Since I wrote the first post on this blog (back in the far 2012), this is the first – and with all odds – the last post that I am writing in English. I always cherished the idea of posting in English, but never got to doing that. For some good reasons: a practical one, it is obviously easier for me to write in my own language (which is Italian, by the way) and a more philanthropic one, considering that most people who follow this blog are Italian and prefer to keep reading posts written in their own language. There are tons of other valid sources out there written in English, far less in Italian. So I stuck with that.
But this is a special occasion. Last June, at the beginning of the second year of the pandemic nightmare, I took part to the annual AHA Homebrew Con. The second in a row which was held online. I still remember clearly the moment I opened my email, a year before that, to find an email from the American Homebrewers Associaton which said that my application for a talk about Oxidation had been accepted. It was the beginning of 2020, I was supposed to travel from Italy to Nashville in June to give a talk about homebrewing. I was far beyond excited, as you can easily guess.
Then the pandemic hit. Luckily I had not booked my flights yet, and meanwhile the Homebrew Con 2020 was moved online. Less room for talks, mine was deferred. They asked me if I wanted to keep my spot for the following year and I said yes. I was given one more year to delve more into the topics of my talk, and in no time I was back in line for the Homebrew Con 2021! Ready to rock from my kitchen, with a beer in my hand and a lot of excitement.
This talk, called “Oxidation: there’s more than meets the eye” had been changing and growing for some years. I had already presented the topics, in a much shorter form, at the BrewCon London in 2019. A top-notch convention which was a blast to attend. After that I delved more into the topics, made some practical experience with kegs and stuff, and learned a lot of details and subtleties that I hadn’t noticed before.
It goes without saying that I would have preferred to be in San Diego (which I visited few years ago and it is awesome) rather than give my talk while sitting in my own kitchen in Rome, but the experience itself was still amazing.
So, my fellow international homebrewers, here is my talk. I’d love to hear feedback of any kind about it (constructive criticism is most welcome), so feel free to share and comment. The talk is available only for the AHA members, but if you are not a member of the American Homebrewers Association yet, I strongly advise you to join. Together with the membership and the Zymurgy Magazine, you get access to tons of recipes, all of the earlier issues of the Zymurgy Magazines and access to all the talks in the past Homebrew Cons. Huge value for the yearly fee, in my opinion.
