?
The beer I’ve brewed the most is Ashley Carter’s slow pour pils. I’d love to win a medal for that recipe at BBBO. It’s all pilsner and all hallertau. There’s no room for mistakes with that recipe. Feedback has been all over the place, but it’s such a great beer!
Q: What's your go-to commercial beer?
Velvet Hammer by Peticolas. If I see it on the menu somewhere it’s what I’m choosing.
Q: What's in your fermenter now?
Fermenters are empty right now. But I have an Oud Bruin and a Flanders Red in secluded carboys that need attention soon.
Q: What's your favorite BJCP style to brew? To drink?
5D - Pilsner - both to brew and to drink
Q: Tell us about your brewery. What does your set-up look like?
There’s a dual element Spike Trio that runs off of 220v, there’s a Grainfather, and 2 orange coolers and a Spike kettle from the early days.
Q: Why do you homebrew?
As a recovering microbiologist, and at the encouragement of Silvia tasking me to find a hobby, I became interested in homebrewing. I researched Craiglist for equipment and started attending Dallas Homebrew Collective meetings to learn more about the craft. There’s a harmonious blend of science to it and creativity to it. Also it’s a good team building effort for my marriage. It’s also about the friendships and the camaraderie within the community.
Q: What is your favorite part of being members of the Horsemen?
"Drinking with good people on Sundays" - Barry
Q: Any other fun facts
We travel for beer! My Untapped currently has us at 290 breweries and over 5,000 unique beers. I recently brewed with Sam Calgione (Dogfish Head), Vinny Cilurzo (Russian River), Neil Fisher (Weld Works), Jason Perkins (Allagash) and Doug Riser (Burial) at Brewer’s Retreat in Rehoboth Beach, DE. It was epic! Last year I brewed with Dick Cantwell (Elysian) and Silvia brewed with Shawn Lawson (Lawson’s Finest Liquids) and JC Tetreault(Trillium) at the Brewer’s Retreat at Russian River.