From Bryce Eddings,
Your Guide to Beer.
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The three 2006 winners of Samuel Adams Longshot Homebrew Competition were Donald Oliver, Bruce Stott, and Ken Smith. A few weeks after the announcement at the Great American Beer Festival I caught up with Don Oliver to ask him about his win and brewing in general.

Q. When did you brew your first beer and how did you get into this hobby?

A. I'm not sure when I brewed my first brew, but it has been over four years at least. I was introduced to brewing by my dad and he showed me the basics of extract brewing. After that, I was hooked and started purchasing brewing books to learn all that I could.

Q. I know that your winning beer is an all-grain recipe, why did you decide to switch from extract brewing?

A. I switched to all grain brewing because I wanted the added control it offers and the broader selection of ingredients. It seemed that whenever I brewed an extract batch it always had a similar taste to other extract brews I had made, regardless of differing hop schedules. I don't have that problem with grain brewing. Q. What kind of system do you use?

A. I use a three tier gravity setup that I built out in my garage. I use converted 15 gal kegs as the hot liquor tank, mash tun and kettle. I only have two kegs right now, so I only end up using two of the three tiers, but I hope to be converting another keg soon.

Q. When you brew are you a purist, stylistically speaking, or do you like to experiment?

I do like to learn about specific styles, but I love the experimentation aspect of brewing. I like using oddball ingredients and lately I have been toying with the newer hops that are available and the growing range of dried yeasts on the market.

Q. What's the best and worst beers that you've brewed?

A. I'm not sure which of my beers I would call the best. The Old Ale that won the contest was good. I have a few others that stand out such as my Chocolate Imperial Stout, Tripel, and Buckwheat Mild.

The worst beer I ever brewed was a pale ale that I tried to make from the second runnings of a barley wine. It was horrible. Overhopped, not enough gravity and, to top it off, if I remember correctly it also got infected. It quickly became fertilizer for my plants.

Q. Can you share your winning recipe?

A. Boston Beer Company now owns the rights, but it should appear in the January/February issue of Zymurgy.

Q. How closely has Boston Beer been working with you as they convert your recipe for large scale brewing?

A. I provided Boston Beer Company the recipe and I have spoken with the brewery manager once since the festival. When I spoke with her, around the first week of Oct., they were sourcing ingredients and we spoke about the aging temps and times. Since then, I haven't heard much. I assume they have it under control.

Q. I know you're still in college. Has this experience changed your plans for the future?

A. No, it actually fit in nicely with my plans. It took me quite a while to figure out what I wanted to do for a living. Before I decided to return to school and pursue brewing I was a helicopter mechanic. Once I started brewing, I discovered it was something I was interested in, passionate about, and wanted to pursue professionally. My plan was to earn a Business Administration degree, then become a brewer through one of several establishments. I am leaning toward the American Brewers Guild now. I would like to open a brew pub somewhere in California. Winning the contest just adds a little credibility to future brewing goals.