We were talking to our team member Carlos Navarro about his hobby!
How did the idea of creating your own beer come about?
I like to drink a variety of spirits such as whiskey, gin, vodka and tequila. They are all formed from distilled alcohol as one would find with wine and beer. The problem with alcohol is always the quantity and, when I became older — quality. Distilled spirits can be expensive, which is the same as wine because the proper tools required can be complicated. Good beer is very expensive too, but production is easier with the basic production steps being: heat water, mix the malt, boil, cool, ferment — then wait, and finally serve. The home brewing process is one day of hard work which then leads to the fermentation. The homebrewer’s day is a meeting day with “asado”. I have had 4 years as a brewer, and in that time only 2 batches of beer were not suitable for drinking. The idea of the brewing process for me is to brew, eat and enjoy the company of companions while doing it.
What has been the most difficult thing you have experienced when creating your own beer?
The big problem for the homebrewer is fermentation control. In the fermentation, the temperature is a key factor, but last year I bought a refrigerator, a long fermenter, an Arduino and some accessories to help control that aspect. I built an automatic controller which has been a great help.
Have you thought about naming your beer or if it has a name, where does that name come from?
“Tres Demonios” is the name because of the fact that we work in a team of three. The “tres” is easy to understand, the “Demonios” part is complicated.
How many varieties of beer have you made?
In this moment we have a limitation due to the fact that we only have one refrigerator. We only brew 2 times a month at most. We do not brew to sell. We’ve made some varieties which we call styles. Last December I brought a cornelius keg with Barley Wine to test out at the office.
Do you have anything experimental in mind that you would like to create?
Nothing too experimental at the moment. Currently, we are trying to repeat a recipe and get the same result. Trying to perfect what we have already done and make it as best as possible is the goal this year.
Have you participated in any fair/show or would you like to participate in any of them? Which one?
We have participated in some craft beer competitions with varied luck. There are some excellent home brewers that keep us challenged. Meanwhile we will continue participating and drinking. For now it is a hobby to enjoy.
